Strength & Sunflowers

Put the effort into bettering your mind to better your life!

May is mental health awareness month. One in Four people will be diagnosed with a mental illness in their lifetime.. what does that mean?... it means: YOU ARE NOT ALONE. It means I am not alone! If we talk about it, we will stop the stigma and in turn, could save lives! Share your story, help to #stopthestigma #1in4

Become self-aware. Realize how you're feeling, what's working for you, what's not. Identify the problem and then come up with your own personal solutions and coping skills; writing, exercising, yoga, therapy, etc. It's not a one size fits all approach, you know yourself better than anyone else. You have the power to "heal" (fix/improve/better/enjoy) your life when you have the intention to do so. 🌻

First day back into the swing of things-post op. It feels frustrating to back track in progress but I guess I need to be thankful for feeling better and having a body that is able (The 13337th) Day 1 -30 bicep curls -30 shoulder shrugs -30 skull crushers -10 (good as my bf says) pushups Repeat x 4 Then a short 1 mile jog #progressnotperfection

☝️🌻

☝🏼🌻

I once read someone's Instagram post on what helped them stay motivated throughout their weight loss/health journey and it stuck with me. They wrote down a list of all the reasons they wanted to make this change in their life and whenever they felt unmotivated, stuck, ready to give in or give up, they'd pull it out and reread the list. - - Now that i'm recovered from ovarian-cyst removal surgery, i'm ready to get back in the game, workout and treat my body right. I made my own sort of list today on the reasons why I want this change, (some more important than others but truly, all reasons) and I think having this to revisit during times of low ambition will help to refocus my mind. Mind and body need to work together in order to succeed and i'm all in 👱🏻‍♀️💪🏼🌻

🌎🌍🌏❤️

Happy Easter, all! 🌸🐣🐰💐 hope your day is filled with candy, peace, love, eggs, and spring-time vibes.

Alright lets talk about MENTAL HEALTH MEDS, DUDES. While I like to stay positive and try my best to "speak positivity and success into my life" through the law of attraction, sometimes I need to just be honest and self aware. As a kid my main mental illness that had an impact on my daily living was anxiety, actually my first ever diagnosis at 6 years old was separation anxiety and specific phobia (that specific phobia being vomiting) this continued throughout childhood at different degrees but I wasn't medicated until a hard bout with depression when I was fifteen and put on zoloft. I'm not ashamed to be on mental health meds. I figure if you have something wrong with your heart you take heart meds, if you have something wrong with your kidneys you take meds for that, if you have something wrong with your brain chemicals you take medicine for your brain chemicals, ya know? 🤷🏼‍♀️Recently, I talked to my dr about switching or adding welbutrin (zoloft has been great for getting me out of the "black hole" but it really impacts my energy negatively 😡) she added it and at first I felt great! Best I have in a while.. but lately I've been feeling so uncharacteristically anxious. Constantly scared I'm going to get sick, feeling like I'm on the edge of a panic attack daily, having constant anxieties at my internship to the point where I want to leave! When it happens I try to breathe and tell myself "its just anxiety its just anxiety" but it doesn't stop the feeling of complete fear, the shakiness, the fast heart rate, the racing thoughts. While there is much going on circumstantially with my brother at home and his manic episode I can't help but wonder if this new increase in anxiety is from adding welbutrin 🤔 idk fellow mental-healthers, anyone have experience with these meds? #timeforapschiatristvisit

Today i'm a quarter of a century years old! I remember being 15.. probably the hardest year I've had as it was my first battle with major depressive disorder. I had never experienced it before, so I didn't see any way out, or an end to the numbness and obsessive-suicidal thoughts I was having. We were in the midst of planning my sweet 16 party which was months ahead and I just remember laying on my mom's floor (I couldn't even sleep alone my own thoughts were scaring me so much) thinking "there is no way i'm going to make it to my 16th birthday.." but depression does lift, and I took it one day at a time. In the last decade I've learned so much about myself, about mental illness, about what I can do to help others battling it. Now at 25, i'm 3 courses short of becoming a mental health counselor. Everyone's got something they're going to have to deal with in this life, you can either let it defeat you or turn it into a positive. The choice is always yours. :)

You'll receive back what you put out into the world, so be mindful of the vibrations you're giving off. 🌻🖤

Happy #nationalpuppyday from me and mine to you and yours 🐶👱🏻‍♀️❤ #coopstagram

Out to breakfast appetizer. 🥑 ❤️ #avocadotoast

Punny and positive 👌

I swear my breakfast this morning tasted better than it looked. 🙃 💚

My wellness journey of 2016 has had many ups and downs. It started off with my brother in a mental health crises which took a toll on all of us, especially my parents. However, it made us closer in a sense that we can understand each others' thoughts and emotions on a new level. Mental illness effects everyone in my family both within ourselves and how it plays a role in our everyday lives. Despite this, I feel lucky to live in a home where mental illness is understood and taken seriously. I've had access to the help I need and i hope it will impact my future counseling career in a positive way. ------------------------------------------- As for my physical changes this year, there's been literal ups and downs in my weight, sizes, motivation.. i have such an unhealthy relationship with food and my body and I'm at a place where i'm really starting to be aware of that. I like to think that awareness is a step in the right direction to getting back to my body's natural "hunger directed eating" so much time I spend finding the next diet fad to try, the next cleanse, the next fast.. and i end up spending too much money, failing, and feeling bad about myself. We aren't meant to put these strange rules and restrictions on ourselves.. at least for me, I think it affects my body and mind negatively. With that being said, my resolution this year is to listen to my body more. Eat what I want when i'm hungry, stopping when i'm satisfied. Not feeling the need to shove my face when it's the "last time eating this kind of food" or the need to over eat until I'm disgustingly full because "I'm starting a fast tomorrow." I want my brain and belly to reconnect in 2017 to its natural state. My workouts will also make their way into my resolution- continuing the BBG program but not being so hard on myself if I miss a day or feel like doing a different kind of workout, again- listening to the needs of my body and mind 🙂 I hope you all had a wonderful new years eve and start the year feeling and spreading positivity! The way you live your life is your choice and responsibility . 🌻