There is a phrase spreading across the internet right now: I am Jane Doe. Women are saying it. Men are saying it. Survivors are saying it. People who have never experienced sexual violence themselves but understand exactly what is at stake are saying it too. They are not claiming to be the young woman at the center of the Cornell 7 case. They are trying to make her harder to find, and perhaps that tells us almost everything we need to know about the world survivors are still expected to navigate.
Tag: mental health
I’ve Got It: When Hyper-Independence Becomes Both Armor and AuDHD Survival
There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from being the person who always says, “I’ve got it.” Not because you actually have it. Not because you want to carry everything alone. But because somewhere along the way, doing it yourself became safer than depending on anyone else. Hyper-independence is often discussed as a…
How Dysautonomia Impacts Daily Life: My Story
After sharing my latest heart and tilt-table updates, I realized something: I keep throwing around words like IST, dysautonomia, tachycardia, autonomic nervous system, and adrenergic response as though everyone has spent the last several months earning an honorary medical degree alongside me. 😅 Most people haven’t, so I thought it might be helpful to explain…
The Porch Light Is Still On: When Loving a Friend Means Stepping Away
There is a quote that has been sitting particularly heavy with me lately: “No one trashes your name better than someone who is afraid you’ll tell people the truth.” Whew. That is a loaded statement. And unfortunately, it’s one I’ve learned the truth of more than once in my life. I’ve never been particularly good…
When a “Negative” Tilt-Table Test Became Anything but Negative
Test Experience Today, I finally had my tilt-table test—and saying it started off rough would be an understatement. Before the test had even begun, the doctor looked at my baseline numbers and announced that I was “so negative for everything.” The nurses actually had to talk him into proceeding with the test that I was…
Veiling in Magic: Ancient Roots, Sacred Thresholds, and Modern Practice
Recently, I began incorporating veiling into my own spiritual practice. Not as a requirement, not as a rule, and certainly not because someone told me I had to. Instead, it became a quiet ritual. A way of stepping from the noise of everyday life into something a little more sacred. For many people, the word…
The Dopamine Menu: Pacing Joy When Your Nervous System Lives on Hard Mode ✨🧋📚
Your nervous system is not a broken vending machine that forgot how to dispense joy. It is more like an old woodland radio tower during a thunderstorm. Some days the signal comes in crystal clear. Other days every sound arrives too loudly, too quickly, or all at once. For those of us living with Dysautonomia,…
ADHD, Autism, Food Noise, and Learning to Hear a Fullness Cue for the First Time
One of the strangest parts of starting Mounjaro for me was realizing that I had spent most of my life without truly understanding what “full” was supposed to feel like. That sounds dramatic until you realize how differently neurodivergent people can experience body awareness. When you live with ADHD and autism, hunger and fullness cues…
The Rosy Maple Moth: subtle but still powerful.
The Rosy Maple Moth looks like something painted by a daydreaming goddess with a sweet tooth. With its bubblegum pink legs, buttery yellow wings, and tiny fuzzy body, it barely feels real when you spot one resting near your porch light or curled beside your doorway at night. 🌙🍓✨
The Quiet Magic of a Chronically Ill Witch
There’s a version of me the outside world doesn’t see. She is not standing tall in a candlelit circle every night, not draped in ritual regalia, not summoning storms with a flick of her wrist. No… this version of me is sitting on the edge of the bed, calculating energy like it’s currency. How much…
