Spinning through life

It doesn’t matter what holiday you celebrate. This time of year can be stressful and potentially cause the mental health struggles you deal with regularly – and likely have under control – to flare up. Increases of anxiety and depression around the holidays are so common that a term has been coined and Elvis even wrote a song about it (well and missing someone!). According to Psychology Today, 38 percent of people surveyed said their stress level went up during the holiday season and listed their top stressors as lack of time, lack of money, commercialism, the pressures of gift-giving and family gatherings. Some known causes of the holiday blues include overeating, excessive drinking, not getting enough sleep and having unrealistic expectations. I have an extra special reason to catch this bug each year. My dad passed away on Thanksgiving and his birthday is at the beginning of the month of November on Veteran’s Day. So, each year just as everyone else is started to get me...

You and me both sister! Oh, and your family is probably not from the South. They already looked at me like I was from Mars when I didn’t eat red meat, as they dug into their prime rib on Christmas Eve. I have always been the subject of ridicule my whole life because of this (I haven’t eaten red meat in years.) This last year, I finally decided to stop pretending that I ate chicken and dairy, which always upset my stomach. Suddenly, I’m happier about what I was putting into my body and much healthier. But, now I have a bigger issue, people care even more about what I’m eating at “community meals.” “Community meals” are any gatherings that you share food with other people – dinner parties, birthday gatherings and holidays. Let me be frank – I never cared what anyone else ever ate, yet people have very strong opinions about what I eat. This upsets me! So, here I am, and it’s my first Thanksgiving as a Vegan (Technically, I’m a Seagan TM . A term I’ve coined, because I sti...

Have you ever been the victim of bullying? I have and it’s awful. I’m not sure if I have the personality type that draws them in if that’s a thing. Or if I have it written in my eyes somehow saying be mean to me, but I have been bullied multiple times throughout my life.   I was bullied in the traditional sense in junior high for having a flat chest – jokes on them I still proudly have a flat chest. The kids used to chant at me, “Dogs bark. Ducks quack. Why is your chest as flat as your back?” I’m literally laughing as I type this because it is quite catchy. But, as a 12-year-old, who was super insecure about this issue already, I cried myself to sleep at night. As an almost 35-year-old, I still don’t need to wear a bra, so those kids can stick it. Lol. I’ve also been bullied in places that are supposed to be traditionally safe: I was a victim of child abuse both physically and emotionally by my stepmother; I was in an emotionally abusive and manipulative ...