The other day, I was booking a trip for me and my partner, along with a friend of ours. After hours of fruitless searching for a good place to stay, I had somehow come across a gem we’d missed. I got out my partner’s credit card and paid, noting that only 40% of the value …
I grew up in a very closed community. Everyone around me looked like me, spoke like me, and held broadly the same values that I did. We were quite segregated, although that’s not how we saw it. The community simply felt that diversity would impinge on our way of life. The community I grew up …
In 2020, there are plenty of mobile apps for mental health and wellness. But which apps are legitimately good for your mental health? Over the past decade or so, ambitious entrepreneurs have recognized that America has ignored a largely untapped market. Mental health care has never been the country’s strong suit and in previous generations …
Since Facebook was introduced fourteen years ago, multiple studies have shown that social media is linked with increased anxiety and depression. Professionals have discouraged everyone – but especially people who struggle with mental illness – from using social media. Self help gurus and mindfulness experts have spoken about how social media will stop you from …
There’s no sugarcoating it: 2020 has been a dumpster fire of a year. It has been so crazy that we’ve all but forgotten that World War 3 seemed on the verge of erupting in January. For those of us with mental health concerns, we have had to develop a whole new toolkit of coping techniques. …
In American society, a lot of emphasis is placed on the idea of personal happiness. The pursuit of happiness is enshrined as an unalienable right in the Declaration of Independence. It is fundamental to how we see our place in the world and how the country runs. Tend to your own happiness, and that …
Creative expression is often touted as one of the most effective paths to self-actualization. Aside from the fact that people who excel at creative endeavors are admired by our society, mental health experts speak of the huge benefits of creativity to holistic mental wellness. Creativity is part and parcel of mental health and addiction recovery …
The idea of the toxic relationship is often viewed through a one-dimensional lens. We think of someone who gaslights their partner, commits verbal or physical abuse, or generally makes them feel inadequate. In these cases, it is often only the person stuck in the relationship who cannot see how toxic it is. We believe that …
Someone I know recently tweeted that if you are not depressed, you haven’t been paying attention. They were referring in particular to the hatred being spread by politicians around the world, the travails millions of people go through every single day, and the constant threat of climate change (and now COVID-19). The statement struck me …
Almost a decade ago, I entered inpatient treatment for my depression. I knew it was necessary, but it was a frightening decision to make. Fortunately, a pleasant surprise greeted me in the institution. For once in my life, I was not a minority. As a gay man, I learned early on that I would always …
