The best, worst decision I ever made. For those of you who didn’t know I was in the Navy Reserves for eight years. This past July was my official end of contract date. I’m grateful for the experience and where it got me in life, but I am happy to be 100% a civilian again. Here is to the next chapter ⚓️🍻 ⚓️
In honor of #mentalhealthawarenessmonth
This before and after image was initially just going to be posted to my story, but I have received an overwhelming response of love and support for sharing my journey that I would love to have it be a more permanent part of my page.
I am in no way insinuating that one image is more attractive than the other. What was happening internally and how I felt have been my only metric in working on myself. I did not feel good on the left. I had low energy and was in a very dark place mentally. I have struggled with depression for as long as I can remember, and I was never given the proper tools as a child to deal with the low days/weeks/months. After joining the military, I fell in love with running and rock climbing. Those two activities alone could help elevate and pull me out of a slump, so I wanted to explore more things that made me feel good inside. During this exploration, I discovered mindfulness meditation, talk therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). By working through some pretty intense childhood trauma and learning how to change my internal dialogue, I noticed that the external started to change as I worked on the internal. I still struggle and have bad days, but I now have the tools to work through the dark times.
If anyone is struggling, know that you are not alone and have ways to work through the tough times when you feel like giving up. It doesn’t have to be some significant change. It can simply be a micro change to how you handle when the dark days arise. Small changes result in substantial changes over time.
See below for some of the books and apps I have used on my journey.
Books:
𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 and 𝗧𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 by Susan Forward #susanforwardphd
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱 by Michael Pollan @michael.pollan
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 by Dr. Nicole LePera @the.holistic.psychologist
Apps:
@headspace@wakingupapp@balance@enjoybloom (CBT Highly recommend)
@betterhelp
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#weightlossjourney#mentalhealth#mentalhealthawareness#dothework#motivation#depressionhelp#youareloved
***Trigger Warning***
Things aren’t always as they appear. I try to be as authentic as possible on social media. But It’s so easy to give a false idea of a wonderful life with no trials or difficult times, but over the last year, I have been fighting to find a baseline of just “okay”. There have been moments of not wanting to live anymore and thinking it would be much easier to just give up. That being said, I have built up a toolkit of resources to maneuver storms like these. Because of these tools, I had a small glimmer of hope that I could make it through this challenging time, and you know what? I did. It took a long time, but the moments of peace that I am experiencing post-depressive episode make all of the dark days worth it. So, if you are struggling with hard times, don’t give up. No matter how long it takes. It gets better. And if it doesn’t feel like it’s getting better, find a way to change your mindset about your situation by accessing your toolkit of resources and support. The tools are out there to help. It’s as simple as downloading an app, picking up a book, or putting cold water on the back of your neck to re-regulate your nervous system. Get curious about your situation and how it’s effecting you. During those times that seem never ending ask yourself, what am I learning from this situation? Is this my body forcing me to rest and reevaluate my environment? Lastly, just ride the wave. Truly be in the pain and the emotions, so when you come out of it, you have that much more gratitude and perspective for the beauty and the good times because you’ve been in the bad for so long.
See below for some tools I have used on my journey.
Books:
𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 and 𝗧𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 by Susan Forward #susanforwardphd
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱 by Michael Pollan @michael.pollan
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 by Dr. Nicole LePera @the.holistic.psychologist
Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel S. F. Heller
Apps:
@enjoybloom (CBT Highly recommend)
@wakingupapp@balance@betterhelp@joyous.team
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#youarenotalone#itgetsbetter#mentalhealthawareness#depression
One year ago today, I stepped out of a nine-day stay in the hospital with a second chance at life. I am so grateful to the doctors and nurses in Portugal for their diligence and expertise.
