I would like to start by clarifying my stance. While this article is influenced by my experiences with judgment and stigmas surrounding mental health in the South Asian community in America, I recognize that not everything that I have witnessed applies to everyone in this community; there are always exceptions. Please understand that this article […]
Though this does apply to any race or culture, this topic is close to my South Asian heart. I was blessed to grow up in a household where tradition wasn’t strictly instilled. My grandmother was the one who was very strict in following South Indian culture, but my parents allowed more freedom to follow passions […]
Most times mental abuse is counted for in adults, or has to be properly diagnosed by a professional for it to be considered abuse. Though the word “abuse” is thrown around to categorize any harm to ones’ physical, emotional, or mental state, it doesn’t just affect teens or adults. Most people also immediately think child […]
“RINGGG! RINGGG!” There it is. There is that awful sound booming out of my phone at the ungodly hour of 7 a.m. I hit snooze a couple of times, but after a certain point the bliss of sleep melts away, so I roll out of bed and drowsily head towards my bathroom to brush my […]
Social Work found me! I didn’t look for Social Work, it was in me. I actually tried to “run” from being a Social Worker. Having a childhood interrupted by Social Workers from child-welfare on multiple occasions; I was not inspired. What I saw was grumpy old people with pens, note pads and lots of questions […]
It’s been a few years since I’ve been a teenager, but I do remember how intense social media began blowing up. It came in all avatars: Snapchat, Instagram, Kik, and Facebook. As a kid, my dad always warned me about social media, and how desperately he wanted me to stay off of it. “Keep your […]
The first time I saw the signs of child abuse, I was five years old. Two children down the street from my house, a typical suburban neighborhood. I wish I could remember their names. Instead, I remember seeing the strangle marks on the boy’s neck. He was about my age, and his sister was a […]
Happy New Year! Usually, people tell you not to dwindle on the past, but let’s talk about 2020 for a moment. From the millions of lives that suddenly changed due to the pandemic to the Black Lives Matter movement, 2020 provided valuable lessons for everyone. Personally, I never realized how much I took my freedom […]
He who has a “why” to life can bear almost any “how”. – Friedrich Nietzsche In this time of giving and gratitude we are also looking at a time that we have been calling “unprecedented”. A time of quarantine, “social distance”, school closures/re-openings, the reorientation of home to work and work to home, the uncertainty […]
My parents recently rediscovered dozens of old cassettes filled with videos from my childhood; the toddler in me, whom I had long forgotten about, was reawakened by the memories trapped in these cassettes. I watched in amazement as mini-me ran around the house, absolutely free of all worries and stress, and happily babbled on in […]