by Daniel Wittler I remember in July of 2012 living in a halfway house and going to Intensive Outpatient therapy with others suffering from addiction. My roommate had gotten a call that his grandmother had passed away in Ohio; we were in Florida. He was very upset, but also adamant that he had to go…
My Anxiety Is Not Dramatic
by Sarah Fader Anxiety disorders are medical conditions that affect roughly 40 million Americans. I’ve lived with chronic anxiety since I was a child. It became pervasive to an extent I could no longer ignore when I was fifteen and began experiencing panic attacks. However, as mentioned, I began experiencing symptoms at a much younger…
5 Ways to Help a Friend with Depression
by Ari Borhanian We’ve talked before on this blog about the surprising commonality of depression. Over time, many people have moved passed the general misconceptions of what individuals suffering from depression are experiencing. With 17.3 million adults affected by depression every year, it’s no wonder it’s become a major part of the conversation. But while…
How Support Systems Benefit Recovery
by Ari Borhanian It’s easy to feel alone when coping with mental illness. The sense of otherness and general isolation can not only make it harder to get the help you need in seeking recovery, but can make your symptoms worse. This isn’t just the case with depression, either: whether you have anxiety, substance abuse…
The Real Reason for Procrastination
by Anna Yoni Jeffries Living in an age of technology has its perks. But it can provide the perfect distraction for those moments when we want to avoid doing something we know we need to do. We are able to access information in a moment’s time—an ever-tempting source of distraction. At the same time, with…
Mental Health, Meditation, & Mindfulness
By: Jorge Arredondo Meza When I was a student at Duke University, meditation and yoga saved my life. The trials of academia consumed my mind to the point where I was constantly thinking about what assignment needed to be done next. I can confidently say that adopting a mindful practice—in my case, meditation—drastically improved the…
Speak Up: How to Talk to Your Family About Mental Health
by Nia Spencer Talking to your family about something personal is never easy, especially with touchy topics like mental health and sexuality. There is so much stigma around these subjects that often we hold things in—which usually causes more harm than good. One strategy is to write it out. When we can’t find the words…
Driving the Car Expectation through Disappointment City: Part Two
by Laura Harris, MS, LPC Illustrations by Kristy Southivilay In part one of this article, I shared the beginning of my allegorical story about disappointment. Here, I’ll finish the story and unpack it for readers. ___________________________________________ Depressed’s bus only stops on three streets: Indulgence, Despair, and Hope. You and your Feelings give the remainder of your…
Driving the Car Expectation through Disappointment City: Part One
by Laura Harris, MS, LPC Illustrations by Kristy Southivilay Disappointment is a feeling that doesn’t get enough respect. It’s the Jan Brady of feelings. Lately, I’ve found a community of disillusioned people, making a perfect sample to explore this feeling called “Disappointment.” This year, my favorite sports team (the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers) lost their last…
Hoarding Disorder Explained
It is incredibly and overwhelmingly easy to accumulate “stuff.” Everywhere we go, people are handing out free and useless junk: pens, keychains, water bottles, stickers, brochures. Every store we visit has beautifully designed displays luring us in and convincing us that we need brand new, seasonally appropriate stuff in order to feel happy. Most of…
Alzheimer’s Disease: Challenges and Advice
Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative cognitive brain disorder that causes a loss in memory, thinking ability, and reasoning. It is a fairly common disease that usually affects the elderly population although cases of early-onset Alzheimer’s also occur in populations under 65 years of age. Five hundred thousand cases are added yearly, and it is the…
Postpartum Mood Disorders: Prevention & Treatment
When model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen gave birth to her daughter with her husband John Legend, she couldn’t figure out why she was so deeply unhappy. “Getting out of bed to get to set on time was painful,” she wrote. “My lower back throbbed; my shoulders—even my wrists—hurt. I didn’t have an appetite. I…