Keep Holding On

There will be times in our lives where we feel defeated. It might feel like we’re catching one bad break after another, and the negatives just won’t stop coming.  In these moments, it might feel nearly impossible to keep holding onto hope and keep a positive attitude. At these times, though, staying positive is the most important thing you can …

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 …

You Deserve to Be Happy

I don’t know who needs to hear this today, but you deserve to be happy. You deserve to wake up and feel good. You deserve to be passionate, energetic, excited about life. For a very long time, I didn’t believe I could be happy. I didn’t even know what happiness was. I’ve gone between manic and depressive episodes, and I …

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, …

Love the Skin You’re In

CW: disordered eating, body dysmorphia It’s mid-summer, which means vacations, pool days, barbecues, and spending time outside. It also means wearing shorts and swimsuits and spending a lot of time eating around others. Summer was always so much fun when I was younger. I loved swimming, running around in the sprinkler, grilling out with family and friends, and just generally …

Jack Shares His #iAM1N5 Journey

This week for Warrior Wednesday, Jack Browner, an older brother of five, friend, boyfriend, dog owner, and want-to-be golf pro, shared his #iAM1N5story of living with generalized anxiety disorder, depression, substance abuse disorder, and his experience with a suicide attempt. He talked about how his symptoms started in high school, culminating with a 2-week stay at an inpatient facility when …