Brianna Albers (she/her) is a crip cyborg storyteller living in Minneapolis-St. Paul. In 2016, she founded Monstering, a magazine for disabled women and nonbinary people. She consults as a patient ambassador for SMA My Way and writes the column “The Wolf Finally Frees Itself” for SMA News Today. She is currently revising THE SAINT AND THE SPIDER, an adult space fantasy with #OwnVoices disability representation. Find her on social media @briehalbers.Reader, it’s already June. How is that possible? On one hand, it feels like no time has passed. Part of me is convinced that the green, sun-dappled world outside my window is an illusion — poke it enough and the ice and snow of Minnesota winters…
I love the disability community. I love our resilience, our creativity, and our willingness to adapt and change. We have visions of an inclusive world that celebrates diversity and supports marginalized people in their pursuit of fulfillment and vitality. To celebrate disability, we must acknowledge the…
“I know I’m on my period,” I told my dad, “because I’m crying at the mere possibility of Rey not knowing that I love her.” Rey, of course, is the newest member of the Albers family. I’ve…
Let me set the scene. I’ve finished my morning routine of meditating and emptying my inbox. I scroll through Twitter for a few minutes, knowing I should get started on my column for this week, knowing I’ll feel better about myself…
Post-traumatic growth (PTG) occurs in the wake of adversity, initially through grief work — recognizing that our lives have fundamentally changed as a result of trauma — and eventually through self-reflection. Once we mourn the loss, we can cultivate positive psychological change, recognizing personal strengths…
Last week, I wrote that to properly address anxiety about the coronavirus, we must sit with our grief and accept it. But grief work is one step among many. Grief work is crucial and valid, but it also lends itself to forward…
One of my readers asked me to write about coronavirus anxiety. I’ve spent the past week coming up with solution-focused approaches to the pandemic because that’s how my brain is wired — I spent seven years and tens of thousands of dollars on…
You can tell I got my master’s degree in mental health counseling because there are certain things I cannot tolerate. For example, baffling definitions of codependency. People sling “codependent” around like mud. Google codependency…
“I hate to say it,” my dad said, “but you’re getting a little heavy.” A miracle, really, when you consider my base weight of 50 pounds. I was a baby for the longest time. A young adult in a preteen body. One of my biggest challenges…
I keep hearing about “making the most of quarantine.” Learn a new skill! Finish that book you’ve been reading for months! Plant a garden! The possibilities are endless. The issue is that productivity and survival are two sides of the trauma response…
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