To finish out Mental Health Awareness month, my daughter has bravely agreed to allow me to interview her. She is currently a few months shy of seventeen years old. She started experiencing severe anxiety at age twelve. We hope that her story informs and encourages anyone experiencing mental health challenges. She wants to share anContinue reading “Our Mental Health Journey: Q&A with my 16 year-old daughter”
Tag Archives: mental health
Our Mental Health Journey: Where we are now
Currently, my daughter’s treatment consists of a pediatric psychiatrist through our local hospital and regular visits with a psychologist. She is on medicine to help calm her brain while she learns the tools to cope with her anxiety. Without the medicine, she would be trying to learn tools with a brain on fire. When herContinue reading “Our Mental Health Journey: Where we are now”
Our Mental Health Journey: the Beginning
It is an indescribable feeling, sitting in a psychiatrist’s office with your child for the first time. It is a place I never imagined myself. Standing on the precipice of hope and despair, I knew we needed to be here but wanted to run. I wanted to pretend everything was okay and my daughter’s strugglesContinue reading “Our Mental Health Journey: the Beginning”
Mental Health Awareness
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This month I will have a series on mental health based on my experiences through walking this path with my children, especially my teenager. The series of posts are based on conversations with my sixteen-year-old daughter who has been struggling with depression and anxiety for most of her life.Continue reading “Mental Health Awareness”
Christmas Came Early
My cup of gratitude overflowed on the couch of the psychiatrist’s office. One smile and one question from the doctor brought forth an onslaught of tears that not only surprised my daughter, but me as well. “Well, how are things going?” Cue tears. Two months ago we sat before this young doctor pleading for help. Continue reading “Christmas Came Early”
Lessons in the Valley: Choosing What’s Doable
As parents, we have choices to make daily. We have to determine what is best for each child at a given moment of the day. Most of the time, it’s pretty clear-cut: eat, sleep, bathe, play, school, etc. When it comes to a child with a chronic illness, those choices become a little more difficult.Continue reading “Lessons in the Valley: Choosing What’s Doable”
Leah Lively 