discover a self

finding beauty amongst the rubble

[introvertunites]

If you’re an introvert, follow @introvertunites​.

[purplebuddhaproject]

“Don’t let your struggle become your identity.”

— (via purplebuddhaquotes)

[linkinpark]

#RIPChester

[inspireamind]

💜😔

[introvertunites]

If you’re an introvert, follow us @introvertunites​

[inspireamind]

[inspireamind]

Friday Fun

05.25.2017 It's clearly been too long since I've posted something substantial. Not that I have anything useful to say today, but it's Friday and I'm looking forward to a much needed weekend with family. Things have been busy, life changes (!) including a new job which has gone well for the first two weeks. I feel so blessed to be given this opportunity to exercise the skills I've gained this far in life and to take the next step in my career. I was not looking to make a change, but the opportunity presented itself and stuck around, and I feel it's part of God's plan for me. Looking toward the future, I also feel it's a good move for me and my family. When you enjoy the job you're doing and you feel comfortable where you're at, there's typically not a lot of motivation to step out of the box. I took the ball and ran with it! I certainly wasn't unhappy, and as I said, there was no job hunt involved, but the opportunity is quite amazing. You can't always assume the grass is greener on the other side, but you can take a risk, and at the very least learn something. I've learned a lot in this short period, not just about the new place, but about myself as well. I'm moving forward and enjoying the journey. Everything I've done has prepared me for this stage of life. I wouldn't have been ready if I had gotten what I wanted, when I wanted it. The results would have likely been unfavorable. Sometimes the brain dumps and you weren't prepared for it. Oh well! That's how I roll. Thanks for taking a peek into my life. 💜

[inspireamind]

Thursday!

I've got some catching up to do! I'll be hitting this place up all weekend 😉

[inspireamind]

[inspireamind]

6am

05.07.2017 Yep! It's 6am and I'm wide awake! It's as good a time as any to blog about life. Some time ago I would have been quite irritated hearing the ruckus outside and the fact that I could have slept another 2-3 hours! (I initially woke up at 5 and tried to return to slumber...) Nonetheless, here I am embracing nature's sounds and smiling to myself at the chatter of early rising birds. I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy this moment, when it is so often missed or taken advantage of. I am certainly never up earlier than I have to be, and if I was I would certainly be crabby about it as mentioned before. Yesterday, I was able to spend quality time with family and my BFF, and it was wonderful! I also got things accomplished, I am ready to get going on that May list, and plan the rest of my month. I'm feeling optimistic and have every intention of going with whatever God has in store for me. I've been able to share my thoughts and epiphanies over the last 4-5 months with those closest to me, and it reiterates those positive vibes. I read a post that said something along the lines of sharing your story resulting in changing the life or SAVING the life of someone with mental illness. If you know me, you know that a life-long dream of mine has been to write a book. I have planned for years to write about my experiences and lessons learned, while dealing with life and mental illness. Blogging has been great practice for me and helps me to put thoughts in order. In addition to writing a book, I hope to change someone's life for the better, or at least positively influence people. I have a lot to share, specifically with young girls, and anyone struggling with anxiety, depression, and other illnesses. My hope is to raise awareness and educate, not from a professional standpoint, but from the real life experiences. Mental illness not only affects the person suffering, but everyone around them. It's so much harder for someone dealing with it personally to overcome any obstacles or get help without an understanding support system. It affects more people than you know, and affects everyone in one form or another. You've likely heard a quote similar to this: "Be kind, as you never know what kind of battles someone is fighting." Everyone has battles to fight, whether they share it publically or not. Nothing is ever as it seems on the outside. How many times do you hear, I had no idea! I can't believe it! How could this have happened! We're all caught off guard by things that happen at some point, and although we can't know everything, and it's even more likely that it's not our business to know, we could stand to be more compassionate of one another. Don't think that you have to know all of someone's business to care, show concern, love, and pray for them, to be there for them. People shouldn't have to beg or plead their case, or wait for you to fully understand before being granted your kindness. Most of us don't deserve it, but we need it, right? At least at one point in my life I surrounded myself with people that were only there to use me, maybe cared a little, but not when it counted. I burned bridges with those that cared for the right reasons. Like I said yesterday, I truly feel God allowed things to happen in my life as a wake-up call, or a chance to make things right, or get back on track. It took me quite a while to gain wisdom and knowledge enough to move forward and make positive changes in my life. Since making conscious decisions in the right direction, I have been blessed beyond measure. I have been blessed many times over in my life, and given chance after chance, and until now I wasn't fully appreciating everything the way I should have. I am so grateful for everyone around me, for life, for everything I have. The stress level is reduced significantly when I take life in stride. Having an amazing support system is so huge. Thanks for reading all that. Brain dump anyone?? ☺

[inspireamind]

WORD.

[inspireamind]

Weekend Reprieve

05.06.2017 Having plans to take it easy, get out to do 'chill' things only, and rest is a great weekend to look forward to. My plans and planning for May has been delayed, but it's ok! I'm learning to go with the flow- sometimes it's the difference between chaos and peace. For so long, I think God allowed things to happen in my life as a way of saying SLOW IT DOWN, pay attention, this is your chance to get it together, and SEE what truly matters. I joke about being a slow learner- it takes me a couple of the same trip-ups to get things in order and remember that the plan for my life is NOT what society has told me all these years, but what God has had planned all along. 31 years. You might not think a lot of maturity and get-it-togetherness would happen between 20 and 30, but holy cow. With age comes wisdom, and I can't imagine what I'll learn from here on out. Part 2! May is Mental Health Month. I am going to fully embrace it: reflect, practice self-care, and prepare for life changes. Gotta take things in stride! I'll call this a slow-down time, where I'll focus on the now, live in the moment, and plan for God's plan. One step at a time! It's a great time to do some soul searching and blog about it. 😍

[inspireamind]

Slow Down!

05.04.2017 Sometimes life forces you to slow down and take it easy! After a medical procedure, spending most of my time in bed, I think about all the things I could be accomplishing! It really is hard to slow down, take it easy on yourself, and focus on feeling better. But you gotta do it! Better in the long run.

[inspireamind]

[inspireamind]

[depressionarmy]

Daily reminder: Don’t judge what you don’t understand

[inspireamind]

Brain Food

[postitforward]

Hey, Tumblr.

Today is May 1. The first day of Mental Health Month. This entire month we want to nudge all of you to celebrate triumphs, acknowledge struggles, and just come together. Let other people know they’re not alone. Feel less alone yourself. It’s what Post it Forward is all about.

One of the incredible ways you—all of you—have helped shape Tumblr is with your ability to be open and honest.  It was you that turned this platform into a community, one based on genuine expression, creativity, and acceptance.

Neat. How can I participate?

Glad you asked! Each week, for all four weeks, we’ll be giving you ideas for ways to Post it Forward.

Week 1—Post it for you: How you practice self-care and personal well-being.

Week 2—Post it for each other: Ways you can be there for each other.

Week 3—Post it for reflection: Sharing stories of personal growth and development.

Week 4—Post it for the future: Committing to continuous reflection and improvement.

This week is all about posting for you. Acts of self-care. Here are some places to start:

Post an emoji spell for self-care and positivity. 🌈 🔮 💕 🌱

Share a photo or GIF of something that calms you down. Don’t have one? Here’s one.

What’s the one thing that always cheers you up? Post a photo of it, take a GIF, or illustrate it. Toss a sticker on it, if you’d like.

Never forget that you are valid! Post a selfie with “valid” sticker (see below).

Make a list of things you like about yourself.

Make a checklist of 5 acts of self-care you promise to do for yourself this week.

Make an audio post with a song that helps you zone out and re-energize.

Don’t forget to tag all your posts with #postitforward this month! It makes it easier for everyone to find each other’s contributions.

What else?

We’ve asked our pal Tumblrbot (@tumblrbot) to help out with any extra encouragement you might need. Try sending them messages like “tell me about Mental Health Month” or “what’s this week’s prompt?” Tumblrbot will let you know what’s up, because Tumblrbot is a friend to all of us.

We got Answer Times, all of them taking place right here on Post it Forward unless indicated otherwise:

5/4—Utkarsh Ambudkar, NAMI (@namiorg) ambassador, Pitch Perfect actor, and member of hip-hop improv group, Freestyle Love Supreme.

5/8—AJ Mendez Brooks, NAMI (@namiorg) ambassador, former pro wrestler, and author of Crazy Is My Superpower, a memoir about her experiences with bipolar disorder.

5/9—Brittany Snow and Courtney Knowles, co-founders of Love is Louder, from their official blog (@loveislouderofficial).

5/10—Kelly Williams Brown, New York Times best-selling author, from her official blog (@adulting).

5/15—Cynthia Germanotta, Lady Gaga’s mother and co-founder of the Born This Way Foundation.

5/16—Shannon Beveridge (@now-this-is-living), 25-year-old YouTube star. She’ll be partnering with It Gets Better (@itgetsbetterproject).

5/23—The creators of #TheBlackout movement, from their official blog (@theblackoutofficial).

5/25—Anna Akana, YouTuber, writer, director, and activist, from her official blog (@annaakana).

5/26—Mental health advocates Patrick and Amy Kennedy.

We even have some limited edition stickers ready for you in the Tumblr app right now:

<3 Tumblr

[inspireamind]

💙💚😍

[inspireamind]

End of the month!

04.30.2017

It’s the end of April, and a lot is happening around here. Life continues to go on, the stars are lining up, and life is good. Circumstances have generated a need to revise my May list of 31, which is fine with me! Turns out, it’s OK if things don’t go as planned, because I’m not in charge anyway. 😉 Overall, I accomplished the last round of goals, but I still need to work on making them realistic- because life happens and sometimes it’s just not feasible to walk the dogs every single day… like the day I went on a long field trip, left the house at 7am and returned at 10pm… SO, I’m making long term changes, practicing mindfulness in many areas of my life, and fully relying on God to lead me. I will be writing for May 1st tomorrow! New month, new goals, and a brand new list! Brain dump to come… 💙💚