Own Health Hero

Culture Shock, Travel Depression, and more

As most of you know, I am currently living in Kiev, Ukraine to teach English for a semester with International Language Programs. I wanted to travel my entire life, but the entire first week I was here, I cried all day about how I wanted to go home. I felt like my dreams of traveling…

Let’s Get Real: Eating Disorder Myths

The Let’s Get Real movement is about busting myths surrounding eating disorders. Here’s a few things I want people to know about eating disorders, based on my own experience. 1. Eating disorders are a mental illness, they are not a choice. Who would consciously want to feel that they weren’t allowed to eat or if they…

My Biggest Weakness

I’m back!….again…..I believe this will now be the third time that I have set my mind to blogging. (For those of you who don’t know this is like the 10th blog I’ve started) Prior attempts were smothered out by lack of ideas, and bountiful amounts of excuses. I know it’s hard as a reader to…

Mental Illness in Movies & TV

Back when my father was a teenager and started battling anxiety and depression, he felt like it was a taboo topic. He said he felt like if he told anyone about what he was feeling and experiencing, that he would be an outcast. While we have come a far way since then, and it seems…

The Good Part

Alright, queue AJR’s “The Good Part” and grab a cup of hot chocolate cause the rain can’t seem to go away.All to often you hear people say how much better their life will be once they reach a certain point. We’ve all seen “13 going on 30” right? Well if you haven’t, you’ve probably heard…

Social Media+Mental Health

Been a lot of talk lately on what is authentic and what is fake on social media. I’ll admit that I’ve been guilty of posting only the best pictures, at the right time, with the perfect caption, all in hopes of obtaining a certain amount of likes. .I would hide my true self and only…

How to: Crisis Response Plan

ONE OF THE MOST PROVEN WAY TO PREVENT SUICIDE AND SELF HARM! According to recent studies the best thing you can do for yourself or someone who comes up to you is make a “Crisis Response Plan” A year and a half ago, I learned how to make one and I want to share it…

Don’t Do This!

When you first start to experience a Mental Illness it may be hard to know what to do. Whatever you do though, don’t do these three things! These were the three worst things I did when I first had depression. 1. Don’t Blame YourselfOr anyone actually. And this goes for everything in life. Putting the…

Millennials and Perfection

It’s no secret, millennials are a unique generation. With digital advancements and social media presence being larger than ever, we live in a very different time. While these technologies have their advantages(my mother likes to constantly point out that I don’t have to worry about typos on a typewriter or going to the library to…

My Mental Health Story

On August 23, 2017, my life forever changed. I moved out of my parent’s house, and to a new state by myself. I faced some of the darkest days of my life as my perspective grew tenfold, I began to experience anxiety and depression. I experienced a sense of personal shame for my struggles and…