It has become a sort of joke to make fun of young people, especially Millennials; which tends to mean myself. Technically though, I was born just after the ‘cut-off’ date to be considered a Millennial, although the date changes consistently. As such, I am a member of Generation Z, iGen, or the Postmillennial Generation. Despite this, I have grown up and come of age with the concept of the Millennial Generation being lazy, disrespectful, and destroying the world with their magical smartphones. Because of the slightly muddy definition of which age-ranges are grouped into which generation,... Read More

Of the many stigmatized issues that young people face, a significant one is the use and abuse of substances; which includes alcohol and other recreational drugs. As a full-time college student myself, I see how these issues plague my peers. I also see how these problems are not properly addressed in a university setting. As I watch my friends consistently struggle with the abuse of substances, I find myself becoming more and more frustrated. Many of my fellow students, a significant number of whom are not even twenty-one yet, have become dependent on alcohol. Nevertheless, we pretend as though... Read More

Having recently made a personal commitment to achieve a better work life balance, I find myself feeling encouraged to talk about stress, mental health, and even share a bit about my own life’s stressors. Mental health is very important, and the stress of life’s bountiful challenges can take a toll on it very quickly. Gary Vaynerchuk is quoted as saying, “Everybody has shit”, and he’s right. We all have our own shit in our lives we have to deal with. It can often be easy to get caught up in it, to the point you may not consider other people are going through their own shit, so keep that... Read More

As anyone can tell you, when you find something worth your time, whatever it may be, there will no doubt be a love-hate relationship you are confronted with constantly: growing pains, mental walls, frustration, anger, you name it—it has most likely been experienced by you or those around you. This is no different when it comes to the life of a chef. Being a chef requires that you fully submerse yourself in your career; it becomes just about every part of you, digging deep into your soul and sinking the hooks in, making a home inside your heart and mind. There are the days where you love every... Read More

With restrictions remaining in place far longer than anyone expected, Americans are growing restless with the inability to get out and socialize. Already, over 25% of Americans surveyed said that they have reached their breaking point, citing the lack of sociability and frequent fights with family members contributing to stress. The other 75% of Americans surveyed said they will reach their breaking point in about a month–and some cities have already stated that they may need to remain shut down into June. Younger Americans appear to be especially susceptible to breaking down; 59% of surveyed... Read More

The founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Marc Brackett, has conducted a massive survery regarding how people feel right now amidst the panic that COVID-19 has caused. Brackett has conducted similar studies before, but for the first time, this study found that 95% of people felt anxiety, stress, and fear. Even the 5% leftover are not feeling joy or happiness, but instead feeling hope and optimism that things will get better than they are now. With no way of knowing how this will continue to affect the world, feelings of stress could continue for an indefinite amount... Read More

On Monday evening, a massive fire broke out at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  With about 13 million visitors each year, the cathedral is the city’s most visited monument, and has been part of Paris for more than 800 years. Many across the globe are expressing shock and distress about the burning of such an iconic Gothic structure that housed religious artifacts and works of art, some of which are lost, some moved just in time. When tragedy strikes, some of us never recover from it. The way we cope with these situations differ greatly. Some people immediately fall into a deep depression,... Read More

There are many ways in which our world and society could be improved, I doubt that anyone could disagree with that. However, I do feel that one thing has genuinely advanced from days passed; the desire to take mental health far more seriously. Our culture is finally appearing to make mental health a major concern, and, because of this, there is a movement sprouting to take care of our minds in a variety of ways. Professionally, I have been diagnosed with a number of things, although by far the most prominent are a variety of anxiety disorders. Perhaps the most prevalent is what is known as G.A.D.... Read More

Athletes train and fuel their bodies to operate at optimal levels in their sport. CBD is the non psychoactive compound found in cannabis. It is a non toxic, natural option that provides multiple mental and physical benefits. The recent announcement by the WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) to remove CBD from the banned substance list in 2018 provides a safer option to many athletes. With athletes and individuals allowed to consume CBD legally in all 50 states, it is diminishing the stigma surrounding cannabis and its users. It has the potential to provide a better quality of life when provided as... Read More

It’s Veteran’s Day. This day, we as a nation, have set aside to honor our veterans for their service, their families for their sacrifices, and all those whose live’s have been touched by the tragic effects of war. Many of us have known a family member, friend, or co-worker who has served for our country. My grandfather is a veteran of the US Army who fought in the Korean War. My father is a disabled US Air Force veteran, and I have a very close friend, who I consider a brother, currently serving in the Army, overseas in the Middle East. In my previous life of finance, back in Missouri, I... Read More