SPREADINGTHELOVE

I’m currently working towards my second Master’s degree and I think all of my success in my studies has led some people to think I’m not that sick. However, I’ve experienced several struggles that come with the territory of being a mentally ill student. Participation. The “P” word is probably the most terrifying word for any student with the disorder of or symptoms of social anxiety. If I knew my teacher was the type to call on students at random, I would dread coming to clas

I don’t call myself an optimist but that doesn’t mean I’m a negative individual. I’ve always been a bit turned off by excessive positivity and am less attracted to people who exude hyper-positivity. I know that might strange and like it’s harmful for me to feel that way but overdosing on optimism can be just as detrimental to your well-being as being too negative. Extremes of any sort are never healthy. However, the problem with being too positive isn’t given as much attentio

Though addiction runs in my family, I never worried too much about it catching up to me. I don’t have the desire to drink when I’m upset and am actually turned off by alcohol when I’m not in a good mood. I’ve never had the desire to smoke or do drugs. I was able to give up sugar and binge-eating fairly easily. I hate casinos and find gambling to be boring. I saw all of those things as being the dangerous addictions that can take over your life. It wasn’t until recently that I

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