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Apprehending Apprehension
Anxiety Is nothing to be ashamed of. Why do humans feel we have to hide our panic attacks just for fear of someone making fun of you? When I feel anxious I hide behind my phone. If I’m sad I hide under my sheets. Sadness is normal and emotion is inevitable. When I step outside into the world, one million thoughts of “what if” fill my head. Suddenly I feel pain in my stomach, which over the years, has gained the name “in the way” In the way of being able to go to restaurants. In the way of being able to sleep over at a friends’ house. In the way of being able to live life like a normal teenager...
The Mental Health of Being Yourself: My Musical Journey to Authenticity
When I was 13 dreamed of being a famous singer like Hannah Montana. I liked writing songs. I was in the midst of puberty, and confused and ashamed about why I felt sad and angry all the time. None of my other friends seemed sad or angry. I went to a school where everyone dressed the same-- Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, and Juicy sweatsuits. I spent my childhood wearing my brother’s hand me downs and clothes from the boys section of Mervyn’s. I hated the way I felt. I hated the way I dressed. No one else felt like me, no one else dressed like me. When I was 16 I started recording my songs for...
Dear 2020
Dear 2020, Oh what a year you’ve been! Throughout your very long year I often found myself questioning: Why? Why did a deadly virus have to take over our world? Why were so many people suffering? Why was I stuck inside my house for what felt like eternity? And, I got to give it to you 2020, I didn’t have answers to these questions for months. But, as you started to crumble from all the great minds that came together and found a way to make things work in your year of uncertainty and suffering, I started to grow. I started to see that relationships could develop and continue to blossom through...
Patient Survivors Need Help with Their Mental Health.
Worldwide around 970 million people have mental health illnesses, ranging from anxiety to dysthymia. These same illnesses are responsible for around 14.3% of deaths or 8 million deaths each year, and the numbers continue to skyrocket. Despite the heartache from these numbers, they are also valuable tools to demonstrate how prevalent mental health illnesses are in our world and to raise public awareness. We need to use these statistics to convey how rampant mental health problems are and advocate for our world’s well-being. Furthermore, we should take action and target predictable triggers to...
Sharing My Laughter With Others
“Laughter is the best medicine.” This clichéd phrase gets thrown around a lot, but it really is true. Laughter can truly be substituted for an antidepressant and reduce one’s need of medications for emotional support. In fact, experimental studies show that laughter triggers the release of serotonin - the hormone which maintains and stabilizes happiness - and decreases feelings of depression. This scientifically proves the biological importance of laughter. Laughter therapy is a psychological tool utilized for patients that are suffering from long-term depression, memory-loss illnesses and...
Science of Happiness
How do we achieve a true state of happiness? Are we ever happy? Most people’s definition of happiness is being successful, so then how do we define success? We spend our lives trying to be the perfect version of ourselves, or “reaching our full potential.” However, all of us know that this is not theoretically possible as supported by the cliche phrase: “no one is perfect.” Then, why do we believe that continuing to chase an impossible abstract concept will give us a sense of happiness? Actually, we’re not trying to be the perfect version of ourselves, we’re trying to be better, more...
The Flint Water Crisis - Impact, solutions, and repercussions
Living the American nightmare is what the residents of Flint have been experiencing in the last few years, the water crisis that hit the city having long-term repercussions on the health of inhabitants, in severe cases even leading to deaths. When disaster hit, no one was prepared for the disappointing explanations and the course of action taken at the time, a poor decision-making process leading to a basic return to the middle ages for this once beautiful city in the United States. Some were lucky enough to not rely on the water treatment provided by the municipality, to begin with, but most...
Staying True to Yourself
“Tell me about yourself. What are your goals? Proud accomplishments?” Whenever I’ve answered these questions, I always feel the need to impress others and create a high reputation for myself. I’ve wanted to show others that I’m worthy enough for them to accept me, so they think of me as a capable and accomplished person. I hear these questions, and instantly, my palms start to sweat and my heart starts thumping as I think to myself “What if my accomplishments aren’t strong enough? What if my goals are trivial?” It’s in our human nature to seek validation from others because our subconscious...
The need of Vaccine Diplomacy in the COVID-19 pandemic
There is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted each of our lives. It has been more than a year since the first cases were identified and communicated to the public, while it spread around the globe at an incredibly rapid pace. Today, everyone is eager to go back to live their lives freely, without worries of getting themselves nor their loved ones sick. Thankfully, scientists have given us a solution to this pandemic: COVID-19 vaccines. The different types of COVID-19 vaccines were made in record time thanks to previous research, a never-before-seen number of resources to fund...
LISTEN
Does hither come when called to come hither? No. It comes knocking in the dead of dusk Words cannot be heard when they’re so bitter Leaving you as empty as a hollow husk They say expect the unexpected but is it possible When the unexpected is not even a possibility? Shock comes to sadness comes to boredom comes to misery Previous connections and conversations become past history Waiting for a ping or a ding, got a notif! ... It's delivery One more game couldn’t hurt, press play again, one more victory? Mindless repeat, endless habit, was yesterday today or is tomorrow yesterday? Laying in bed...
Forever Rising : Personal Story of Conquering Myself
As a child, I grew fond of the books that were the homes to my best friends, and out of all of them, the one creature that intrigued me the most: the phoenix. It was the supernatural creature that rose from its own ashes and stood as a symbol for the sun: the golden orb which was another paramount of my curiosity, that rose in the morning and “died” in the night, only to rise again the next day. ___ Spark: The phoenix is pure white, symbolizing its innocence while being introduced to the world. Every person who has been bullied will forever remember their first time experiencing it. It’s the...
Traveling During a Pandemic
Throughout the covid-19 pandemic which has now hit its year and 11 day mark from being declared a global pandemic, a message of, "stay home save lives," has flooded the media and has been a common directive of many leaders when hoping to curb the growth of the pandemic. However, holidays like Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas and the breaks from work and school that come with them, have led to a widespread desire to travel. Many go about traveling with precaution and safety; wearing a mask, taking a viral test before traveling and after, etc. But sometimes this doesn't always create an...
They Say "Inclusivity"
They say “inclusivity,” But only if you fit their criteria critically. They say “positivity,” But only if you act in passivity. You can’t be too dark, or else they won’t have your tone. You can’t be too pale, or else they’ll think you’re a ghost. You can’t be too tall, or else they won’t have your clothing size. You can’t be too short, or else you’re too small and not suitable for society’s eyes. Your eyes can’t be too slanted, or else they’ll think you won’t be able to see. Your hair can’t be too curly, or else they’ll think that you are messy. Your skin can’t be too textured, or else they’ll...
Breath, Breath
Whenever my online classes end, so do human lives. They cry in languageless agony. But thousands of miles away, I’m deaf. The news is my hearing aid. Maybe the news glitched, because it’s on a loop: COVID-19. COVID. The virus which won’t be named. The fancy-sounding variants. India. I scroll through before crashing into paywalls. But the little snippet reads about overfilled hospitals. Crowds. Infection Rates. Rampant spread. Flip to another story; it's still there. I’ll read about the horrors: their frail hands clasping each other with a vicious panic. The colorful saris and kurtas fall prey...
My dream
My dream has always been to be a nurse. I want to help people and I want to show people I care. Nurses are always helpful. While others may not care about their job and just want to earn money, I want to help, not just focus on the money, the amount I’m making, or anything materialistic. I want to be there to listen to people, take care of them, help them with anything and be there to make sure they are okay. On the other hand, nurses also work long hours away from their families. They are asked to do tasks that most people in the world won’t want to do. Sometimes they deal with patients with...
Dear Me,
From self-reflecting to self-respecting...Being young and having to grow up mentally, physically, and emotionally all by yourself takes a toll on many aspects of life. Why can’t I play like those other kids? Why can’t I take a break on reality and imagine a land where everything is nice? It brings many wounded memories and many lost dreams. Many covered scars, pushed in the back of my own head for security... I shouldn’t be scared, I shouldn’t feel the need to protect myself with a wall built up. I shouldn’t have to be so misguided, and lost...but it’s only because I’m young and the world...
A lovely pink flower
A lovely pink flower Carried by the wind With beauty as its power No one knows where it’s been Its endured countless showers Blown through storms upwind Burned in the sun for hours Happiness it can only imagine It only sees its errors Satisfaction paper thin Yet others see what lies above rather than lying within So a lovely pink flower is where its story begins and a lovely pink flower it will remain till its dusk has risen
Should guns be banned?
Nowadays, it is nearly impossible for a year to go by without a school shooting taking place in the USA. A school shooting- the place which should be reserved for education and knowledge- yet we now have to go through drills and be taught what to do in case a shooter came to our school. Why should we be so worried about being killed when we go somewhere to learn and expand what we know? What is the government’s response to this? They’ve barely made any changes to gun control laws, even after the March4OurLives protest and yearly killings. Instead, the Trump Administration’s suggestion was to...