One day, I realized that my grandmother is becoming increasingly forgetful. She forgot about where she placed her glasses, about what she ate for lunch; and sometimes, she even forgot about me as her grandson, or mistaken me for my dad. She also became increasingly disoriented and confused about time and day and would wish me “Merry Christmas” in the month of July. The immediate thought that came into my head was – “oh dear, my grandmother is getting old and forgetful”. We of

I was watching a TED talk given by Kevin Breel, a comedian. Interestingly, he talked about depression – his talk was ironically titled ‘Confessions of a Depressed Comic’. In it he spoke about how he has struggled with his ruminating thoughts and how he did his best to hide it from the outside world – essentially living two different lives. He spoke of how he felt like there were two factors that reinforced this leading of dual lives – one was his internal feelings of shame ab

“Despite my struggles, I achieved every goal I set for myself. I volunteered at the crisis hotline and shared about my self-injury for the first time. I won awards for my writing. I discovered photography and showed my work in small galleries. I was an undergraduate researcher. I got my degree. I got accepted to a Ph.D. program back in my hometown of Miami. I had a family and friends all over the country willing to support me, no matter what. I had a future, but I didn’t beli

‘No Man Is An Island’ The above is a popular quote that many may be familiar with; however, it is of interest to note that the quote itself is incomplete – the full quote by author John Donne goes ‘No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent’. This reflects a quality of our species which parallels the idea of evolutionary psychology or biology, which posits that we have survived – or rallied, really – to the top of the food chain acting with t

“I am too fat”, “I am too skinny.”, “I wish my skin is fairer.”, “I am too short”, “If only I had straight hair, bigger eyes, smaller nose, longer legs, I will be happy.” Does any of this sound familiar? If so, you are not alone. Adolescence marks a period of intense physical, social and emotional changes. This is a phase where physical appearance becomes significantly important. Both young boys and girls have heightened awareness to external influences such as social media a