Why I secretly don’t want the pandemic to end — Now here’s something I don’t like to admit: I’ve been feeling guiltily content during this time of turmoil. To be clear, I’m not happy about feeling like we’re easing into a thickening plot of a dystopian novel, one created by the writers of Black Mirror where an invisible monster is…

Why my generalised anxiety disorder is both a blessing and a misfortune. — That’s the hardest thing about having generalised anxiety disorder. Accepting that I’m forever condemned to doubting, and never to knowing. I know as human beings, we can all be doubtful. But this anxiety rides on a different frequency. It’s a crippling kind of anxiety. The kind where you have to…

Explaining my autoimmune disease to others — “I have an autoimmune condition that affects my skin. Basically, my white blood cells freak out and sometimes attacks cells that they shouldn’t.” I had this explanation long engraved in my memory, like the life lines that are permanently imprinted in the palms of our hands. “White blood cells are…

Why a young girl continued to eat a fruit she hated — In the fourth grade, my teacher had this learning encouragement system that involved golden apples. It was straightforward; you solved a tough arithmetic problem or you scored a perfect grade in last Friday’s Spelling Test and you were rewarded a Golden Apple sticker. …