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Showing posts from 2021

Cuffing Season: BUT I'm Struggling with Dating/Relationship Anxiety!

  Hey Loves, I want to touch on a topic that's been heavy on my heart and that is ANXIETY, especially dating and relationship anxiety. Anxiety is something I've struggled with for a very long time but I'm learning how to overcome. I have my good and bad days.  From social anxiety, to actually having panic attacks in the past and now noticing that myself and so many others struggles with dating/relationship anxiety. I believe I first started experiencing anxiety in middle school but mainly in high school with social anxiety. Then when I was diagnosed with mental illness at 16 years old, I felt the anxiety increase even the more because that's the age usually when you can start dating and get your parents "ok" to start having a relationship. I wore shame because of the illness so heavy. I couldn't explain what I was experiencing when it came to my symptoms. The fear-based thoughts, always thinking of the worst that can possibly happen, and learning how to gr

10 Years Single and What I've Learned

  Hey Loves,  For those who have been keeping up with my blogposts, I  blogged at my 7th year mark about me being 7 years single and what I've learned. Now I'm at my 10 year mark and I have learned so much since 3 years ago. I am so ready to share with you what I've learned and some of my experiences. I told God in 2011 that I could be single for the next 10 years because I was so broken. I told God let me travel, heal me, help me walk in my purpose and so much more and well that happened and more!  In 10 years I've learned... Power of patience and prayer.-  I learned not only the power of covering my future husband in prayer but I grew in prayer when it came to myself. I grew in prayer when it came to asking God to break off my strongholds. I became more patient with myself in my struggles, flaws and accepting myself. I grew patient when I decided to get to know different men and date. Learning and getting to know different guys helped me to understand men more and wha

Reasons Why I Take My Meds and Maybe You Should Too?

  Me with my two prescriptions and my "Everybody Vs. Stigma" tee shirt Hey Loves!       Hope you are doing okay during this pandemic?! I wanted to share this blogpost on "reasons why I take my meds" in 2017 but it was too emotional for me. Now that I'm growing in my mental health advocacy, people are sharing with me their gratitude in my transparency. This causes me to want to blog even the more in sharing my journey with mental illness into mental wellness. I'm not sure if you are struggling with the idea of taking medication because you feel you don't need it. You are so afraid of what others will think of you and even a potential partner. You feel like you don't want to become "addicted" to the medication. You feel pill shamed and that it has something to do with not having enough faith in God as a Healer. You are so ashamed of your mental diagnosis and are so ashamed of taking medication. You do NOT want to be labeled as "CRAZY&quo

Mental Illness Isn't a Death Sentence!

  Me at the NAMI Walk 2021 at Belle Isle-Detroit, MI  Hey Loves, I can't believe I am writing this but the freedom I have now is beyond amazing in sharing with you all by blogging about mental health and my journey. As a mental health awareness advocate and thinking about pursuing it for a career as a mental health professional. I want to let you know that mental illness isn't a death sentence!  I know there is a stigma but we are slowly breaking that. There is definitely more mental health awareness now than it was 20 years ago. Social media has been a life saver for me to not feel alone in my journey because thankfully there are brave mental health advocates to share their story. I remember sharing with my best friend and another close friend in High School when I came out of the hospital of me being diagnosed with mental illness. They were so supportive and still are til this day. I later in 2012 heard God say that my purpose was to help those with mental illness overcome me

Modern Love: Bipolar and Dating

Anne Hathaway and Gary Carr in Modern Love: Season 1 Episode 3 I recently watched Modern Love: Season 1 Episode 3 on Amazon Prime about actress, Anne Hathaway's character having Bipolar Disorder and her dating experience with actor, Gary Carr (who is sooo finnnneee to me lol). I was suggested to watch this show by my cousin-in-love, Dom and she had no idea how badly I needed to be encouraged by her. I really poured my heart out to her how I was feeling about how I've seen people leave their spouses with Bipolar Disorder and that I was honestly feeling discouraged. Even though I know of two young black women with Bipolar Disorder that are married but I'm not close with them to know the ins and out and not everyone feel comfortable sharing and that is okay. Dom shared with me blessed words and reassurance in the Lord that was so on time. In this episode on Modern Love, Anne displays Bipolar Disorder so well and it is not dramatized at all. Bipolar Disorder really does have it

"But I'm Suffering in Silence and I'm Ready to Give up!"

Dealing with negative voices? Feeling suicidal? Feeling anxious? Feeling depressed? Feeling like your life is falling apart? Feeling afraid? Feeling condemned? Feeling like you don't know how to make it? Feeling like you have to stay strong for everyone else? Feeling like you have to pour into everyone else but feeling resentful because your needs aren't met? Feeling heaviness? Feeling like you are overthinking things? Feeling paranoia? Feeling like you have to be superman or superwoman? Feeling fragile? Feeling wounded? Feeling angry? Tired of hearing "stay strong"?  Just feeling like checking out? Feeling like your feelings aren't validated? Tired of hearing "you got this"? Feeling triggered triggered lately? Feeling extra sensitive? Feeling you should suffer in silence with your mental illness because no one else understands what you are going through and you don't want to be a burden to others? Feeling like you just want to stop praying? Feeling

Why I Didn't Wait Til Marriage...

  Sneak peak from my 29th Birthday shoot (May 29th) Hey Loves! Before you jump into assumptions, it's not what you think!  I just wanted to grab your attention to share something that's been on my heart and to encourage someone else----that you do NOT have to wait til after you are married to share your mental health story. I get men and women in my DM's saying that they wish they could have the courage or bravery to share about them being diagnosed with a mental illness. I want to encourage you that YOU CAN! Someone needs to hear your story... me opening up about myself living with a mental illness was hard but the more I do it and reveal to you guys, the easier it becomes. I'm constantly working on talking about me living with Bipolar Disorder to become as easy as breathing.  Sometimes, I still have to affirm myself and break the shame that I've felt because sometimes my mind goes down memory lane of all the episodes, nervous breakdowns and things I've said an