Simone had a two-week stay in the psychiatric wing of the hospital. When I visited her, it felt like I had entered a prison. The staff made me lock my belongings up, and I wasn’t allowed to have anything on me. I heard screams echoing down the hall from a woman refusing sedation. People stared at me as if I had two sets of eyes. I heard people talking to themselves and saw them rocking back and forth. It felt like I had just stepped onto a movie set.  I immediately thought that Simone didn’t belong there. She didn’t seem to have severe mental health issues like the other patients. Simone ..read more

So, the holidays are here. That can either bring up positive or negative feelings for you. If you’re anything like me, you dread those “life questions” that come up at family gatherings. I don’t know what it is, but talking about myself for small talk is easily among the top 5 things I hate to do. Fighting, rude comments, and invasive inquiries are all part of the holiday season hustle and bustle for some people. The holidays can be difficult whether you’re married, single, or widowed. We talk about all things emotional wellness on this side of the internet, and “boundaries” is my favorite “b ..read more

In part one of this blog, we discussed the definition of gossip, and in part two, we discussed how to identify it. In this part, we’ll dive into four practical ways to avoid gossip. 1. Change the subject immediately If someone starts gossiping, one way to avoid it is to change the subject immediately. Doing this works well for me. If I find myself in a conversation that is heading in the direction of gossip, changing the subject immediately almost always helps. Refusing to acknowledge gossip isn’t rude. However, gossiping is. 2. Avoid spending too much time with groups of people who gossip The ..read more

In part one of this gossip blog series, we talked about what gossip is and why people do it. If you haven’t read part one, reading that first is important for a good foundation. In part two, we will dive into ways to identify gossip easily. Remember my friend who lovingly called me out in the last blog? I began to think about why my repeating information hurt her. I didn’t realize the information she shared was embarrassing to her. I figured she just said something funny, and I thought it would be funny to share with others. However, as we learned in the last blog, gossip is information shared ..read more

A few years ago, a new friend invited me to lunch. I was excited to hang out and get to know her more because she seemed like someone I would become close with. We had a great time talking about life and learning about each other. Well into the conversation, she looked at me and said, “So, the reason I invited you to lunch is to talk to you about something,” in a very serious tone. My stomach dropped. I quickly racked my brain. What could I have possibly done wrong already in this newly developing friendship?  She expressed to me word got back to her about something I repeated about her t ..read more

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been doing quite a bit of apologizing. A lot of apologies have come my way as well.  If you have relationships and connections with people, there will come a time you’ll need to apologize. It doesn’t matter if it’s a significant other, your mom, brother, friend, or mentor — we are all bound to hurt someone and need to say sorry.  While searching the internet a bit ago for a 5 love language quiz to send someone, I came across something about apologies. Dr. Gary Chapman, the author of The 5 Love Languages, also wrote a book called, The Five ..read more

Is it just me, or does it feel like everyone around us is finding their “person,” getting married, having babies, and sharing their life with someone? You’ve probably noticed the pink and red hearts, chocolate, and teddy bears in every store for the last month. It has either made you feel nauseous, sad, joyful, or indifferent. And if you’re anything like me, you said, “oh, yeahhh, Valentine’s Day IS coming up,” as if it switched dates this year or something. Lately, I never remember this holiday until it’s approaching.  But maybe you’re not like me at all. Maybe you dread Valentine’s Day ..read more

As someone who struggles with PTSD, depression, and anxiety, therapy has been super beneficial for my healing journey.   A couple of weeks ago, my therapist informed me that I hit every single one of my goals this time. We revisit these goals every 6 months. “How exciting,” I thought. Joy immediately spread across my face because I was reminded of how far I’d come. It didn’t always use to be this way. God gets every ounce of glory in my story. Growing up in a broken home caused me to look for love, affection, and validation in other people. Because my parents didn’t need my emotional ..read more

I’m sure many of us have gone through, are currently going through, or have yet to go through a soul-searching process. We’re looking to understand the meaning of life and how we fit into it. We want to know our purpose, who loves us, what makes us happy, and what we love to do. All of this trickles down to identity or, in other words, who am I? Starting therapy I sat in my therapist’s office three years ago, and she just listened to me speak. Let’s call her Ava. Pretty early on, Ava told me I had identity issues. Even though I’m pretty open in therapy, when you hear that you have identity pro ..read more

Dear Friend, So, I hear you’re struggling with forgiveness? That’s ok, me too. First, I want to say I’m sorry. If no one has ever acknowledged your pain, I will. I’m sorry you were hurt, offended, taken advantage of, abused, betrayed, neglected, abandoned, rejected, forgotten, whatever it may be — I am so sorry. Second, I want to say that you need to let it out. We can’t heal what we continue to hide. So, cry if you need to, scream if you need to, punch a pillow if you need to, talk to a therapist if you need to, write your own letter if you need to — just give yourself space to feel. It’s hea ..read more