Sarenka Smith

Sarenka Smith

Sarenka has been voraciously reading & writing since she was a small child. For the past half decade, she has worked in marketing & communications for healthcare-focused organizations and startups. She previously served as a legislative correspondent for Senator Ben Cardin. As a reporter, Sarenka has had articles published in The Jerusalem Post and Baltimore City Paper. Sarenka attended the Johns Hopkins University on a full merit scholarship, where she majored in the Writing Seminars program: graduating with general and departmental honors. She is in long-term recovery from substance use disorder, and passionate about all things behavioral health.

Educational Resources

Recovery

The Routine of Recovery

For individuals in recovery from alcohol addiction or substance use disorder, maintaining a consistent routine is invaluable.

Treatment

Making the Most of the Summer Season

The end of summer can come with anxiety about academic and social pressures. A focus on mental wellness during this transition is critical for a…

Self Care

The Loneliness Epidemic

Are people really lonelier than every before? And how does that relate to our mental health? Get the answers here.

Self Care

Quality Sleep, Sound Mind, Happy World

When I was first in treatment, I heard the same message repeatedly: “Do not underestimate the critical importance of sleep in your recovery.” As…

Treatment

Chronic Stress: A Link to Cardiovascular Disease

While we sometimes think of our bodies and minds as separate, there are strong connections between the two. The more we learn about mental health, the…

Treatment

The Complexity of Mental Health Treatment

Mental health treatment is inherently complex: a web of challenging puzzles, overlapping symptoms, and varying perspectives on treatment. Unlike…

Self Care

Comparison: The Thief of Joy

It happened again, just yesterday. I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram when I saw an old college friend’s post. Her boyfriend had just…

Self Care

Self Image

When I first began seeing my current therapist almost half a decade ago, he had the following quote in his email signature:“And the day came when the…

Self Care

How Every Day Became Thanksgiving

During Thanksgiving of 2014, I ate dinner alone in Baltimore City. My parents and family lived a few miles away, but I was uninvited for the holidays.…

Self Care

National Bullying Prevention Month

When we think about a victim of bullying, we generally imagine someone awkward, nerdy, and friendless. The geeky guy with unsightly pimples who has…