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
Category: Mental health
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
Who Am I, Outside Of A Relationship?
Who am I outside of a relationship? Do I have an identity outside of being a partner, girlfriend, soulmate? Ever since high school, I had avoided being single at all cost. I'd stay in unhealthy, unhappy, and toxic relationships just for the sake of not being alone. I had always been so terrified to be … Continue reading Who Am I, Outside Of A Relationship?
From A Therapist’s Perspective
Therapy is terrifying. It is simply a room. This room has some chairs, a couch, a side table, and a complete stranger. You may continuously fidget with your bracelet, necklace, or long sleeves because you do not know what to do in this room with these chairs, a couch, a side table, and a complete … Continue reading From A Therapist’s Perspective
When Anxiety Hits…
When anxiety hits me, everything within me feels affected... Physically, mentally, and emotionally. My muscles in my whole body tense up. My fists are clenched, my legs are stiffened, and my stomach is tightened. My heart begins to beat faster by the second. My lungs struggle to grasp at the air. I start to feel … Continue reading When Anxiety Hits…
