Opinion Writing Blog (JOU-3363)

Overcoming Adversity:  How Do You Cope With Grief? Cassandra Mischak Q News I will never forget the day my godmother took her own life. Nov. 22, 2013. I was just a young girl, 11 years old in 6th grade. My mom and I were driving home from my weekly piano lesson on an early, rainy, Friday evening in November. It happened to be the week before Thanksgiving.  I was so excited for the weekend, just like any other elementary student. Particularly this Saturday, I had plans to go to a pottery art class with my godmother, Michelle.  As my mom and I were discussing the layout of that day, we had an incoming call from my brother and Michelle’s son, Ashton, as they just got off of the middle school bus, going to spend the night at Ashtons house.  My mom answered on bluetooth for us all to talk and laugh about our days, like we always did, but this time, that was not the case. They were in complete panic. There were minimal words we could understand out of the boys’ frantic sho...

Are Abs Made in the Kitchen? Q News By Cassandra Mischak Have you ever found yourself asking someone what workouts they do to get such visible and toned ab muscles? I know that I have asked multiple people that question far too many times. I have spent and wasted countless hours either in the gym or in my room holding five minute planks, following the 10-minute Alexis Ren ab circuit video or even doing the 200 crunch YouTube challenge.  I would beat myself up from time to time because I never saw the physical results I wanted to see. I would look in the mirror every night after I showered hoping to see the outline on my stomach that I dreamt of having, but instead, I would go to bed with tears trickling down my face from utter disappointment.  It wasn’t until I complained about this to my personal trainer that I realized how useless those exhausting, unnecessary core sessions were.  In reality, I know I am most definitely not the only one who was under this false impressi...

  An Unusual Type of Substance Abuse Q News By Cassandra Mischak When you hear someone mention the phrase substance abuse, what comes straight to your mind? I think it is safe to say that I can speak for the general population. When hearing the word substance, in reference to abuse, most people's brains automatically think of alcohol, tobacco, stimulant drugs, marijuana or even certain hallucinogens.  In complete retrospect, my brain goes straight to a looked over substance that practically ruined my life. Laxatives. Laxative abuse is one of the most life-threatening eating disorders, and unfortunately, it is often ignored.  It is also a common misconception that there are only three types of eating disorders you can suffer from.  A triggering phrase that lives rent free in my head that I constantly heard from all my peers is, “you don’t have an eating disorder if it’s not anorexia, bulimia or binge-eating.” I decided to innocently swallow my first laxative during m...

  Time I was most scared: I will never forget the day I got the call that my godmother took her own life. I was in 6th grade. My mom and I were driving home from my piano lesson on an early, rainy, Friday evening in November, the week before Thanksgiving.  I was so excited for the weekend, just like any other elementary student. Particularly this Saturday, I had plans to go to a pottery art class with my godmother, Michelle.  As my mom and I were discussing the layout of that day, we had an incoming call from my brother and Michelle’s son, Ashton, as they just got off of the middle school bus, going to spend the night at Ashtons house.  My mom answered on bluetooth for us all to talk and laugh about our days, like we always did, but this time, that was not the case. They were in a complete panic. The only words we could understand out of frantic shouts were help, my mom is hanging from the bed, unresponsive, should I call 911. After 7 minutes of silence, speeding to ...

Cassandra Mischak Q News I feel it is safe to say that most extended family gatherings with relatives, whether it's a holiday, tradition or special event, never ends beaming with sunshine and rainbows. Normally there is some sort of argument between siblings, or even an over-used insult made by the elder grandmother.  Generally speaking, you would think that the ONE exception to an unproblematic and drama-free relative gathering would be at a funeral of a loved one.  But, let’s put it this way, the day we had to bury my grandfather was apparently NOT an exception for chaos.  Before I share the unrealistic story of my grandfather’s funeral, let me paint a quick picture of my mother’s side of the family for you: The Rzepnicki’s. My mom is the youngest of seven, 100% Polish children.  Luckily for my immediate family, she is the most “normal” child, and “normal” is practically an understatement to describe her. She has four sisters and two brothers who all have several k...