Exploring the fabric of our stories one character at a time.
Exploring the fabric of our stories one character at a time.
Exploring the fabric of our stories one character at a time.
We all have those times when a friend has just gone through a hard time in life. You stand there wanting to comfort them. But you don’t know quite what to say. You want to show you care. But you don’t want to be the one to bring up a bad time for them. It just seems like there is so much said and so much not to say. To say or not to say I talked about how I had recently lost my dad to cancer and when I returned home and to work, I could tell how so …
“You know you can always talk to me.” “I am here if you need me.” These are some common phrases from a few good friends of mine. I know they mean well. But I have a problem…I look for ways to not go to them. “I don’t want to bother them.” Or “they are busy with their own family or drama, I can’t add to that.” This leaves me with a small number of people I do feel comfortable talking to. My support system. And it is getting smaller these days. The Need We all need a support system to …
When you hear the words strong and strength, you are probably picturing people that can lift weights. Strength is not always visible. Being strong is not always about a physical act. I know because every one of you reading this is strong. Strength is waking up in the morning and getting out of bed. A sign of strength is stepping foot out of your home and into the daylight. Being strong is making it through the last 24 hours and the 24 hours before. Strength is giving a friend a hug when they need one, even though you want to …
It is May again. Mental Health Awareness month. More and more ads are coming out about mental health. To make aware of those who suffer from depression, anxiety, PTSD, and so much more. In my honest opinion, we should be aware of this all year long. Growing up, we didn’t hear about depression and anxiety. Schools didn’t talk about it in health class. So why are we so focused on it now? WHY IS MENTAL HEALTH SO IMPORTANT Let me ask you this question, when you are sick with a cold or the flu, do you feel happy? How about …
I remember so much about my childhood school time. Being the shy girl looking for a friend. When one kid would pay attention to me, I would attach myself to that person and would become their best friend. As a kid, I would want to spend all my time with them at school. I would find it very hard to understand why they were not always wanting to be hanging out with me, the quiet girl. Attachment continues Fast forward to high school. There I found a girl I would hang out with and called her my best friend. Oblivious …
I want you to think about your friends, coworkers, family, all of the people you walk past every day at the store. See those people? It is very possible at least one of you is suffering from depression. Did you know that 8.4% United States adults have been diagnosed with depression (NIMH, 2020)? Now think about all of those that have depression and do not get treated or diagnosed. Depression and mental health disorders are not like physical illnesses that can be visible. Depression episodes I have been working through several areas of my life all at the same time. …
I have been sitting here thinking about my life and who I am. Since I started thinking about the adjectives that would describe me for my journal, it has me really thinking about how I see myself. I know what my past has shown me. What events I had been faced with and forced to overcome, even when I was too young to understand why life was the way it was. Like when I was a teenager going through junior high school and having kids tease me and boys “pretend” to like me. Or in high school when I had …
I purchased a really cool journal for myself called “Love This F*cking Journey for me” by D.A. Sarac. The beginning section of the journal has you reflecting on your past and what you would say to the younger you. But then, I got stuck. Because I ended up on the page that focuses on me now. It is an image of a watering can and water drops down to a small plant. The object of the page is to fill in the water drops with all of the adjectives you would use to describe yourself. Outside view of my life …
You ever get those days that it feels like everything is coming down on you? So much going on at work, too much at school, overwhelming family life, and then add relationships on top of all of that. Too many thoughts. Way too many feelings. And all you can do is take one step in front of the other like a robot through your life. You suddenly feel numb. Not really sad, or happy, or even…well anything. Just a robot I’ve had too many robotic days in my life. Each day blended into the other. Thoughts in my head swarmed …
It only takes a second to change your life. The end of a relationship. Loss of a loved one. The departure of a special friend. This person, that has spent time in your life to help you, love you, grow with you is no longer in your life. Through some time to process the loss, when the sun comes up that next day, how will you view the next phase of your life? Hopefully, as the beginning of a new chapter. Time stops for nothing Every night, the moon will rise, even if we do not see it. And every …