The reality of the human experience is often draining. Hopelessness expands like gas in a room without you realizing it. Despair is accessible and easy to notice. There’s direct access to the news at your fingertips, enough to make anybody anxious. Therefore, hopefulness isn’t uninvolved; it’s intentional. You scratch, claw, and fight your way to ...

Oh, woe to me. I rue the day I ever met you. An innocent, petite angel, I believed you to be. A victim of hate, having little friends, you took my pity and softened my heart. Little did I realize, the ones who deserted you were no villains or enemies. They became warriors reborn and ...

My eyes flickered as I tried to adjust to the pitch black. The room’s darkness challenged all my senses. I can’t see what’s in front of me, and the silence deafens my hearing in the most unsettling way. Where am I? What am I doing here? This new world gave me no means of clarity. ...

If time is a matter of perception, then you can change its pace. One might think that the days passed slower in our youth, but for adults, that is a distant point of view. When comparing your outlook and experience in the past, rather than how time passes today, we must realize time isn’t absolute. ...

  Life has been messy for the past month. Getting lost in a story is one of the best ways to cope with the universe’s stressors. It’s an excellent way to take a break. Characters’ problems are a wonderful break from personal issues. The book ends eventually, and the real world is waiting. Here are ...

My worst year was undisputedly 2020. Being stuck in the house, working and dwelling in the same space day in and day out, I found myself at a new deep low. Between the news, the stress of being away from family and friends, and a constant fear for our health, I was spiraling. Anxiety was ...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denied approval for 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) assisted therapy, and the academic and medical journal Psychopharmacology retracted three papers related to the trial. The FDA denial and Psychopharmacology’s response to ethical concerns cited drug trial participant selection, study design, and data manipulation. For future consideration, the FDA required an additional Phase III trial by Lykos Therapeutics. Background ...

Many of us were encouraged to have fun and explore our imaginations in our early years. We scribbled, finger-painted, and sculpted Play-Doh. Our imaginative powers were used to construct make-believe worlds only we could see. However, fine arts and music were often considered extracurricular activities during school. But a lifelong pursuit of artistic endeavors is ...

Pixar movies should come with warning labels before seeing them. It could read, “Will experience intense emotions and thoughts. BEWARE.” Once again, the franchise hit it out of the park with “Inside Out 2.” Like everyone else, I saw the critically exclaimed movie, and it got me thinking. The storyline created a dialogue for conversations ...

A new schizophrenia drug revives the previously investigated drug xanomeline. Historically, physicians used xanomeline to treat Alzheimer’s disease until its removal from the market in 1998 because of gastrointestinal side effects. The investigation into its use for schizophrenia ceased for the same reason. However, an experimental drug, KarXT, combines xanomeline and trospium and takes a novel ...