Erica Ball
Book nerd. Over-thinker. Empathy-pusher. Public Librarian (MLIS). Please take care of each other.
Weirdo Pets For Pandemic Times
When things suck, I am one of millions that seek out funny animal videos. A lot. Due to YouTube stats, I know for a fact I am not the only one.
Erica BallPublished 8 days ago in PetlifeWith great gulping breaths her feet hit the ground too hard jarring her shins and her knees...
In the dream she’s running down the hill and sliding down the hill and then hitting the bottom and running again toward the trees
Erica BallPublished 15 days ago in PoetsWe're Almost Done
Friends, keep on. We're almost done the year that should not have been we're almost done. We all host our own trauma but January 1
Erica BallPublished 15 days ago in Poets
The Bats
... They come in the night like bats on the wing whirring behind my eyes, writhing into my reptilian brain quickening my pulse.
Erica BallPublished 17 days ago in PoetsWe Chose To Stop At One Child
Last year, there was one kid in my daughter’s class who didn’t have siblings. Mine. I don’t think the teacher realized this. But when they would talk about playing or home life, they often talked about their brothers and sisters. My kid would come home and ask when she would have one. She would talk about wanting one, I think, mainly because her friends all had one.
Erica BallPublished 20 days ago in FamiliesI Had No Idea I Was Having Panic Attacks
Chalk another thing up to misrepresentation in media. In TV shows and movies when someone has a panic attack it’s a big deal. They clutch their chest, fall to the ground, or are sure it’s a heart attack. They heave big, panicked breaths.
Erica BallPublished 20 days ago in PsycheHow to Have a Breakdown
This is a double how-to article. There are two ways I want to talk about having a breakdown. By “breakdown” I mean a sudden collapse in mental health.
Erica BallPublished 21 days ago in Psyche
Why The Right Book (For You) Can Help in Dark Times
If you can find it, the right book at the right time can be a balm. It can ease the rawness caused by, for example, a pandemic, abuses of power, or widespread social unrest. Partially, this is because reading offers a distraction or an escape. But, there are actually more reasons that the right book can help, and there’s science that backs them up.
Erica BallPublished 21 days ago in Geeks
