Ristretto - Mental Health

“The harder thing is not in what skills you have, but in developing character- and because I already have that down, I can do anything.” It just took a year of underestimating myself to realize that…I would never disrespect myself to that extent again- because I know myself, I know the things I enjoy and am set to do.

I used to be a pretty judgmental person, thinking that I knew the right way to go about things… until my first year as a working professional when I started experiencing loneliness and depression. Depression can be very humbling sometimes, as I’ve now realized that everybody’s got their shit.

Being in a relationship during quarantine is tough for any couple, whether you’re experiencing a newer relationship or an existing one. The combination of Covid stresses alongside an unhealthy relationship left my mental health in pieces, and I had to figure out how to heal through it…

Being a first-generation Palestinian, I had always been motivated by his desire to understand more about his parents and their background. My dream was to use my experience and exposure to politics to connect with the folks there and help them in some way. However, my dreams were “shattered” when I went on a college study abroad trip to Palestine.

This is a post dedicated to the collaboration between MoreThan and The Brew. Read The Brew’s interview with Hana Brannigan, who started MoreThan as content platform helping others in their eating disorder recovery journeys.

It was during grad school when I was studying abroad in London. I was by myself one day and was cutting vegetables with a knife and all I was thinking was, “Oh my gosh, if I wanted to end it, I could.” I immediately threw my knife down and went to my blanket and started screaming…

Now that people are home so much, their mostly sedentary lifestyles have become extremely sedentary. But, it’s possible to make some major improvements by incorporating daily exercise into your at-home routine. Here’s why you should…

A few months ago, the Free Logic/The Brew team made a video offering encouragements and tips on how to get through the difficult quarantine period. While we shared many ways to reduce anxiety and increase productivity, my #1 tip was to create a to-do list in my journal. Read on to learn about how to maximize your to-do list!

My deportation equipped me for any other hardship down the road. I almost felt untouchable after I overcame it. I learned to not keep my feelings to myself, and instead, to share it with my peers. My community around me found inspiration from my story, and that is one of the things that I’ve given back.

“I never acknowledged my own suffering, but I would acknowledge everyone else’s suffering. I wouldn’t care for myself the way I would care for other people.”

An internal struggle I’ve been dealing with since middle school is suicidal ideation. My first thought on any given day is how to structure my day to avoid this. After many small changes over the years, I am healing – and I will boil my healing journey down to 3 main things.

A recent car accident left me suddenly with neither a job nor the prospects of getting one. Growing up, I never had a best friend and never knew the meaning of friendship – but this incident taught me that.

Your mental health journey is a constant, ongoing struggle – but that ongoing struggle is completely okay. I don’t ever want to simplify anyone’s struggle. I just hope that more people recognize that their struggle is unique. That they are unique in their own way. 

“Music expressed my feelings better than I could to myself in my own head, and that helped me find my own words. Listen and find music that you really identify with and express yourself with.”