My heart does a little flip of excitement every time a rebel flag comes down somewhere, a statue of a racist is toppled, or a street name is changed. Of course sometimes, as a white woman who is admittedly out of touch with the full scope of how racism infects our society, I feel nothing … More Name Changes Matter
We tell stories based on how we see the world. We choose our ideals according to what feels most comfortable to us. And then, we sort of ensconce ourselves in our bubbles of thought, shutting out ideologies that feel uncomfortable. But what happens when someone inside our bubble says something we don’t like? Or when … More Opening Our Eyes When It Hurts
A few years ago, I sat down one day and cranked out a children’s book about my dog, “Boscoe.” He was fourteen at the time and my goal was to publish it while he was still alive. I was fortunate enough to have my friend around for two more years, but I didn’t end up … More A Children’s Book In The Works
This past year, I’ve been infusing my spirit with all things French–romancing myself, if you will. It all started when the tax bill came and dashed my hopes of taking a vacation. I haven’t taken a vacation anywhere in years. So yeah, I had been having fun looking at quaint Airbnbs in Montreal and envisioning … More Sparks In My Soul
Did you know that 1 in 5 people lives with a mental illness? And 1 out of 17 people has a severe mental illness such as Bipolar or Schizophrenia? When we use percentages, the numbers don’t sound as astonishing. 80% of people don’t have a mental illness. Sounds like a hefty majority, right? But when … More Stigma Free and Me
For me, the nightmares and hyper-vigilance that comes along with having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder feels like I’ve been beaten up on the inside of my body. That’s the only way I know how to describe it. At the same time, it feels like I have no skin–no barrier of protection from all the stimulus … More PTSD-Healing Cell By Cell
I like smiling at people. I enjoy being open and non-judgemental. It feels good to trust my fellow man. So, despite my attempts to practice in the mirror, I’ve never been able to develop a good ‘resting bitch face.’ “Alyssa, you need to practice being bitchier to keep the freaks away,” my friends would joke. … More #Me Too: How I Lost The Scent of Prey
Living with Bipolar Disorder is like having no shut off valve for my emotions. For years, I didn’t even know that my human experience is labeled as disordered. I just thought I was a quiet person with a sea of emotions that I kept at bay. But then one day, just like that, the cap … More Part One: Repositioning the Fire Hydrant–Coping with Bipolar Disorder
Hindsight is twenty twenty, as the old saying goes. My mom wrote the following blog post in hopes of giving other parents foresight about the signs of sexual abuse to be aware of and to look for in their children. She, like so many parents, didn’t connect the dots during my childhood. There is no … More When Parents Miss the Signs of Sexual Abuse
I think, whether we’re forgiving another person, or forgiving our-self for something, the process is sort of like holding a funeral for our emotions. Saying, “I let go. This no longer belongs to me,” can be intensely painful to do. But it facilitates a shift in perspective that allows us to walk unencumbered in the … More The Beauty of Forgiveness
