Often when we think about fear, we associate it with things that we are unable or are afraid to do. Fear is a powerful emotion. Its internal alarm system in our bodies is useful because it lets us know when we are in danger, giving us the opportunity to make different choices in order to avoid harm […]
Dear Caregiver: You are not Alone
Dear Caregiver, I see your eyes and I know how lost you feel right now. I can imagine your thoughts and all of the emotions you are feeling; angry, sad, mad and blaming all at the same time. You are in shock. This child or loved one that you have tried so hard to love through all […]
Caregivers Guest Post: Crisis in the Rearview
Crisis in the Rearview Guest Post, By Annie Slease “Writers write from what they know.” This has been my mantra for more than twenty years as a middle school English teacher, but I hadn’t ever put it to the test until my older son Jake suffered his first true mental health crisis. As a way of […]
Caregivers Guest Post: Could Perseverance be Perfection?
I am excited to share today’s Caregivers in the Spotlight guest post written by Tom Klein. I met Tom many years ago when he coached my older son’s little league team . I am grateful that not only did I get to know Tom as a coach but over the years a friendship has developed between his family and mine. […]
The More We Leave Behind
This year is going to be THE year to start putting our visions into action, make the changes we’ve been wanting and live our best year yet! The more we leave behind, the lighter we will travel towards our destination!
Leaving it all Behind
When I returned from my trip to Northern California back in August, after attending the BlogHer’14 conference, I wrote about how impactful the trip had been for me and that I could see myself living in the Bay Area. (I wrote a little bit about it here). Even on the flight home I […]
Peer Pressure
***My hope is that this post will help parents and caregivers better understand the role that peer pressure can play in an adolescent’s mental health crisis, especially where cutting is involved*** One of the most startling experiences during my son’s mental health crisis was the realization that within his adolescent peer group, mental illness […]
Walking Away
“Walking away has nothing to do with weakness, and everything to do with strength. We walk away not because we want others to realize our worth and value but because we finally realize our own” – Robert Tew In my last blog post, which was also a submission to the #iamsubject writing project (if you have not read […]
A Chat about Blogging, Mental Health and Stigma Shattering: Guest Podcast
Happy Memorial Day to all of my US Readers! This past week, I had the privilege and honor to represent Far From Paradise blog as a Podcast guest on my friend Darren’s blog Myriad of Ideas – a place to “Share and Learn”. During the podcast we chatted about blogging, mental health and shattering the […]
It’s Their Journey
Spring has finally sprung up here in the northeast USA. It has been a long, cold winter as it is every year. As much as I dislike the cold and grey days, it truly allows me to appreciate when winter breaks and spring arrives. There is a buzz that I feel, like I can actually […]
