Minds

"Look, I know it sucks to be rejected — but is social acceptance worth sacrificing the things that separate you from everyone else?" Image: Thinkstock

Your Need To Be Liked May Be Holding You Back

We really want people to like us. It’s just human nature. You may say you don’t care if people like you, and on the surface, that may be true. However, there’s a part of you that understands that openly not caring about being liked immediately makes you more likable — self-assurance is an attractive quality to have.

Read...
Unlike my childhood, near-daily exposure to fatphobia is not safely in my rearview mirror. That makes healing all the harder. Image: author.

Take The Cake: Fatphobia Gave Me PTSD

I think a lot of us are probably walking around with mild PTSD, anxiously calculating risk and making plans about what and who to avoid.... Even though I’m no longer technically walking the halls of junior high, I am living in a fitness-obsessed city that doesn’t feel as safe as it ought to considering almost everyone is over age 13.

Read...
The story wasn’t just promoting some harmless diet... it was exalting extreme disordered-eating behaviors — with just enough of a mask put on it to confuse vulnerable readers. Image: Thinkstock.

Disordered Eating Isn't Self-Care — And We Need To Stop Treating It As Such

Most days, I find good reasons to be optimistic about the way diverse figures are celebrated in the media.

Read...
At 12 and 10 years old, my girls are still in the age range where society tells me that I should be presenting a polished version of myself to them. Image: Thinkstock.

3 Reasons I Refuse To Hide My Feelings From My Daughters

The reality is that any person I love, including my daughters, can deeply hurt my feelings. Does this mean that I hold my daughters to the same level of emotional accountability as my husband or my best friend? Nope, but for it damn sure doesn’t mean that I morph into some feeling-less version of myself because I’m a mother, either.

Read...
Still figuring out what his triggers are, I’ve started to anticipate some things that will set him off and strive to prevent them. Image: Meredith Mortensen.

My Son Is Gripped With Anxiety — And He's Not Even 2

Kids are puzzles. My son is a 1,000 piece one. This wasn’t the first time my young son, not yet two, had experienced a bizarre, heightened amount of stress when dealing with normal, everyday circumstances.

Read...
As many as 71% of millennials have mentally checked out' on their jobs; 55% of them are 'not engaged' at their workplaces. Image: WOCinTech (CC BY 2.0).

How To Survive A Toxic Workplace

About a year ago, I was working at a small company of less than 10 employees. I didn’t feel valued, and everyone around me berated one another. Although I was fortunate enough to escape being treated with derision by my coworkers, I’m positive had I stayed any longer, it wouldn’t have been the case.

Read...
Most moms, and parents, have had moments like this — they have had thoughts which seem dark and awful, and which they’d rather not admit out loud. Image: Kim Zapata.

I Fantasized About 'Getting Sick' After My Baby Was Born

One thing I cannot forget was how much I wanted to “get sick.” How I longed to get some sort of ailment or bedridden condition. I cannot forget how I prayed to become ill.

Read...
I’m sure the Pokemon Go phenomenon will fade before long, but for the moment it’s just plain FUN that might even be good for you. Image: Eduardo Woo/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0).

6 Touching Stories From People Who Are Alleviating Mental Health Issues With Pokemon GO

I’m sure the Pokemon Go phenomenon will fade before long, but for the moment, it’s just dumb FUN that might even be good for you. The game cannot fix and should not distract us from the shit-fucking terrible goddamn week we’ve had in the world, but it can remind us that we all need to practice self-care, whatever package it comes in.

Read...