Category: Essays
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Mental Health: My Experience with Therapy
For most of my young life, I thought therapy was ONLY for people who were “broken.” I saw asking for help as a sign of weakness. In my early 20s,…
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How to Ask For Help
For a long time, I took a lot of pride in never needing to rely on other people. I am a conflict-avoidant people-pleaser, so I would often pride myself on…
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The Comparison Game: Don’t be like me
I recently had a post on Threads that created a bit of a (mini) viral moment. My post got 9500+ likes, was shared by prominent podcasters, creators, and even reshared…
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Ulysses Pacts: Give Up On Yourself to Win
Last week, I downloaded a new video game to play. And 30 minutes later, I uninstalled the game. Not because I didn’t like the game, but specifically because I liked…
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How to Create Hope: A Step-By-Step Guide
This essay is adapted from Chapter 9 of my book, How to Try Again Nick Cave has taken over my life. Mr. Cave has been putting out music since the…
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Boundaries Prevent Burnout: How to Establish Them
It’s been a while since I’ve felt this uncomfortable. I had an empty afternoon last week and saw Speak No Evil (trailer here), a horror/suspense film about a family who…
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Surviving as an Anxious Creator: Bo Burnham’s Burrito Ballad
I woke up today and decided, “Damnit Steve, it’s time to finally write that article about burritos and existential crises.” If that first sentence is making you go, “Steve has…
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First Time, Last Time
I recently finished Anne Patchett’s Tom Lake. It tells the story of Laura Kineson, a mom of three who has lived a Forrest Gump-esque life: in interesting situations, doing interesting things, and…
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Knowledge Doesn’t Reset
In 2012, Alex Beachum had an idea about exploration. A graduate student studying game design, he wanted to make a game that rewarded curiosity, not a game about defeating enemies…