What I Wish I Knew as a Young Person Struggling with Being Queer
If I could go back and talk to my younger self who buried her queerness, who felt so much pain and distress over who she was, I would tell her it’s okay to be confused.
Topic: anxiety
The Reality of “Getting Better”
Better, when it comes to mental illness, isn’t charted with benchmarks or being able to say “I’m cured.”
Defying Definition
If I were to make a list of all the words I, or others, might use to describe me, it might include: “weird,” “inconsiderate,” “quiet,” “lonely,” “goofy,” “kind,” “awkward,” “focused,” and “depressed.”
Depression, Acceptance, and Being a Girl Who Likes Girls
you question your worth as you attend therapy while your friends have slumber parties.
There Is No One Way To “Get It Right”
There is tremendous pressure to be a “good” crazy. To match the criteria, to see yourself in the depictions from books or television. To follow the straight line of recovery, as if it’s that easy. As if it’s a straight line at all.
Love is For Everyone
Depression told me I wasn’t enough, it told me I was a burden, it told me that I wasn’t worthy of love.
The Best Gift I Can Give Myself
It’s been a long time since I’ve actually enjoyed my birthday. Over the last few years, it’s been a painful reminder that with another year passing, I’m still a mess.
Happiness Goes On
This was the kind of depression that made me feel lonely when I was being hugged.
Believing in What Isn’t Guaranteed
If and when I find myself at rock bottom, I will make my peace there.
Connecting the Dots
Getting to play with the artist that helped me find hope and purpose felt like a collective achievement, as though I was representing something bigger than myself, bigger than just that moment. It was about witnessing tangible proof that things do get better.
Healing Through Words and Pages
To read the stories of people, to quietly be involved in their struggles and their victories reminds me that it’s OK to be human, in all its flaws and all its glory.
Oasis of Hope
I wish our doubts and fears made sense. I wish they would listen to the logic shown in the love of our friends and family. I wish they could be laid to rest with the simple knowledge that there is someone out there who cares.
