It’s that time of year again, folks! We’re looking for bloggers to join the 2018 Fall/Winter You Matter Blogger Council. The deadline to apply is Monday, October 8th, 2018. You Matter has always been a space for youth, by youth, to share stories and make your voices heard. If you’re between 13-25 and are passionate about suicide […]
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, […]
Dear Leah, If there was a way this letter could have gotten to you tonight, I don’t think you would have even listened. The grips of depression are relentless and intoxicating. It took years of deciding that despite the love around you, you are entirely alone. You think you are ready for your life to […]
If someone had told my seven year old self that I would become a time traveller when I got older, my daydreaming imagination would have soared. Could I go back to the periods my American Girl dolls were from; could I go on adventures in the future? Could I visit people who were no longer […]
Many people like to think that at a certain point in life, they “peak.” This is usually thought to occur during your early to mid-20’s, or perhaps if you’re a late bloomer, your early 30’s. But me? Always the overachiever, I peaked at 13. In the thicket of puberty, pimply and hormonal, somehow I stumbled […]
As stress-ridden students with ever-growing sleep deprivation, we wish for the free days of summer with every bit of energy we have left. We count down the days, finish up final projects, say goodbye to our teachers, and walk through the school doors expecting the next three months of our lives to be a taste […]
Depression isn’t just sadness. Sometimes it’s emptiness or hopelessness. Sometimes it’s struggling to get out of bed in the morning. Other times it feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders and there’s nothing you can do to change it. When I’m struggling with my depression, it can be hard to bring […]
Sometimes when we are sad we pull up old music playlists to take us back to a previous time when things were easy and free. Other times, we might pull out an old photo album and run our fingers over the disposables, wondering what it was like back then. As humans, we remember. Our memories […]
When someone is struggling, they oftentimes don’t know exactly what they are feeling. In other words, they know they aren’t feeling good, but “it” can’t be described. I, too, have had these feelings. My friends and family would ask me what was wrong, and I would say, “I don’t know. I just don’t feel right. […]
Self-care is trending. It’s a media buzzword thrown around casually, often with little valuable explanation. Self-care is a useful tool in general, but it can be a particularly important aspect of mental health care. While different forms of self-care can be fun and freeing, it must be taken seriously and should be well understood. Self-care […]