fear and food After the first time I had the flu, the thought of vomiting gave me a visceral reaction. I would collapse into panic attacks—crying, screaming, sweating, shaking—anytime my stomach began to turn. This fear became so strong I struggled to eat or leave the house. I hated this fear and what it did […]

bitter peel If you have ever bitten into the skin of citrus fruit, you know the strong, sour taste that immediately hits your tongue. Adults know the skin isn’t meant to be eaten, so we peel away the bright outer layer before sinking our teeth into a tangerine. But babies often have to learn this […]

What happens when you walk into a pitch-dark room and flip the switch on the wall? Light instantly floods the space. Your eyes reflexively squint and shift away from the painful brightness. All of the room’s dusty, dirty little secrets are exposed as the hood of darkness is thrown back. Sometimes you even hear the […]

“I think we’re just … better as friends.” I suddenly felt like I might throw up. Sitting cross-legged in my closet so my parents couldn’t hear my conversation on the phone, I felt time stop—or transition into slow motion, at least. “For sure,” I said on the other end of the line. Click. That was […]

Two years ago, while everyone was sipping their pumpkin spice lattes and taking pictures in pumpkin patches, I was at home sinking into a deep depression following a surgery that didn’t go as planned. What was supposed to be a routine operation left me sick beyond belief, resulting in an anxious and fearful heart. Many […]