May is Mental Health Month and although I know mental health/emotional health/mental wellbeing should be on the minds of everyone everyday of the year, I am also thrilled that there is a time dedicated to it solely. The only problem with one time dedicated to mental health awareness is that it keeps the stigma alive. … Continue reading Almost Mental Health Month
Tag: mental illness
I am honored to be able to share my story to recovery and to help others learn about mental health and how it actually makes you more of yourself! From comparison anxiety and eating issues in high school to severe depression and questioning my identity in college, I lived in a fog for many years. … Continue reading My Brain Story
Remember, at the end of the day OCD is an anxiety disorder. What does that mean and why am I telling you this? Because we forget! We are so deep in the throughs of the feeling and the obsessing that we forget why we are feeling this, and that why is our way out. Anxiety … Continue reading Remember: OCD is Anxiety
I pose the question: “What is the difference between the phrase “mental health” and the phrase “physical health?” I mean, besides the one innocent word preceding the term “health,” of course. Let’s be honest here, if I were to initiate a conversation about physical health, I could expect an immediate understanding, and lively discussion about … Continue reading Flip the Paradigm
You have anxiety. We all do, I promise. I get it. Sometimes that anxiety is a bit worse and can manifest in an anxiety disorder if it takes too much of your energy and joy away from life. I get that too. I was diagnosed with OCD five years ago. OCD is a disorder of … Continue reading Face the Anxiety
January 2016 was when I was officially diagnosed with OCD, three letters that changed my life forever. These three letters were mentioned in college and never again mentioned until about 10 years later, a mishap that is all too common in the mental health field. Those three letters had caused more emotional pain than I … Continue reading 5 years later! Paying it Forward
First opportunity to share my story and pay it forward. When you experience heartache and don’t know why until it’s too late, that can have a profound effect on your life. Relationship themed OCD plagued me when I fell in love and when it was too late. I had already pushed the one person away … Continue reading Share Your Story
Dealing with something that is so misunderstood can be difficult but learning about it after it crushes you is something totally different. I vowed to get better so this never happened again. I wish I knew then what I know, now but I remain grateful that I found the strength and motivation to get me … Continue reading Relationship OCD
When asked "What was your diagnosis and how did you handle the news?" I smiled. Despite the pain that it had caused me, I had a reason as to why I was acting, feeling, and reacting the way I was. I had struggled for years and falling in love brought all my struggles to their … Continue reading Dealing with Diagnosis
Ride up and down the worry hill. This is a sheet that was given to me in OCD therapy to explain the nature of the work we would be doing. OCD is all about a thought making us anxious and us doing things to get rid of the thought. Makes sense, right? Don't like what … Continue reading OCD Anxiety Wave
SEROTONING 