February 1, 2023 at 9 a.m. “Where is my wife Stacey?” asks John. Answer: “Stacey is out shopping. You are spending the day with us.” John: “Oh! Okay then. Where can I park myself?” Answer: “Right here on this chair. We will be starting a fun program singing patriotic songs.” John: “Oh! Okay.” 10:00 a.m. ...

A New-Path Last week, I started on medication for anxiety and depression. I never imagined I couldn’t handle it on my own. Life has been pretty good, all things considered. People don’t have homes, or access to food, water, or safe housing. Fortunately, I’ve never been without any basic needs. White privilege and two working ...

Last week, I made the difficult decision to switch mental health providers. I wasn’t getting what I needed out of our sessions. We spent the majority of the time discussing current events and arguing about various things. They liked to tell me things, and I felt like I wasn’t being heard. My love of reading ...

Physical touch is essential to our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. When people do not receive any physical contact, their bodies react negatively. Many have never heard of touch starvation, also known as touch deprivation. This condition can occur in anyone because touch starvation happens when you don’t get as much physical touch as you ...

Walking from my car to the door of the elementary school, I think, “My feet are really cold!” Why, you may ask, are my feet so cold this fall afternoon? The answer—I was wearing my slippers! In my rush to get out the door, changing into shoes slipped my mind. Now there are two choices: ...

CW: Therapy, depression, Do you know the point in every romantic comedy when the main character hits rock bottom? They sit in sweatpants, wallowing in their sadness, eating junk food as they cry. For the past few years, I have been a few inches from rock bottom. I started counseling last year to develop better ...

*Trigger warnings* Depression, Divorce, Death/loss, griefSuicide, Mental illness, violent contentReader discretion is advised***              Days in the hospital’s intensive care unit felt like a lifetime for Micki. She stopped counting the days after a week, maybe two, of her being here. Why would she want to anyways? Nothing mattered to her anymore. Nothing to care ...

Two women share the same space. One young, the other old. One from this generation. One from another. Bowl of uncooked long grain rice in bride’s supple hands, Mom-in-law stands behind blossoming spotless shoulders, to inspect the rise of rice. Rubbing starch off rice with benign fingers, she plays, admiring her youthful face rising to ...

A Woman’s a Lotus planted firmly, deep into the water yet unattached, her leaves – they float above all.   She rises, holding chin up, and smiles through the day.   Outside temperature may be 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but she regulates the temperature of her flowers at 86 degrees Fahrenheit, bringing warmth to all, regardless ...

*Trigger warnings* Depression, Divorce, Death/loss, grief Suicide, Mental illness, violent content Reader discretion is advised *** The rest of the trip to the hospital was a complete blur to Micki. The stay in the intensive care unit, however, may as well have been a mere intense dream that Micki wished she would just wake up ...