What to Expect at Your First Therapy Appointment
5 (More) Lessons Therapy Taught Me
Insight from a year of sitting on a couch, embracing vulnerability.
Read MoreThe Dissociative Experience: What Is It?
It’s more common than you think.
Read MoreReading Children’s Books Brought Back My Passion for Reading
I’ve been a reader since the day I read my first book Green Eggs and Ham. There was no stopping me with my LeapFrog and Scooby-Doo mysteries. Then it was the Junie B. Jones series and so on. By high school, I was reading a mix of young adult and adult fiction. I read books on top of […]
Read More5 Signs You’re Resilient Even When You Feel Weak
Resilience isn’t something I typically associate with having a mental illness. Resilience is the ability to “bounce back” from stressors. It’s how well you handle difficult situations with your thoughts and behaviors, according to the American Psychological Association. While some people may have a natural high resilience, many of us have to work at it. There’s […]
Read More5 ‘Affirmations’ I Use as Someone With Bipolar Disorder
These aren’t the type of affirmations you typically hear.
Read MoreMy Wackiest Mental Health Coping Skills
Whatever works!
Read MoreThe Wilting Flower
The wilting flower sits forgotten, Unkempt. The yellow petals droop in surrender, edging closer to the undusted table. The sun is no more. The water has run dry. It’s winter inside, but summer is just beyond her window. Warmth she will never know again. The unkempt flower survived for so long, weakened from the weeds […]
Read MoreNetflix Is Finally Removing That ’13 Reasons Why’ Scene
What Hannah’s graphic suicide did to my suicidal brain
Read MoreWhat an Emotional Support Animal Actually Is
It’s not a loophole to avoid paying a pet deposit.
Read MoreWhat to Say Instead of ‘It Gets Better’
Using real words of validation
Read MoreWhat They Don’t Tell You About Surviving a Suicide Attempt
It’s been three years since my attempt.
Read MoreDon’t Tell Me To Come Off My Psych Meds
The three types of people who like to give their two cents.
Read MoreGoodbye Queen Smurf
I made the biggest adult purchase of my life so far. I bought a new (used) car Saturday after driving my 2010 Nissan Sentra “Queen Smurf” for the last seven years. I loved that car but it was time to “Kon Mari” it and say goodbye. Queen Smurf was with me through the last half […]
Read MoreTired Friday and Are the Pretzels Worth It?
I woke up at 5 a.m. today. I wish I could say it was because I’m that person who wakes up early to do things morning people do. Instead, I woke up in a dazed panic because my phone (read: alarm clock) wasn’t on my bedside table. I starfished on my bed in hopes of […]
Read MoreWhy I Still Go to Therapy When I Feel Well
(My fitting coffee mug this morning before therapy.) In addition to longer blog posts, I’m now writing daily, shorter posts about life happenings and whatnot. A post a day is my goal, but, really, how much is there to blog about on days I only binge Netflix and fall asleep at 2 p.m.? Therapy isn’t […]
Read MoreGrowing Up With a ‘Gross’ Skin Condition
I was a sophomore in high school, working on the school’s yearbook after the last bell of the day rang. Though Yearbook and Newspaper were separate classes, we all mingled in the journalism room after school. A junior newspaper girl with her friend sat at the computer next to mine. I heard her mention psoriasis […]
Read MoreWhat Made Me Stick Around After My Suicide Attempt
My therapist in college told me most people who attempt suicide say they regretted it soon after. Most people realize the gravity of the situation and lose their “tunnel vision,” which makes them think suicide is the only answer. Many of us have heard the inspirational stories of suicide attempt survivors who realized the preciousness […]
Read More18 Lessons About Bipolar I’ve Learned So Far
World Bipolar Day is March 30. I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder in March 2017 at the age of 21. It’s only been two years since my diagnosis, but my symptoms began in childhood and became overwhelming in college. Bipolar 2 means I experience depression and hypomania. Hypomania — or “under” mania — means I don’t experience full-blown mania. […]
Read MoreHow I Discovered I Had Binge Eating Disorder, Not a Lack of Self-Control
It’s National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, so I figured it’s a good time as any to talk about binge eating disorder (BED). About a month and a half ago, I saw my psychiatrist. During our talk, she asked me if I struggled with binge eating. Then I delved deeper into my relationship with food — something I […]
Read More5 Hard Lessons Therapy Taught Me
I spent the first two and a half years of college working up the courage to start therapy. At the beginning of my second semester as a junior, I finally bit the bullet and made an appointment with my university’s counseling center. Fast forward three years later to now, I’ve gone through my fair share […]
Read MoreReclaiming the Word ‘Woman’
I’ve always identified as a female, but lately, I’ve noticed a weird reaction whenever I use or hear someone call me a “woman.” Sure, I can blast “Woman” by Kesha or some other empowered anthem, but calling myself a woman? Yuck. I had become accustomed to using “girl” to describe myself and other women, though we’re […]
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