I’ve been thinking a lot about grief lately. I was marked by it from an early age, and it’s held a consistence presence in my life into adulthood. It’s not that my life is sad. Quite the opposite, in fact. My life thus far has been saturated with equal parts joy and grief. And I’ve found that contrary to common belief, joy and grief often coexist in perfect harmony, each giving life to the other. It’s also been my experience that learning how to grieve is the key to creating an environment where joy can thrive.
Continue reading “How to Grieve: Rearview Reflections After a Beautiful Life of Trauma”Blog
Anxiety in Relationships Can Be Devastating — But It’s Worth It
I hurt my husband regularly. It’s never intentional or malicious, but it’s true. Well, I guess it’s not really me – but my sickness. I have anxiety. Not the ‘butterflies in the stomach’ kind, either. More like the ‘sometimes I only sleep a couple hours for days on end’ kind.
Continue reading “Anxiety in Relationships Can Be Devastating — But It’s Worth It”The Secret To Happiness Isn’t What You Expect
“Do you think I feel good? Nobody feels good. After childhood, it’s a fact of life.” -Frank Waturi
This is a quote from Joe Vs The Volcano. A good friend of mine always says that everything in life can be related back to this movie, and she’s totally right.
Continue reading “The Secret To Happiness Isn’t What You Expect”Mentally Ill Does Not Mean Incompetent
Mentally ill does not mean incompetent, so can we please stop acting like it does?
Mental ill does not mean incompetent, so can we please stop acting like it does?
Continue reading “Mentally Ill Does Not Mean Incompetent”How to Sleep with Anxiety
Of all the lessons I’ve learned, how to sleep with anxiety is definitely one of the most difficult. For me, most nights are filled with tossing, turning and stifling panic attacks to avoid waking my husband. In fact, almost every panic attack I endure is at night, when I should be sleeping. However, after years of learning how to sleep with anxiety, here’s some things that work for me:
Continue reading “How to Sleep with Anxiety”Mental Illness Among African Americans
Recently, due to the death of George Floyd, awareness of racial injustices in the United States is spreading across the entire nation, and even the world. Thanks to increasing access to the internet and social media, all eyes are on the Black American population. Social media movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #BlackoutTuesday shed light on discrimination otherwise concealed from citizens outside certain cultures/social circles. While the focus of recent movements is primarily related to police brutality, there’s another evil plaguing these communities. Mental illness among African Americans is ubiquitous and catastrophic.
Continue reading “Mental Illness Among African Americans”Siblings of a Child With Cancer Need Love Too
A fear-coated photo album.
I’m one of three siblings of a child with cancer. Here is a small piece of my story.
Continue reading “Siblings of a Child With Cancer Need Love Too”Breaking Free- Give Yourself Permission to be Unwell
Give yourself permission to be unwell. It’s a lesson I’m learning every day, but not always succeeding at accomplishing. Maybe because it’s so difficult to accept that I’m sick sometimes. Just recently though, life gave me the opportunity to learn a lesson.
Continue reading “Breaking Free- Give Yourself Permission to be Unwell”Hypochondria Disorder- It’s Funny Until It’s Not
Hypochondria Disorder in History
Hypochondria Disorder and hypochondriacs have been the subject of ridicule and laughter dating all the way back to the 1700’s. French Playwriter, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name, Molière, enjoyed the premier of his last play, Le Malade Imaginaire, in the year 1673, before dying of Turberculosis just hours after his performance in the play.
Continue reading “Hypochondria Disorder- It’s Funny Until It’s Not”Childhood Abuse Victims are Not Irreparable
Unveiling the Secret of My Abuse
The first person I ever told about my childhood sexual abuse experience was my husband. We had only been married a few months when I finally revealed the secret I’d been keeping to myself since I was a child. I never told him (or anyone frankly) because I always felt a sense of shame and guilt. My anxieties told me that he might think of me as a broken person. I feared he would think of me as damaged beyond repair. Additionally, a small part of me thought that he might not love me anymore.
Continue reading “Childhood Abuse Victims are Not Irreparable”