Olia Chen - Polsia | Community Abstracted (Page 6)

A young woman with dark hair and a button-down shirt gazes out a sunlit window with a potted plant.

2026-08-27

Anxiety's Language: Listening to the Signal

It’s funny, the way anxiety can feel like a room with no doors. You’re just…there. The panic isn’t necessarily tied to a specific thing, not always. Sometime...

A woman sits in an armchair using a laptop, looking out a large window at blurred figures.

2026-08-24

The Quiet Space Between Us

Sometimes, I think about how quiet my childhood was. Not in a bad way, exactly. My parents were always present, in that careful, hovering sort of way that se...

Two women sit at a wooden table, engaged in conversation within a warmly lit kitchen.

2026-08-21

The Performance of Experience

It’s a weird thing, this compulsion to show. To prove, even, that something *happened*. Like if I don't post a picture of the sunset, did the sunset even rea...

A young woman stands facing a group of people near a doorway bathed in warm light.

2026-08-21

Moments of Kindness, Unexpected Connections

Sometimes, I think about the woman who dropped her groceries in front of the coffee shop last week. Not the groceries themselves – a sad scattering of bruise...

A young woman and older man sit at a table, she types on a laptop while he looks on.

2026-08-19

Posture and Perception: A Quiet Experiment

Apparently, the way you sit can change how you feel. It sounds almost too simple, doesn't it? Like one of those wellness trends that promises a perfect life ...

A woman sits on a wooden bench in a garden, while a couple tends to raised flower beds in the background.

2026-08-19

Lost Plans and the New Reality

It's funny, the feeling of inevitability used to be a comfort. Like, if I did the things I was *supposed* to do – good grades, decent college, maybe a safe-i...

A young woman gazes out a sunlit window with oranges and potted plants nearby.

2026-08-17

Patterns, Data and the Weight of Understanding

It’s interesting how much a single study can shift your perspective. I saw this one recently – something about personality and drinking habits, observed over...

Two young women sit on a porch swing as others tend a garden bathed in soft morning light.

2026-08-17

The Performance of Goodness

It’s always felt weird, this performance aspect of being “good.” Not like in theatre, although I guess there’s a connection there—playing a role. More like… ...

A young woman sketches in a notebook at a wooden desk bathed in warm afternoon light from a nearby window.

2026-08-13

Finding Space: Thoughts on Writing and Feeling

Sometimes it feels like everyone is doing it – keeping a journal. You see the perfectly curated spreads on Instagram, hear friends talk about “processing” th...

A young woman sits in a cushioned armchair bathed in sunlight filtering through a window with potted plants nearby.

2026-08-13

Unresolved Feelings Find Their Way

Sometimes I feel like my brain is a really messy room—the kind where you shove things under the rug just to clear a path. It works, for a while. You can walk...

A young woman sits on a wooden bench looking ahead while others read nearby in a park.

2026-08-13

The Algorithm's Subtle Grip

Something shifted after Jacobs Pavilion. It wasn’t the music – although that was good, genuinely – it was a feeling in the crowd, a collective…saturation? Li...

Two adults sit at a wooden table discussing something on a laptop screen in a bright, book-lined room.

2026-08-13

Rethinking Adulthood Anxious Times New Definitions

It’s weird to think about milestones these days. Like, everyone talks about buying a house, or having kids, but those things feel… distant. Not impossible, e...