Experiencing anxiety? Here are 12 Simple Calming Techniques
Anxiety can be common and something that many people experience. So if you’re feeling anxious and stressed out, you’re not alone. Millions of people experience some form of anxiety on…
Anxiety can be common and something that many people experience. So if you’re feeling anxious and stressed out, you’re not alone. Millions of people experience some form of anxiety on…
On Saturday, I did the quintessential single-mom thing – I learned to mow my own lawn. I had put this off for a while. Why? Learned helplessness. Of course, I…
According to Aristotle, the famous philosopher, "the essence of life is to serve others and do good." That's what volunteering is all about. By raising your hand, you can volunteer…
It is hard to know where to begin with what I have learned about formula feeding since April 2021. See that was the month that I launched a local nonprofit…
Most people have an idea of what forgiveness is, but have you ever considered what forgiveness is not? Maybe it's not what you think it is. Let’s take a few…
When you pick up a book, seek out a podcast, choose a program, attend an event, typically you're interested in learning, growth, inspiration, and maybe some fun too. Before Covid,…
Advice once given: Saying it is hard is making it harder. And I agreed that actually calling something hard could make it feel harder and create a negative perspective. And…
It's in the media. It's on so many episodes of crime shows. Toxic relationships turned into domestic abuse. Families are ripped apart by the grief of domestic violence. How do…
The lies of marriage make it difficult to have a "happy" or "thriving marriage, the truth is we grow together and apart. Here I am learning how to let go…
The milestones of being a girl mom and raising daughters is priceless. Parenting comes with surprises every turn. Imagine my new delight at the engagement of my daughter. A feeling…
Trigger warning! Please be aware that this article discusses suicide, self harm, and cutting. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at…
Do you think about your credit? When I was younger it never crossed my mind. What it was, how to use it, why it might be important. Or, most importantly,…
I have been utilizing the mental health system since I was 10 years old. It was at that age that I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Major Anxiety…
We recently flew to Minnesota and being a family of four we had one row with the girls and me, then my husband across the aisle. A seemingly nice woman…
Charity is defined by giving money to an organization that helps those in need. And it's true, money does help. Our amazing network of nonprofits within our nation depend on…
Guilt says you made a mistake. Shames says you are the mistake. Guilt motivates. Shame annihilates. -Susie Garlick Do members of your family bring instant guilt and shame? Specific members…
The ups and downs of entrepreneurship are like riding Mr. Freeze at Six Flags. If you have a business or are in the process of starting your business, you probably…
I often have people tell me, “You are superwoman. I don’t know how you do it all.” The reality is, I am not superwoman, I'm anxious. The truth of it is…
Please be aware that this article discusses suicide, rape, and abuse. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME…
How do we view our friends and are our friendships? Healthy or toxic? Have you found yourself arguing with your friends after they've disagreed with you? Do you see your…
Awakened by tweeting and the singing of birds outside my window, my heart did a flip and my spirit soared. What a welcomed sound! It was the reminder I needed…
Admittedly, I’m lacking confidence as a parent at the end of this school year. Yes, school during a pandemic has been more than just confidence-shaking. But for me it has…
Dave Ramsey, Robert Kiyosaki, Suze Orman, Jonathan & Amanda Teixeira, Crystal Paine, Jessica Turner, Holly Reid Toodle, Chelsea Brennan. What do all these names have in common? They are financial…
I write a lot about how the beauty of giving is a gift itself, literally and figuratively. What about boundaries or cut-off points to your extended hand? If you do,…
It's subtle, people pleasing. The lies women are telling are often so close to the truth, so subtle that they go unseen, but they never go un-felt. Women are telling…
There is no such thing as a self-made man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one…
The most kind man drifted into my life during my mid 30's. He was like no other. Tall, muscular, kind eyes, quiet and clean cut. He was a man of…
Feeling unsure about your finances? You're not alone! According to Northwestern Mutual, 70% of Americans say their financial planning needs work. Together we can change that! Let's face those money…
Hello there and greetings to all who read this article. I hope and pray that everyone is doing well. That is indeed my hope for you. This article was going…
We all have something and sometimes we are buried in our something, running from sobriety. Your something might be grief. It might be alcohol or binge eating. Maybe it is…
Attending annual IEP meetings can be difficult. With these tips for preparing for year end IEP meetings you will be ready to advocate for your child. Having IEP (individual education…
"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain." Viviane Greene Today on April 2nd, 2021 World Autism Awareness Day,…
Two of my husband's children are acting like a**holes. Sure, they're my kids too and right now I am shifting parental ownership to their father. I am sick of the…
As February comes to an end, I want to reflect on Black History Month. I believe that it is important to recognize that the end of this month does not…
COVID has changed most of our lives in one way or another. It changed our world in what seemed as though overnight. I know that there has been so much…
I have been a divorced single mom now for 18 years. My three daughters are adults now. My former husband and father to my children lives out of state. Basically,…
Warning: traumatic birth story detailed below. Please read on with caution as the material or descriptions may be triggering. Every January, as his birthday draws near, I have a tightness…
The universe gifted me a special needs son. He has a presence about him and is a bright light on my darkest days. The days I have lost all hope,…
Each year around half of Americans set a New Year's resolution. In contrast, less than 10% stick to it or remember the goal past February. However, I think most people…
Empathy, forgiveness, and hope are gifts we can give all year long. Empathy Before I started my personal development journey, I wondered what the true difference between empathy and sympathy…
Quick Note Please note, I am in no way an expert on mental health. I am a person who knows I cannot be the one to provide advice. My article…
Do you find it difficult and are hesitant to ask for and accept help when you are in need? Why do some of us hesitate when it comes to asking…
How to educate has entered pretty much every parent’s home this year in a new way. As I write this I am embracing our third month of facilitating online kindergarten…
The smile spread across her tired face. Appreciation, excitement, and joy were expressed in her eyes. The walls had been painted and organizing the storefront was all that remained. Everything…
What do you think of when I say the word balance? Do you picture the perfect system or a schedule that FINALLY makes motherhood feel balanced? What we experience in…
Veterans Day is always a day of great reflection for me. Growing up the daughter of a Vietnam Veteran and then later marrying a Veteran from Operation Enduring Freedom, I…
If you are a college student, or are a parent of a college student, then you are well aware that online classes have started and are kicking into high gear.…
Have you ever tried to follow an “expert’s” advice that just didn’t fit for you? Have you felt like a failure because their advice didn’t work as well for you…
So often we focus on the problem we have at hand, we obsess over why it happened. We complain, we vent, we get it off our chest. I do this…
Months ago, pre-Covid, as I cleaned up after the gathering of friends we had hosted for dinner, a stack of dishes stared indifferently back at me from my sink. I…
Being a caregiver can be very challenging and sometimes difficult to overcome but it can be done. On January 31, 2017, the rest of mine and my mother's lives changed…
As she entered this world, she needed me to physically care for her every need. It was essential that she have me hold, change, feed, bathe, clothe, and nurture her. Then,…
When I try to imagine what it’s like to have Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, I think of the flower that represents the cause — Forget-Me-Nots. Though…
The past 6 months have been unquestionably the strangest time in my life. It has been an unprecedented, unpredictable, and challenging time for the entire world. Not only have we…
I lost a friend to cancer over a week ago. Yesterday was the first time I was able to even speak about her with my husband because I couldn't talk…
Are you someone who is sensitive? If you are, do you sometimes ask yourself or just question, "Why am I so sensitive?" I have many times throughout my life, so…
An anchor is a heavy object to hold a vessel in its place or it’s someone that delivers you the news on television. It can also be a helpful mental…
Parents are in an impossible situation when it comes to deciding what their children should do for school this year. There truly is no good answer. But we all have…
Chronic pain is maybe not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word pain. However, it’s the first thing that comes to mind when anyone…
Transformation. I can’t even tell you how many times in my life I have worked to change my form, my appearance. How can I alter, modify my body? What do…
This year, though we're only halfway through, has been too long and too difficult both globally and personally. Too much to process. My head spins and my heart sinks. Words…
How often have you felt overwhelmed by all the mediums vying for your attention? I can remember a time before podcasts and social media. Books, radio and TV have always…
Have you ever felt like you just want to completely give up and back away from your purpose in life? You have? Me too. Lately, I have felt like it…
Remembering back to my childhood, I reflected on arriving at the base of my favorite tree. I was ten years old looking up and squinting into the Texas sunshine. I…
I stood there waiting for the airport terminal train, breathing slowly in and out, squeezing my legs together so tightly my muscles were shaking. I was trying to hold back…
Now that you have an Autism diagnosis it is important to begin creating your support system by educating your family so that they can better understand and help support you…
I love helping people. It makes me feel purposeful and fulfilled. Every time I’ve taken an Enneagram test, I’m a 2. “The Helper.” I want to bring meals to you…
We all, at some point in our lives, have fallen down physically or mentally, ranging from childhood to adulthood. We've collected a treasure chest full of scars from a few…
"Vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage."-Brene Brown Life is filled with so many amazing moments. There is so much to celebrate, so much to be grateful for, so…
My heart has grown quite disengaged and resentful of late. The world seems so harsh and unkind. Messages of hate and judgment, acts of cruelty and divisive language everywhere make…
There is a constant stream of information in our lives today. We have devices that fit in the palm of our hands that have access to all the information in the world. And if we don’t have said device, there is certainly someone in our circle that does and openly shares this information, whether requested or not. How do we weed out the noxious misinformation? Is it possible to define credibility within constant change?
How many of you cringed just reading the words "Let yourself go"? From a very early age we are exposed to external forms of control. Parents tell us when to…
In a New Year’s quest to declutter, my husband and I decided to sell our piano that had been sitting in our house collecting dust for more than a decade.…
There is an old proverb that mentions the idea of you reap what you sow. If you've ever heard this growing up, how did you decern it? When I heard,…
I stepped out of the car and happened to glance down at the ground before landing on my feet. An odd-shaped rock caught my eye. I immediately beheld how the stone…
The Lives of Childless Women I often struggle in celebrating the lives of growing families around me. Counting myself among childless women I feel like an anomaly. Although maybe more…
When grief officially moves in and unpacks her bags, she becomes a part of every breath and every moment whether we like it our not. When she came to visit…
Shattered Dreams Six months ago, our lives became shattered and fractured in one fatal swoop. All of our dreams and our sense of security vanished, leaving nothing but a nasty…
I walked into my very first appointment with a therapist around the age of 12. I don’t remember if there was a particular instance that led my parents to make…
Validation? Validation is a hot topic in the 21st century. I don’t know about you, but I see it almost every single day. That is the entire reason for social…
"Unlike guilt, which is the feeling of doing something wrong, shame is the feeling of being something wrong." –Marilyn Sorensen Some days I look at the woman in the mirror staring…
It’s summer! Does that mean it’s time for lots of fun in the sun or time to find a million ways to entertain your kids who are bouncing off the…
The same day I chose this blog topic, I received a “heads up” that my husband’s name was at the top of a list for a deployment next year. He…
Words Are Powerful He was hurting! It all began years before. He was too young to connect the dots of what was happening. It was just life. He didn’t know any…
Here in the We Spot community, we are proud to have a space where we feel surrounded by support and love. Each time I hop onto our blog or pop…
Grief is shifty and can be such a thief. Especially in moments where there are squeals of laughter peeling through the air as children chase each other. Or, shrieks of joy…
As I sit here and write, the rain is falling heavily on my roof. After a particularly challenging few months personally, I sit here with a sense of heaviness and…
We all have times of overwhelm, exhaustion, sickness, and just plain frustration. I'm here to remind you that you have a choice of how to handle those times. Many times…
This one shift has helped me love those around me better. I am able to accept the humanity of those around me and allow that they are doing their best.
We are finally entering a place in time where people are more open to asking for help. The idea of reading self-help books or leaning into personal development doesn't hold…
SACRIFICE is not just a dirty word. Or is it? What does this word conjure up for you? Perhaps its sadness or heartbreak. Maybe it brings with it, a sense…
April 2018 I was worried that 6 weeks of daily headaches meant I had a tumor or something major going on. I had put off calling the doctor for fear…
In 2012 I began my self-care journey and it changed my life in ways I'd never imagined. Sharing this story has become part of my mission because every time I…
We’re not taught how to grieve in school.
Nearly two years ago, I took the biggest trip of a lifetime. I flew to Bolivia in search for my brother who was left abandoned and homeless in the streets…
Most of us are not prepared when we get the news - a friend or family member has had a baby, and there have been complications. We go through life…