SPREADINGTHELOVE

Dear Younger Linds, I know life may seem so incredibly hectic right now and that the sun may never seem to shine. Your biggest fear right now is school. I know it feels as if the storm may never pass. The only thing worse than knowing where you belong is knowing where you don’t. You wake up everyday dreading the hour long bus ride. An hour can be a long time; especially when you spend that hour thinking that you’re invisible, thinking nobody cares, thinking nobody understands

I’ve been sitting here trying to think about what to write my next article on. My typical writing style gives the impression that although I have had my fair share of struggles, that I am now completely beyond them. That I am almost this inhuman creature that has got all her ducks in a row and lives in a faraway land filled with rainbows and butterflies. And while I DO love rainbows and butterflies, my life is far from being filled with them most of the time. So today I’m goi

There are varying degrees of severity and countless ways of manifestation when it comes to anxiety. No one’s struggle is identical. But one thing is for sure. On some level, in our own unique ways, we are all in a fight at some point or another against the war that is anxiety. As someone who struggles with generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks, I can definitely understand the mental turmoil that can envelope us when our minds start racing. One thing that I’ve found w

“He’ll change.” “Everything is fine.” “Maybe I’m the problem.” Lies. These are all lies I have told myself in relationships but at the time they seemed completely true. “He’s not abusive.” “It’s just who he is.” “We were meant to be.” I try not to regret anything in this life. What would be the point? I can’t go back and change; I can only move forward and learn but when I think about the way I let people treat me in the past, I get sick to my stomach. I think about the lies

It was no surprise to me when I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I sat in a room across from a nice lady at a desk who robotically read off a series of questions all regarding the way that I felt on a daily basis. Throughout the conversation, it took everything in me to not break down and cry. As I answered “yes” to question after question, I felt so defeated. I did not want this. I did not want to admit that yes, I do panic at the idea of leaving my house or

Every once in a while I’ll come across a Facebook status that reminds people to reach out if they are struggling. These “get help” posts frustrate me sometimes even when I know they come from a well-intentioned place. I don’t like that the burden gets put on the person struggling. It’s often hard to reach out to others when you’re in a state of depression or severe anxiety. Sometimes, we fear inevitable judgment. My frustration comes from knowing how difficult it is to find a