The following is an excerpt from Jessica Mathisen’s brand-new book Already Chosen: Loving your Life in the Midst of Longing, now available on Amazon. Jessica Mathisen lives in Athens, Georgia with her first and forever boyfriend, Rory, and their sweet puppy, Bailey. She is a recovering perfectionist, a former teacher, and a lover of people. Her […]

Dying to Live If you’re a Hamilton fan, then you know there’s a moment in the show when George Washington is discussing the war with Alexander Hamilton, making the statement: “Dying is easy; living is harder.” I feel like there’s a correlation between that statement and what happens when you finally open the can of […]

Last fall, while everyone was sipping their pumpkin spiced lattes and taking pictures in pumpkin patches, I was at home sinking into a deep depression after having 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 […]

Ten years ago I packed my bags and headed into the unknown world commonly known as college. My heart was both filled with anticipation and joy that was mingled with fear and anxiety. After living 18 years under my parents roof, the thought of living elsewhere and being on my own was exciting and nerve-wracking. I had waited my entire life for this moment. I remember as a young girl thinking that once I reached my college years I would feel like an adult. The opposite was true! I felt even younger walking onto that large campus and sitting in classes with hundreds of other students! I couldn’t wait for my college years to come, but once they arrived I felt completely unprepared.

This post was written by Becca Lafferty, a high school English teacher in Singapore. You can read more from Becca on her blog. I have struggled with diagnosed major depressive disorder (MDD) since my sophomore year of college, but I know that I began wrestling with seasons of depressions starting during my adolescent years. However, […]