Written by Madison Jaffe.

Fashion magazines, beauty products, and diet campaigns bombard us every day with messages telling us that we aren’t good enough. They project messages saying we should be thinner, more stylish, or have softer skin. We are told that we aren’t enough, but can fix that with the swipe of a credit card to purchase their goods. However, these products change...

Written by Lucy, age 17, a Ventura County high school student.

An educated school girl like me carries a backpack that holds all of the knowledge she owns which forces her spine down to the ground. An educated school girl like me carries books, pretty pencils and highlighters that mean nothing but for some reason it matters that they are pretty, an iPad, the clothing that she contemplates over...

Written by Adriana Campos, a CSUCI student.

I hope you’re well wherever you are in this world that we live in together, for some of your life can be light and you may have never doubted anything for a second, but for some of you it could be a place of overwhelming darkness. There is a thin line between the two when you experience both, and that’s me. I had never...

Written by Madison Jaffe.

It feels like just yesterday that I was a high school freshman – unsure of where I belonged, who my true friends were, if I was enough, or what my life would be like at the end of my high school career. It wasn’t until I discovered positive psychology – the science of happiness – that I began answering these questions and accepting myself amidst...

Written by a CSUCI student.

Growing up I had very low self-esteem. I believe this came from school bullies and family always picking on me about anything I would do. My mom was always comparing me to others, especially her friend’s daughters because we were all the same age, yet they always had better grades and stayed slim due to sports. I don’t think my mom realized that the more...

The following letter was written by Israel Lozano during our 2020 weekly writing group, The Green Walls Writer’s Project, in response to a prompt to write a letter to our feelings. 

Dear Disappointment,

It’s been six years since we’ve first met. Knowing you, you’re probably planning to surprise me with something soon. Maybe some seasonal depression, anxiety during...

Written by Sofia Noriega, a Ventura County high school student, featuring artwork by Sophie Kadan.

I can’t smile,

I think about homework 24/7,

When I am supposed to be having fun.

I can’t smile,

I think about the past,

When I should be thinking about the present.

I can’t smile,

I think about my exhausted feelings,

When I should bring out my happy side.

 ...

Content warning: This post includes mentions of child abuse, trauma, and mental health issues.

Written by a CSUCI student.

Every day since I was born seemed to be toxic and filled with worry. My family was extremely broken from a very young age. My earliest memories are of being 2 or 3 years old. It’s funny how our greatest memories are usually the worst. I recall punishments that...

Written by a CSUCI student.

Anxiety has never been an easy thing to deal with. For as long as I can remember, I have always had this anxious feeling I could never shake off and feeling like I was always on a deadline. This was normal to me; at first, I thought everyone felt like this, but now I know that is not the case. I used to think everyone lived their life feeling worried and not being...

Written by a CSUCI undergraduate student. 

Middle school and high school were years that I pressured myself to keep up with the constant beauty standards that were placed on us teen girls by influences like social media, gossip, and popular shows and movies that came out in those years. Coming from a family that couldn’t afford to buy all the insanely priced fashion brands, it was...

Content warning: This post contains brief mentions of self-harm.

Written by Brianna Gutierrez, a 21 year old senior and Health Science Major at CSUCI.

There are many internal battles that individuals go through alone. While it is okay to try and figure out our way through the hardships that life throws at us on our own, we may subconsciously be creating harmful coping mechanisms. I would...

This post was written by a CSUCI student.

We are not defined by our body. We are defined by who we are and how we present ourselves to the world. As we age our bodies change, as do our personalities. We have lived in a society where skinny is thought to be the norm and what is best. Thick and “fat” are seen as horrible and disgusting. Body shaming is no joke and can lead to many...