Chelsea Cristene

The first rule: Unrequited love sucks. The second rule took regrettably longer for me to get a handle on: My unilateral crush was not this guy’s problem.

Illness is intensely personal, but it never affects the person diagnosed alone.

Knowing a few compulsive liars over the course of my life has taught me some things. Living during Trump’s presidency has reinforced them.

I realized that allergies, much like mental health, are largely misunderstood and often dismissed as trivial or exaggerated.

I reject the insistence that a woman can’t choose what makes her feel beautiful without regard for the judgement of others.

Wanting a child and wanting to experience childbirth are two very different things.

I see no such kerfuffle over straight men at gay bars, so it appears that this brand of exclusivity is Dicks Only.

Anyone who has been a victim of abuse will tell you that the burden of emotional labor is enormous, and that it’s amplified by the pressure to keep quiet.

That’s the thing about perfectionism. When you chase something unattainable, you complete a self-fulfilling prophecy.