(potential content warning) I remember it like it was yesterday. It was early 2016, and I was in the eighth grade. I genuinely felt as though I had everything going for me: I was earning good grades, I found a love for the game of golf, and I had phenomenal relationships with my friends and […]
Content warning: sucicide, depression, anxiety, eating disorder As someone who struggles with mental illness. I know how challenging living with it can be. Sometimes we feel like giving up. Sometimes we don’t understand why we are like this. Sometimes our minds haunt us even when we think we are happy. So instead of letting the […]
According to Brandi Koskie, “The WHO estimates that more than 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression.” Chances are, you are struggling with depression or know someone who is. Having a healthy diet, exercising daily, getting enough sleep (but not too much), and socializing are the basic guidelines to help those with depression. Fortunately, there […]
Language is easily one of the most important parts of who we are as people and it plays a significant role in our everyday lives. Our need to communicate with those around is a key component of who we are as humans and also provides us with the opportunity to share ideas, feelings, and emotions […]
Stigma serves as one of the main reasons people delay seeking mental health care. It consists of misconceptions that label people with mental illnesses as lazy or crazy and causes them to feel rejected from society, even though they are far from alone in their struggles. Not only is stigma hurtful, it’s deadly. Suicide is […]
Suicide Prevention Month stirs up a lot of different emotions for different people. While some people use this time to show that they are here to help those who are struggling, other people feel a sense of sadness, hopelessness, or despair. The topic of suicide isn’t an easy one to talk about… as I write […]
Hi! My name is Lizzie Bayles, I am 22 years old, from Athens, Georgia, and currently in school for my social work degree, eventually graduating with my Masters in clinical social work. Some of my hobbies and interests include dance, reading, journaling, painting/crafting, calligraphy, and anything outside, especially hiking. I also love coffee and spending […]
Recently, my aunt and I were talking on the phone. She’s a hospice worker and spends her life helping others prepare for their death. She told me the story of a patient who was nearing the end of his life, yet filled with anger and frustration toward his situation. Social workers and therapists would encourage […]
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.
“So, what now?” my therapist asks expectedly. “I don’t know; I wasn’t planning on still being alive right now,” I respond, fidgeting in my seat. I left my therapist’s office a little over two weeks prior to this session with a plan. I had just turned 25 and I felt completely defeated, like my mental […]