Let’s Stop Pathologizing Anxiety, Shall We?

“Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”  ~ Albert Einstein Is anxiety always pathological? I think not. As someone with a previous history of panic attacks that seemed to arise out of nowhere, I can say that I am very familiar …

Wrinkles, Gray Hair, and Cellulite? You Can Have Them All, But Still Feel Beautiful. I Do. (Or, How the Messaging Behind Skin Care and Beauty Products is Just as Toxic as the Ingredients)

“It is lovely to meet an old person whose face is deeply lined, a face that has been deeply inhabited, to look in the eyes and find light there.” ~John O’Donohue When I was in 7th grade, I remember being invited to a pool party for a friend’s birthday and firmly deciding that I would not go because the tan …

Bold Moves! But First? Boundaries. The Year of the Fire Monkey Begins!

“You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.” ~Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon The Year of the Fire Monkey is upon us, you guys! I, for one, am extremely excited about this year. I am also, admittedly, a little nervous. Fire. Monkey. This is a potent combination of energies, if you ask me. One …

Let’s Change the Conversation About Bodies. Because They’re a Whole Lot More Interesting Than We’re Making Them Out To Be. (Also: This Post Might Talk About Sex. Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You.)

“I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself.”  ~Rita Mae Brown On Sunday of this week, I got on a scale for the first time in at least six years. And for the first time in almost a decade, I actually looked at the number that appeared when I did. This, you guys, was a …

You Are Not Going To Be Eaten By Tigers. I Promise.

“There is no such thing as a weird human being. It’s just that some human beings require more understanding than others.” ~Tom Robbins You are not going to be eaten by tigers.   A dear friend of mine offered this little gem to me during a particularly challenging bout of anxiety recently. I am not going to be eaten by …

Let’s Talk About Anxiety. Or, Why I Almost Dropped Out Of Graduate School Eight Hundred Times.

“Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.” ~Allen Ginsberg Let’s talk about anxiety. While I was in graduate school studying acupuncture and Chinese medicine, I started having panic attacks multiple times a week, forcing me to excuse myself from class for extended “bathroom breaks”, often feeling unable to return for as long as an hour at a time. There …

What You Want Is What You Want. Until What You Want Is Something Else.

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” ~ E.E. Cummings Ten years ago, the things I thought I wanted were vastly different from the things I know today that I desire. In June 2004, I had just received a bachelor’s degree in English Literature, with dreams of pursuing a master’s degree in creative writing, living …

How You Relate To Your Body Is How You Relate To The World. Because Writing About Dating Wasn’t Personal Enough So I Thought I’d Give Body Image A Try.

“The body is our general medium for having a world.” ~ Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception To say that my relationship with my body has been strained is to understate the reality of things quite a bit. In fact, this relationship has probably been the most challenging and heartbreaking and life-changing relationship of which I have ever been a part. …

Unicorns, Synchronicity, and Embracing the Absurd

The National Animal of Scotland is the Unicorn. Seriously. THE UNICORN. This is one of my favorite random facts because it conveys to me a certain playfulness and prioritization of fun that I feel is often lacking in our modern society. And a belief in magic and myth and mystery. Because we spend too much time being serious, I think, …