The Wolf Finally Frees Itself
— Brianna Albers

Once every few weeks, I’m reminded of my own mortality. A lot of folks dread their period. It’s a definitively unpleasant time between the cramps and the blood and the hormonal mood swings that evoke a hangry toddler. But it’s not the period that I dread. It’s the days —…

Can I be real for a minute? Totally honest? Maybe even a little bit of a downer? I’m disappointed. 2020 was supposed to be my year. I had all sorts of plans — tattoos and writing retreats and parties, because you only graduate with a master’s degree and turn 25…

I’m lucky in that, for the most part, I don’t have trouble falling asleep. I am, of course, perpetually exhausted, which probably plays a role, but I like to think I learned a thing or two from my months-long bout of insomnia. It was the summer of 2017. It took…

We all know the saying. It can never just sprinkle. It can never just be a gentle spring rain, with sprouting blades of grass and birds twittering about new beginnings. It’s either drought or deluge. There’s no in between. We’ve all had moments of absolute absurdity. Days when everything…

If you live in the U.S., or are in any way, shape, or form active on social media, you’ll know that Tuesday is a big day for us Americans. But I want to briefly talk about what happens after the election — no matter who wins. People familiar with my…

I write a lot about the body. It’s inescapable in my line of work. I identify as disabled, and more than that, my disability is painfully visible. But my interests are rooted in the metaphysical. If I’m not writing about mental health, which has everything to do with physicality…

If you’re a member of the SMA News Today Forums, you might know that I trialed the JACO robotic arm a few months ago. When I heard that Numotion was servicing my area of the U.S., I decided to give it a shot. Why not, right? I’m already…

Let me set the scene. It’s 9 a.m. I’ve been awake since 6. My poor, sweet dad has been up since 5:30. We’ve been preparing for this gut punch of a medical appointment for weeks, but even so, neither of us are particularly thrilled with our lives right now.

Every once in a while, I get the urge to go to the hospital. I’m not sick. I’m not concerned for my health. But there’s something about hospital stays that, when the stars align, can be incredibly restorative. I recognize this is my privilege talking. For many marginalized folks, hospital…

I’m a big fan of mindfulness. In theory, at least. Mindfulness is associated with all sorts of benefits: greater tolerance, focus, and self-acceptance, decreased reactivity, an understanding of negative, self-sabotaging behavior patterns, and the ability to stay present, among others. It’s kind of a no-brainer. But mindfulness — specifically,…

Content warning: The following contains discussions of ableism and eugenics. I knew from the dedication that “Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century” would be healing. “To my younger self,” writes editor Alice Wong, “and all the disabled kids today who can’t imagine their futures. The world is…

The romantic in me wants to believe that dreams are portents, or windows to the psyche, or invaluable self-knowledge tools. But the therapist in me, who dabbled in clinical psychology for a time, is suspicious of anything resembling psychoanalysis. (I despise Sigmund Freud, but that’s a topic for another day.)…