When emotions feel overwhelming, the mind and body often need help settling down. This is where self-soothing comes in; a set of tools and strategies that help us regulate big feelings and bring our nervous system back into balance. Unlike self-care, which is often proactive and long-term (like getting enough sleep or exercising regularly), self-soothing is more immediate. It's something we turn to in the moment; when anxiety spikes, when sadness hits, when we're overstimulat

One of the most important truths about trauma is this: you did not ask for it. No one chooses trauma, and no one deserves it. Trauma isn’t a sign of weakness, and it’s not something you should “just get over.” It’s a real, human response to overwhelming experiences, and it deserves to be understood with empathy and care. What Is Trauma? Trauma is not just the event itself, it’s the impact that event leaves on our body, mind, and spirit. Trauma occurs when something overwhelms

Grief is messy, unpredictable, and often misunderstood. Society has expectations about how long it should last, how it should look, and how we should “move on.” But grief doesn’t follow a schedule, and it doesn’t care about anyone’s timeline. As Megan Devine reminds us in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, grief is not a problem to fix, it is a process to live through. Often, loved ones mean well when they say things like: “It’s time to move on.” “At least you had [X].” “You need to b

René Descartes once wrote, “I think, therefore I am.”  It’s a phrase most of us have heard, but it carries so much weight when it comes to mental health. What we think shapes what we see. And what we see, we come to believe as truth. Take for example the thought: “I am a failure.” When that thought takes over, it’s like putting a filter on a camera and locking the zoom lens on one small detail. Suddenly, every part of the picture seems to confirm the belief. A mistake at work

Anxiety can feel cruel. The more we try to push it away, the stronger its grip becomes. We think we’re controlling it by shoving it down, but in reality, we’re handing it power over us. Think of it like this: suppressing feelings is like pushing a rubber duck under water. The duck is your anxiety. At first, you might manage with one arm, holding it down so no one sees. But over time, your arm gets tired. You start using two arms, straining to keep it submerged. Eventually, yo

I Support Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Awareness You may have noticed this PCOS Awareness Association logo at the bottom of my website. That’s because PCOS isn’t just something I support professionally; it’s something I live with. I was diagnosed with PCOS in my early 20s, and it has shaped my journey in deeply complex ways. What is PCOS? Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormonal disorders affecting approximately 1 in 10 women of people assig

Just one spoon left. Some days, even that feels like too much. Have you ever woken up and felt like there is too much to do, and the things you are able to do with take up all of your energy? Do you feel like no one understands when you don't have the energy to do something like reply to a text from 3 days ago, to take a shower, to do the dishes, to go out and socialize with your best friend? It is like everything is too much. Let me start off by saying that you aren't lazy,