Unlocking Mental Wellness: Navigating Challenges and Finding Support
A Day Within Retreat - to be rescheduled
Join us for a one-day event on the peaceful grounds of Soulful Prairies. This event is for persons 14+ struggling with body image, relationship with food, and self-acceptance. Linda, Abbigail, and Mary will guide you within to reflect, feel, connect, and create. Harness the power of equine gestalt therapy, emotional freedom technique, mindfulness, gratitude, yoga, breathwork, and togetherness. Leave feeling renewed, nourished, empowered, and equipped with tools to transform how you feel, live, and eat. Grants may be available for those with financial need. Reach out with questions.
Mental Wellness
Journey Towards Healing
The significance of mental wellness lies in the fact that when a brain-related condition becomes chronic, it can lead to harmful behaviors that detrimentally affect both one’s physical and cognitive capacities, potentially resulting in dire consequences.
Personal Insights & Available Resources
Fortunately, assistance is available for those who are open to seeking it. It’s important to note that I don’t claim expertise in this domain; instead, the resources in my brochure are drawn from personal experiences.
My Personal Story
My eldest daughter, Veronica, developed an eating disorder during her senior year of high school, although it went unnoticed until she started college as a freshman. That same year, we also became aware of her alcohol misuse. The subsequent 12 years were a tumultuous roller coaster ride, filled with numerous highs and lows as we embarked on a journey to find therapists, programs, and dealt with the complexities of insurance. We witnessed destructive behaviors that led to hospitalizations, stays in halfway houses, periods of homelessness, living in her own apartment, and returning home, often repeating this cycle with only brief periods of recovery.
Eating disorders are intricate mental illnesses that profoundly affect a person’s thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and more. They can impact individuals of any weight, gender, or cultural background. Contrary to popular belief, it’s impossible to discern whether someone has an eating disorder solely by their appearance.
In fact, the prevailing societal notion that thinness is the sole measure of an eating disorder’s severity perpetuates weight stigma, making it harder for individuals to seek help.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to guiding a loved one through recovery or making them “understand” the need for help. However, there are resources available that can offer support and guidance while waiting for them to take the step towards seeking assistance, discovering themselves, and establishing goals for a healthier life.
In Memory of Veronica
1-10-1987 to 8-9-2017
Advocating for Eating Disorder Awareness and Support
In honor of Veronica’s memory and to keep her spirit alive, I have been actively involved in coordinating an annual “NEDA Walk” in support of the National Eating Disorders Association. The funds raised through these events are directed toward valuable resources and programs aimed at educating individuals, families, healthcare professionals, educators, coaches, and more.
These walks serve as a platform to foster meaningful conversations and raise awareness about the grave risks associated with eating disorders, as well as the stigma, silence, shame, and guilt that often shroud them. It’s vital to note that eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate among all mental health disorders, surpassed only by opioid use disorder.
(Source: Tribune Article, 2021)
“Grief never ends, but it changes. It’s a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness nor a lack of faith. It’s the price of love.”
– David Kessler
Brochure: Resources to Navigate Grief – Help is just an ask away!
Mending a broken heart after the loss of a loved one is an indescribable challenge. There’s no magical remedy to completely mend it, but over time, you can discover how to coexist with the fractures, allowing the light to seep through. The truth is, someone who continues to be loved is never truly gone.
In this brochure, I share insights and lessons gleaned from my personal journey of grief and awareness. It’s a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a guide for those seeking solace in the face of loss.
Resources to Navigate Grief
Self Care Tips
- Get extra sleep
- Get fresh air – take a walk
- Nourish your body
- Talk with a trusted friend
- Seek out professional counseling
- Speak of your loved one to keep their memory present
- Make a donation to an organization in your loved one’s memory
- Volunteer
- Try to limit alcohol and substances
- Keep a journal
- Allow yourself alone time to reflect
- Engage in activities that are uplifting
Support
Books, Poems, & Writings
- Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss, by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen
- It’s Ok That You’re Not Ok: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn’t Understand, by Megan Devine
- Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief, by David Kessler
- The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love Loss, by Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD
- Prayers of Honoring Grief, by Pixie Lighthorse
- A Bed for My Heart: Writings
- Compassionate Friends: Inspirational Writings
- Loss: Poems to Better Weather the Many Waves of Grief, by Donna Ashworth
- After the Darkest Hour, the Sun Will Shine Again: A parent’s guide to coping with the loss of a child, by Elizabeth Mehrenittle