Disorders
Five Tips for Coping with Climate Anxiety
More and more, we are seeing recent global and national climate disasters affect communities and individuals. From the most recent hurricanes, to the wildfires in California, and flooding in Pakistan, we are aware of the impact on mental health that these disasters can have. Whatever you are feeling because of these events is okay, and…
What My Depression Diagnosis Means for My Mental Health Journey
As a 17-year-old high school student, I never understood why all my peers were seemingly so happy and filled with joy whenever they came to school, but I wasn’t. While my classmates were going out to football games with their friends, I stayed home and analyzed what was wrong with me. “Why can’t I make…
Mental Health Myths Debunked
As we kick off Mental Illness Awareness Week, you may be hearing more about mental health on social media, in the news, and among your friends and family, including various types of mental illnesses. This can unfortunately often include some of the many misconceptions related to mental health that persist in our society. As we…
Finding Peace in My Bipolar Diagnosis
Every day, I work with young people across the country, helping them to share stories that aren’t always easy to vocalize. They disclose their own battles with mental health, the ways they’ve seen loved ones struggle, and so much more. They sacrifice comfort and privacy to share their story to let others know they are…
Confronting the Winter Blues
As a junior in college, I was fortunate enough to study abroad in Cape Town, South Africa over winter break. Getting out of the northern hemisphere provided me the chance to experience a second summer during January. Spending weeks seeing the sun reflecting off the white-sandy beaches of the Western Cape and feeding the beautiful…
Growing Up with Undiagnosed OCD: How My Diagnosis Changed My Perspective
Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide and suicidal ideation. I want to start by telling you about the bane of my existence in elementary school: card changes. Each day all the cards started on green, but if you did something wrong, the teacher would give you a card change. This meant you had…
Overcoming Perfectionism Anxiety
In college, I discovered the anxiety that I didn’t know I had, but looking back, the symptoms were always with me. While I have always had generalized anxiety, focusing on control, my primary symptoms surrounded perfectionism, specifically related to my grades in high school and college. I had my first panic attack in my first…
Why I Will Never Forget My Eating Disorder
It’s been about two years since my five-year battle with anorexia ended. Five years of waking up to the sunrise, praying the day would end sooner. Five years of hating every inch of my reflection. Five years of pure isolation. Five years of counting every scarce calorie I let myself eat. Five years of trying…
Changing Weather, Changing Moods
I’ve always struggled with the changing weather and lack of sunlight brought on by the fall season. As the months move from September to October to November, I find myself staying indoors and in my bed. The times I do leave my room, I am persistent on only wearing black leggings and baggy sweatshirts to…
Walking on Eggshells
Careful Watch your step You may break me. Stop! No sudden movements I’m very fragile. I’m very sensitive. My mother always tells me it’s like walking on eggshells talking to me. She has to be careful what she says and how she says things, or else I get upset and defensive. “Are…
Active Minds is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization promoting mental health awareness and education for young adults.