Slow Down & Be Present With This Version of You

Remember to stay present with this version of you. This is a reminder I am telling myself right now. Recently, I’ve been somewhat freaking out about becoming a mom. I’ve been so excited for so long but with my due date approaching in just over a month, I’m starting to feel all the fears and feelings. I’m starting to wonder …

Take Emotional Inventory

When’s the last time you checked in with yourself? I know I don’t do it often enough.  While on my self-care and self-love journey, I’ve been working on being more in tune with my emotions. That means checking in with my feelings and seeing where I’m at mentally, which isn’t always easy.  I’ve recently started using a scale to see …

An Open Letter to My Heart

This week, I had both a psychiatry and therapy appointment. In both of my appointments, I had to admit that I’ve been shutting down my feelings for a while and not facing the emotional truths I need to face. As an act of contrition, I’m writing an open letter to my heart to apologize for how I’ve wronged it.  You’re …

Brenda Shares Her #WarriorWednesday Story…

In 1992 I was diagnosed with bipolar 1.  I struggled mostly untreated for almost two decades.  Countless hospital stays.  Electroshock therapy.  Never being able to hold a job.  I lived in New York City for the first 10 years of this time and moved back to Iowa during a manic episode in 2003. In September 2008 I became very “sick” again …

It’s Okay if the Holidays Aren’t So Joyful

It’s okay if the holidays are hard for you. I was always someone who associated the holidays with joy. The holidays always were a joyous time for me and my family. As I got older, it became less about material items or the food and more about the time spent with some of my favorite people. My therapist has told …

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 …