Author: Christine Genta

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Connecting Mind and Body

I have to apologize once again for being so MIA lately. I had an exciting volunteer opportunity that I was really focused on and then my body caught some type of stomach bug that has caused me to do nothing but relax and reset the past few days. Along with this I had no idea what I wanted to write about. I had multiple ideas but nothing was taking form in my mind and I always feel like I can’t post my thoughts until they are these grand posts of wisdom and experience. I know that’s a little ridiculous but, hey, it’s what happens in my mind. Anyways, I thought I would catch you all up on what’s been going on and what I’m trying to really focus on. 

As I said earlier, I had an exciting volunteer opportunity come up. Well actually, I made it happen, which is also super exciting. Through therapy and getting to know myself better, I’ve developed a more clear vision of what I want to do with my life and one night I was searching the internet when I couldn’t sleep and found a volunteer opportunity that fit exactly that. I sent in my application without hesitation and quickly found myself setting up a meeting at the organization in person. I was so excited during all this that I had no time to get nervous or even really process what I was doing. Then about two days before, the nerves hit. I kept going back and forth between “this is a horrible idea” and “this is a great idea”. I’m happy to say that I attended the meeting, fell even more in love with the organization and this opportunity, and i start volunteering next week! This is not to say that all this came easy, but somehow I found the power to push through my nerves, because this was something I really wanted to do. 

After that success I thought I was going to stick to this positive note and find even more successes. I was wrong, however, when a couple of days later I tried to go out with my parents to take some pictures and quickly found myself spiraling into panic mode. The weird thing, though, was that I wasn’t actually nervous, but I was getting so worked up over the fact that I wasn’t having anxiety that I ended up causing my own anxiety. Confusing right? This is pretty much the basis of panic disorder. You panic over the fear of panicking. In my mind I was completely okay, I mean the whole outing was my idea, but my body was waiting to panic and was so confused as to why it wasn’t happening that I ended up freaking out, even thought I knew there was nothing to worry about. This brings me to the title of this post and what I’m trying to focus on right now–connecting my mind and body. 

All this time I’ve spent making relationships with emotions and learning strategies to deal with my anxiety and depression has been great and I see huge progress, but it has almost 100% been mental. I’ve pushed my body to the side to focus on my mind. Whether this was lack of exercise, because it made my heart rate rise and that made me panic, or even just something on the more simple side, my body wasn’t part of the equation. However, since my anxiety was consuming all of my time and energy this didn’t really matter. Who has time to exercise when it’s going to be a battle of convincing yourself that your body is reacting normally and is not indeed having a panic attack? Not me, that’s for sure. Now that I have a little bit of a better grip on my anxiety and am willing to try more things, my body is standing up for itself and wanting the same attention that I gave my mind. I don’t know if this makes sense (it definitely makes more sense when my therapist explains it) but this is something I truly feel is happening to me. I feel I need to take the next step to bring my body and mind together and have them on the same page. This way, when I start telling myself that I’m okay, my body will understand and won’t self sabotage and start panicking. How do I get my mind and body to be on the same page? Well this is what I don’t exactly know. One of the most common ways to do this according to my therapist is by mindfulness activities such as meditation. I don’t know about you but I really struggle with meditation, so I’m trying to figure out something that might help me until I am ready to conquer meditation. I’m going to start out by checking in with my body the same way I did my mind and let it know that I hear it and I will take care of it. I know that this won’t solve my problems, though, and that it is only the first step but I think it is the right step for me to take right now. 

Do any of you have any practices for connecting your mind and body? I would love to hear them! I am open to all suggestions as I try to figure out what works best for me. 

Until next time. 💜 

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Processing vs Healing

Although it has become quite obvious to me that I have been struggling with anxiety my whole life, I always say that my current journey started from not knowing how to grieve. Who knows if this is true or not but as someone who likes to have answers it was easier for me to have something to blame. It’s hard because as a perfectionist I imagine there to be some sore of guideline for everything in life including grieving, but as we all know that’s not a thing. Everyone grieves differently, everyone handles loss differently, and even if you have a grip on it somehow it manages to still sneak up on you at the most random of times. 


Grief is something I’ve obviously struggled with over the last couple of years. It has seemed to consume me but never decrease at all. I’m someone who needs to talk and cry through my feelings but I tend to feel like that’s not allowed so instead I just sit there and focus on how sad I am and find myself going through the motions of life overwhelmed by grief. (Also known as my depression) I’ve spent so much time saying I’m processing my grief or I don’t know how to process my grief and for the longest time I felt no progress. That all changed recently. I’ve finally felt like I have moved on from processing into the healing part of loss. The moment that really helped me experience a big change was when I was finally able to move on from focusing on the event of losing someone and switch my focus on to all the years I had with them. I know, I know this is one of the first things people say to you when you lose someone. “Sorry for your loss, think of all the happy times you had together.” In that moment though, at least for me, that was an impossible task and honestly I had to focus on the loss before I was able to even appreciate the good. 

This is where I feel that I am at right now along with so many other important progress points in my journey (more on that at another time) I feel that I have finally begun to change from processing my grief to healing my grief and wow does it feel great. I think the most important thing I did to help me make this change was give myself permission. I had to give myself permission to feel sad over the fact that they are gone and also give myself permission to remember them in happy ways and understand that it doesn’t mean I miss them any less. 

Grief is such a tough thing and I know that it is not as simple as this post makes it seem but I’m happy to finally feel like I can get through this and will have a better idea of how to get through it in the future. 

Until next time💜
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Lost in Fear

I just want to start off by apologizing for my lack of new posts in the last couple of weeks. I’ve been feeling a tad bit lost (more so than normal) but just haven’t been able to figure out why. I didn’t know how to write about it so I just didn’t (so sorry!). However, now I feel like I’ve gotten a little bit of an understanding on why I’ve been feeling the way I’ve been feeling and am ready to share it with you all. 

For the most part, after my start of the year slump I’ve been doing great. I began really healing from my grief instead of being stuck in the processing stage. I’ve been able to bounce back from my low dips faster than ever and I’ve felt an underlying feeling of hope. Not all days I feel hopeful, probably not even most days, but it is there underneath my emotions which is so nice to feel. As I keep progressing, though, I’ve found myself irritated, on edge, and above all scared. I can’t help but get frustrated over this because why am I feeling this way when I’m making the progress I’ve been working so hard for. My therapist and I have had a great couple of conversations about this and I’ve finally realized what’s happening. I’m lost in the fear of getting better. This sounds so crazy to me because this is what I’ve always wanted, to get back to a point where I can live the life I want. So why then, when it seems more possible than ever, am I blocking it out because “I’m scared”? 

There are a few reasons this is happening. The obvious one (not at first to me at least) is that change brings fear. Whether it is a big change or a little change most human beings have some type of nerves surrounding this. Not only am I working towards some big changes, such as finding a job, being more independent, moving out (someday), these changes aren’t going to happen without some personal changes as well. I have to continue to make changes in the relationships with my emotions and the way I handle life. I’m a different person than I was a year ago and I will continue to grow and change the more I progress, which is a good thing. As welcomed as it is, though, it is honestly absolutely terrifying! 

The next reason I’ve been feeling so scared about progressing is that I’m comfortable. I have become so comfortable in my therapy bubble (any Crazy Ex-girlfriend fans out there??) that the idea of not having that brings about fear. Right now my only responsibility, for the most part, is to take care of myself and build my tool kit that will help me get back in the real world. What happens, though, when I’m back in the real world? Will my tool kit still work? Will I have time to take care of myself? Will I be able to still grow these relationships with my emotions and not just push them away again the moment I get busy? I’ve grown the ability to handle my anxiety and depression a decent amount of the time lately, but that’s the only thing I’ve really had to do. It’s scary to trust that I’ll be able to handle these things along with the pressure of being a “normal human being”. 

The last reason for now is something that has always been an underlying issue for me. For some reason I think that once I “get better” I won’t be able to ask for help anymore. Don’t ask me why my brain thinks this, because I honestly can’t even really explain it. There’s some part of me, though, that thinks that once I become independent then I won’t be able to ask for help no matter how big the problem is. I know this mainly comes from a lack of trust in myself that I’ll be able to handle things, but it’s still something that often adds to my fear. 

So this is where I’ve been at lately, this weird mix of positive progression and crippling fear of that same progression. I’m taking things one baby step at a time but still feel a bit lost. Has anyone else ever felt this way? I would love to hear your experience and how you kept the fear from making all your decisions. 

Until next time. 💜

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One Year Anniversary

Happy 1st anniversary to Dancing Through Anxiety! I can’t believe it but today marks one year since I published my first blog post!! It’s crazy to think that I have been publishing my thoughts for you all to read for an entire year now. When I first thought of starting a blog I thought that I would maybe make a few posts and a few people would read it. I’ve made 38 posts (not quite one a week but I’ll take it) and have had readers from all over the world. I have found so much help and healing from writing these posts and connecting with other people in similar situations or people wanting to support those in similar situations. Am I where I thought I would be at this point in time? Absolutely not. Am I learning to be okay with that? Absolutely. 

I’ve finally entered a part in my mental health recovery that I feel like I am finally healing from my grief, I have somewhat of a grip on my anxiety/depression, and am hopeful and encouraged that I will one day lead the life that I have always envisioned for myself. I honestly mean it when I say none of this would be possible without all of you. When I started my blog I never imagined the community I would build that I could reach out to for support any time I needed it and lend support to as well. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you that read my posts. Thank you for your encouragement, your belief in me, your empathy, and your love. You all inspire me and help me want to keep on fighting. Thank you doesn’t even seem like a strong enough phrase to express my gratitude but I hope you all truly understand how much of an impact you have made on my life. I love you all and can’t wait to continue this journey of blogging with you! 😊

Until next time. 💜

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Hobbies

So as you all most likely know by now things haven’t been going so well for me. I just recently in about the last week have been starting to feel myself make my way back to where I was before my January and part of February low point. I want to do a post about the healing I’ve been feeling this January compared with times in the past but I’m not quite ready to write that, so instead I thought I would write a little bit about how I survived my down point. The most important thing I could do was stay busy but since I was feeling depressed I had to find ways to stay busy within the comfort of my home. These activities needed to be simple enough to do in a depressed state of mind but also entertaining enough to distract me and make me want to do them. I thought I would share some of the hobbies that worked for me with you all. 

  • Reading: I am an avid reader so this is usually my go to activity. It gets me out of the craziness that can be my mind for a while but it doesn’t require any physical activity so it is the perfect choice for me when I’m feeling depressed but also determined to do something. 
  • Writing: Whether this is just a rant in my journal, a blog post for you all, or a letter to a friend I find so much comfort in writing. It’s so freeing to be able to see what you’re feeling on paper and then either shut the book or rip the page up. It’s a physical act I can do to get rid of the thoughts I don’t want. It doesn’t have to make sense, it could even just be random words but it really can help you feel better. 
  • Learn a new craft: For me this is cross-stitching, which is a type of sewing. It’s so satisfying to be able to take some thread and fabric, create some x’s, and all of a sudden have a beautiful picture. The best part is I can do it while sitting on my couch. Learning something new not only gives you a new hobby to do but the learning process can be just as beneficial to helping you get out of your negative thoughts. 
  • Coloring: I’m a huge fan of coloring books especially since I’m not creative enough to draw. I find it to be a calming and therapeutic activity. I love to sit with my favorite relaxing playlist going and color away. If you are a drawer/doodler this could also be a great outlet for you to escape your negative thoughts. Whether you draw the emotions you’re feeling or the places you wish you were visiting or even just doodle random lines, this can be really beneficial in helping you feel better for a while. 
  • Jigsaw Puzzles: This is a new hobby for me since I got a jigsaw puzzle for Christmas and to say I’m obsessed would be an understatement. It’s the perfect amount of using my brain while also getting to relax, plus I love it because I get to do it with my parents. I wish there was a library for jigsaw puzzles!
Hopefully the next time you’re feeling down you can try one of these hobbies (or a favorite of your own) and start to feel your spirits lift a little bit. What are your favorite hobbies? I would love to hear what you do so I can give them a try!

Until next time. 💜
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Fed Up

So January has not gotten any easier for me, thank goodness it’s over tomorrow! I know, I know, just the start of a different month. Name isn’t going to automatically solve all my problems, but it’s a nice addition. I have to apologize really quick to those of you that follow the Instagram for my blog because I haven’t been very active on there. I try to keep an uplifting theme on there and here, because even though mental illness is tough I still try to be a positive version of it as much as possible and that hasn’t been easy for me this month at all. So I find myself pulling away from everyone instead of talking about it. 


Going off of that trying to be positive note I always try to find something beneficial from my anxiety and what’s going on in my life (as much as possible when my brain is constantly lying to me). I can even tell you positive things that have come from my panic attacks and what I’ve learned going forward. This month, however, everything is completely different. When I talk to my therapist I can agree that there is some positive things coming from this month of struggle, but other than that hour talking to her things have had a pretty negative outlook for me and I’m tired of it. 

I’m fed up. I’m fed up with my anxiety and depression. I’m fed up with the fact that I can be fine for months and then feel like I’ve never learned anything. I’m fed up with the fact that my tool bag of tricks doesn’t always work. I’m fed up with having to accept the fact that sometimes you’re just not okay and that’s okay. I’m fed up with January because I have had more panic attacks and consumed more Xanax this month than I have in the past six months combined. I’m fed up with crying almost every day. I’m fed up with having to cancel plans. I’m fed up with feeling stuck, lost, broken. I’m fed up with feeling like I have no control. 

If you didn’t gather, I’m feeling pretty fed up. Feeling fed up with my mental illness isn’t a new thing for me but I can usually manage it pretty well and squash it to a healthy version of frustration. I’m trying to channel this frustration into motivation like I normally try to do, but honestly at this point I’m just trying to not be mad at myself all the time. I actually hate writing this all out to the public because I hate admitting when I’m struggling this much. It’s hard when everything is going good and then it’s like I’ve never dealt with this before, but this is what’s happening. How do you explain to people that have seen you be okay for many months that all of sudden you can’t stop panicking? Yeah, there are reasons this is happening, but a month ago I could successfully fight it. This is my life right now and when I started this blog I promised to share the good and the bad, luckily for me it’s been majority positive but unfortunately that is not always going to be the case. 

I know this is only a minor bump in the road and in a few weeks I’ll be okay and back on track, but that still doesn’t change the fact that this is how I strongly feel right now. I’m just not feeling okay and even though I’m aware of that and the reasons why it’s happening, it doesn’t make it any easier. If any of you out there are going through a rough patch please know that you’re not alone and I am 100% here if you need to talk. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, I’ve spent a lot of time this month becoming okay with asking for help and trying not to apologize too much after I’ve asked (still working on this one). Shout out to my parents who I literally have had to wake up at 4 am because I am panicking and need to not be alone. For anyone who wants to help but doesn’t know how, just remind the people in your life that may be struggling that you’re here for them and love them and won’t hate them if they have to cancel plans (this is what I think all the time, that people will hate me for essentially having anxiety). 

If you’ve made it this far thanks for reading this post even though it’s a little more on the negative side. I appreciate you all more than I will ever be able to put into words. 

Until next time. 💜
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Grief & New Traditions

So if you’ve been following along with my blog or social media you’ve probably seen that I’ve been having a hard time lately.  January and also sometimes into February tend to be a hard time for me in general, so although this wasn’t completely unexpected, it still sucks. Between becoming a year older, starting a new year, birthday anniversaries of loved ones I’ve lost along with their death anniversaries, it’s been tough for me to not feel sad all the time. I’ve just felt reminded of how much my life has changed and in some cases how it is not at all where I expected I would be or even where I want to be. Then you add on to that all the grief that comes with remembering loved ones who are no longer with me and the struggle becomes even worse.

Grief is such a difficult concept for me because there is not a right and wrong way to grieve. As a business major, perfectionist, and gold personality, I strive in environments that have guidelines and right ways to do things. So you can just imagine how difficult it is for me to deal with emotions that are constantly changing and evolving, especially grief. When we think of grieving we automatically associate it with negative feelings and for obvious reasons. It’s what we do when things go wrong, whether it’s the death of someone we love or even just not getting that job we really wanted. I think that because it has such a negative connotation so many of us are afraid of feeling it, I know I am at least. Why would I want to sit down and grieve knowing that I’m signing up to sit down and be sad? I know, I know, that’s not how it works but that’s what it feels like. This is why I’ve always pushed it away. It also doesn’t help that I tend to compare myself to others. It’s been a couple of years since I went through my cycle of tough losses, so why am I still grieving and struggling? I know people who have gone through much more recent losses and they seem fine. Well, for starters, I really don’t know if they’re fine I’m just making assumptions based on surface level interactions, which is the first thing I’m doing wrong. Secondly, grief is a process and since I pushed away my emotions so much at the beginning it’s going to take me a while to heal. I have to first acknowledge these emotions and then work on coping with them. I need to let them happen before I can even begin to process them, because I previously just acted and tried to convince myself that everything was okay.
So how do you even begin to process grief, right? Well I don’t have all the answers because I’m still learning myself, but I would love to start the conversation. Grief is something I’ve currently been working on with my therapist and I’m realizing it’s so much more than being sad that someone is no longer here or things didn’t go exactly as planned, or in my case both. Grieving is remembering the good times and the bad, the positive and the negative. For example, this Monday would have been my grandpa’s birthday and I was really struggling. I wanted to remember him but I also didn’t want to invite in those sad feelings of loss when I was already in such a fragile state. My therapist helped me with this in two different ways. The first was figuring out why this is a loss I’m struggling with so much. Besides the fact that he was my grandpa and my last living grandparent, there was so much more. If we’re lucky, and I consider myself to have been among the luckiest if I do say so myself, our grandparents are almost like these magical beings in our life. They are like fairy godparents, for instance. Our relationship with them is for the most part all good. They step in when you’re annoyed with your parents or your parents are annoyed with you. They give the best hugs and they always know the right thing to say. They are the ultimate authority, because I mean they’re your parents’ parents so they have to be right. You create this bond full of so much love and goodness with them and it’s a bond that you will never be able to create with someone else. Your parents can’t fill that bond because as much as we love them (hey mom and dad) they see us for the good and the not so good. We fight, we argue, we annoy, and of course we love, but it’s entirely different than that sacred relationship we have with our grandparents. For me, I was not only grieving the loss of my grandpa and not getting to celebrate his birthday with him anymore, but I was still struggling to fully process the loss of never getting to experience that grandparent relationship on earth again. Wow, no wonder I pushed my grieving away because that’s a lot to process! In recognizing this, though, it’s helped me realize that this is not something one just gets over and grieving really is a process that truly takes time.

The second thing my therapist helped me realize is that grieving and remembering doesn’t have to be sad. What? I know, right, it’s kind of mind-blowing. We tend to focus so much on the fact that they’re gone that we forget all the good years we had with them (or at least I do). I mean people always say remember the good times, be thankful for the time you had with them, and at the moment you’re internally thinking “please shut up because they’re gone and I’m sad”, but those people are so right. This is how we start to really process grief, I think. We need to move from the fact that they’re no longer here because we can’t control that, but we can control remembering them in the positive light that we want to. I know it’s easier said than done and it’s not going to happen overnight but this is what I’m really going to try to do moving forward. My mom and I started a new tradition this Monday to help us try and grieve and remember in a positive way. We decided that when it is the birthday of someone we have lost, that instead of walking on eggshells and trying to figure out if we bring it up and talk about them and let ourselves feel sad or if we just act like it’s another day, we are going to make a meal that reminds us of them. This way, we aren’t just letting the day pass but we are also choosing to remember the happy moments from either eating that meal with them or knowing how much they loved it, to help us remember them with a smile instead of with painful tears. (Although happy tears are always a good thing.) Making a meal seems like such a simple thing but I can tell you that it helped me so much on Monday to make that meal in honor of my grandpa and for the first time in a while I remembered him without only feeling sad that he is gone.

Wow, this was a long one so thanks for sticking with me! I would love to hear what you have learned when it comes to trying to handle grief. Do you do any traditions to remember your loved ones? This is all so new to me to actually process these emotions in a healthy way instead of crying myself to sleep when no one is around, so I would to hear any and all thoughts on the subject!

Until next time. 💜 
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Surviving the Dark Days

So unfortunately for about the past week or so I have found myself in a not so great place. Depression, anxiety, panic -they’ve all come to visit in full force. It’s the worst it’s been in a while and even though I have an idea of why they are coming out to play, it still doesn’t make it any easier. In fact, it actually makes it harder for me. I tend to be a perfectionist in life, so I always want answers. I’ve been learning through this journey that having answers to why something is happening doesn’t always help. I thought that once I knew what my triggers were I would be able to control my mental health from getting too out of control, I mean, when you know you have a broken arm you get a cast and rehab it and everything works out. This isn’t the same though and that frustrates me so much. I know why I’m in a low point and I know my tricks that usually help me get through it, but it’s still winning. I can see the problem but I can’t fully fight it. Needless to say I have been a frustrated person, along with feeling really down, so basically I’ve been a really fun person to be around.
I’ve had to learn that sometimes my solutions won’t work and that has to be okay. I’ve had to learn that as much as I want to take care of myself sometimes the only way to do that is by asking for help. I’ve had to learn that sometimes it really just is about surviving and knowing that this low point will pass, but I just have to go along for the ride. It’s been some tough days for me, full of doubt, sadness, anger, guilt, and every other emotion on the board, except for happiness. I’m trying to keep myself distracted and latch on to the positive moments when they come because I’ve grown enough to know that they will come and this will pass. This low point isn’t a moment that defines my journey but just a roadblock in my progress. I know this doesn’t mean I have to start completely over on my healing, as much as it may feel like it, and that there are actually positives and lessons I can take away from this experience, which is what I’m trying to remember and focus on. At the end of the day I’m just trying to hold a megaphone up to the part of my brain telling me it knows I will make it through this and hope each day gets better.
If any of you out there have any advice for how you survive those dark days I would love to hear it/talk about it. For now I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes that I currently have on repeat:

Until next time. 💜 
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Happy New Year

Happy New Year friends! I don’t know about you but I can’t believe it’s already a new year, how did this happen?! I hope you all enjoyed this holiday season and got to create some new wonderful memories.
The new year and also just the month of January in general tends to cause me to fall into a post-holiday depression. I feel overwhelmed with the pressure to create goals and start new, but at the same time I enjoy the ability to hit refresh and try to find new motivation.
Every new year I tend to set a bunch of unrealistic and very specific goals for myself and then forget about them after a few weeks because they weren’t possible to reach. Then I end up getting upset and feeling like a failure for not meeting them, but in reality I almost set myself up for failure without realizing I was doing it. Lately I’ve been trying to be more patient with myself, especially while currently feeling a bit down right now, so I decided to approach this new year a little differently when it comes to setting a goal for the year. Instead of setting a bunch of goals that aren’t really attainable for me at this point in time, I’ve decided to set just one overall main goal that can be made up by smaller goals along the way.
So this is my goal for 2018:
To be a healthier version of myself both mentally and physically.
This is a goal that I can turn into different things throughout the year as I grow and change. To start off the year it’s going to be baby steps for me and then evolve as I become more capable of things. Like I said, I’m finding myself in a post-holiday blues because between the letdown after the holidays, my birthday reminding me I’m a year older, and the new year reminding me that I’m not where I thought I would be at this point in time, I really needed to set a goal that was realistic and already something I wanted to work on.
How are you all feeling about this new year? Are you pro resolutions or don’t set any? If you do make resolutions what are some of yours? I would love to hear your opinion on resolutions and the new year in the comments below or on my social media. I hope 2018 is off to a great start for you all and I’m looking forward to sharing new content with you this year!

Until next time. 💜 
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Holiday Gift Guide

With 12 days left until Christmas it’s officially crunch time. If you have someone in your life who didn’t make a present wish list you may be struggling to think of something they would like. I decided to make a holiday gift guide comprising of gifts I think someone who is fighting a mental illness may enjoy (or anyone else honestly). I know that finding the perfect gift for someone is my favorite part of the holiday season so, hopefully these ideas can inspire you and help check names off of your list!

  • Books – Sometimes the best thing to do on a tough day is curl up with a good book and escape reality for a little bit. For anyone in your life who is struggling I highly recommend a book by Jenny Lawson. If you’re just looking for a good book in general I would check out Kate Morton’s books or A Southern Haunting Book Series. You can find book one here on Amazon. 
  • Adult Coloring Books – These are honestly so stress relieving. It may seem silly at first sitting down to color when you’re not a child but it can be very therapeutic. There are tons of great coloring books out there you can find based on what your loved one likes but if you’re looking for one that donates to a good cause in the process check out color for the kids.
  • Candles – A soothing candle can be a great help to keep someone grounded and relaxed. Check out these candles made with the purpose to help promote positive mental health. 
  • Positivity Pack – I have yet to try one of these but think they are such a great idea. It’s a pack made with the mission to make your loved one smile. You can check them out online here.
  • Inspirational Jewelry –  Anything with an inspirational quote is a good idea in my book especially when I can wear it and take a positive reminder everywhere with me. Mantrabands are a super cute option, you can check these out online here. I also love bravelets, which can be found here.
  • Journal – I know people who like writing tend to already have a journal of their own so you could consider getting them a guided journal to go along with their every day thoughts. My personal favorite is this one.
  • Something heartfelt – I know super vague right? However, if you’re loved one is fighting a mental illness there’s a good chance they tend to feel like a burden to the people in their life (speaking from experience here). A note reminding them how much you care along with a framed picture of the two of you or something that reminds you of them could go a long way.
I just love Christmas time and hope that these ideas may help you with your shopping. None of these are sponsored products of any kind they are just things that I genuinely like and think others like me may enjoy as well. If you have any ideas to add the list, let me know and I would love to share them as well. I hope you all are having a happy holiday season! 

Until next time. 💚💗