I will be the first to admit that acceptance is something that doesn’t come naturally to me. My entire life has been a kaleidoscope of dwelling on aspects of life I cannot change, wondering why experiences/people/places/things just can’t be different, and an entire host of other expectations. In short, I believe that most of my anxiety and depression lie in my relationship with acceptance. How can you learn to rewrite your own story and accept yourself more fully?
Read MoreDuring the week of May 24-May 28, Hourglass Media observed its inaugural Mental Health Week. This week’s intention was to take a much-needed hiatus from client work and everyday work life #behindthehourglass. While we love what we do, we wanted to practice what we preach and make our mental health a priority during this week. Both of us wanted to give our takes on the week and what we learned about ourselves -- and our mental health -- during our Mental Health Week.
Read MoreMay is National Mental Health Awareness Month. As anyone who knows even a small glimmer about our work knows, mental health is one of our main passions and causes. In addition to introducing mental-health habits in the workplace, we also want to give you some tools to use both personally and professionally. Here are five ways you can bring your mental health to the forefront this month.
Read MoreOver a year ago, our lives collectively changed when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world as we knew it. Since then, mental health issues have skyrocketed. Individuals may have new diagnoses or fall into the same issues they have known about and lived with for a while. No matter the onset, mental health has been at the forefront of many casual conversations to clinical studies.
Read MoreLike most people who have Netflix and love a good true-crime story, I watched “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at The Cecil Hotel.” I’m going to go ahead and spare you if you haven’t seen it already: just sit this one out. With all of my commentary aside, there is one thing that really stuck with me after watching this series. Mental health is still very misunderstood and exploited. When you don’t have control of your own narrative, it can be misconstrued to the masses.
Read MoreI am able to toggle back and forth between feeding my son and then hopping on a Webex meeting. Recently, I appeared live on one of our local news stations. When I returned home, he puked all over the front of my red dress. Not the most glamorous moment, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. No one could prepare for the challenge of being a mom AND Hourglass Media CEO. I aim to bring you along my mental health journey, so welcome to my Mom/CEO life. See what works for me as I embark on completely new territory.
Read MoreA couple of years ago, I discovered Hilary Rushford. Ever the devoted, always-learning entrepreneur, I was instantly drawn to Hilary’s business and style tips. In 2020, I’ve been using the Elegant Excellence Journal to help me streamline my goals and objectives while giving myself the grace to adjust my aspirations if needed.
Read MoreIn last week’s blog post about self-publishing, I mentioned in the last point to not let fear stop you. I wish I could bottle even just a drop of that little-girl fearlessness. There are times I really need it and have to still push myself past the corners of a suppressed envelope in order to reach my writer’s potential. I’ve written millions upon millions of words at this point personally and professionally, but I still struggle with a lack of confidence in certain writing realms. Here are three ways you can work on overcoming your fear of sharing your work.
Read MoreAs a recovering perfectionist, I still have many moments of unhelpful thoughts. In this Mental Health Moments blog post, I will outline three of my most unhelpful thought processes to give you an inside look at my brain. I write these posts to help others struggling with perfectionism, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues reach at least a small form of clarity. Unhelpful thoughts are old friends who rear their heads at the most inconvenient times. They are part of the confines of my comfort zone, and I have to be diligent in thwarting them before they wreak havoc on my productivity and general way I feel about myself.
Read MoreThis week, I wanted to talk about my own foray into curated imperfection in this blog post in order to shed light on how I was duped into believing in these tactics. Here are some ways curated imperfection can cause more harm than good to our mental health.
Read MoreIn the hustle and bustle of everyday life, managing overwhelm can feel like the most daunting task in the known world. Trust me when I say this: I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed. There are times in which I manage it like a pro, knocking down negative thoughts as they arise while plugging away at my growing to-do list. Other times, I feel as though I want to crawl into the fetal position underneath the covers and sleep away the problems. I can’t eradicate the negative thought processes growing exponentially in my brain. Here are three ways I tackle overwhelm.
Read MoreAs a public relations practitioner -- or a communicator in general -- you are initiated with the expectation that you MUST deliver everything on a silver platter to everyone at all times. That makes total sense most of the time. After all, as PR pros, we want our clients’ and organizations’ messages to be heard and seen exactly how we released them to our target audiences. We don’t care to go that extra mile to ensure that a newspaper has a photo to run with the story or if a reporter from a news station calls us at the last minute for a soundbite for the 6 p.m. broadcast. But, when are you being TOO accessible?
Read MoreMost individuals find themselves on a journey toward happiness for the majority of their lives. Some find it with open arms, but others never seem to push past fear, expectations, and other factors to cultivate their own forms of happiness or contentment. Here are a few ways you can depend on yourself for happiness.
Read MoreAugust is my birth month, so that natural year-older thing always puts me in this mode. I think about lessons learned and successes I’ve had from each August to the next, and this time around, I’ve been ruminating about what I would tell my younger self. Here are four mantras I would tell the younger version of myself earlier in my career.
Read MoreThis Thursday, I will give you more tips on how to create an effective presentation — at least how I do it. There are so many ways to craft a presentation, but I will help you find a method that works best for you. In this week’s Mental Health Moments blog post, I want to talk more about presentation anxiety. So many people I know have it or have experienced it in the past, so I want to share what works best for me.
Read MoreDuring a recent therapy session, my therapist told me about the “drama triangle” to aid me in my journey for self-actualization and healthy ways to combat challenging dynamics in life. I must admit, since learning about this social model of human interaction, the way I look at the world has changed. I don’t want to freak anyone out, but I can recognize the behavior in anyone I know and meet now. It’s immensely helpful, especially if you’re trying to figure out why you feel like you’re in a rut or want to better understand those around you.
Read MoreHow do you lessen your social media usage as a public relations pro when you want to focus more on your mental health? After all, we are expected to manage our own digital footprints and those of others, so it’s challenging to not have some sort of social media persona. I feel so much happier because of this decision to not post as much. Here are some ways that you can use social media for business purposes but begin to “break up” with it personally.
Read MoreAs many of you know, mental health is one of my most coveted personal and professional journeys. It’s a vital part of who I am and who I will continue to be as I grow into more of who I am meant to be as a persona and professional. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and while mental health is important 24/7/365, we pause during this month to take a deeper look into illnesses plaguing one in five adults in the United States. These tips will help you, no matter what you are experiencing in your life currently.
Read MoreI have worn my entire heart on my sleeve my entire life. Even when others can’t see it or I purposely hide it, my sentimentality is my saving grace but largest life villain. There have been plenty of times that I have used my heart to guide me instead of my brain. I’ve given to others who are incapable of reciprocating kindness and even basic human decency. I used to be obsessed with helping others, to the point that I risked my own well-being and got myself into some trying situations. (I’m sure a lot of us can say the same!) So, what are some benefits of sentimentality?
Read MoreI don’t know about you, but during this period of self-quarantine, I have been increasing my time devoted to video games. I’m here to tell you that I LOVE and advocate for video games, and they do wonders for mental health, stress relief, and an overall sense of community. How can video games help you with your mental health and other facets of life?
Read More
