Unlearning Learned Helplessness
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…
Creating Peace in Turbulent Times: 5 Tools for Finding Inner Peace
I’ve been feeling fragile and uneasy lately. With so much going on in the world, and in my personal life, it’s been a challenge to find peace. I know that…
Why is Healing So Hard? Five Pitfalls That Kept Me Stuck In My Healing Journey
When we deny the story, it defines us. When we own the story we can write a brave new ending. Brené Brown Why is healing so hard? If you have…
Cutting: A Way to Remind Myself I Was Alive
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…
Deleting Social Media: How it’s Improved my Mental Health and Productivity
I finally had had enough. I deleted social media from my phone. The mindless scrolling was taking a toll on my mental health and my productivity. We read all about…
How Do I Find My Fun Me Again? 5 Ways to Bring Your Smile Back
This past year has been heavy. Ok let's be honest, for many of us, it has just plain sucked! The pandemic, social unrest, dehumanization, political division, virtual school, it has…
Nine Things to Do When You Have an Empty-Nest
The day that all older women told me about arrived recently...my fourth and last baby has graduated from high school and will quickly be out on his own. While endlessly…
I’m not Super Woman, I’m Anxious. – Why I do all the Things all the Time.
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…
Suicide Interrupted; Finding Hope in the Pain
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…
What is Gaslighting? How Do I Protect Myself From This Abuse?
Someone steps on my foot and I yell "ouch." The usual response from an empathetic person is, "I'm so sorry I stepped on your foot. "Are you okay? I wasn't…
Our Teens Are Struggling; How Can We Help?
Our world is hurting right now. And I don’t mean just with everything with COVID the past year. We have been hurting for a while. One of the concerns that…
Guilt Trippin’: Reframing Our Guilt for the Greater Good
Recently, I was chatting with a friend of mine. School had been cancelled for consecutive days in a row, thanks to massive amounts of snow dumped on our side of…
Extreme Self-Care: 3 Big Takeaways from 5 Days by Myself at the Beach
Due to a series of unexpected events at the beginning of the year, I had the opportunity to spend 5 days of extreme self-care by myself at the beach. I'd…
Apathy: Managing Emotions in This Uncertain World
Filled with a sense of indifference, I sat and watched as the young sapling's leaves rustled in the light breeze. Its small trunk swayed gently as the wind swirled around it.…
Stuck in Your Own Head: What Your Daydreams are Telling You.
The inherent risk in tackling this topic is that you think I’m crazy, but I hope you think I’m brave. Anything less than bravery could not have brought me here,…
The Aftermath: Pressing Through the Pain to Find Healing After Trauma
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…
Prioritizing Your Mental Health When the World Feels Chaotic
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.…
Feel What You Feel: Honoring Your Emotions
Many of us are never taught to feel what we feel. Instead, we're trained to ignore our emotions, to stifle them. We label them as "good" or "bad," celebrating the…
My Suicide Attempt: Loneliness Does Not Have to Consume You
I could throw statistics at you all day about the number of people who have thought about, attempted, and died from suicide within the last year. But tell me this,…
My Anxiety Relapse During the Covid Pandemic; and Navigating out of the Mental Mess
Something interesting happened during all this pandemic lock down and “new normal” we’ve been going through these past months. My new full time job went to part time. Two weeks…
I Believed the Lie that I was Unworthy; Turns out I am Worthy
Worthiness. I am going to be honest with you. This word makes me uncomfortable. Like, to my core. I suffered years of emotional and verbal abuse in my childhood and…
The Truth About Having a Mental Illness
The truth about having a mental illness is this: It is hard and it is draining. There are so many things that are going on in your head and so…
Five Mental Health Benefits to Growing Your Garden
Long ago, in a time far far away... My grandfather was an avid gardener. In the acre behind their home he had created a small oasis of vegetables and fruits in…
The Power of a Me-too Friend
We were sitting around her kitchen table. I got back from my psychiatrist and received my diagnosis. I got an answer, but it was an answer I never wanted to…
Leaving the Fitness Industry: What I Learned About my Body and Soul
After more than 15 years of working in the fitness industry, I recently walked away from teaching indoor cycling classes. Leaving the fitness industry was one of the most difficult,…
It’s Not Only Okay To Talk About The Hard, It’s Necessary!
"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…
Outta’ Your Head: Saying No to the Tyranny of Compulsive Thinking
Stress. Tension. Anxiety. Busyness. We have too much to do! Too many hats to wear! Too many places to be! We believe life would calm down and the problem would…
Saying That You are Fine When You are Falling Apart
If I had a dollar for every time I said that I was fine when I was falling apart I would be rich. I am like the queen at saying…
When Grief Moves In and Unpacks Her Bags: How Grief Changed Me
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…
There is Nothing Wrong With Having Postpartum Depression: It is Okay
The reality is, Postpartum Depression is a very real thing. According to the CDC, 1 in 9 women experience symptoms of Postpartum Depression. And there is nothing wrong with having…
5 Natural Ways to Manage PTSD- Simple Habits for Daily Life
How to manage PTSD in a healthy and constructive way can feel impossible. There are so many unknown things happening inside our brains that it seems daunting to try and DO anything about it. I hear you. I understand.
The Ugly Truth About Depression
Let Us Begin: I have debated for many months whether or not to write about depression. I have spent many nights sweating and in tears because I also knew I…
I No Longer Show Up For My Family
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.