When I find it impossible to lift myself out of bed or bring myself to smile, I think of the little girl I used to know, the little girl I used to be. In my head she exudes all the qualities I wish I still had. She finds solace in her thoughts in times of […]
When I finally came forward to my parents about my struggles, I realized I wasn’t alone. I finally began to start my journey in realizing and coping with the fact that I was one of the 18% of the population who struggles with some form of anxiety and/or depressive disorders.
Ever since I was little, creativity has been in my nature. When I was young, I would bring the entirety of my dresser out into the living room for costume changes during whichever musical I decided I wanted to perform that day. There was dancing and singing along to Bye Bye Birdie whether I had […]
Mental illnesses command the atmosphere like tornadoes, spinning everything around in circles until we are stuck sorting through the aftermath of a once healthy life. They tear through homes, through friendships, through careers; they do it relentlessly and without apology. Mental illness hit me hard in college. I was failing classes. I had taken a […]
The holidays are coming up, and that means one thing: lots of food. From your grandma telling you to eat seconds, or thirds…or fourths, to the people telling everyone how they’re living it up before they start dieting as part of their new year’s resolution to get healthy. They all mean well, and many of […]
One of the biggest personal struggles that I have had to face, in terms of caring for my anxiety, OCD, and bipolar 2 disorder, is the ongoing search for the right medication. Being a yoga instructor, I disliked the idea of relying solely on a medication, or perhaps several, to make me feel better. Over […]
Seeking help can be one of the hardest parts of recovery but to me it is also one of the most important. If no one else knows that you are struggling, you cannot receive the help and support you deserve. Talking about things you yourself might not even understand can be very challenging, but once […]
One of the hardest parts of having a mental illness is being pulled away from the things that you love.
It can turn simple tasks and things that should be enjoyable into miserable, laborious experiences.
As someone who has been fighting depression for the majority of my life, expressing positive emotions feels new... and pretty great.