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 matters
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”
THE SELF
Self-centered – takes the focus or attention in most circumstances Selfish – putting one’s own needs in front of others all of the time Self-aware – keeping one’s own needs and the needs of others in consideration, as well as how the two might interact; finding a healthy balance between one’s own needs and howContinue reading “THE SELF”
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”
Setting and Maintaining Boundaries
Boundaries are a part of healthy, thriving relationships. I believe the best relationships include self-awareness, empathy, and communication when boundaries are considered. To create a boundary, we first must be in tune with our needs. What are our values, beliefs, and priorities? We must check in with that. This is where self-awareness comes in. ForContinue reading “Setting and Maintaining Boundaries”
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”
Addiction Awareness: Story of Anthony Coma
Adversity introduces us to ourselves. We fall from all our ideals into a scary, unknown, and dark place. And that is when we find out who we really are. For Coma, he fell right out of a tree. Yes, literally, a tree. It was in high school. He experienced the brutal heaviness of caring whatContinue reading “Addiction Awareness: Story of Anthony Coma”
Mental Health Advocate 