Personal Perspectives

What Are Personal Perspectives?

The Personal Perspectives essays celebrate the individual voices of writers with diverse life experiences and points of view about a multitude of topics ranging from coping with challenging health conditions to wide-ranging ruminations. They are often thought-provoking stories of adversity, resilience, and self-knowledge told through first-person narratives. While Personal Perspectives can and often do include empirical information and research insights, their purpose is twofold: to bring the unique thoughts, opinions, and emotions of the writer to the wider world, and to validate the larger importance of mental health to people’s daily lives.

It can be challenging to maintain a balanced mind in the face of life’s often-unpredictable mix of joys, sorrows, triumphs, disappointments, and struggles. Discovering a writer with a similar background and perspective to one’s own—or disappearing into completely alien life experiences that still say a great deal about human existence—are to be found by reading these Personal Perspectives essays.

Essential Reads

How to Ask for and Receive Help

Personal Perspective: Asking for help is hard, but instead of being ashamed or embarrassed, I feel insanely proud that I have built a community willing and ready to surround me.

Matchbox Twenty's "Unwell": A Window Into Early Psychosis

A Personal Perspective: Thoughts on the popular song.

What Slow Travel Is and Why You Should Try It

A Personal Perspective: When you do slow travel, your experiences become deeper, more meaningful, and exciting.

When Your Own Culture Says That You Don't Fully Belong

Personal Perspective: As a Korean American who regularly visits Korea, I sometimes encounter insults and slights from Korean folks. Here are a few coping responses I've learned.

My Autistic Son Asked to "Call Mom"

Personal Perspective: Autism research emphasizes “independence over perfection.” Remember, whatever your child cannot do by graduation, someone else might have to do for them.

Moments of Joy and Hope Fuel Perseverance

Personal Perspective: Brain injury turning life into a daily endurance marathon can wear us out. One way to persevere is to notice moments of joy.

A Personal Spin on the Stages of Grief

Personal Perspective: My personal stages of grief are a little different from Kubler-Ross's, and I suspect there will be more than five when all's said and done.

With Bill Bailey at Waterford, Virginia's annual House & Garden Tour, October 6, 1991.

Learning Love and Loyalty in the AIDS Crisis

A Personal Perspective: Bill's early HIV diagnosis loomed large, but as death neared, the love and loyalty between us outshined the painful memories.

Trauma Is Not a Bad Date or Discontinued Starbucks Drink

A Personal Perspective: We use "trauma" for every inconvenience we encounter, as if it's cool. It's not.

Conversations With Kahneman

A Personal Perspective: Danny Kahneman, cofounder of the heuristics and biases school, and I engaged in an adversarial collaboration. We found ways to develop intuitive expertise.

Does Retail Therapy Count as "Real" Therapy?

We all have our own personalities, preferences, and quirks, and they should all be reflected in our styles. Finding your style can lead to increased self-esteem and confidence.

If Life Gives You Lemons, Go Throw a Strike or a Spare

Personal Perspective: It can be hard to find a way around restrictions in your life. I found my road to joy in a bowling alley.

How Pets Can Be Used in Hypnotherapy

Personal Perspective: Whether real or imaginary, a pet can help patients achieve a hypnotic state and more fully realize their capabilities.

The Danger of Life with a Psychopathic Sibling

Personal Perspective: Sibling abuse is the most common form of domestic abuse. There is, however, virtually no discussion of how a psychopath impacts her siblings.