Fake Smile

Fake Smile’s virtual book club read for September/October was “A Room Called Earth” by Madeleine Ryan. This book was so inspiring and really opened my mind to different life perspectives. As I was reading it I kept highlighting quotes and flagging pages I liked. For this blog post (in no particular order) I am simply […]

Communication is a key aspect to everything in life! It helps bring awareness and understanding. Being aware of others and practicing what is called “therapeutic communication” can help break the stigma surrounding mental health. Not only that, it can help you succeed personally/professionally, open up new perspectives, and bring you closer to others.  Have you […]

Due to the nature of the last book of the month- “The Death Class- A True Story About Life” by Erika Hayasaki I wanted to pull from my nursing education and use this next blog post for educational purposes. The book talked a lot about death and about “death anxiety”, which is actually very common. […]

August’s book of the month was a narrative non-fiction written by a journalist, Erika Hayasaki. Registered Nurse, Dr. Norma Bowe decided to teach a course on death at a New Jersey college. This class ended up having a three year waiting list. WHY? Norma’s “death class” continues to be a popular course at Kean University […]

The expectations we face daily affect everything we do-how we think and act. It affects our future. In my first blog post (Breaking Free of Societal Expectations: Part One) I talked about how the expectations of today’s world can make it feel impossible to be the real, true you. It can sometimes feel impossible to […]

Did you read the first “Book of the Month”?! If you’re looking for that inspiration in your life to keep going in the face of struggle look no further. Susannah Cahalan graciously represents this. Although her circumstances were devastatingly difficult, and probably unlike anything we have ever heard of before, we can all learn from […]

I asked a licensed mental health counselor, Maura Nolan, her opinion surrounding society today and mental health. Maura Nolan got her undergraduate degree from Loyola University and a Masters Degree from NYU. She is a licensed psychotherapist in New York State. She has worked as a counselor in Manhattan and currently works within the Rikers […]

As I start this blog I am constantly having to remind myself to stay positive, be confident, and be proud of who I am-and how far I’ve come! This is all new to me, so I am obviously still learning as I go and will probably make a lot of mistakes! But I appreciate those […]

“Why aren’t you happy? You should be happy…you have everything you need.” I’ve heard this countless times throughout my life, and it’s true. I have a great life. I have a stable and caring family, great relationships with my siblings and parents, and I have amazing, supportive friends. I went to college, got a degree […]