You can do it too! — Last November, I was struggling to walk. I could barely hobble down the road and back—only an eighth of a mile. The pain in my low back and right foot was excruciating when I walked. I had to clutch the rail to go up and down stairs. I had seen…

You may not realize how much better you are doing — Recovery from trauma can take a long time. It’s frustrating because you want to be “done” and get on with your life. I have CPTSD and have been in trauma therapy for a long time. …

It’s the worst one — Yesterday was a tough day. My mother died at the end of August, and I’m at a hard place in my grieving process. I have good days, and bad days, but yesterday was extreme. The cold weather, rain, and darkness didn’t help. You’ve probably heard about the 5 stages of…

They called her “The Black Widow” — My first job was working as a cashier at a local grocery store. I had no idea that my supervisor was a serial killer. As an 18-year-old on her first job, I was happily oblivious to company politics, much less the personal drama in Blanche Taylor Moore’s life. She was…

Here’s what it is now — It’s Monday morning. I grab a cup of coffee and log in to LinkedIn. It’s not long before I am rolling my eyes. It’s not a professional networking site anymore. LinkedIn is now primarily a sales and marketing platform with some Facebook-like elements thrown in for good measure. Let me…

And so is the rest of social media — I’ve fallen out of love with social media. I want to delete all my accounts, but I can’t pull the trigger. I’m addicted and fearful. How will I promote my writing and art if I’m not on social media? Well—how’s that been working for me so far? It hasn’t. Not…

My biggest misconception about counseling — I want to quit therapy. There, I said it. Here’s the problem. My mother is dying, and my therapist is the only support system I have right now. But I resent that I have to pay someone to listen to me. It feels—wrong. My mother is dying My relationship with my mother has always…

She has been spying on me on Medium — My therapist sent me a cryptic email Wednesday saying that we needed to talk about some things and asked me to come in for a session today. Against my better judgment, I went. Mostly because she didn’t give me a choice. …

And a reality check — “I could squeeze you in at 1:30 tomorrow, but I have to wrap up a little early because I have a new client coming.” Umm…what? No. Just—no. I’m not an inconvenience. I matter too. My therapist is taking some time off. She told me to schedule with a colleague while…

You have more power than you think — I have struggled with anxiety most of my life. I am also an empath, which means I experience other people’s feelings. That is overwhelming sometimes. I often adjust my words and actions when responding to a person because I can sense what they need. …

And what to do instead. — Did you know that toxic positivity can make you depressed? Humans have a wide variety of emotions, and we are supposed to experience all of them. If we suppress the “negative” ones, it is bad for our mental health. Imagine you have a good friend who is going through a…

Designers and photographers deserve better — Affinity Designer debuted for Mac in October 2014. Serif promoted it as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator. That is about the time I left my banking position and went back into graphic design and photography. I was interested in pursuing freelance work, and there was no way I could afford…

I don’t qualify for Obamacare. — Update: Since I’m getting comments on this article from people who don’t know how to fully read, let me clarify a few things. First, I am an independent voter who usually votes Democrat. I voted for Obama. Both sides are to blame for the healthcare crisis and all the problems…

Even if I could get health insurance, it wouldn’t matter — If you’ve read my recent writing, you know I’ve been frustrated with the healthcare system in America. The past seven months have taught me that our society doesn’t care about the uninsured, and they sure don’t care about the elderly. Insurance companies, wealthy doctors, and big pharma rule this country…

I will never forget what he taught me. — An orange and white tabby cat showed up at the front door of my apartment in the fall of 1997. I had never owned a cat before, but this one instantly charmed me. He had such a friendly and easygoing manner. He wasn’t shy either. …