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Two decades ago at this time I was dealing with postpartum issues. It was a very scary time for me because I could not understand why my body and mind were failing me. When I look back now, I can immediately see the signs, but in those moments, I could not see the big breakdown coming. It started very slow, I can remember bringing my son home for the hospital and being happy, but not quite feeling like myself. I chalked it up to being a new mom. However, as weeks passed I beg

You have all heard that bigger is not always better. What about newer is not always nicest? Or more is not most desired? Or the best is not the best for me? We live in a society of immediate access to information. This information easily shapes our thoughts and opinions about a particular subject if we allow it to. News, internet, social media. All these outlets are incredible resources, but also can be what sways us away from what is instinctively good for us and instead int

I did it. Who would have thought. Let us travel back in time to good old 1986. I was the kid with no real direction or drive. I may have been nice and kind, but I did not have a clue as to what I wanted to do with my life. I only knew I loved to write. I applied to colleges because I saw my friends filling out applications. I applied to two, one because it looked really nice and the other because my best friend said I should. When I got to Newton Massachusetts, I was pleasant

I met my husband when I was twenty-five. We were friends first and then began dating. By age 30 I was married and pregnant with our first child. These five years were incredible transitional lessons, although I did not know that at the time. Within these five years I learned to practice patience, gratitude, and love, but most of all I experienced the art of holding space for another person. Of course, before I met him I understood other people were important and had feelings,

Dear Beautiful You, So, I messed up this week. Big time.  As you know not only have I struggled with anxiety, but also leaky gut, psoriasis and multiple food and chemical sensitivities. Although I consider myself healed from the terrible symptoms of all of these conditions, I do take liberties sometimes that are definitely not in my best interest.  Healed is a funny word sometimes. Actually, now that I write this, I don't find it funny at all, but see it as a deceiving word.

Dear Beautiful You, “Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits,  Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi As children we begin to form our core beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. These beliefs are at the heart of everything we think and do. The primo of these beliefs are how we view ourselves, because as we see ourselves, we will pr

Dear Beautiful You, Isolation. This is what many tend to do once they are diagnosed with an anxiety condition. This isolation can take a physical, emotional or mental path. Sometimes all three are at play.  It is a protective instinct we have to retreat when we believe we are not well. It is an old piece of outdated information in our primitive brain that tells us to hide in order to keep us safe from predators.  So we listen to the shout of the amygdala and believe that by h

Dear Beautiful You, I recently read a friend’s post on Facebook which had a picture titled “The Rules For Being Human” and the first rule was this: You will receive a body. You may like it or not, but it will be yours for the entire period round. These words hit me in a way none other had. Of course I knew that taking care of your body is part of healing. I write about it often. But the simplicity of these words made me *pause* and think. You will receive a body. You, this be

I was recently at an event at a high school and I overheard a woman talking to another about how she overcame her situational anxiety of flying. I was so happy to hear this, however, upon hearing more she went into a roll call of how she sets herself up for the flight, what she brings to help her with flying and what she does if she becomes a bit nervous during the flight. I am so glad she is able to cope on the airplane and that she is able to now fly with less fear. However

Dear Beautiful You, I know I have talked about this before, but it is such an important point, that I want to revisit it again and again.  Thoughts.  We all have them.  And we ALL have negative thoughts.  Studies have shown we have anywhere between 40 thousand to 60 thousand thoughts every day.And of those, about 60 percent (and even higher) are negative. So why is this important ? People without anxiety or other mental health conditions are able to discard the negative thoug

My sweet boy. I write this with tears in my eyes as they stream down my face, stinging my cheeks. Ironic, as the sting of you leaving swells within my very being. I have been pretending these last few months, denying to my fragile mother's brain that you are going off to college. In fact, when your father begins to choke up about it, I have laughed at him and told him to stop, that this is exactly what we have been raising you for.... ...but today, today it finally hit, and

Dear Beautiful You, Back when my children were young, I was living a life that really was not easy. When I look back to that time I see a very scared mom that was diagnosed with severe anxiety, multiple chemical sensitivity, borderline diabetes, hormone issues and adrenal fatigue. At times I was so far gone, I truly thought I was going to need to be hospitalized for the breakdowns I would experience yearly. I had no idea what it all meant and I placed all my trust in those th

Dear Beautiful You, I used to spend so much time reading. Obviously there is nothing wrong with reading, it is good for the soul. I must have read every self-help, motivational and biography book about overcoming obstacles and making it happen. I also read volumes about the brain/body connection and incessantly researched questions I had. I thought I was really smart to invest countless hours filling my brain with such amazing, positive words and incredible scientific informa

Dear Beautiful You, As I began my healing from anxiety, I realized very quickly the process was not a straight path. My journey of recovery started slowly, where I would feel better for only minutes at a time.  If you are experiencing anxiety around the clock, a minute of freedom is a welcome blessing. Before long, these minutes would turn into hours, and then days of relief. There were nights that I would sleep though the night and I would wake thrilled that I could once aga

Dear Beautiful You, Google is Good.  I know, I know, many of you reading this today were on a webinar with me recently about stress, in which I said to unplug and go into nature. So why am I now saying the opposite? Because Google is good... sometimes. It is such a blessing to have information at our fingertips. We have the ability to learn things and to see things we never thought possible. And this is all because of technology. The problem arises when we become obsessive, o

Dear Beautiful You, We all have something in our past that we have hidden deep inside and wish no one to ever know. It could be something that happened to you or an event you witnessed. Or it could simply be something you know about that has created a burden within. Even beliefs you affirm about yourself that are not a truth will be a disruption to your system. Whatever the case may be, it  can be hurting you.  Keeping this turbulence inside can make you sick, for you are hol

Dear Beautiful You,  In the current state of the world, it is so very easy to fall into the trap of negativity. It is everywhere, from the moment you wake, to the moment you shut your eyes. And even when you try to fall asleep, the events of your day will replay in your head before you drift off for the night. And remember, your thoughts before bed play a huge role for what is in your mind as you rest and the content of your dreams. When I was suffering with anxiety I took st

Dear Beautiful You, There is something so very beautiful about a lotus flower. These gorgeous, open and welcoming flowers sit upon mud and lily pads as if to say it really doesn't matter what is below you, but to celebrate what is before you.  Anxiety likes to make you believe that you cannot rise and overcome, but that is a lie. You have within you the very same power of the lotus flower. Even in what you believe to be the darkest times, you can grow and break out of the dep

Dear Beautiful You, Anxiety loves to make you believe things that are not true. Especially when it comes to our internal dialouge concerning others. When you are in an anxious state, you are hyper vigilant and focused.  You also seem to base your value on those around you, instead of an internal respect. You want all in the world to like you and respond to you, as this feedback is what you base your worth upon. This causes conflict, because not everyone is going to connect wi

Dear Beautiful You, Have you ever said the following:  I am not feeling like myself I am beside myself I am out of my mind I am getting ahead of myself These are signals from yourself that you are not grounded.  Think about it. When you are balanced, your energy can fill a room and you are attractive to all around you. People are drawn to you. This is because you are grounded in the now and present in mind, body and spirit.  However, when you are out of balance you can bring