Author Archives: Rat of NIMH

Why So Sad? x The Ben Raemers Foundation

We shot this short film during our time in Glasgow in the summer of 2022. I had organized an event in partnership with The Ben Raemers Foundation and the Scottish Association for Mental Health. Nike SB provided support and got team rider Chris Jones—who is also studying to become a certified counselor—up for the day. […]

A Front Rock and Four Books

Front Rock: Mariners stadium in Seattle, Photo by Ben Wall Our friends up at 35th North in Seattle partnered with their local baseball team as well as the ever-awesome Skate Like a Girl and Nike SB. The result was this ramp plus in-stadium skate lessons for kiddos. With that, here are four books with great […]

Why So Sad? Comic | What’s Up With the Trees that Illustrate Our Emotional States?

The part of the comic where I got a couple of questions are the Trees. The trees show where our brains are most active based on how we’re feeling. The emotions we feel arise based on our circumstance—the external and internal stressors we’re encountering. How we feel, and what associated thoughts accompany those feelings, can […]

Why So Sad? x Taquería Los Puñales

I sat down with my friends David and Brian, the owners, and operators of my favorite Taquería. We talked about opening a restaurant at the onset of a global pandemic, what it means to run a business serving a community, how our childhood traumas affect our adult brains and how we find a path to […]

Why So Sad? Glasgow 2022 Event

On August 6, a few of us rode around Glasgow hitting a couple of parks and spots on our way to… …The Loading Bay Skatepark where we had a fun little jam session… …followed by a panel discussion with The Ben Raemers Foundation and The Scottish Association for Mental Health. My main point is that […]

Why So Sad? Summer ’22 | Post 3

This is the third of three essays. Summer ’22 Essay 1 Summer ’22 Essay 2 Why So Sad? Encourage Self-help and Other Support Strategies “People underestimate their own therapeutic powers…The most powerful buffer in times of stress and distress is our social connectedness…” —Bruce Perry Key Concept: Being “well regulated”, being “dysregulated”, what that means […]