Over the years I have struggled with anxiety and depression, an eating disorder, maladaptive daydreaming, and self harm. For a long time I thought I’d never be “normal” or happy. I thought that I was incapable of having healthy relationships and/or a successful, satisfying life. But through hard work, vicious ups and down, persistent hope, lots of support, and plain-and-simple stubbornness I have healed many of my old wounds and learned to live to the best of my ability with

Fear is easy. It is easy to let worry consume us. To let fear tear us down. To let hopelessness dissolve our energy. It is hard to be brave, to be optimistic, to be bold in both speech and action. So if today is a day that fear wins, that you curl up beneath your blankets, turn off the news and close the blinds, I understand. I understand that you cannot be strong every day. You can’t win every battle... and sometimes you simply don’t have the wherewithal to even start some b

I washed by hair yesterday. Now, some of you who just read that sentence have your brow furrowed in confusion, thinking “So what?” But I’m betting others of you understand the significance of the statement. Some of you just had your heart surge and your eyebrows raise—wishing you felt good enough to do the same. I washed my hair. I washed my hair not because it was gross, or had been far too long since its last washing... I washed it simply because I wanted to. I even did a s

If you are feeling drained, fearful, or out of control, you should absolutely keep reading... Because Anxiety Coach, Amanda Dewey was generous enough to write today’s guest post with the intention of helping us all feel as energized and at peace as we possibly can during the ongoing pandemic. Protecting Your Energy One way I like to put the topic of energy is, like a personal drug. You take a drug to feel a something, anything for that matter. And when the drug wears off you

I’ve always known I was an introvert. But if this COVID-19 shutdown has taught me anything, it has, with 100% surety, made it undeniably, perfectly, almost hilariously clear... that I am deeply, truly an introvert all the way to my core. I’m so sorry extroverts, that you may be stir-crazy right now, possibly even losing your grip on reality, due to isolation and lack of social stimulation, but I’m doing just fine. Silence suits me. I recently came down to Springfield, MO from

Shan of The Kind Mind Club was generous enough o share with me her story of mental health growth and it served to me as an amazing inspiration... it's a story of strength and hope much needing during this time of confusion and fear due to the ever-growing COV-19 pandemic. Please do not hesitate to read more from her at thekindmindclub.com Writing a New Story: A few years ago, I was lost. I was hurting. I was struggling with my mental health and was diagnosed with generalized

I am trying ever so hard not to have the coronavirus dominate every conversation I have and every post I make... but it’s incredibly difficult! The virus is all anyone wants to talk about. It’s all they’re thinking about. It’s looming over some like a dark cloud and itching unhappily in the back of other’s minds. But I swear, in the last week, there’s not been an untroubled or unburdened or unconcerned person anywhere around me. And then it hit me. Everyone out there... they

In honor of Women’s History Month I would like to say Thank You to all my female readers and followers. I want to express gratitude for all the ways you make the world a better place. And I want to remind you that you are capable, strong, resilient, intelligent, powerful, and beautiful. 12 million women in the US each year experience clinical depression. That leaves 153.92 million of us to help them. To lift them up. To give support and love and encouragement to our fel