Written by Adriana Campos, a CSUCI student.

I hope you’re well wherever you are in this world that we live in together, for some of your life can be light and you may have never doubted anything for a second, but for some of you it could be a place of overwhelming darkness. There is a thin line between the two when you experience both, and that’s me. I had never...

Written by Madison Jaffe.

It feels like just yesterday that I was a high school freshman – unsure of where I belonged, who my true friends were, if I was enough, or what my life would be like at the end of my high school career. It wasn’t until I discovered positive psychology – the science of happiness – that I began answering these questions and accepting myself amidst...

Written by a CSUCI student.

Growing up I had very low self-esteem. I believe this came from school bullies and family always picking on me about anything I would do. My mom was always comparing me to others, especially her friend’s daughters because we were all the same age, yet they always had better grades and stayed slim due to sports. I don’t think my mom realized that the more...

The following letter was written by Israel Lozano during our 2020 weekly writing group, The Green Walls Writer’s Project, in response to a prompt to write a letter to our feelings. 

Dear Disappointment,

It’s been six years since we’ve first met. Knowing you, you’re probably planning to surprise me with something soon. Maybe some seasonal depression, anxiety during...

Written by Sofia Noriega, a Ventura County high school student, featuring artwork by Sophie Kadan.

I can’t smile,

I think about homework 24/7,

When I am supposed to be having fun.

I can’t smile,

I think about the past,

When I should be thinking about the present.

I can’t smile,

I think about my exhausted feelings,

When I should bring out my happy side.

 ...

Content warning: This post includes mentions of child abuse, trauma, and mental health issues.

Written by a CSUCI student.

Every day since I was born seemed to be toxic and filled with worry. My family was extremely broken from a very young age. My earliest memories are of being 2 or 3 years old. It’s funny how our greatest memories are usually the worst. I recall punishments that...

Written by a CSUCI student.

Anxiety has never been an easy thing to deal with. For as long as I can remember, I have always had this anxious feeling I could never shake off and feeling like I was always on a deadline. This was normal to me; at first, I thought everyone felt like this, but now I know that is not the case. I used to think everyone lived their life feeling worried and not being...

Written by a CSUCI undergraduate student. 

Middle school and high school were years that I pressured myself to keep up with the constant beauty standards that were placed on us teen girls by influences like social media, gossip, and popular shows and movies that came out in those years. Coming from a family that couldn’t afford to buy all the insanely priced fashion brands, it was...

Content warning: This post contains brief mentions of self-harm.

Written by Brianna Gutierrez, a 21 year old senior and Health Science Major at CSUCI.

There are many internal battles that individuals go through alone. While it is okay to try and figure out our way through the hardships that life throws at us on our own, we may subconsciously be creating harmful coping mechanisms. I would...

This post was written by a CSUCI student.

We are not defined by our body. We are defined by who we are and how we present ourselves to the world. As we age our bodies change, as do our personalities. We have lived in a society where skinny is thought to be the norm and what is best. Thick and “fat” are seen as horrible and disgusting. Body shaming is no joke and can lead to many...

By Vivian Blancarte, a CSUCI student.

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine was training for a marathon and would always post his run stats, sometimes running anywhere from 10-18 miles. I remember one day asking, “Why do you do that to yourself?” He simply replied, “Because I love it.” But what is there to love about putting your body through all that discomfort, I...

Written by a CSUCI undergraduate student.

Now being a college student who is about to graduate, the one thing that never changed for me is learning how to manage my stress. During my high school years, it was a constant battle for me to understand how to accept the fact that I was stressed because there was a stereotype among my classmates that being stressed was simply uncalled for...