Life doesn’t go as planned, but we can always reflect. Here are some life updates, in case you’ve missed me. I know you did.
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Dear College Senior, You Are Right Where You Need To Be
I was speaking to a college class the other day, when such a simple fact donned on me. College students, especially seniors, are overwhelmed by the future and their inability to slow down being thrown at it. I know what you’re thinking: no doy, Berkeley. I realized as I was talking to these students about my college path that college anxiety is still such an unspoken panic.
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8 Steps For Setting Boundaries
You know that one person who doesn’t take shit from anyone and they have no guilt for standing up for themselves? Or maybe, it’s a person who loves you unconditionally, but tells you when they’ve had enough. Sometimes that looks like saying no to plans because they are too emotionally drained. Sometimes it looks like saying no when they don’t want to have sex (shocking!). Or it could be giving up relationships that hurt and no longer help, like a family member or friend since childhood, no matter how hard that goodbye is.
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Boundaries Are A Reflection Your Values
Boundaries essentially mean that you call the shots. You choose what your limits are, and when someone pushes them, no matter who that person is, you say enough is enough. That doesn’t make me seem like a bitch, right? So why do boundaries always get such a bad rap?
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Sorry I Was MIA, I Had A Mental Breakdown
TRIGGER WARNING: Suicidal thoughts
I realize no one is sitting here wondering “Hmmm, I wonder why Berkeley hasn’t written in a month? I sure do miss her oversharing her life on her blog!” But I felt like it would be disingenuous if I didn’t share what’s been going on. And you know, I live into vulnerability and breaking the stigma, after all.
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Normalize Conversations About Suicide
TRIGGER WARNING: Suicidal ideation
Think about suicide prevention. What comes to mind? Maybe the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, or Suicide Prevention Month? Or it could be the phrases, “You’re not alone,” “Hang in there,” “Keep going.” It’s all necessary, of course, but what about the suicide prevention that starts… before suicide?
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9/11 Trauma Still Lingers
2,977 lives.
2,135 US civilians.
372 foreigners.
343 firefighters.
71 law enforcement officers.
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If You’re A Teenager Struggling With A Mental Illness, Keep Fighting
TRIGGER WARNING: Suicidal thoughts
“In my head, I’m in a pitch-black, dark room. Things are scattered all over the floor. I can’t see what’s in front of me. Every time I get the courage to take another step, I trip over something else. I fall back down and hurt myself… and I can’t get back up.”
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8 Ways To Cope With Your Seasonal Depression
The mornings are getting quiet. The birds aren’t chirping quite as much as they used to. It’s a bit colder out in the morning now. I’m sipping my coffee, journaling my observations.
The smell of pumpkin spice, apple cinnamon, spruce fir, they all smell so nice, but they suck me down into my seasonal depression.
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From Childhood Trauma To Cultural Expectations: An Asian-American Mental Health Journey
Hailin’s mom died when she was six years old. When you deal with death at a young age, you don’t really understand what is going on around you. Her mother was dying from lung cancer.
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Stigma Breakers 