Let me introduce you to my pal, Chelsea. We met through a mutual friend that told each of us we must meet each other because we were like minded and we would click. And we did. She poured her heart out here, and it is beautiful. And relatable. Start asking yourself about your own mental health. This is an important journey for life. Once you get to the bottom of this article, I would like to encourage you to make your own personal "sanity list." LP The two most terrify

When I was younger I kept a diary, on and off. I was really bad at consistency. Once, I called my mom a bad word and she read it. And then I felt like the bad word. I tried to log my daily activities but talking about my lunch felt boring. (However, pictures of a good meal on Instagram now don’t. Weird.) What did feel good was venting and getting it all off my chest. I could complain about school, work, boyfriends and later husband, anything at all. (And seriously, if anyone

Without failure, we wouldn't have growth. Last year, I applied for a new position within my school district. I spend hours and days prepping, creating, and getting coached up for my interview and presentation. I felt confident that I would do a great job in this new role. I felt ready. I answered the questions well in the interview. I left there feeling good! And I didn't get the job. I was disappointed. With one phone call the dreams I had for the upcoming school year

Dear Reader: This letter was written as part of an assignment for one of my classes. We were studying the effect of stress on the human body and ways to combat it. This beautiful letter was written for YOU and for whenever you need it or need to share it. Let me introduce you to the wonderful words of the amazing Lexi N. LP The wonderful, strong and intelligent person that is reading this: Whether it is a boy, family, friends, personal, or just because, I promise you - may

Five Steps to a Drama-free (or Drama-filled) Summer The choice is yours Summer is almost here and that means a long-awaited break from school. Summer break is meant for making marvelous memories. But as countless news reports have shown, some teens will mess it up even before it even begins. From posting inappropriate pics to starting drama online, there are some surefire ways to have a miserable summer break. Here are the top five tips to ensure a drama-free or drama-filled

The first time I ever did a high ropes course was almost 20 years ago. I was terrified. I think I might have cried. And when I completed it, I felt like I could do anything if I just took a big breath first. I remembered that "after" feelings of accomplishment very well. I remembered those feelings of accomplishment a couple of months ago when I was planning a field trip for the Lotus Project. I'm always saying, "You don't need to be perfect, you need to be brave." Or, "Take

Valentine's Day. A lot of people either really love it or really hate it. At this point in my life I'm very indifferent to it. I try to make it special for the loved ones in my life but I don't go over the top or crazy about it. And I don't expect other people to do that for me. I feel like it's very much a Hallmark holiday. And a way for companies to make us feel guilted into buying stuff. As a teenager, I remember a lot of social pressure on Valentine's Day. If you were dat

Have you ever felt like you could find 100 wonderful things to say about your friends but not even five about yourself? Ask around. I'll bet that you will find more people feeling like this than not. And this, my friends, needs to change. All of that crappy negative self talk needs to stop. You wouldn't say those things to someone you love. You need to treat yourself better. Why is this a thing? We could look to a lot of different places for this answer. Maybe it was how we