faith / mental health / life
Me with Boomer, my first dog friend, circa 1993
When I was around a year old, my parents went away to the cottage with my mom’s siblings. There, I got to spend a week away with my first ever dog BFF – my aunt and uncle’s dog. After that, my poor parent’s realized what they were dealing with. Continue reading “To All The Dogs I’ve Loved Before: How Dogs Help With Anxiety”
So, I promised I would blog once a week and have mostly been true to my word, more or less. This week I’ve really struggled with what to blog about. Partially because I have been hit with a bit of writer’s block, and partially because I’ve actually been …okay. Continue reading “Nothing To Say; I’ve Been Okay”
If you have read some of my recent posts, you’ll know I have been struggling more than usual with my health anxiety. As this was happening, I connected with a good friend who also suffers from some serious health anxiety. She shared with me a picture that listed off common anxiety symptoms.
Three weeks ago, we moved into our new home. Overall, the process was surprisingly easy for me. I usually hate change – even good change, but this was a much-needed change, and I embraced it the best I could. I already feel like my home is, well, home. I’ve adjusted far better than I thought I would, and yet, here we are. Two weeks of panic. All because of a rash. Continue reading “The Rash: Dealing With Two Weeks Of Panic”
Hey everyone, I’m back from my temporary settling-into-my-new-house-trying-not-to-have-a-mental-breakdown hiatus! I’ll be back to posting once a week now, and here is an update on my life. As you can probably imagine from my title, I did just cry over burnt bacon and I’m having a bad day. Continue reading “Don’t Cry Over Burnt Bacon”
When I was a kid, I would have a breakdown every single time my parents left the house. It doesn’t matter who babysat me – my grandmother, aunts or uncles, that cool teenage girl from my church…nope, didn’t matter. I would cry almost the entire time they were gone. Shake. Panic. Scream. Everyone assumed I had a terrible case of separation anxiety, but I didn’t. Continue reading “Just A Five Minute Drive”
Last January, almost exactly one year ago, I did something I never thought I could do. This ‘something’ may sound silly, and maybe even a little bit pathetic to anyone who has never experienced an anxiety disorder, but today is Bell Let’s Talk Day. And since today is all about ending the stigma of mental illness, I’m going to talk about one of my more embarrassing anxiety moments. Continue reading ““Don’t Go To Flo””
I often talk about how even good change is still change – and how hard that is on someone who hates change. For example, my husband and I recently moved in with my parents, which ended up being very good change…but it was still hard. Now I’ve been faced with something new; a non-change that…still feels like change. Continue reading “No Change Is…Still Change, Apparently?”
In the 2016 study, Does ‘Fear Of Dying’ Indicate A More Severe Presentation Of Panic Disorder? Douglas Gazarian and researchers examine anxiety and panic disorder. The researchers write:
“Theory on anxiety sensitivity suggests that individuals with PD [panic disorder] have a heightened fear of anxiety symptoms (i.e., “fear of fear”).”
You know how people always say that they would never change [insert generally negative aspect/characteristic/health issue] about themselves? Because that thing made them stronger or more empathetic or a better person in general? Yeah well as noble as that sentiment is, I would get rid of my anxiety disorders in a heartbeat. Continue reading “Burnt Fingers and Ruined Vacations”
