Let’s talk about anxiety and depression. I am sure you have heard these words before. What I am about to say might surprise you. Anxiety and depression are not bad things despite what we have been led to believe. Now, I want to clarify that...
With the onset of the COVID pandemic, there was a multitude of social outlets many of us like to engage in that were put on hold. Concerts, going to restaurants, and even more mundane social contexts such as working in a setting with co-workers that...
You feel your heart beating harder and faster in your chest. A lump forms in your throat. The sound of the person talking to you fades into the background as your own thoughts and concerns become all-consuming. Maybe you feel a turning in your stomach...
Over 10 years ago, I taped a prayer onto my kitchen cupboard where I would see it often. It was an extremely challenging time in my personal and family life. I felt anxious, stressed, burdened and grieved. I needed the daily (sometimes hourly) reminder that...
Greetings, Second Story community! The last time I wrote, we were at the very beginning of what has become a strange and difficult season. I know I speak for all of us here when I say it has been an honor to walk with many...
When I was 23, I had an exceptionally difficult year. If you want to know more about what happened, come talk to me… but suffice it to say I was in rough shape, mentally and emotionally. I recently came across some writing (in the form...
September is Suicide Awareness Month. Death is a horrible topic. It shouldn’t exist to begin with. Even grieving death hurts deeply. But what happens when you want it, death? When the beauty within yourself turns ugly and all you know is the ashes of broken...
We all experience things differently and they can progress at different rates depending on several variables; our resiliency, our support system, ways we cope and a few more. But they can usually progress this way, stress, anxiety, depression (each with 3 levels) and unfortunately these...
It is easy to identify a physical boundary. Just take a look at the fence around your yard. You know the line of demarcation that designates where your property ends, and your neighbors yard begins. The area in your responsibility is clear. You have to...
People have various expectations for counseling. Sometimes they expect that after a couple of sessions their problems will be solved. Other times, they refuse to start counseling because they have been told to “suck it up” and “deal with it” when thinking about their struggles...