For me, mid-October to early-January is terrifying. Absolutely petrifying. There’s Halloween and Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, and that’s not even counting the pumpkin-spiced-everything and the sudden increase in carb-heavy foods as the weather gets colder. But I’ve spent too many autumns hiding in big sweaters and pretending I’m “just not hungry”. I can’t be the … [Read more...]
Small Goals to Ease Depression
From my own experience, I know that depression and anxiety can be downright tiring. Oftentimes you might just want to stay at home or curled up in bed in order to avoid potentially distressing situations. Your energy and motivation might be low and the day feels utterly hopeless. Because of this, doing anything to make yourself feel better or get some relief from the … [Read more...]
Parenting a Teen with Mental Illness: A Parent’s Grief
What is the hardest thing about parenting children with mental illness? Some things are harder in the moment, while other things are harder to bear over time. For parents like myself whose struggling children do not respond to treatment and/or accommodations relatively quickly, ambiguous grief can be especially devastating. Precious childhoods are lost forever to endless … [Read more...]
Weathering the Scrupulosity Storm: A Story of OCD, Faith and Healing
My brain was a vortex. Thousands of thoughts, like drops of water, flowed together in a harsh rush of unwelcome emotions. They crashed together, circling down toward an uncertain conclusion, a dark place deep inside of me, from which I believed I could never come up for air. But I was wrong. As real as my feelings of fear, anxiety, sorrow, and hopelessness were, the reality … [Read more...]
Two Extremes: My Journey to Managing Disruptive Emotions
I was at a funeral when she told me that I had gotten stronger. She said it in a low voice, one that seemed assured of its own weight and meaningfulness. It was probably meant to be reassuring. It left me feeling like I was the one who belonged in the casket. What she believed about my silence, a radical change from running to her and pouring out my many anxieties in an … [Read more...]
From The Desk Of An Anxious Young Adult: Understanding An Anxious Child
Since I learned to walk anxiety has followed me like a shadow. The pitter patter of baby feet could be too loud if I was not careful. I felt terrible when that shaky, wet, feeling of fear and pain twisted my family into promises I had yet to break, failures I had yet to make. I lived in fear of disappointing everyone. With support, understanding, and honesty my family has … [Read more...]
Losing and Letting Go: How to Expect the Unexpected
Learning how to lose things is a vital part of growing up. We learn how to lose when we are playing games, because we are taught early on that not everyone can win everything. We are even taught how to be graceful in our losses, so that no one thinks we are “sore losers” or “bad sports”, as if those labels were comparable to being “thieves” or “criminals”. We learn to shake … [Read more...]
Life Can Be Tough Sometimes, But So Are You!
To almost anyone you ask, they will say that transition, no matter the circumstance, is one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome. Most of us are faced with this tricky concept during our teenage years as part of the long, tedious journey into adulthood. Transition can come in many forms, whether that be transition to just a grade older, a new school, or a new lifestyle … [Read more...]
Four Ways to Effectively Help a Child Struggling with Mental Health Issues
If you're a parent with a teen with anxiety, depression, or any other mental health issue, you're probably overwhelmed. You might be frustrated, sad and helpless. These are all completely normal and reasonable feelings as you try your best to help your child manage their mental health. But... I have a good news: these conditions are treatable and you can play a role in making a … [Read more...]
3 Ways You Are Stronger Than You Think
Someone today will need to hear this. Is that you? Overcoming challenging emotional feelings and persistent negative thoughts is hard. But it's not impossible. You are capable of empathy and compassion. Your ability to help another human in need despite all that may be happening in your own life is a testament to your ability to relate to and empathize with others. The … [Read more...]
Renewed Hope: One Young Woman’s Story of Severe Eating Disorder, Depression and OCD and then Recovery
It all began when I was about 8 years old. I had always been a bit of an anxious child, but it had never been a serious issue. However, it seemed like one day I was suddenly slapped across the face with unbearable anxiety. My childhood up to that point had been pretty average: I had supportive and loving parents, friends and had managed to stay out of trouble for the most part. … [Read more...]
What I’ve Learned from Anxiety and Depression
My journey to mental health has been a long and harrowing experience, and strangely enough, sometimes rewarding. My fight with anxiety started before I could really even comprehend that I had anxiety. My dad worked in Manhattan as a computer technician, and I would worry about him at work almost every day, calling him on the hour. Then 9/11 happened; not being able to reach … [Read more...]
Acceptance
Accepting that you may have or even do have a mental illness is, in my opinion, one of the hardest things about the illness itself. On the outside, I come across as this girl that has everything together. To my friends, I’m this goofy, funny (or at least I think I am), super outgoing, and happy girl. To my parents, I am involved in everything, smart, have a lot of friends, … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Help a Friend Struggling with a Mental Health Issue
Some of you may be struggling with having a family member or friend with anxiety, depression, or some other mental health issue. If you are someone who hasn’t had a mental health issue yourself, it can be hard sometimes to completely understand what he or she is going through. This is something I have struggled with myself, as my brother was diagnosed with anxiety and … [Read more...]
When Band Aids Don’t Work
I grew up in a small town. There are no streetlights on my roads, no sidewalks, and there’s always that offhand chance that you would need to swerve around a lost cow on your way home. The houses are far enough apart to respect neighborhood privacy, and everyone has known each other since the diaper age. It’s the type of town where everyone knows, but nobody talks. That’s … [Read more...]