Author: Aditi Chanda

An avid reader, writer, and music enthusiast, Aditi Chanda is an English major student from Delhi, India. The most important fact about her is that her favourite colour is blue, and she likes pineapple on pizza. When she's not dreaming about living by the ocean and owning a big dog, she's dealing with the ups and downs of adolescent life with hope, passion, and a bag full of empathy. She hopes to learn new languages and to travel all over the world, as soon as she finishes the things she procrastinated doing.

I’m Still Here

Posted on Nov 4, 2017Jun 22, 2018 by Aditi Chanda

As we draw towards the closing end of 2017, I’m proud to find our society, in general, becoming less stigmatized towards mental health issues. While we may have a long way to go, it is definitely heartening to see hope for the future. Mental health is a very important subject that is close to my […]

Imposter Syndrome

Posted on Jul 7, 2017Sep 5, 2017 by Aditi Chanda

Coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes, imposter syndrome is a concept usually experienced by high-achieving members of society who are unable to internalize their accomplishments and are fearful of being exposed as a “fraud.” I had never heard of imposter syndrome until I came across a blog post by Neil […]

Giving In to Moods

Posted on Jun 12, 2017Jul 26, 2017 by Aditi Chanda

I’ll preface this by saying that I am a generally moody person — with quick and unpredictable shifts that catch me by surprise and appear to have no reason or pattern — and that what I’m talking about may not apply to everyone, but hopefully it helps someone. When I originally had the idea to […]

An Incomplete Opinion of Dear Evan Hansen

Posted on May 11, 2017Jun 15, 2017 by Aditi Chanda

Dear Evan Hansen is a musical by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Steven Levenson, first performed in July 2015. I first heard about it this year; in all my web-surfing it seemed to appear more than once, along with young people singing its praises and sharing how it had even saved some of their lives. […]

Skinny or Not, I Think You’re Hot

Posted on Apr 28, 2017Jun 7, 2017 by Aditi Chanda

Needless to say, as you grow older, your body changes. And with those changes comes a lot of insecurity. My sister and I were always the skinny kids, the ones the aunts and grandmothers would remark about: “Oh, they must eat nothing at all!” “Why look at you, you’re like sticks!” “Are you sure you […]

Pushovers

Posted on Apr 24, 2017May 30, 2017 by Aditi Chanda

For most of my life, I’ve struggled with being what people call a “pushover”: someone who gives in easily, who agrees even if they internally don’t, who will never say “no” when anyone asks them to do something. Until about the age of fifteen, it never occurred to me that there was anything wrong. I […]

Crushes and Not-Crushes

Posted on Mar 21, 2017Apr 10, 2017 by Aditi Chanda

As you grow older, you start to realize what having a crush feels like and why it’s different than just liking someone, wanting to be with them, or finding them attractive. At least, I hope so. It could be just me. A crush is more like falling for the ideal. You like the person you’ve created […]

An Escape from Escapism

Posted on Mar 13, 2017Mar 12, 2017 by Aditi Chanda

Escapism. [noun] Defined in the Oxford Dictionary as: “The tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment and engaging in fantasy.” I am, by definition, an escapist. I leave behind my sorrow and mood. I sink beneath the urge to brood. Run as far as I can from the feelings. […]

This Paper Plane by Aditi Chanda

Posted on Dec 21, 2015Jan 17, 2016 by Aditi Chanda

This paper plane that’s on my wrist Flies round and round my clenched fist As steel is pressed upon my skin To spill the things that are within This paper plane that’s on my wrist Can’t stop the ploy of Fate’s cruel twist Can’t stop the feelings of despair Can’t fill my heaving lungs with […]