For a long time, I hated hugs. As a child, I hated being instructed to hug adults I didn’t know, I hated classmates greeting me with air-hugs that felt forced and fake, but I also didn’t even feel comfortable hugging my own family and close friends. It took me a while to realize it was because physical touch had been used as a form of control when I was a young child. My stepfather would use his hand on my shoulder at church to hold me still, a captive at the pressure of his

Brittian's story of growth and recovery may make your heart hang heavy, but it should also make you raise your head high. She shares a story of trauma and heartbreak and yet has come through to the other side strengthened and full of determined self-love. I find her - and her stories - to be stunningly inspirational, a reminder that no matter the struggle, no matter the pain, there is hope and beauty in life. There is peace to be had, if only we take the time and do the work,

This post by Self-Love & Sexuality Coach, Arielle Dangelo, really resonates with me because, for a long time, I struggled with being angry at life... Mad at my mind that it was troubled and mad at the world that it did nothing to help me. It was many years before I realized that I needed to be honest with myself, humble myself - and seek help and support - in order to gain control of my life. Also, that I needed to join the mental health community and be available to support

I want to take a moment today to remind people that mental illnesses are just as real and life-altering as physical ailments. I wrote this poem about a year and a half ago, when I was not doing well. I was also especially struggling with the difference - the separation - between how healthy I looked and how terribly sick I felt. Today, I'm doing so well! My external appearance matches my internal health. I feel confident. But it's been a long, hard fight to get here. A figh

As an adult, I've found little success in making friends outside of a workplace. I used to get angry about that fact. Used to wish that work and pleasure weren't so tightly reliant upon each other. But then I realized that the few friends that I'd made - from work - that have lasted, have turned into truly deep bonds. Because those are the friendships based in honesty, in realness. Why? Well, because you can't be false about your temperament, your opinions, your capabiliti

May is national mental health awareness month. In honor of that, I want to share a bit more of my journey to mental health and stability. I first started having trouble with anxiety and depression in middle school. I would get so stressed out in class - most often about reading aloud - that I would sweat through the armpits of my shirts... and then spend the rest of the day refusing to raise my hands because I didn't want anyone to see my sweat stains. Social anxiety start