The days are getting shorter, a chill is in the air, and the falling leaves drift away as do the last remnants of summer. Fall is here, and that means the holidays are around the corner. However, the magic of the holidays is overshadowed this year by the coronavirus, which is rapidly spreading rather than fading away.

June is recognized as Pride month for the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies. Pride commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riot that sparked the LGBTQIA+ rights movement and subsequently inspired the celebratory events that you see today. Pride is a time to come together in solidarity to celebrate the freedom to be oneself!

Sometimes depression and anxiety are too powerful to battle alone. If you are struggling in your fight against depression or anxiety, don’t hesitate to seek professional help!

Have you heard the term “rumination”? To ruminate is to obsessively think about the same problems over and over. If you are experiencing depression or anxiety, it is likely that you have invasive negative thoughts, and that you struggle to focus on other things.

Depression and anxiety throw us into a wrestling match with our own mind- an endless, exhausting fight with our inner self. Therefore, a very effective way to combat the lies depression/anxiety repeat in our minds is to get out of our own heads and attend to our bodies.

Another lie depression and anxiety whispers (or screams) at us is that our life is meaningless, and that we are unable to contribute anything worthwhile. But again, this is not true.

To successfully fight depression, we must make mindful choices about who we let in- and who finally needs to be shown the door.

Depression and anxiety can appear in many forms. Sometimes it is a severe episode that traps you in a dark bedroom for weeks at a time, preventing you from functioning at work or from spending time with family and friends.