- addiction
- adolescents
- anxiety
- art
- behavioral health
- children
- covid-19
- creativity
- crisis
- crisis intervention
- culture
- depression
- eating disorder
- fear
- grief
- holidays
- hope
- loneliness
- loss
- mental health
- mental wellnes
- mindfulness
- POC
- postpartum depression
- PTSD
- race
- racial trauma
- racism
- relationships
- seasonal depression
- self harm
- social justice
- st
- stress
- substance use
- suicide
- suicide prevention
- teens
- therapy
- writing
When It Starts To Get Dark
This poem represents some feelings that take us away from our surroundings. When we become overwhelmed in thought, help seems distant, and the trauma that tries to keep us bound seems resistant. But I aim to motivate you today.
Be Aware
I have learned to stay abreast of situations that cause me to go on an emotional mountain with spiral roads. I used to fail at seeing the signs, but then I realized I was in charge of mounting them. I am now mentally aware of the state in which I travel daily. If I veer off from where I should be headed, I am okay with pulling over to assess the situation and get back on track.
Letting Creativity and Sound Choices Set You Free
Mental Wellness Is Achievable — My definition of 'choice' is the possibility of becoming free of the thoughts that bound you. I know, that's easier said than done. But understand that the will to choose is inherent for the sole purpose of living life more abundantly. Creativity is the tool to create that abundance. Whether you decide to create a multitude of ill discretions or of positivity and productive projects, you can freely design at your own will. What you think about and act on becomes a part of your immediate world, the environment around you. You are forming your future right now, and you're doing it all from the inside out. Be intentional about the life you will live 10 years from now.
WISHING YOU PEACE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
We know the holidays aren't always the happiest. And today, as wishes of joy fill the air, we want you to know that whatever you're feeling is valid and you are so very not alone. We want you to find peace and hope in the smallest moments, but we also know that this season can come with sadness and pain, especially as we close out a year of immeasurable loss.
LIVING IN QUARANTINE: THE AFTER EFFECTS
Covid-19 forced many of us into self-isolation. In this isolated state, emotions can be heightened, and mental health can be gravely affected. A recent review in Psychology Today on the effects of quarantine on individuals points to increased confusion, anger, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and extended periods of grief, sometimes lasting even three years after the end of the quarantine. Stressors range anywhere from longer quarantine duration, inadequate information and supplies, and infection fears, to frustration, boredom, grief, financial loss and stigma.
MY DISORDER THRIVES IN THESE LONELY MOMENTS
WRITTEN BY: BECCA AMES
we compare our pain as if there is only a certain amount in this world to be given. rank our suffering, use it to give or deny ourselves the permission to feel. there are people who are sick, dying, losing their jobs, people who never had them to begin with. people who are hungry. who are you to be experiencing anything but gratitude?
LET'S TALK ABOUT IT, EVEN THOUGH IT SCARES ME.
I've been hesitant to write about what I've been dealing with these past couple weeks. Mostly because it's not exactly positive or uplifting. As the founder of the project, I know that people are looking to me to offer something, anything, during this time. I believe we've done a lot as an organization by sharing resources and hosting giveaways and virtual meetups, and I'm proud of that. But I also started this project with the intention of being bold in our conversations about mental health and that starts with me. That starts with honesty and vulnerability.
WHAT DOES ANXIETY LOOK LIKE?
t looks like the light tapping of your fingers on a desk in a perfect pattern.
It looks like biting your nails till they bleed.
It looks like staring off into space.
It looks like ignoring someone you love.
It looks like leaving a packed room to get some air.
It looks like anger, fear.
COMMITMENT TO CHANGE
This week, Betty Mujica-Milano, president of our board of directors, and I, stood in front of a gymnasium full of hundreds of high school students, slightly terrified I must admit, and poured our hearts out about the project. We walked into that gym having flashbacks to high school and wondering what the heck we had gotten ourselves into, but let me tell you, we walked out with, well, hope.
THS IS OUR STORY
Depression and anxiety are very real and though some forms come from experiences such as mine and others from chemical imbalances, the most important thing to know is that YOU AREN'T ALONE and I'm not alone. We are all in this together.