I’ve been silent for a while after graduating in 2019. I thought that I would become firm in my values and identity in undergrad, however now that I am 3 years post-graduation, I realize that my growth was only beginning. There are identity structures that fell away, and others that are beginning to take their…
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You ARE Being Productive During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Hey. How are you? How are you, really? I’d like to say that whatever it is that you are feeling, it is OK. We are in a global crisis. No one has the right to say how anyone should feel about it, because the fact is that this is an unprecedented situation in history. Humanity…
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Dear Recent Grad: It’s OK to Slow Down
I’m a recent grad with a Health Sciences degree who is facing difficulties with slowing down. Does there need to always be something I am working on? Do I need to always be working on all of my projects? Keeping on top of everything? Growing and improving in measurable ways? It feels like my mind…
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You Cannot Change Your Loved One’s Habits and Here’s Why
Have you ever recognized a harmful habit that your loved one has, but cannot seem to change? The importance of changing this habit may seem so, so clear to you. You may see its direct negative impact on your loved one. You may even roll your eyes thinking about them making the same habitual mistakes…
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What you do with the seeds of knowledge I offer is up to you – a free verse about living with depression
This is something new that I am trying out – the following is completely unedited, free-flow writing written exactly from where I am at in the current moment. Its purpose? To give one perspective on what life with chronic depression is really like, in order to increase those without depression’s understanding of it. Also, to…
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Break the Habit of Dissatisfied Self-Talk with One Word
This will likely be a gear shift from what you are used to on my blog. For the last while, I’ve been spending a lot of my time focusing on positivity, good vibes, and self-exploration through activities and changes in actions. However, fundamentally, how we self-talk can filter and dictate everything we do, think, and…
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Not Everyone Suffers From Mental Illness, But Everyone Has Mental Health #GetLoud
Extremely common and damaging misconceptions: I have good mental health. After all, I don’t have a mental illness. People with mental illness and myself are fundamentally different. I don’t need to go out of my way to be kinder to myself or practice meditation or whatever. I don’t have a mental illness, so why should…
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Social Anxiety and Perfectionism from Early Childhood to University (Social Anxiety in the Classroom: Part 2)
This is the second part of a three part series on social anxiety in the classroom. On Monday (the first part), we discussed the differences between shyness, introversion, social anxiety, and social anxiety disorder (SAD). Now that we are clearer on the terminology, I want to share my personal trajectory from early childhood to university.…
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Plan for self-care during midterm/finals season
Dealing with depression and anxiety as an overachieving perfectionist at university is pretty damn horrible. All three elements are interlinked. If one starts rearing its head, the others will very likely join. It is a frustrating experience that I know many of us perfectionists struggling with depression and anxiety share. Even if you are not…
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Abandonment – Overcoming the Fear
“The reality, Nicole, is that although your thoughts are not completely rational and are definitely cognitively distorted, there is an element of truth to them this time.” I had spent three weeks ruminating endlessly on these thoughts that I shared with my psychiatrist, only to hear that statement from him. I knew that I wouldn’t…