CJ
on
As a transgender boy, denial and the pressure of societal standards for masculinity keep me from realizing who I truly am. After all, I prefer to keep my hair long. Fitness and sports aren’t my thing. I get easily upset while watching sad films or when I’m insulted. These are just a few of the […]
Ashley B
on
CW: Self-harm, depression, and anxiety. I have a lot of bad habits, all varying in severity – from procrastination to my habits of cutting and skin picking, often to the point of self-injury. Both are self-destructive tendencies that harm me in some capacity, but the difference lies in the type of harm. In my opinion, […]
Brynne
on
This information is intended for general knowledge only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your doctor before starting any new health or exercise routines. If you’ve been on social media lately, there’s a pretty good chance you may have gotten wind of the popular fitness and wellness challenges being promoted through platforms like Instagram […]
Noa G
on
CW: Mentions of suicidal ideation. As a crisis counselor for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, I supported a diverse range of individuals facing challenging and distressing situations. Help-seekers with suicidal ideation (the desire to die by suicide) that reached out to the hotline expressed something called ‘suicidal ambivalence’. Though many of these individuals had […]
Ilana
on
CW: Mentions of suicidal ideation and self-harm. “I’m sorry for wasting your time–” “I don’t mean to be a burden–” “I’m not sure if this counts as a crisis–” As a Crisis Text Counselor, I receive messages like this almost every shift. Often, they seem to come from the people who need these services the […]
Angie
on
‘It will pass. There are plenty of fish in the sea’ they said to me, as my heart was cleaving into two pieces. In that moment, I knew with complete certainty that this pain would not pass as painlessly as many made me believe. Many, like myself, have experienced the significant loss of a relationship, […]
Charlotte
on
I am a mental health advocate. I’m also a 17-year-old, a proud Portuguese-Chinese American, a younger sister, a dog lover, a milk-before-cereal person, a photography hobbyist, a soccer player, an early-riser who also stays up late, a sleep-deprived teenager—I’m a person. Yet, whenever I talk to people in the mental health space, the first thing […]
Ayaan
on
CW: Mentions of suicide. Friends are incredibly important, especially for students who spend so much time around our peers during the day. Yet, there are so many aspects to friendships that often go overlooked. Personally, I have struggled with recognizing the true value of friendship, particularly as my mental health challenges have turned me into […]
Charlotte
on
CW: Mentions of suicide. “No judgment” is so much more than just listening to someone share their story. It’s more than just accepting their story, sympathizing, and extending compassion. While mental health campaigns have long advocated to “end the stigma” and make it easier for people to talk about mental health, I believe there’s an […]
Natalia
on
CW: Discussions of substance use, suicidality, and self-harm. Youth substance use is happening regardless of whether or not people are speaking openly about it. As a teen who had a substance misuse problem, I was never given non-judgmental information regarding substance use; I was only told unhelpful statements like “drugs are bad for you.” This […]
Katherine