Over the years I have struggled with anxiety and depression, an eating disorder, maladaptive daydreaming, and self harm. For a long time I thought I’d never be “normal” or happy. I thought that I was incapable of having healthy relationships and/or a successful, satisfying life. But through hard work, vicious ups and down, persistent hope, lots of support, and plain-and-simple stubbornness I have healed many of my old wounds and learned to live to the best of my ability with

I’ve always known I was an introvert. But if this COVID-19 shutdown has taught me anything, it has, with 100% surety, made it undeniably, perfectly, almost hilariously clear... that I am deeply, truly an introvert all the way to my core. I’m so sorry extroverts, that you may be stir-crazy right now, possibly even losing your grip on reality, due to isolation and lack of social stimulation, but I’m doing just fine. Silence suits me. I recently came down to Springfield, MO from

Because I would escape into my mind, my mind became a cage. Maladaptive daydreaming is something I wish would be discussed in the mental health community more often. Although it is not formally recognized as a mental disorder, it can be harmful to one's overall health and is absolutely considered a psychiatric condition. For me, daydreaming started as a coping mechanism but soon became a detriment to my life. As a youth, trying to avoid dealing with my depression and emotiona

We don't turn off our brains entirely while watching a movie or reading a book. There's just no way. Always there is lesson to be subconsciously learned, a message to be conveyed, an experience to be identified with. So, my question then is, your favorite (book or movie) is your favorite... why? Not because of the grandeur, the magic and mystery, not because of the happy ending, or dreamy character. I don't care for those favorites. I'm talking about the real reasons. The rea

I started writing as a way to escape. I created my own world in which to live, separate from the strain and stress of reality. Then - years later- I found out reading is scientifically proven to be beneficial to the mind not only for knowledge but also for health. Of course reading is mentally stimulating and will increase your vocabulary and cognitive functions but it also reduces stress, deepens empathetic tendencies, helps with depression, serves as a re-energizer, and eve

The voices in our heads don't always say what we want to hear. They get fixated on something and run wild, they randomly shut down, they make no sense and perfect sense simultaneously. They shout sometimes and yet other times, have nothing to say when we most need their insight. That is how I write as well. The characters of my books - the voices of my mind - are their own reality, but you as the reader give them power. You choose to make sense of their message, you choose

Writing a book may be a solitary process. But in the long-run, connections are needed for publication and promotion far more than I ever would have thought. I have had the pleasure of working with the multi-talented Chris Maher. Actor, model, influencer, and overall charismatic character, Chris was an intimidating first experience for my debut from isolated internal creativity to the highly visible and interactive world of film and media. It would have been easy for me to be