All the Feels: A Mental Health Story Collection

“See the Sun” is an original song about friendship, and how the people who love you can lift you up out of the darkness.

People who struggle with making friends or getting good grades will connect with this piece. Beware, the beautiful sunsets and powerful words might make some cry.

This is our trailer for No Brainer, a podcast about the ins and outs of living with chronic neurological conditions.

This poem is from the perspective of someone having an existential crisis and, in direct contrast to the title, has no pauses or punctuation.

An excerpt of an article I wrote where I interviewed eight students from across the city, country and world on their sex-education experiences.

A pandemic-era reflection on the things that bring us joy—things we may have taken for granted because we thought they would always be there. The little things seem much bigger now.

This is a collection of haikus written between January 10 and January 23 that captures our combined experiences.

Coming of age is a painful process for all of us—even superheroes. In my story, I learn to embrace that pain and find a few superpowers along the way.

Dana Schwartz reminisces with her husband Harold at the hospital every Thursday. As his memories fade, he realizes she’s not the same Dana from their first date—and he’s no longer the same Harold.

Captured in a moment of pain, this poem was a way for me to release my emotions onto the page. I hope to show anyone who encounters this piece that they are not alone.

Exploring themes of mental illness specifically within the Asian-American immigrant community and isolation, She and the Remnants of Plants centers around a teenage girl’s relationship to plants and death.

A poem on the often cruel and uncaring nature of the passage of time during the pandemic.

This is a piece about how it feels to deal with the struggles that grief may bring. And about trying to move forward by taking one day at a time.

This poem focuses on the philosophy of interpreting life objectively; there is a certain calm in accepting reality as is, and taking pleasure in the mere fact of our existence.

A look into 2020 through the diverse eyes of interviewees from New York City. These interviewees describe their thoughts and experiences living through the pandemic.

A trip into a mind, swirling with the chaos of regret and distraction of calm.

When you put others before yourself, your oxygen masks will be lost. You cannot feign your own happiness, therefore you need to learn how to love yourself.

This poem is a love letter to myself.

A piece that has been waiting too long to say what needed to be said, out loud and to the world. Regardless of everything that has happened this year, I’m happy to be alive!

These pieces explore my ideas on love, loss, and emotional validation. They’re the products of a girl who got lost inside her own head for too long.

The King of Hearts is random from a deck of cards where truly the title is meaningless but the poem somehow makes it seem relevant.

Writing poetry has served as an outlet to relieve stress during this anxiety-filled year. I’ve poured many of my feelings into these poems, some of which are selected here.

These are poems we wrote, together and separately, while reflecting on the theme of transformation—these poems are about all the different versions of ourselves we hold at once.

Subconscious writes a letter to assure Natalie of the doubts she has about her self-worth.

As a teenager grows into adulthood they begin to understand the consequences of their words. They no longer have bliss, and the people around them continue to remind them of it.

When a cold, unfeeling rejection appears at our doorstep, do we readily welcome it? Hardly. Alas, it makes its way indoors regardless, bringing along misery as a plus one.

A soul’s response when the world is too noisy and a heart is silenced for too long.

Teenagers oftentimes don’t know themselves and are not well aware of their identity. This is a poem where I am exploring the different sides of my identity.

In a world where showing sadness is seen as a weakness, we are often forced to conceal it. We hide the pain behind the smiles, but what happens when somebody watches us do so.

My mentor Caroline gave me the free-writing prompt, “What does it mean to be in my body?” I immediately began thinking of my own experiences being someone who is both female-bodied and chronically ill.

I sat in Port with my legs curled up on the floor, leaning up against my bunk bed.

This piece is about my struggle with depression and mental health.

A young girl of color is having a hard time educating her religious mother about the depression she silently struggles with.

Oh beautiful rose
stemmed into the ground.

This piece is dedicated to the past me who struggled so hard to find her place.

A short story about the first step of what other people considered this woman’s breakdown.

Rainy days engulf you, take over, and become all-consuming. Rain is more than just the weather, it’s the atmosphere that comes with the feeling of walking down the sidewalk while rain pours down around you.

Oftentimes I tend to focus on generational curses, the bad traits I’ve received from my family. My piece reflects on this and the generational blessings passed down.

In a Halloween-esque manner, this poem explores silence, ritualistic elements of insomnia, and isolation. What it means, however, is up to you to interpret.

My mind tends to wander when it’s dark and I’m alone, this is a sort of letter to myself, to the part of me that keeps me up at night.

My piece, “Green Tea. Hot. Mint With Honey” is a reflective personal narrative about a specific vulnerable period of time in my young life.

I write all my pieces about something that affects me in life. This one is about Emotions and how they feel.

This is a short narrative essay reflecting on the discomfort I feel regarding the sexual assault I experienced in the past. I express how I wish to move on from it, but I feel stuck.

This piece is about learning how to cope with impulses to self-harm, and to hold space for these impulses without acting upon them.

A somewhat satirical account of the life of a fictional protagonist who would be born in the year of the cat.

Given our interest in mental health, we worked together on an infographic highlighting actionable steps teens can take to de-stress and recharge.

Poetic Pillars is a collection of poetry encompassing such themes as identity, mental health, family, heritage and love that serve as moments of self-reflection and appreciation of our individual and shared experiences.

I start with the littlest things. The ones that take no effort. The ones that remind me that I am capable of doing the others.

This year has been unlike any other. We wanted to share some of the ways that we’ve taken care of ourselves, stayed connected to each other, and found strength & purpose in community.

We wanted to shine a light on mental health struggles that often go unnoticed and to dispel harmful stereotypes about mental illness.

Have you ever chosen to sacrifice sleep to binge-watch something on Netflix? You might be experiencing “revenge bedtime procrastination.”

An attempted recording of the strange sensations of synesthesia and anosmia.

 In 15 years I’ve grown, cried, fallen, learned and learned some more. However, I have wished I was better, more proficient, smarter, savvier, wittier, stronger, something… more than the person I am.

A depiction of my journey in asking for help, this essay is my reminder that I deserve peace and welfare in a battle against the uncertainties and anxieties of my mind.

Sybil was waiting on the train platform absentmindedly during her morning commute. Then she fell onto the tracks. When she awakens alone in the hospital, she finds her injured body and soul split apart.

I have been running track since the age of nine years old. I am now in my high school’s track team, and these were my thoughts at my last meet.

Mental health is often overlooked in society. This poem dives into the mind of a teenager who finally has had enough.

This piece takes a deep dive into societal expectations while emphasizing the importance of asking for help. Everyone, even someone who doesn’t look like it, needs support.

I was scrolling on social media and my eye caught a rather shocking headline. This poem is about the article I read and how very serious news is made palatable.

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.”
This piece helped me break free and I will forever be thankful to my mentor for encouraging me.

This poem is special to me; it is connected with my own journey of living with anxiety, longing, and what it means to be in my body.

The feeling of having an ocean of ideas at the tip of your tongue, watching each one disappear once you open your mouth.

The Corpse is a found poem based off of the Metamorphosis.

We know how neurons fire with chemical precision, but can we understand someone else’s consciousness? Neuroscience can draw from computer science and the humanities to define consciousness.

Criminal Minds taught me how to profile, and I apply my knowledge by taking on the challenge of profiling myself.

“Are you okay?” The Hispanic woman wearing a disposable medical apron asks me as she comes back into the x-ray check-up room after scanning my braces. No.