Category: Lifestyle

What I Keep in My On-the-Go Anxiety Kit 

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By Emily Laptad

Picture this: You’re out and about, maybe you’re grabbing coffee with a group of pals or maybe you’re at the office getting ready for a meeting. Then out of nowhere, your heart rate goes up. You start to get a wee bit fidgety. Impending doom is suddenly all you can think about. 

There’s a name for that, it’s anxiety, and it loves to creep up at the most inconvenient moments—especially if you’re neurodivergent like I am (hi, I’m Emily!). That’s why I created an on-the-go anxiety kit that I carry with me everywhere. 

So, the minute I feel that little anxiety monster sneaking up on me, I know I’m covered. I just have to pull out the kit and use any of the sensory-based tools I’ve stocked to both prevent anxiety and panic attacks and to move me out of one after it’s started. 

I decided to make my anxiety kit after seeing a TikToker who did the same, and now I never leave the house without it. (Also proud to report that my therapist was 100% on board when I told her about it the following week).

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Instagram Influencer and Model Katya Karlova on Body Dysmorphia and Learning to Love Yourself

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By Sophia-Joelle Oswald

According to Mayo Clinic, body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health condition that causes the person affected to carry endless thoughts about what they believe to be flaws in their appearance. These “flaws” tend to be small or non-existent to others, but in their own minds they are constantly feeling defeated, embarrassed, anxious, or even unlovable for those same things.  

Body dysmorphia is different from person to person, but it tends to suck up so much life out of those affected. Some people avoid social events and spend hours in front of the mirror focusing on what they don’t like about themselves. Others may spend tons of money on products designed to cover these perceived flaws, sometimes even seeking surgery. 

Body dysmorphia doesn’t discriminate based on gender, race, age, or other factors. Sadly enough, it has been found in children as young as 5 and in adults as old as 80. Studies find that BDD impacts between 7% and 2.3% of the general population. 

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Celebrate the HoliGays with Cafe Cà Phê’s Inaugural Holiday Event

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By Nicole Mitchell

Cafe Cà Phê, Kansas City’s first Vietnamese coffee shop, is hosting its first inaugural HoliGays Party and Vendor Fair this weekend, December 3 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Proceeds of the event will benefit Umeshiso Coffee Supply, a queer Asian-owned small business in KC.

The event will feature pop-ups by many queer-owned local businesses, including Massage Collective KC, MackBecks, Raspberry Studios, and more. Attendees will also have the opportunity to enter a raffle with multiple high-value prizes, participate in an open mic, receive free education from local LGBTQ+ orgs, and interact with local queer and trans community members through fun activities. Cafe Cà Phê will be serving a glittery specialty beverage called The Gaysian for the day, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Umeshiso.

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Hosts of The JerseyGirls Podcast On Sexism in Sports, Women’s Rights

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By Erin Gabriel

Austen Hilt and Paige Feikert have a long history of bonding over sports. The two friends grew up playing softball together, and now the pair is hosting a podcast elevating women’s sports and advocating for an even playing field for all genders.

The podcast, JerseyGirls, @jerseygirlsict on Instagram, was inspired after Hilt and Feikert started conversing about the lack of coverage for the women’s NCAA basketball tournament coupled with the observation that Wichita State University’s Women’s Softball team was having an amazing season, yet producing very small crowds at games. 

With loads of experience in sports, Hilt—a former collegiate softball player who also played volleyball, basketball, and golf and has coached a variety of girl’s softball teams—and Feikert—also a former collegiate soccer player who also played softball and is a former sports journalist—use their air time to discuss topics such as coverage of women’s sports, how sports can power successful careers, life lessons from a NCAA Division 1 Athlete attending an HBCU, and more.

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Brenda Howard—The bisexual activist you need to know

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By Nicole Mitchell

“The next time someone asks you why LGBT Pride marches exist or why Gay Pride Month is June tell them, ‘A bisexual woman named Brenda Howard thought it should be.’” — Brenda Howard

While it’s true that the first pride was a riot, many credit bisexual and LGBTQIA+ Activist Brenda Howard for continuing the fight and making June officially known as Pride Month—therefore awarding her the name of “Mother of Pride.”

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