Self Care
Being a people pleaser is not for the faint of heart. Letting people down is one of the most upsetting feelings I manage. I feel it in my heart deep down in my gut and I carry the horrible feeling around with me for weeks and often months when I have to say no or…
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Today my daughter turns 12 years old and she’s getting her first phone. Some parents have been really lovely and understanding and have had similar phone journeys as we have, but others have been straight-up judgemental. Uncool. Would you like to hear my elevator speech? I nearly have it perfect I’ve given it so many…
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I’m very passionate about mental health. I suffer from generalized anxiety disorder and a form of depression. It’s not easy. I see a therapist on a regular basis, whom I adore, and I take medication, which I do not enjoy, but it’s a necessary part of my healthcare. Don’t ask my insurance company anything about…
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As I think many can agree, telling someone to calm down or take a deep breath is the surest and quickest way to make a person do the exact opposite. I will erupt, lose my mind and forget to breathe and will suddenly begin to hyperventilate. So when people encourage those with anxiety, like me,…
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As a woman who suffers from mental health disorders including generalized anxiety disorder and a type of depression, I’m acutely aware of all the ways society deems to destroy mental health in our world. Just ask my insurance company, oh wait, I forgot, they don’t care and that’s why I pay 100% out of pocket…
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I’m a decisive person. I don’t typically struggle to make a decision. I wouldn’t say I make knee-jerk decisions, but I think about what’s most important to me and I go with it. Sometimes things don’t work out or someone might question why I did what I did, especially if given new information five minutes…
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It’s basically standard operating procedure in my family to call me high maintenance. I don’t really care. I’ve leaned into it even though I think it’s bologna. What some call high maintenance, I simply call having standards. So I only drink specific types of bottled water, Pinot Grigio, basically only consume chicken for protein (hello,…
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This week on one of my favorite podcasts, The Absolutely Not Podcast with Heather McMahan, the comedian posed an interesting idea: boundaries are making us selfish. Jigga what? Jigga who? Admittedly, I laughed when she said it. She’s a comedian, that’s the job. As she went on to describe why she felt this way, I…
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I was 14 years old when I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. I mean, really, guys. Not cool. I did get a super cute and cool podiatrist whom I still see to this day! It crushes him when I tell him I’ve been his patient for nearly 27 years. When I hit 21 years, he…
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So, I’ve been riding pretty high about the fact I don’t feel old. Sure, I’m starting to show signs of wear and tear, but overall, I feel pretty good. Until today when it all came crashing down. I’ve never totally loved being tall. I was called Jolly Green Giant as a kid, asked how the…
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The fact I feel the need to even defend the written word is soul-crushing, just so you know, but here we are. However, one of the most soul-sucking disasters of our educational system, at least in my state, is the lack of emphasis on spelling. Indiana doesn’t value memorization; therefore, my kids don’t regularly have…
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In an effort to stay on top of my anxiety and anxious thoughts, I like to organize them. For example, if an event I know is going to be anxiety-inducing is coming up, I think through the situations that could cause me stress. This way I can plan and prepare. I can go in knowing…
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About Heather
(So, my web designer says I needed to include a bio, though I find this task silly because, if you’re here, you know me.)
I’m a writer. It’s what I do. It’s a cathartic mechanism when I need release from my anxiety. I’ve had blogs in the past; I’ve taken them down, but I never stopped writing. I simply can’t. My notes app is forever long as it’s filled with pages and pages of different topics. Sometimes I just write a few sentences. Sometimes I write paragraphs.
Recently, I've been writing long essays. My friends and others I hold dear have coaxed me into sharing my work again.
So that's what I'm doing, you wicked, pushy people. LOL
I have no desire to see my writing be anything more than an opportunity to share what I love doing most. I have no interest in this blog reaching the masses.
I thought it would be fun to call it My Spicy Disaster because that's often how I feel. A complete mess of epic proportion. So join me, if you'd like, and let's pretend we're not sitting amongst the chaos crying, but laughing instead.
Or maybe we do cry sometimes, but then wipe our tears and remember one person’s disaster is another person’s … well, who the hell knows …