This month thirteen years ago, I had the strange, painful luxury of “starting over” for the new year. My house burnt down, so a new start was necessary. Not because I had some big New Year’s resolution. Not because I wanted to or tried to. But because I stood in front of my home withContinue reading “New Year”
Tag Archives: mental health healing
Made Well-Minded
Hey there 👋 I wanna share some super important info with you: (P.S. Follow my blog, as well as made_well_minded on Instagram and Facebook for more!) In the U.S., 26% of Americans 18 and older suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder in a given year. It is estimated that 20% of children have mentalContinue reading “Made Well-Minded”
Assessment
I am not really a numbers person. I’ve always been pretty good at math, but assessment and statistics get a bit too complex for me. And most importantly, I’m uninterested. But, just when I thought that the Assessment and Research Methods class I am taking would do nothing for me, besides keep me from writingContinue reading “Assessment”
Grief in Disguise
I sat with a small group of friends from church and did a growth activity. We sat in a circle and said one specific, positive thing about the person across from us. I was maybe 20 years old. The guy across from me was around the same age. He had shaggy hair, hemp bracelets, andContinue reading “Grief in Disguise”
Mom Guilt
I have never seen women put more pressure on themselves than those who are mothers. I have observed, facilitated, and participated in small, practice groups for therapy over the last several months. I have been truly amazed at the consistent, underlying theme in mothers. Some women in my groups spend all day with their children,Continue reading “Mom Guilt”
Miracles and Losses
Sometimes, some people get an awful hand in life. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. I do not know why. I will never pretend to know. I have met a lot of people who believe they have the answers. They do not. Once, I had some one point out during my grief after IContinue reading “Miracles and Losses”
Codependency
I started being unkind to myself sometime around when my parents split up. We think things like this are “normal” because they are common. Yet, there is nothing normal about going through the developmental stages of adolescence with two parents in the same house who somewhat suddenly split up. As a child that is veryContinue reading “Codependency”
Addiction Awareness: Mike Verdun
Mike tore his knee twice in football during college. After his 2nd surgery, he began using painkillers. At first, it was just to recover, but then he could not stop. He went from drinking and doing drugs as part of the college experience to being fully addicted. He began to only feel comfortable when heContinue reading “Addiction Awareness: Mike Verdun”
Clothes For a Funeral
I pulled up to my grandmother’s little stone house so that I could pick out clothes for my mother to be buried in. My mother had been staying with my grandmother at the time. My sisters told me that I could pick the clothes, and that they trusted my judgement. Everything looked the same inContinue reading “Clothes For a Funeral”
Hope
My family sat in a conference room near the waiting room of the hospital intensive care unit, so the doctor could inform us that my mother would die. The lights were bright white, and so were the walls. The chairs had a faded blue fabric, each one the same. There were probably pictures on theContinue reading “Hope”
Mental Health Advocate 