Mental Health

“I look tired and feel fat.” “I have no energy and still have so much to do.” “Everyone else seems to have it all together and I struggle with even the basics of everyday life.” You don’t look the way you want to look, act the way you wish you’d act, and “mom” the way you wish you’d “mom." Sound familiar? Most of us have been in, or are currently in, this toxic relationship with … OURSELVES. It’s unhealthy and perpetuates habits of thoughts and actions that become engrained in who we are. We focus on what we do wrong, what our spouses and kids do wrong, what is not done to our standards and likings, and what falls short...

As someone who struggled with undiagnosed anxiety for YEARS before seeing a specialist after my second child was born, I am no stranger to the wild things that anxiety can do to your physical body. From breaking out in a random sweat to feeling every emotion in my gut, over the years I have learned with the assistance of professionals and Lexapro, how to cope with my condition. However, there are still days that I feel a bit out of control and cannot calm myself down despite all the things mentioned above. On days when my anxiety is at an all-time high, here are things that I do to help myself. Simple Movement. Key word here is SIMPLE. For me, this...

If you are from Louisiana, you are probably a steel magnolia. We live in a beautiful state with cypress trees and bayous, but we pay for it during every hurricane season when we roll the dice. We wait to see if a big one (or ones) is going to threaten our property, day-to-day life, and our world as we know it. But if you are going to live here, you do it. You roll your eyes when they cancel school even though it was just a strong breeze. You celebrate when November comes and the season was relatively quiet. You prepare, worry, and mourn when the worst-case scenario hits too close to home. But if you have been here long enough,...

How to Find a Good Therapist Feeling down? Anxious? Overwhelmed? Confused? Devastated? Irritated? Exhausted? Over it? Therapy can help with all of that. Carving out time to intentionally process things that have happened and are happening can put you on a path to healing. There is a method to the madness when directly confronting issues that may limit your happiness. But there is a catch. How do I find the help I need? It can be overwhelming. But taking that first step of reaching out can go a long way. When finding a therapist, the internet is a helpful place. Psychologytoday.com is a popular search engine for therapists. You will find where a therapist is located, what population they serve, and what approach they use. What...

2022 was a year of loss for our family. We lost two of our oldest, most cherished pets only months apart. One was expected, and one was certainly not. Our 18-year-old cat, Fat Boy, had reached the end of his life - a long life filled with unconditional love, cuddles, and captivating memories. We were able to not only say our goodbyes but also say all the things we needed for proper closure in his final days. His death definitely left a hole in our hearts, and it was the first death of a pet that our 6-year-old daughter had experienced. There were lots of tears, and the heartache didn’t come immediately. The tears came in waves, most often...