Category: In Between

When we walk into a room, our energetic state of being can be communicated before we say a word. If we’re coming from love, everyone feels it. And if we’re feeling resentful, edgy, sad or preoccupied, everyone can feel that, too. Silently, our energy speaks + our thoughts, feelings and intentions ripple out into the world.

Our capacity to affect others with our energy is both a gift and a responsibility. We have the power to choose how we show up and interact in this world. When we choose to come from compassion, peace, and unity, we become a powerful force for good …

Although I’ve been met with quite a few challenges this week, last night in prayer I literally said out loud, “Ok God, show me what you got!”

When you let go + let what’s meant to be be… you’ll be in awe of the grace you’ll bring into every aspect of your life. Let God wow you. I am so grateful I did just that.

I choose every day to live an empowered life. To me, that means owning my life and my story.

Most people who live with mental illness have, at some point, been blamed for their condition. They’ve been called names. Their symptoms have been referred to as “a phase” or something they can control “if they only tried.”

Stigma causes people to feel ashamed for something that is out of their control. Even worse, stigma prevents people from getting the help they need.

I fight stigma by talking about what it is like to live with depression.

Ready for my closeup 📺 don’t forget to join me LIVE today on @pix11news @ 4:45PM discussing a topic very near to my heart, mental health 🧠

Seasonal Affective Disorder most often kicks in on gloomy winter days. But while less common, seasonal depression can also affect people on sunny spring and summer days — and, according to experts, it’s just as serious.

Symptoms of SAD include:

1. Feeling depressed most of the day almost every day.
2. Having low energy levels.
3. Losing interest in activities you used to enjoy.
4. Difficulty concentrating.
5. Feeling hopeless or worthless.
6. Agitation and restlessness
7. Anxiety
8. Insomnia
9. Lack of appetite, resulting in weight loss
10. Instances of violent behavior

Whether you’re struggling with summertime blues or clinically diagnosed summer-pattern depression, these strategies (along with expert treatment in some cases) can help you manage your symptoms.

1. Identify Your Triggers and Make Room to Feel Your Feelings: Whether it’s the heat and humidity, financial stresses related to a need for more childcare or vacations, or body-image issues worsened by wearing warm-weather clothing that shows more skin. When you’re overwhelmed by your emotions, it can cause you to shut down. Make room to feel the feelings and remember that there is no shame is asking for help. 
2. Make Sleep a Priority: The long, sunny days and warm nights can make it hard to sleep. Our brain needs sleep to function; without it you’ll be less patient and focused, make poor decisions, and be more moody, irritable, and emotional.
3. For Parents, Share Responsibilities With Other Parents: One of the biggest shifts that happens during the warmer months is summer vacation for school-aged children and young adults. Daily challenges can become more manageable when you and other parents tackle them together.
4. Start a Yoga Practice: Yoga can boost your mental and physical fitness by improving sleep, busting stress, strengthening your heart, and more. It links movement with breath and because both of these factors can affect the body’s stress reactions, yoga can be a silver bullet in tough times.
5. Build Self-Care Into Your Schedule: Self-care is not an indulgence. Allowing time for relaxation, social activities and other feel-good needs helps keep you healthy and helps you tackle your daily responsibilities more easily and effectively. Including elements in your day that help you recharge and replenish is restorative and preventive for your mental health. It may be easier to think of these activities as extremely important appointments with a VIP that should not be missed. That VIP is YOU.

 

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One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out a way to get him out. Finally he decided it was probably impossible and the animal was old and the well was dry anyway, so it just wasn’t worth it to try and retrieve the donkey. So the farmer asked his neighbors to come over and help him cover up the well. They all grabbed shovels and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, when the donkey realized what was happening he cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down and let out some happy brays. A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked down the well to see what was happening and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was shaking it off and taking a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he continued to shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, to everyone’s amazement, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!” Unknown

#ThankYouNext

Thank you @pix11news for having our EIC @vanessacoppes on talking #selfcare + sharing some fabulous beauty + travel hacks for busy women + moms for summer -and beyond 📺

 

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When we are disconnected from ourselves, our emotions and true needs, we become narcissistic and oblivious to our impact on other people. It doesn’t even enter our consciousness to even consider that we need to be reasonable.

When we are nasty to others -especially women to other women- we are projecting our unwanted parts onto others (especially fear, envy, jealousy, suspicion, resentment, rage, anxiety or lack of self-esteem + confidence). We do this because we haven’t learned the skills to recognize or change our own behavior.

What often keeps us from living our most creative, adventurous, and expressive life is our self-absorption.

To less ego + more empathy, happy Monday Chicas ✌🏽

#mondaymood #lifeisbella #writing #author #newbook#makemorecake

You weren’t created to do something average, to drag through life unfulfilled, unrewarded.

You were created to do something amazing. Remember who you are.

Would you ever take a journey, if you knew ahead of time that you’d become hopelessly lost, have your heart broken into pieces, and sometimes wish you’d never been born?

Now, how about if you knew ahead of time that on that very same journey you’d later find yourself, fall passionately in love, and live happily ever after?

Don’t give up on yourself 💛 #believe 🫶🏽