This is a diary entry I wrote a few weeks ago when I was running around NYC for a week through rain and snow to attend NYFW castings. I was STRESSED but duly excited: NYFW Prep Going into fashion week, the Olympics of modeling, my stress levels are at an all time high. I was…
Read more
Lately I’ve had to interrogate this. I’ve always experienced phone anxiety to a degree but never gave it much thought until recently. Lately I’ve wanted to call loved ones more often. And while I make plans to do this, I usually procrastinate or fail to follow through. Rather than defaulting to my usual excuses, I…
Read moreUpdate While I was slated to attend NYU’s Silver School of Social Work last fall, I decided to not move forward with this plan. I foolishly applied to only this school. And when push came to shove, I wasn’t willing to take on the financial burden of an NYU education without being sure about the…
Read more
So I have an announcement to make… It’s Spooky Season and I’m proud to say that this season I’ve chosen to conquer one of my biggest fears. After months of researching and admiring the Minding Your Mind organization from afar, I’ve decided to become a Minding your Mind Young Adult speaker. What is Minding your…
Read more
Conflict has always been especially daunting for me. It’s not something most relish in. However, I’ve been considering how my upbringing and social anxiety have shaped how I view, experience and handle conflict. Admittedly, my conflict management skills are severely lacking. So, I’ve been strategizing ways to better navigate this through best practices. I hope…
Read more
BFRB Week Reflection In honor of Body Focused Repetitive Behavior or BFRB week coming to an end, I want to share some recent discoveries and conclusions I’ve made along my bfrb journey. I’ve come a long way over the past year. My skin is clearer, leaving little to even attempt picking. I’ve even at moments…
Read more
As I approach my one-year mark of therapy, my biweekly sessions have become more urgent than ever. This year’s defining moments included a career change, moving back home and building new relationships, all of which I’ve struggled managing. I’ve grown to appreciate the confidentiality and impartiality of good therapists, attributes seldom found in the average…
Read more
I still don’t remember the exact moment I first learned I had social anxiety disorder. With dermatillomania, it’s easier for me to call back to the day I learned about it because I self-diagnosed. This informal process was an exciting moment of self-discovery contrasting the formal and definitive process I assumed diagnosis would be; that…
Read moreWelcome to my blog, Black Dermatillomaniac. This is an extension of my Instagram blog that you can find here. On this blog I will be continue the conversation surrounding all things mental health awareness with a focus on Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors and Social Anxiety Disorder, which are two things I personally struggle with. As…
Read more