Inhale, exhale. If it’s not enough, do it once more. This is my mantra every time I feel a meltdown coming on. When I was a kid, crying was the key to solving almost all my problems. Hungry? Just cry, and food would appear. Tired? Cry and Mama would sing me a lullaby until I [...]
In the last few years, it seems like the world is a never-ending maze of pain with no way out. It's too lonely to bear, and the future looks bad and uncertain. At this point, the simplest things—personal hygiene, eating, socializing; things most people do without thinking twice—became big problems. Im numb, apathetic, and uninterested [...]
Baby, would I still be your lover? I’ve been loved for false versions of myself. In return, I’ve been despised for the things I told people through honesty. But it’s far, far more fulfilling, because it’s tiring, it’s tiring to act like a robot or the friendly-face template that smiles at every single person when [...]
Sometimes, when night comes and I am alone with my thoughts, I think about you. The you who came into my life unexpectedly and suddenly became the center of my universe. The you with your blue shirt and thick-lensed glasses, smiling softly at those around you. The you who was too shy to talk to [...]
“I wish I could grow up sooner!” my five-year-old self exclaimed. Little did she know that growing up is far more maddening and infuriating than she could imagine. When I was a child, I remember how easily I became annoyed if my parents ordered me to take a nap during the daytime. “Why should I [...]
Everyone wants to be happy, feel good about themselves, and be free. It’s something we all deserve. But sometimes, being too happy is scary. There are moments when I’m enjoying life, feeling on top of the world, and not worrying about anything. Just living in the present, thinking that everything is finally going well. But [...]
It’s easy to feel like I am unlovable. Like the way that I am takes away some of the value I hold as a human being. That I am ‘less than’ because of reasons ‘x, y, and z.’My struggle with mental health has falsely defined me for too much of my life. I allowed the [...]
I haven’t found my true home yet.” When someone says “I’m homesick”, often we assume they are in some foreign land, sighing in desperation: “Oh how I miss the weather, the people, the food, the comfort of my bed…” Then when they return home, guess what? They’re still homesick. I’ve struggled to describe that feeling [...]
Sometimes, all you need is to take a break and work on yourself. If you’ve experienced emotional pain or trauma, you know that healing is a process. And just like a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, you too must undergo a period of transformation in order to emerge as a stronger, more resilient version of [...]
To my broken sense of self Hey. . . I know you’re not doing okay by any means, but I just wanted to let you know that I love you. I know that I don’t say it nearly enough, if ever, even when I know it’s what you need from me. But I just can’t give [...]
Perfectly Imperfect 