anxiety – Crasstalk

The Subway Is My Ice Castle

I clamp on my purple headphones, crank up the iPod, and in my mind’s eye, and I envision a woman, a girl really, skating in perfect accompaniment to whatever song pops up. Classical. The Stones. Springsteen. Gaga. She can skate to anything. She can do beautiful layback spins, and spirals, and double and triple spins, all perfectly.

As I’ve told you before, I’m not known for my grace. By the time I was a freshman in high school, I had, between my two ankles, broken them 10 times. So when I told my mother I would like to join my high school’s figure skating team, she was appalled. Continue reading →

A Look Inside an Anxious Mind

There is a certain peace in bathrooms. Those little rooms, or big rooms with little stalls, are a haven.

The official diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder and major depression came about eight years ago. All my life, I’ve been scared. I’ve been scared to approach people, because who would want to talk to me? I’ve been afraid to leave the house dressed badly, because the masses might stone me. I’ve been afraid to talk, because what if I said the wrong thing? Continue reading →

Laughter is the Best Medicine

I’ve just applied to the Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop. This famous fellowship for TV writers insists that all applicants submit “a short composition, no longer than a page, double spaced, telling us why you want to be a television writer and how your background will add a unique perspective to television.” Here’s mine: Continue reading →