Standing Up To Myself: Enough Is Enough

I've always been one to throw myself into work. I've spent most of my adult life working two jobs, which I've always felt was necessary to make ends meet or to further my career path. But at what point is it detrimental to your health, both physical and mental? We live in a society that … Continue reading Standing Up To Myself: Enough Is Enough →

I Wrote My Dad A Letter About Everything I Had Kept From Him

Years ago, I did not have a close relationship with my dad. Being raised by my mom and seeing my dad on a less-than-regular basis as I grew older, I didn't feel my dad actually knew who I was underneath it all. Due to some personal losses in my life, I ended up reaching out … Continue reading I Wrote My Dad A Letter About Everything I Had Kept From Him →

How to describe anxiety to those who don’t experience it

I've heard it time and time again: "anxiety is JUST excessive worrying." I found it difficult and frustrating to attempt to explain what was happening inside my mind to someone who had never experienced any resemblance of lingering anxiety. From a mental health professional standpoint, I do like to clarify to people that anxiety itself … Continue reading How to describe anxiety to those who don’t experience it →

How I Handle Triggers

They overpower me sometimes... Those triggers that pull me back into a piece of my past that I try so desperately to leave boxed up in a corner. I had another today, albeit more unexpected than most. I consider myself to be fairly self-aware of my triggers, but today, I stepped foot in an environment … Continue reading How I Handle Triggers →

Bullying Nearly Killed Me

I have never found the words to accurately describe my high school experience. I often push away adolescent memories due to the pain they cause when they swirl around in my head, even a decade later. I hide away these parts of my past, and in doing so, hide away parts of who I am. … Continue reading Bullying Nearly Killed Me →

Customer Service and Mental Health

I have found customer service to be the most challenging, degrading, and humiliating industry to work in. Those that have worked in customer service know the drill: The customer is always right. Just please the customer so they'll stop throwing a fit and leave the store, right? It has somehow become socially acceptable for some … Continue reading Customer Service and Mental Health →

How Do You Help A Loved One Through Depression?

How do you help a loved one through depression? How do you offer support when you know words only mend so much? I know the weight that depression can put on a person's mind, heart, and body; that feeling of utter emptiness, numbness, and solitude, despite desperation for some form of connection to pull you … Continue reading How Do You Help A Loved One Through Depression? →

Escaping An Abusive Relationship

If I could talk to my 16-year-old self, what would I say to her? I'd tell her that she eventually escapes that toxic relationship, but it sadly takes her years to leave. I'd tell her this to give her hope and motivate her to say something sooner. I'd tell her to speak up, to find … Continue reading Escaping An Abusive Relationship →

Unfinished Business: Grief and Loss

I thought I had time. Time to be angry. Time to be resentful. Time to be disappointed. But that's the heartbreaking part of it all... I thought I had time to feel those negative things about someone before I lost him forever. Never did I think that it'd be the last experience I'd have with … Continue reading Unfinished Business: Grief and Loss →

How Music Saved My Life

I've always considered myself to be an emotional person. I feel everything very intensely, sometimes too much so. I can become so connected, so attached to something and find such meaning in it. For me, that has been (unhealthy) relationships, (unhealthy) friendships, and (unhealthy) jobs. I'd find myself feeling stuck in situations due to my … Continue reading How Music Saved My Life →