My mother raised me to be independent. She would often regale my siblings and I with stories of how she raised five kids, worked and provided all on her own. She would tell me the importance of being able to do things on my own. How mothers don’t need “breaks” from their kids. All of this has shaped my attitude…
I’m getting divorced. [Cue judgmental and shameful looks] That’s part of the reason my blogging has pretty much been on hiatus since December. But, I’ve realized that I’ve shared so much of my life and battles with those who take the time to read my blog, how could I not share this painful, yet transformative time in my life? Anyone…
My Mind and I We have a complicated relationship. I love the way we weavetogetherwords creating worlds. Writing ourself into infinite lives. How it recalls my dearest memories. My favorite food. My best friends. Some of my best choices. Many of my worst mistakes. I love how it talks my heart out of doing dumb things. Reminding it what happened…
I had a follow-up appointment with my doctor yesterday. It has been 9 months since I was sobbing in her office because I was tired of fighting with my mind. Now, as time passes, I remember less and less about the broken woman that I was. Everyone feels anxiety – that’s just life. And it’s not always bad. I mean,…
When is the last time you took a vacation? Or even simpler – a day off work? Not because you had the flu. Or because you had an appointment. Or because you had car trouble and couldn’t make it. When’s the last time you a day off to just…be? To catch up on your DVR or your sleep. A day…
I’ve been missing from my blog for a while. It’s not that I haven’t had anything to say. It’s just that I haven’t had the time or energy to write it. Between life and family and work and school, my schedule has been eating me alive. I’m over-extended and overwhelmed. And one of the biggest mistakes I’ve been making is…
How many cups of coffee do you need to get through the day? I’ll admit, I used to be a coffee addict. My day didn’t start without a cup. And I usually had one – or two – more to get through to the evening. But now I don’t drink it at all. Seriously. Before you call me crazy and…
It’s been nearly six months since I began treatment for my anxiety and depression. Around the same time I started this blog to chronicle my experience with mental illness. Here’s an update on my mental health journey and the (not so) surprising reaction from my mom when she read my blog.
I love my life, but there are days when I don’t want to exist. This feeling often surfaces with no rhyme or reason. It can happen whether or not I’ve had a bad day. In fact, most times when I feel this way, everything is going right. That’s the thing about depression. It can sneak up on you at the…
I’m sure you’ve heard some iteration of this saying before: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But this isn’t entirely true. Our words hold a lot of power – especially the ones we use toward our children. The things we say to our kids – both encouraging and critical – shape the people…