Finding The Joy Again

I’m starting to feel joy again. What an amazing feeling. I remember telling my therapist shortly before my mom passed that one of my goals was to be able to truly feel laughter and joy again. I spoke about how life felt less joyful, and moments of laughter felt almost out of body, and that I wasn’t actually experiencing them …

You Hold Power Over Your Own Thoughts

This week in therapy, my therapist said something that really stuck with me. She told me, “You have dominion over your own thoughts and actions.” We were talking about negative thinking and intrusive thoughts, specifically in reference to one particular incident that happened a few months ago. In the past, I’ve talked about separating what your mental illness is saying …

Accept Forgiveness from Yourself

CW: self-harm, suicidal thoughts Mental illness is so complex and volatile. One minute, you might feel great, and the next, you might feel like the world is crashing down around you. During my senior year of college, as many of you know, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. While that diagnosis terrified me, it finally gave a name to what …

Mauri Shares Her #WarriorWednesday Story

This week for #WarriorWednesday, Mauri Hogan, a 24-year-old psychology doctoral student at Adler University in Chicago, shared her mental health journey. See what she has to say below, and be sure to listen to this week’s podcast on Saturday to hear more about her story and her experiences! As a clinical psychology doctoral student with a history of anxiety, PTSD, …

It’s Okay if You Don’t Have the Same Energy Around Things You Used to Love to Do

It’s okay if you don’t have the same energy around the things you used to. This is a message I keep trying to remind myself. I’ve mentioned this before and I’ll mention it now, my motivation levels are so low, writing these blogs is so hard to do these days. Let’s not even mention the speaking engagement I had last …

Chastity Shares Her #iAM1N5 Journey…

This week for Warrior Wednesday, Chastity Haxton, a retired college athlete, cheerleading coach, graduate student, friend, and mental health advocate shared her #IAM1N5 story of living with generalized anxiety disorder, depression and PTSD. She talks about how being a competitive athlete impacted her mental illnesses causing her to struggle with eating disorders and Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Follow along to see …