The Orange Bead Collection

Hey guess what! I'm back! I apologize for the slight absence in the world, as you might know I just started grad school back up again and it is my LAST SEMESTER EVER! Woo! This means that I am in the middle of crafting my Thesis to be presented in December before graduation. It also means that I have class and internship duties every day of the week/weekend so if I am MIA for a while that is why! I apologize in advance.  Anyways, I have been itching to write again as it is a very soothing and releasing activity...

A great cause of my anxiety and depression came on during my teenage years. A lot of us during this stage in life are figuring ourselves out and testing our boundaries and limits. I was always the late bloomer in a group of people, the girl who had to be home at an obnoxiously early time, the person people loved to get a reaction out of, the teenager who would stare in front of her mirror before school and cry because she felt too fat, and most importantly someone who always just wanted to be “cool.” A compilation of all...

A couple of months ago I read an absolutely inspiring blog post about the “Semicolon Project” posted by Heather Parrie. I’ve read many articles, sites, and posts about mental illness and Depression, however I have never felt as personally connected to any of them as I was with Heather’s post. This was the first article I had read involving a girl around my own age, with my own interests and hobbies, who is also struggling every day with crippling Depression. This was the first time I felt truly understood and that I wasn’t alone on the island inside my head...

When I initially saw the beads at the supply store, they didn’t exactly jump out at me. Their edges looked unfinished and the orange glass beads were so tiny, they could hardly be what I was looking for. However, as I looked closer, I realized that they were absolutely ideal for the bracelets. The round shape obviously represents something that has no definite beginning and end, rather a smooth fluidity throughout. The unfinished edges reminded me of the most important aspect of my life, that it is, in fact, unfinished. I wanted to be able to always look down at...

Once again, I am inspired to write this blog post because of the beautiful soul, Heather Parrie, who wrote a post on The Semicolon Project and her struggle with Depression. In it she touches on the idea of social labeling and the effect it has on an individual’s battle with Depression. This is extremely vital to understanding, I believe, why Depression and Anxiety can be so crippling to individuals believing they have to live up to the preconceived constructs of their so-called social niche. Let’s get this out of the way. Fuck social labeling. (One thing you will learn about...