Make All Your Loved Ones Read This If You’ve Ever Had A Panic Attack
We may not be able to tell you what we need. But we don’t want you to leave. It starts gradually. Your chest slowly begins to constrict, until you realize you’re no longer able to take a full breath…...
View ArticleWhy You Need To Let Go Of Your Life Story And Write A New One
Everyone loves a good story. So which one are you telling yourself? When I was little, I loved to tell myself stories. I’d skip up and down our little street, singing made-up songs about my life, and...
View ArticleWhat Happened When I Posted About My Miscarriage On Facebook
I clicked post and held my breath. In early May I gathered my husband, daughter, and in-laws for family photos. As we were leaving, I grabbed an adorable pair of Santa-themed baby booties that I had...
View ArticleWhat It’s Like To Be Shamed While Pregnant
I’m 16 weeks pregnant with my first baby. When I was younger, I never thought I would get pregnant — by choice. I didn’t see motherhood as compatible with what I saw as my life trajectory, which...
View ArticleHow To Know When It’s Okay To Forgive Someone And Move On
For anyone still carrying grudges. Forgiveness is a tough subject — and frequently misunderstood by people who need it the most. To quote Buddha, “Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and waiting...
View ArticleOn The Death Of My Friend: Becoming A Better Listener, Too Late
Content notice: suicide. I remember the exact step on the D.C. metro escalator I was standing on when I got the news. It was just four words long. And with it, everything had changed. I had just seen...
View ArticleWhat I Wish My Parents Taught Me Before I Graduated
Change is overwhelming at the best of times. As a graduate, finishing high school, coupled with the pressure of deciding what to do, can be all consuming. I remember it like yesterday, the daunting...
View Article12 Ways To Win The Holidays With Your In-Laws
Winner, winner, turkey dinner. They say when you marry your Schmoopie Cakes, you also marry your Schmoopie-Cakes’ in-laws. No quitsies, erasies or take-backsies. Unfortunately, that union isn’t always...
View ArticleWhat I Learned From Trying To Be ‘One Of The Guys’
Before long, I knew of no higher compliment than, “You’re not like those other girls.” Simone de Beauvoir once said that “one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.” I think the same is true of...
View ArticleThe Time I Was So Depressed I Slept Under My Desk
How could I be naked with my sickness in public and, simultaneously, unseen? I developed a lot of stereotypes about Germans during my time occupying the 36-cubic feet underneath my laboratory...
View ArticleThe Holidays Are The Worst Time Of Year For My Candy Addiction
I have no control over myself when it comes to consuming candy. It wasn’t a typical Halloween scene: college students skipping down the wealthiest part of Sunset Boulevard shouting “Trick or treat!” I...
View Article17 Things You Can Do To Beat The Holiday Blues
‘Tis the season to feel stressed and depressed if you suffer from mental health issues. Fa-la-la-la-la… Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or nothing in particular, the...
View ArticleWhat I Wish I Knew Before My First Panic Attack
Because it happens out of nowhere. I remember my first panic attack so vividly. Considering it was only six months ago, that might not sound so significant, but the entire feeling has stuck with me...
View ArticleExercise Is My Way Of Controlling My Chronic Illness
Fighting against a condition that’s intent on stripping my nerve coatings is the most effective way to scream “Screw you!” Until fairly recently, doctors thought that exercise for patients with...
View ArticleHow To Make Yourself Happier In Just 10 Seconds
Who doesn’t have 10 seconds to feel happier? I recently experienced a bout of depression that had me going to bed at 8p.m., crying in public, and going days without eating because I’d completely lost...
View ArticleLive Tweeting My Breakup Landed Me In A Mental Hospital
Content notice: suicidal images. Sometimes the best ideas with the best of intentions crash and burn like a wreck at the Indy 500. That’s what happened with my decision to live tweet my breakup. I...
View ArticleCalling Myself “Fat” Isn’t Brave, It’s Just True
I don’t need a pat on the back for acknowledging something that’s already obvious. Part of my morning work ritual is to scan world news and look for anything interesting to report. For example,...
View ArticleAn Open Letter To My Mother: Why I Became A Sex Worker
I know this isn’t what you pictured for me at 26, but it’s a job, and it’s the best job for me. Dear Mom, You’ve been wondering about me. I’ve been distant this past year, avoiding your calls and...
View ArticleI Gave Up My Son For Adoption, And Now I Want Him Back
Giving up my son was one of the worst decisions of my life. I had my first child, a son named Daemon (pronounced DAY-mon) on October 2nd, 2005. He was beautiful. I know all parents say that about their...
View ArticleStop Telling People You Know How They Feel
We all do it. Here’s what we need to learn to do instead. When something bad happens to someone you know, what’s your first impulse? If it’s to imagine how you’d feel if that same thing happened to...
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