Be Prepared for Your Bad Days
Lately, I’ve been doing really well. With therapy and medication, I’ve been able to cope with my mental illness and properly take care of myself. This week, though, my therapist reminded me to be prepared for when things might take a turn. When we’re in a good headspace, it can be difficult to think about […]
You Hold Power Over Your Own Thoughts
This week in therapy, my therapist said something that really stuck with me. She told me, “You have dominion over your own thoughts and actions.” We were talking about negative thinking and intrusive thoughts, specifically in reference to one particular incident that happened a few months ago. In the past, I’ve talked about separating what […]
Rebuilding Myself
In the face of loss I am rebuilding myself. Y’all, it’s been a while. Over a month since I last blogged. Over a month since I’ve really been engaged on social media for my speaking page. I needed this break. I still feel like I could take a longer break, but I think I am […]
Accept Forgiveness from Yourself
CW: self-harm, suicidal thoughts Mental illness is so complex and volatile. One minute, you might feel great, and the next, you might feel like the world is crashing down around you. During my senior year of college, as many of you know, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. While that diagnosis terrified me, it finally […]
Mauri Shares Her #WarriorWednesday Story
This week for #WarriorWednesday, Mauri Hogan, a 24-year-old psychology doctoral student at Adler University in Chicago, shared her mental health journey. See what she has to say below, and be sure to listen to this week’s podcast on Saturday to hear more about her story and her experiences! As a clinical psychology doctoral student with […]
It's Okay if You Don't Have the Same Energy Around Things You Used to Love to Do
It’s okay if you don’t have the same energy around the things you used to. This is a message I keep trying to remind myself. I’ve mentioned this before and I’ll mention it now, my motivation levels are so low, writing these blogs is so hard to do these days. Let’s not even mention the […]
1N5 Conducts Sources of Strength + Educator Self-Care Training at Sycamore
On Monday, August 31st, Erin Horn, certified Sources of Strength trainer, led an hour-long Educator Self-Care training based on the evidence-based Sources of Strength wellness model for Sycamore Community School District Staff Professional Development. Erin started out by explaining the upstream prevention philosophy, which details how building resiliency and coping strategies help people handle the […]
Don't Doubt Yourself
This week, we went axe throwing as a staff. It was so much fun, and it also taught me something about myself. I’m a hesitater. I never realized how nervous I get when I’m trying something new, especially if I’ve already convinced myself I won’t be good at it. When our coach was teaching us […]
Let Yourself Feel Your Feelings
It’s not always easy to confront your emotions and let yourself process them. For so long, mental illness has been stigmatized in our society, but as we learn more and continue talking about it, that stigma is starting to fade. Even in the past decade, I’ve noticed a decrease in the stigma around mental illness. […]
Others May Not Believe in Your Dreams, Keep Believing in Yourself Anyway
I can still get discouraged easily. It’s hard when you have poured your whole heart and effort into a project, and for people to question it or tell you no. This may seem similar to you. You may have a dream or goal that people tell you that you can’t reach. They may not believe […]
