The Nagging: On Complicated Feelings Toward a Parent
Morgan Szymczak Morgan Szymczak

The Nagging: On Complicated Feelings Toward a Parent

Complicated feelings toward a parent, like love, anger, disgust, longing, don't resolve through logic. As a trauma therapist, I've seen what actually happens when adults stop trying to figure it out and start letting themselves feel it instead.

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Burnout: How Embers Become Flames
Morgan Szymczak Morgan Szymczak

Burnout: How Embers Become Flames

I've been burnt out more times than I knew — and I didn't have a name for it until I was out the other side. The anger. The dread. The 2 AM anxiety. The slow erosion of everything that made you choose this work in the first place.

Here's what I know for certain now: it was never my fault. And it isn't yours either.

Burnout isn't a personal failure. It's a system problem. And the system is getting worse.

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Chihiro: A Story of Attachment and Childhood Neglect
Morgan Szymczak Morgan Szymczak

Chihiro: A Story of Attachment and Childhood Neglect

On my countless rewatch, I caught something in Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away I hadn’t before. Here I reflect on what had changed in me that allowed me to see this classic film through new eyes, and explore the implications of the film’s main themes through the lens of emotional neglect, parentification and attachment.

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Crafting an Inhabited Life
Morgan Szymczak Morgan Szymczak

Crafting an Inhabited Life

Learning to draft my own clothing has taught me that the most crucial work is often the hidden construction. Read more to hear about how my sewing realizations have contributed to my philosophy on growth and the nature of change.

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Warped Peace
Morgan Szymczak Morgan Szymczak

Warped Peace

In sewing there’s this delicate balance called tension. If it’s too tight, the thread snaps. If it’s too loose, the threads bunch into a “bird’s nest.” When the tension in your life is wrong, it can create a sense of “warped peace.”

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