To The Girl Who Feels Like A Second Choice
To the girl who feels like a second choice, You feel like you are just one of someone’s many options. Yet despite this feeling, you still stick around and wait. You hope and pray that you’ll be...
View Article9 Ways To Take Care Of Yourself When You Feel Like The World Is Collapsing
Forget pedicures and bubble baths. When you think of self-care, do you immediately think of spa treatments, Netflix, bottles of rosé, and Donna and Tom’s ‘Treat Yo Self Day‘ on Parks and Recreation?...
View ArticleHow To Stop Being Toxic In Your Own Life
Toxicity lies in excusing your own worst behavior. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been a participant in some toxic behaviors that have hurt myself and the people around me. By nature, I tend to...
View ArticleIf You’re Feeling Ugly, Read This
I’m at my most vulnerable as I address the toxic comments I get online as a woman. I’m no stranger to criticism. I’ve lived my life online for over ten years now so I can handle feedback if it’s...
View ArticleI Wanted A Therapist, Not A Matchmaker
My social worker tried to set me up on a blind date. I’d been in a coed therapy group for a year and a half when the leader, an experienced licensed clinical social worker, tried to set me up on a...
View ArticleI’m Done Being The Perfect Older Sister
Older sisters are stereotypically smart, boring, and successful. From Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice to Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, older sisters are stereotypically smart, boring, and...
View ArticleHow To Have More Assertive Conversations As An Introvert
Making decisions isn’t one of my strengths. My default social response has always been to ‘go with the flow’. Laidback and easygoing are descriptors that repeatedly crop up in my performance reviews...
View ArticleHe Doesn’t Value You? Do This
This might be hard to hear… I’ve been where you’ve been. After spending years on the dating scene falling for guys who didn’t appreciate my worth, I decided enough was enough. I would develop really...
View ArticleWhat I Wish People Knew About Living With Intense Shyness
Shyness is the most misunderstood personality trait. She couldn’t do it. I watched as this woman, whose name I’ll never know, placed her arms above her head, her right hand over her left, and tried to...
View Article3 Women Share The Mid-Holiday Fights That Ended Their Friendship
Traveling with friends is ever bliss or hell on Earth. There are few things that can test a relationship like traveling with a friend. The organizing planning, co-habitation and conflicting interests...
View Article17 Quotes About Friendship To Send To Your Best Friend
“A good friend will help you move, but a true friend will help you move a body.” Friends are special people. They understand us on a level not even our romantic partners can. And they love us in spite...
View ArticleOn Tidying Up And Mental Illness
There’s nothing I can let go of that ends my renewed experiences of stigma and shame surrounding mental illness. There’s nothing I can let go of that ends my renewed experiences of stigma and shame...
View ArticleI Was Diagnosed With Anxiety 5 Times Before I Took It Seriously
How can I sit here and encourage other women to talk about their mental health when I can’t even be honest about mine? I spent most of this morning paralyzed with worry. My stomach has been in a...
View ArticleHow Sulking Helped Me Become A Happier Person
Who knew crying in bed with chocolate would change my life? “Wow, Kass, you’ve really got an amazing life. I’m so jealous,” an old friend exclaimed over coffee recently. I couldn’t help but smile and...
View ArticleThe One Mindset Shift That Will Transform Your Life
If you’ve ever been body shamed, read this. I’m no stranger to internet hate. Recently, a man left quite a nasty comment on one of my posts. For whatever reason, he felt compelled to tell me my body...
View ArticleI’m Not Just ‘Having A Bad Day’. I Have Depression.
And I don’t get to decide when it sets in. This morning it stormed twice – once outside my bedroom window, and then inside my head. As the rain fell, I began to cry; the kind of crying that causes your...
View ArticleWhy People Who Seek Therapy Are The Strongest People You’ll Ever Meet
It’s easier to hide from your problems than it is to face them, head on. I just had my first appointment with a therapist. Again. Really, I should have made this appointment months ago, because I’ve...
View ArticleWhy You Should Always Keep Your Eyes On Your Own Plate
Content warning: Disordered Eating Our society is rife with diet culture, which can be confusing, overwhelming, and detrimental to our health and well-being. But after struggling with disordered eating...
View ArticleA Woman Fat-Shamed Me On The Subway And I Actually Fought Back
But here’s what happened when I opened up about it on Facebook … The other night I had dinner with my youngest brother. It was a nice, mellow evening, and I stopped by Insomnia Cookies on my way home...
View ArticleI’m A Fat Camp Survivor
I don’t think that they even considered the concept that someone could be fat and still happy. I’m a survivor — of fat camp. I know it sounds like I’m exaggerating. After all, how terrible could a...
View ArticleHow To Call Someone Out On Their BS
It’s tempting to ignore problematic remarks, but what kind of world do you want to live in? If some random on the internet leaves you a hateful comment on Facebook, it’s relatively easy to call them...
View ArticleHow To Wear Your Mental Illness On Your Sleeve And Help Raise Awareness
No one deserves to suffer in silence. As humans, we know our bodies are fallible. We are prone to colds, the flu and even broken bones. When we are sick, we take medicine until we feel better without...
View ArticleI Tried The ‘Uber’ Of Wellness And Holy Blissful Convenience
Home-delivered massage? Yes, please. Republished from Whimn.com.au. I have been trying and failing to use a massage voucher I got for my birthday, for the better part of this year. The health spa is...
View Article11 Feminist Podcasts You Need To Subscribe To
These feminist podcasts are taking down the patriarchy, one issue at a time. The current political climate is dangerous for women. We’ve known the situation has been a sticky one for a while but it’s...
View ArticleAnorexia Recovery And Sex: How The Two Go Hand In Hand
Content Notice: eating disorder. I’m in recovery from anorexia. I’m also learning how to have sex again. The two have more in common than you think. Being in recovery isn’t about just reappraising your...
View ArticleHow To Deal With Street Harassment Without Putting Yourself In Danger
Because it can be risky business. It is unfortunate, to say the least, that street harassment is still a thing in this day and age. The simple act of walking down the street can lead to several...
View ArticleAromatherapy Is The Self Care You Didn’t Know You Needed
It’s hard to be stressed when aromatherapy smells this damn good. I am passionate about self-care. On a number of occasions, I’ve taken #SelfCareSunday a bit too seriously, swapping my phone for a...
View ArticlePlease Stop Asking Me To Join Your Weight Loss Challenge
I am done feeling like a bad person because the number on the scale is higher than it was a year ago. “Oh, how I wish to be thin. To look better in the clothes that I am in. To be a size two instead of...
View ArticleI Lost 90 Pounds, But It Didn’t Make Me Happy
A lifetime of living as “the fat girl” left me with serious emotional scars that no diet could heal. When I was 18 years old, I thought that losing weight would make my life perfect. Like so many...
View Article5 Desk-Friendly Tactics To Combat Anxiety
Here are five simple strategies to help combat anxiety at the office… During the week, we spend the majority of our waking time at work. And with our lives becoming increasingly busy, it can be...
View ArticleWhat It Feels Like Living With Depression, The ‘Uncool’ Mental Illness.
Mental health isn’t a popularity contest. But if it was one, depression would be losing. Scrolling through Instagram, you’d be forgiven for thinking women with anxiety and women with depression have...
View Article19 Ways To Care For Your Mental Health This World Mental Health Day
October 10 is World Mental Health Day, and that’s as good a time as ever to start prioritizing your mental health. Millions of people around the world are affected by mental illness. In fact, mental...
View ArticleI Tried A Meal Kit Service And Here’s What I Learned
If you’re time-poor and bored of your at-home menu, read on. By the time I get home from my work day, bookended by a hellish two hour each way commute, the last thing I want to do is cook dinner. My...
View ArticleSorry, But I’m NOT Sorry That My Fat Body Offends You
Project your endless disappointments into the mirror, which is where I’m quite sure it all starts. I’m one of those folks who has the “tendency.” Meaning that somewhere beneath this sleek façade of...
View Article5 Signs You Could Be Ready For A Career Change
Look out for the signs. Change is a concept that makes most of us uncomfortable. Whether its signing up to a new gym or bigger stuff like moving to an unknown neighborhood, venturing out of our...
View ArticleI Got Body Language Advice From An Expert And It Changed Everything For Me
Technically we went on a date. Republished from Whimn.com.au. I’d describe myself as a pretty confident sort of woman. Raised in country NSW, I’ve got a certain ochre approach to life that has gifted...
View Article‘I De-Armored My Vagina And OMG
I’m letting go of past hurts, through my vagina. Republished from Whimn.com.au. Hands up who isn’t walking around carrying past hurts with them? We’ve all got them, right? But mostly we learn to absorb...
View ArticleWhen You’re A Mother Contemplating Suicide
Content notice: suicide. Suicide is a complex issue, one which can be caused by numerous factors: i.e., mental health issues, physical health issues, familial issues, and financial issues. They can...
View Article7 Magical Ways You Can Use Witchcraft To Improve Your Life
Witchcraft isn’t all about cauldrons, pointy hats and eye of newt. I’m a pretty average gal. Maybe except for the fact I have jet black hair, wear a lot of dark clothing (okay, I own nothing of color...
View ArticleThe Moment I Realized I Was Good Enough
It’s my quirks and habits which make me who I am. I was at a small house party with my best friend recently when he got far too drunk, far too quickly. Soon enough, he was slumped over on the ground,...
View Article10 Easy Hacks To Instantly Improve Your Focus
And, focus. Imagine if everyone had the ability and motivation to concentrate for long periods of time. Large work projects, reading, and absorbing massive amounts of information, it would all feel...
View ArticleMy Father No Longer Has Power Over Me
He isn’t going to change, but I can. The bunkbed in Dad’s new condo is a dream come true. I am seven years old, 18 months older than my sister. So when I call “Top bunk!” it’s mine, all mine. We stay...
View ArticleI Went On A Bestiemoon And You Should, Too
It’s not just my relationship with my husband that’s about to change. Republished from Whimn.com.au. Lauren knows too much about me not to be my best mate. She was there by my side when we handed in...
View Article6 Ways To Get Anyone To Like You, According To An FBI Expert
An FBI behavioral analysis expert gives his tips on how to win people over. Meeting new people can be a surprisingly challenging experience. Whether it’s in the workplace, out at cocktails on a Friday...
View ArticleJust Been Rejected? Here’s How To Get Over It Faster
Rejection sucks. Whether you’ve been knocked back by your crush, turned down for a promotion or told that your best just wasn’t good enough – rejection sucks. Feeling like you haven’t made the cut can...
View ArticleMy Depression Makes Me Feel Like A Stranger To My Own Needs
In the back of my mind, my depression is bigger than me. I hate talking about my mother’s death. Mostly because I don’t think many people my age could understand my experience. My group of friends has...
View ArticleLearning To Love The Skin You’re In… With Eczema
I’m pursuing healing and loving my skin from a different perspective. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t itchy and uncomfortable in my skin. Though I may have periods when it’s not as bad, I have...
View ArticlePeople Are Sharing The Helpful Things They’ve Learned In Therapy
Because therapy is expensive, but sharing mental health tips is free. I was chatting to a friend the other week about our mental health journeys, and I realized I’ve been in and out of therapy for over...
View Article11 Things People With Anxiety Need You To Know
I have no more say over when a panic attack sets in than you do over when you get struck with the flu. When I had my first panic attack, I was convinced I was having a heart attack. An ambulance ride...
View ArticleWhat I Learned When I Was Homeless
Home is a lot more than an address. “Am I really homeless?” That’s what I often asked myself during the months I was sleeping on my ex-husband’s floor, my clothes crammed into a suitcase next to my...
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