when i was 10, i used to knock on the toilet lid 10 times after each time i went to the bathroom because somehow it made sense to me that this would keep me safe. this would keep the world in balance. in elementary school, a friend told me a secret, one so obscure i … Continue reading Order for an Obsessive Compulsive
A piece originally published on Medium republished on Project Ava with permission from our Storyteller, Olyvia Chac-Nguyen. Learn more about the Storyteller Program. Embrace Standing at 5'3" and making weight as a super heavyweight boxer, wearing a áo dài was something far beyond how I wanted to display my “curves”. The traditional áo dài captures the grace, elegance, … Continue reading An Áo Dài’s Embrace
We were not even 2 miles from base. The platoon and I were doing a regular foot patrol of the area. It was something we’ve probably done a dozen times… just a simple search of the area. I was walking around and all of a sudden, this terrible smell fills my nostrils. It smelled more … Continue reading The One Thing He’ll Never Forget About The War
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvvlLdHS1FA One of the most detrimental myths to Asians and Asian-Americans is the model minority myth for a number of reasons - mental health definitely being one of those reasons. Mental health and the awareness of mental illnesses are not generally talked about in the Asian household - treated as shameful anomalies in the community. … Continue reading The Thing We Never Talk About In The #AAPI Community
OK Cupid was fun, for like, the first half hour. All these cute boys to potentially chat with, all the cute boys I was already chatting with, and to top it all off, they have that awesome “match percentage” thing to help you figure it from the get to go. For those who haven’t made … Continue reading Would You Date Someone on an Antidepressant? Five Things You Should Know About Mental Illness
Self-harm can come in many forms including eating disorders, substance abuse, cutting, and many more. We thank our two models for being brave enough to share their stories.
April is sexual assault awareness month. We asked a survivor to share their story as a rape survivor. They consented on the condition of total anonymity and no member of Project Ava will do anything to compromise that agreement. This story is shared in the spirit that it will stir discussion about the prevalence of sexual assault … Continue reading “Please stop..I need to sober up”: Taking Risks after Sexual Assault
The question took me off guard. What did I like about myself? I wasn’t in there in that small, generically comfortable room tucked away in my campus’ health and counseling center to talk about what I liked about myself. I was there because I was flawed. I was there to talk about what was wrong with me. I was there to fix myself. I … Continue reading New Year’s Resolutions – What Do You Like About Yourself?
Late on April 11th of this year, I returned to my apartment after arguably one of the biggest successes of my college career with the resolute intention of ending my life. Sort of odd, right? Not the sort of celebration one would expect as a victory lap. And yet there I was, crying as I … Continue reading The Salutation on My Suicide Note
