• How Self-Care Puts You On Top Mentally.

    It’s scary stuff, and yet so many put their mental health on the line every day to stay longer at the office, finish that project and earn that promotion. Work is often to blame for the worst stresses of modern life, and when you throw social pressure into the mix, it makes for a nasty recipe.

  • In Sickness and In Health.

    It's time to take my power back. It's time to give myself permission to move forward. Enough of feeling powerless and hopeless. I wake up frustrated and feeling defeated. Also, I have been jealous of everyone's everything lately, a sure sign that I'm feeling stuck and need to change things- drastically, if possible. Josh agreed to be with me in sickness and in health. Right now, it's sickness but I want to go back to health. 

  • How Manic Phases Effect Finances When You’re Bipolar.

    Why would mania be a struggle, it’s the “happy” part of bipolar disorder right? Essentially, yes. Words synonymous to mania are passion and enthusiasm- unfortunately, lunacy and craziness are also synonyms. Deep in the throws of mania, I’m an emotional “yes man”. My inhibitions are lowered and I’m craving socialization, so nothing sounds like a bad idea. I am incapable of checking myself. Mania can create some of the saddest moments of the illness.

  • My Daughter’s Confidence.

    My daughter is amazing. She is smart, fiery, caring and forward-thinking. She is a champion of causes and a voracious reader. She can be opinionated and is quick to anger, but those propel her forward instead of letting her give up. A professional once told us she is, “Highly attuned, highly sensitive and impulsive” and was quick to point out that these are GOOD things, when that energy is directed properly, which we agree with. My daughter also struggles. She struggles with trusting her instincts. She has a lot of negative self-talk that stems from her perfectionism. She has high…

  • Survival Mode

    Remember the Wizard of Oz? It is one of my son’s favourite movies. You know when Dorothy is trying to figure herself out and she gets so stressed out that she dreams of Oz? Yeah, that’s my life in a nutshell right now. I’ve been so stressed that I am in survival mode. I just go from one obligation to the next then pass out on my couch at night. The end of the school year is closing in and there is so much to do with two kids in full-time school.  All I seem to do is jump from…

  • 5 Ways I Fight Anxiety & Depression

    This year has been a lot. That’s the best way I can describe it- just a lot going on. It has been more frantic and busy and emotional than other years so, of course, my anxiety and depression have been higher than other years. Fortunately, I don’t rely on meds as I did in my teens and my early twenties, but I cannot just ignore it so I have found alternate coping skills. On top of these skills, I have found that a better diet with less junk food, no pop and gluten-free has helped a ton, as has my…