Tag: mental health

  • Permission to Be

    Permission to Be

    I chose “ease” as my word of the year precisely because recently, it hasn’t been easy. And I haven’t yet figured out how to write through it, preferring instead to emerge from my protective cocoon once everything feels more manageable again, painting in the meantime. I took part in Oliver…

  • The Waiting Place

    The Waiting Place

    Last year, in late January, I got married. This year, I spent the day alone. We’d been working on getting a visa for months, bogged down by bureaucracy, unexpected challenges, and moving goal posts. The embassy took my passport in September, and by January, the uncertainty of when I would…

  • Darkness Before the Dawn

    Darkness Before the Dawn

    Today is the winter solstice — the shortest day of the year, with more than 14 hours of darkness. After today, the light returns. These past few months have been a struggle. There are 4,000 miles of distance between me and my husband. I am waiting for a visa while…

  • “To Feel” List

    “To Feel” List

    There are just 30 days left in 2022. This entire year has sped by; it feels like it should still be May or June. I am focusing on spending this final month as intentionally as I can. This means slowing down, paying attention, and being mindful. Somewhere on Instagram, I…

  • This, Too, Shall Pass

    This, Too, Shall Pass

    This time of year is so difficult. It’s dark, it’s cold, and the holidays bring all sorts of mixed feelings. On one hand, there’s the promise of joy and charity and togetherness, and on the other the reality of rampant consumerism and the unrelenting pressures of maintaining a veneer of…