Michaela Mitchell

Michaela Mitchell

Bio

Michaela Mitchell is a full-time freelance writer, mom of two, introvert who lives in her head and considers sarcasm an official second language. When she's not writing about the topics that pay the bills, she's writing things her mother wishes she wouldn't. Dating after divorce, sex, parenting, body image, and whatever else pops into her mind are all fodder for her caffeine-fueled writing.

Michaela Mitchell Articles

"Personal space problem solved."

Why Having A Resting Bitch Face Isn't So Bad

I admit it. I have a resting bitch face. Yes, I've been told I'm intimidating. And yes, I've heard “What's wrong?” when I'm randomly existing somewhere. I'm used to people misinterpreting my facial expression and moods.

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Everyone needs help now and then. There's no shame in it.

Poverty, Aid And Not Begrudging People That Need Help

Ever hear the phrase, “We were poor growing up, but I didn't know it?” It was a common refrain in my family. When my mother and aunt speak about those days, they wax poetically about tomato sandwiches and bread with every meal (meant to fill an empty stomach when there wasn't enough food).

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I'm just getting started.

Why I Am No Longer Afraid Of Getting Old

I have a completely common and certainly not surprising confession to make. Turning 30 freaked me out.

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The struggle is real.

What's Really Happening If You Work Retail: The Black Friday Edition 

You turn your back to deal with a crying toddler (I mean, answer a customer's question) and when you look back, every single shirt is unfolded and on the floor. Just at that moment, someone else walks by and rolls their eyes and sighs at how “nasty the store is" and wonders why they "can't they hire good people to keep it clean.”

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This is for me, not for anyone else.

I Accept Myself As I Am But Still Want To Change My Body

I can't decide which school of thought is more annoying. “Lose weight, get healthy, don't be a drain on society, and finally have the best, most perfect life once you're skinny!” or “Screw what people think! Be comfortable in your own skin! Don't ever change because change equals conformity!”

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Some of the hardest work you'll ever do is deal with drive-thru customers.

Stop Calling The Working Poor Lazy!

God forbid a single group, like fast-food workers, attempt to unite and fight for a better living wage. The moment they do, stories about more deserving groups who don't complain about their income are thrown about.

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Sometimes it has to happen.

Why My Divorce Was The Best Thing I Ever Did

I don't exactly advocate divorce for anyone with a gripe about his or her spouse. Whatever I think of my own divorce, it's not something to take lightly. Divorce is serious. It's the death of a relationship, the end of something that was supposed to last forever. It must be grieved.

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Just be there.

Ways You Can Help: The First Holiday After The Death Of A Loved One

If someone you care about is suffering through the pain of first holidays without someone they love, there are things you can do.

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This? Perfect.

My Kid's Project Sucked And I'm OK With That

Ok, for the record, he's in kindergarten, and for his age, it did not suck. It was a masterpiece of little boy seriousness and hard work, actually. (Of course, I might be biased.)

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Forget Mom Guilt, I've Got Mom Anxiety!

Somewhere between the birth of my first child and the first time my youngest hurt himself and I told him to “walk it off,” I lost much of my mom guilt. It helps that a very good friend of mine, who'd already raised her children years before, shared some of her own hard-earned wisdom with me.

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