Stigma Fighters: Stephanie Paige

Some Dreams Just Don't Come True... We learn at a young age to follow our dreams, that all our dreams will come true... our parents encourage us, our teachers encourage us, our friends encourage us. There are so many inspiring quotes out there about it "never being too late for your dreams to come true." [...]

By |2015-12-26T14:38:17-08:00December 28th, 2015|Categories: PTSD, Stigma Fighters|1 Comment

Stigma Fighters: Stephanie Paige

Delusional... Imagine lying in bed at night... your eyes, although they feel slightly heavy, are wide open. Your brain is unable to put itself into sleep mode. Your building up frustration as this is the 4th... no maybe 5th night you can't fall asleep. Tears are now falling down your cheeks because all you want [...]

By |2015-12-26T08:50:22-08:00December 26th, 2015|Categories: Stigma Fighters|1 Comment

Stigma Fighters: Dann Alexander

Accepting Reality I could never say my childhood was completely unhappy. I was actually very fortunate. Still, there loomed a dark cloud over my youth that would grow stormier throughout different points of my life. My parents divorced when I was in my early teens. Over the course of my youth I lived in absolute [...]

By |2015-12-23T11:25:36-08:00December 23rd, 2015|Categories: PTSD, Stigma Fighters|0 Comments

Stigma Fighters: Andrew F. Butters

Inside My Head Part II I started taking yoga almost two years ago. At the end of our 90-minute class, we lie in corpse pose, Shavasana, to cool down. We clear our minds and meditate for 10 minutes. As we wrap-up the end of this moment of calm, our yoga instructor will say, "As you [...]

By |2015-12-20T08:19:29-08:00December 20th, 2015|Categories: Stigma Fighters|0 Comments

Stigma Fighters: Justin Lioi

Surviving The Holidays Many people dread holidays. And not just because of the loneliness they may feel or the reminders of a missing loved one. There’s the other thing that’s supposed to make everyone so happy, but sometimes, well, just doesn’t: family. I mean even people who love their family can dread this. Whether it’s [...]

By |2015-12-19T04:57:04-08:00December 19th, 2015|Categories: Stigma Fighters|0 Comments

Stigma Fighters: Stephanie Ortez

I'm part of the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. By 2050, Latinos will account for 25% of the U.S. population. These rising numbers keep most politicians scratching their heads on how to handle immigration issues wishing there was an easy way out for them of course. In my opinion, they only help [...]

By |2015-12-18T09:17:33-08:00December 18th, 2015|Categories: Bipolar, PTSD, Stigma Fighters|1 Comment

Stigma Fighters: Andrea M.

I’ve always struggled with my identity; who I am and what I stand for. The ebb and flow of anxiety and depression have only exacerbated those feelings with ruminating cycles of self-doubt and delusion. When I was finally diagnosed several years ago I felt as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I [...]

By |2015-12-17T07:25:08-08:00December 17th, 2015|Categories: Depression, Stigma Fighters|0 Comments

Stigma Fighters: David Leader

Why I fear the good days I can look back on a rather full and varied life. I have had many good times, I have also had many rather unpleasant times. This is typical of pretty much every person on the planet. Physically I am better off than many, I have arrived at my forties [...]

By |2015-12-16T17:39:56-08:00December 16th, 2015|Categories: Depression, Mood, Stigma Fighters, Suicide|0 Comments

Stigma Fighters: I’m not what you think

This isn't the story I want to tell, this isn't the story I want to be living. Write about my life they say. Like it's easy to rip open the doors of my mind and explain to every person who will read this how fucking hard it is to wake up. My very good friend [...]

By |2015-12-15T15:50:18-08:00December 15th, 2015|Categories: Anxiety, Bipolar, Depression, Stigma Fighters|0 Comments

Stigma Fighters: Catherine Stone

ON REACHING OUT I don’t know how to start this article so I guess I’ll just get straight to the point. Somehow we have been taught that being ‘happy’ –or rather, ‘content’— is the norm for everyday life. This has gotten to the point that the question “how are you?” has become more a matter [...]

By |2015-12-14T10:34:37-08:00December 14th, 2015|Categories: Brave People, Stigma Fighters|0 Comments