I protested abortion for years. But when I saw how the movement’s beliefs harm women, I realized I had to get out.
This week, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law a measure that aims to ban almost all abortions and punish those who perform or obtain them. Though she recognizes the bill may ultimately be blocked by the Supreme Court, the governor made clear that its purpose is to undermine Roe v. Wade.
The bill, called the Alabama Human Life Protection Act, is a startling acknowledgment of the anti-abortion “pro-life” movement’s determination to show that a fetus is a human life deserving of protection, but a woman is not. These so-called “heartbeat bills” — which ban abortions after the six-week mark…
Avoiding the black hole of anxiety consumes so much of my energy.
It feels like sleeping is the only time my brain turns off. Even then, my dreams are often haunted by strange anxieties. The other night, I dreamt that I received an angry email from an editor telling me I had done something wrong.
I woke up thinking that was unnecessarily dramatic. Whose stress dreams are about emails, anyway?
But anxiety doesn’t pick and choose what you worry about. Anxiety is simple. It’s all-consuming. Like a black hole whose gravity you can’t escape, it is constantly drawing you further in.
It’s not as if the world is short of things to…
Living through a global pandemic while barely surviving severe anxiety.
Honestly, when the pandemic first shut everything down it was a relief. As someone with social anxiety, not having to leave my apartment for college classes or work was kind of awesome — especially after two difficult terms of trying to adjust to university life.
I was not having a stellar time. Being at home relieved a lot of the weight of trying to fit in with a social environment I couldn’t relate to. I was a returning adult student sharing classes with eighteen-year-olds who seemed more interested in chatting than studying. …
From the importance of daily routines to outdoor exercise, what we can learn from our equine friends.
A few days ago, Chrissy Teigen shared a photo of a horse with Twitter and told her followers that her therapist recommended she do something for herself. “Today begins my journey into the horse world,” she wrote.
For those who aren’t aware, Teigen and her husband John Legend lost their pregnancy last fall. Following that experience, she shared her struggle with grief and depression publicly. Horseback riding, it seemed, could be a positive way to cope.
Of course, the internet had plenty to say about it. Although some people accused Teigen of ignorantly flaunting her wealth while others are…
I published personal essays about my dysfunctional childhood — was it worth it?
Recently a friend and I were discussing the act of writing about trauma. She said that our trauma is ours, and we are allowed to do with it as we please. If that means writing about it, then certainly there are less constructive ways to process something so challenging and personal.
Her words stayed with me throughout the rest of the day. My friend is also a writer, and she understands how the process of writing about trauma can be transformative. …
I left my comfortable desk job for a position doing manual labor, and my writing benefited as a result.
Think about it: You just spent the past eight hours hunkered over a computer, and now that you’re off the clock you’re going to go home and plunk down at your own computer and try to write?
I don’t think so.
There’s a reason that bestselling authors don’t put it long, mentally taxing hours at another job and proceed to write in the evenings after work. It’s because it’s too much for your brain.
Creativity, productivity, and the writing process can’t flourish when you give them what’s left of you after a draining day managing emails and office tasks.
Sure…
Why I’m abandoning my ambitious attitude this year to focus on cultivating contentment.
I have always been an ambitious person — it feels like an intrinsic part of my personality. I don’t start something unless I’m planning to become very good at it. I hate being bad at things.
At eight years old, I decided I was going to become a bestselling author. I haven’t quit that dream since. As a young adult, I dedicated myself to improving my writing, to learning and practicing, and building a platform as an author.
But ambition also takes its toll. The price of aiming for perfection is a deep dissatisfaction with everything you create or do…
It’s still not enough.
Ever since Trump started sharing misinformation about the election, from mail-in vote to calling Biden’s win fraud, Twitter has had to intervene. But it took this afternoon’s storming of the capitol by Trump’s supporters, and his subsequent failure to condemn their violence, for Twitter to finally act.
According to The Verge, several of the president’s tweets were removed for violating Twitter’s rules. His account is locked for 12 hours and there is a possibility he may be banned permanently, though it’s unclear how serious that threat is. It’s a step, but there’s more to be done.
Men threaten violence against women every day. I hoped to prevent it from really happening.
“You are in so many ways less than a man.”
The comment above didn’t surprise me. I write about feminist issues, so I’m used to making men angry. Most of the time I don’t bother reading the pissed-off rants they leave all over my articles or tweets. I block, delete, and report when necessary.
But this time? Well, this time was different. The comment left on my Medium article was longer and more personal than anything I had previously seen. …
These budget-friendly tricks will help you make the most of minimal lighting during winter in quarantine.
During a normal year, the darker days of winter can be difficult for many people to bear. But this year especially, because we are stuck at home during the pandemic, you may find yourself feeling a little more gloomy than usual.
Winter weather appears to have a direct impact on mental health. Ways to combat the winter blues involve socialization and outdoor activity, but in the age of COVID-19, these strategies can be more difficult to implement.
When lockdown started earlier this year, I was confined within the small walls of my one bedroom apartment. It was difficult adjusting to…
Sarah Olson Michel
Science writer with a multitude of interests. | she/they
