Julianna Byrd

Joined May 2021

0 stories

Bio

Teacher of the littles and drinker of all the coffee.

I write because the world could use a little hope.

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Facebook: Julianna Byrd

Twitter: @writerjulianna

Contact: [email protected]

Stories (90/0)

In the Silence
In the silence my loneliness screams at me from the depths of my being. In the silence my insecurities echo— a harmonious symphony
By Julianna Byrd3 months ago in Poets
Maybe Hearts Have to Break
You'll never be alone I say and pray that you believe me; I know it's a lot, all you've been thrown, but you're equipped in ways you can't yet see.
By Julianna Byrd3 months ago in Poets
Fine Print
She doesn’t like flowers because she hates when they die, so if you must, buy her succulents instead. The only benefit she sees in showers is the space they give her
By Julianna Byrd3 months ago in Poets
How You Saved a Life
Dear J., You told me when I was discharged that you would cherish the thank-you card I left with you for years to come; that you keep notes from patients in your office for your difficult days.
By Julianna Byrd3 months ago in Psyche
My Hero Hasn't Outgrown Me Yet
Dear Ben, For the first twenty years of my life, I was convinced there wasn't anyone on this planet with as messy a heart as mine. I hid my big feelings and tucked away the chaotic and vulnerable parts of myself from a world I was sure didn't have the capacity to make room for the fullness of who I am.
By Julianna Byrd3 months ago in Humans
To The Women Who've Mothered Me
I recall sitting in the privacy of my car on an unseasonably warm afternoon last May. I can still smell the freshly-cut grass, earthy and sweet, and feel the breeze brushing my disheveled flyaway hairs against the side of my face.
By Julianna Byrd3 months ago in Families
Ready
I'm finally learning to accept that if I truly want to pursue the life I've always dreamed of, I am going to need to begin before I feel prepared
By Julianna Byrd3 months ago in Poets
Nocturnal
Most of my fears are nocturnal— they emerge with the setting of the sun; they come alive faster than I can seek comfort.
By Julianna Byrd3 months ago in Poets
An Analogy for Anxiety (Part 2)
Read part 1: The more I thought about the grip my anxiety had on me, the more I realized I was wrong about acceptance. I'd always thought I had an issue with accepting my anxiety,
By Julianna Byrd4 months ago in Poets
An Analogy for Anxiety (Part 1)
My therapist asked me to picture my anxiety as a beach ball. She said to take it to the water, where my anxiety and I exist together among the rest of life;
By Julianna Byrd4 months ago in Poets
Dear Mom & Dad
January 24, 2022 Dear Mom & Dad, While you were packing, Sis told me that you're leaving for Arizona tomorrow. Why would you keep this a secret from me? You know I can’t live without you. I don’t want you to go. I love Julianna too, but it isn’t the same when you’re not around.
By Julianna Byrd4 months ago in Petlife
My Top 10 Truths for 2022
Many years ago, I began a "diet" that quickly spiraled into disordered eating comfortably disguised as a New Year's resolution. Undoing what damage I could and rebuilding a healthy relationship with food after the fact was neither quick nor easy. After a grueling healing process—which admittedly is ongoing—I resolved to ban resolutions of any kind. (Yes, I recognize the irony.) I was utterly convinced that I was one of many for whom resolutions were bound to fail.
By Julianna Byrd4 months ago in Journal