It was 2 am in the bedroom of my aunt's cabin a few hours north of the city where I grew up. With my heart pounding and my hands shaking, I turned to my mother and said, "I think I need to see a therapist, I cannot keep living like this." I was 12 years old at the time. This realization came to me while in the midst of another frightening panic attack. At the time I did not … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2019
What to Say (And What Not to Say) to Someone with a Mental Illness
Despite the prevalence of mental illness in our society, it’s still incredibly misjudged, and because there is such limited public understanding, there are countless myths and stereotypes penetrating our thoughts, behaviors, and discourse. The truth is, the way we talk about mental illness perpetuates stigma and negative stereotypes, and can be detrimental to those vulnerable … [Read more...]
The Cyber World Around Us
We now live in the digital age, a time where social media has become more important than in-person relationships and communication. The culture of social media is mainly concentrated between the ages of 15-25 but spans across all ages. I am 19 years old which means I have been alive and understanding of most huge technological advances that have taken place over the last few … [Read more...]
3 Reasons People Don’t Go To Therapy
There’s a stigma surrounding the idea of therapy. People hesitate to use say the word or to admit that they are in or are even considering therapy. Therapy tends to be a closely guarded secret. And that could be because mental health is a medical condition and one’s medical information tends to be private information. However, I think it’s more than just an issue of privacy. … [Read more...]
After College Blues: Turning a Time of Anxiety into Self-Exploration
It is a feeling of pride and joy when one goes up on stage and receive their college diploma. Our minds dream of the ideal future where a career will start right after obtaining that paper of certification that has caused sweat and tears for the last 4 years of higher education. However, that is a scenario that is too good to be true and in reality can cause the recent college … [Read more...]