When I entered the movie theatre to watch Frozen II a few months ago, I was expecting a joyful, heartwarming story of sisters and friendship. While this was still the primary focus of the movie, there was another prominent theme: surviving despite depression and grief. If you haven’t seen Frozen II yet, I highly recommend […]
“Still, We Rise” These past few weeks have definitely been difficult for me, as the racial tension in America has taken a toll on my mental health. We as a nation have been witnesses to the recent events of community unrest with the unceasing injustices of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless people […]
After a year-long (serious) relationship, I broke up with my boyfriend. Although it was my choice to end the relationship, I still cried and at times longed to have him back. While sitting with my counselor, she mentioned that it was okay to process my emotions and feel sad, that it’s natural in “grieving process”. […]
“I didn’t know anyone else came out here. I thought Phillip was being forgotten.” Running into another person in a space I was starting to feel comfortable being alone in led me to confront feelings I had been having and not necessarily dealing with. At first, I was embarrassed to admit how often I visited […]
Yesterday my family and I, although miles apart in physical proximity, lit a candle in each of our respective homes for my brother who passed away 7 months ago. It just so happened to fall on World Suicide Prevention Day. The past seven months for me personally have been a whirlwind. After he passed away, […]
In April of 2013, my mother passed away from Stage Four Metastasis Breast Cancer and I carry that with me everywhere I go...in the 4 years (going on 5) that I've spent Mother's Day motherless, I've learned a few ways to cope for when the day gets blue.
In the middle of December in 2015 I lost my best friend to suicide. The holidays were instantly a dreadful thought to me. I’ve never really had a good family life, so I’ve always made sure my friends knew that I treated them like family, especially during this time of year. She was my kindest […]
Grey and red converse. Holey jeans. A grey Kings of Leon concert shirt. The concrete floor and walls closing in on me as I process snippets of the words pouring out of my cellphone. “Suicide…” “Shot…” “At home…” “Gathering tonight…” “Need to attend…” My chest tightened. My stomach churned. I fell to my knees, pulling […]
This year I was presented with the opportunity to become a member of the walk committee for our community Out of the Darkness Walk, and it was the best decision I have ever made. The Out of Darkness Walks, developed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, are community walks to raise awareness and funds […]
Sometimes it feels like society says you should be always happy, and that showing your sadness is a sign of weakness. This is far from true – if you were to hold in all your sadness or anger you would explode. We all have good and bad days. No one can be perfectly happy all […]