Read Kelly’s full Community Connections interview here.

A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience.  She raised a glass of water, and everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, “half empty or half full?” ….She fooled them all… ”How heavy is this glass of water?”, she inquired with a smile. 

I’m a runner.

I run for fun. I run to get a break from my normal day to day. I run to get my blood pumping and keep my heart healthy. But, I also train. I have run three marathons, six half marathons, and countless other races. I’ll basically run anything for a medal and a t-shirt that is, always, too small.

I know I can run a 5K and 10K with little training, but those longer distances? Those require training. Months and months of training– think part-time job amount of training.

S.T.R.E.S.S.— Seriously though, relax, exercise, smile, and sleep. Yes, I did just make that up. Remember to also unclench your jaw, unwrinkle your forehead and take a deep breath. B.R.E.A.T.H.E. In and out. In and out. Repeat. And no, I don’t have an acronym for breathe— just breathe.

At some point during your professional career, you may be impacted by a phenomenon known as “Imposter Syndrome.” It can affect anyone, including elected officials and celebrities. While it’s normal to have sporadic feelings of inadequacy as you progress through your career track, people who experience symptoms of Imposter Syndrome tend to feel a higher level of insecurity and fear about the work that they produce. Doubting their skills, talents, and achievements regardless of how much they have accomplished or how successful they are.  

I’m 23 years old and have been living in my college town for some time now. I’m pursuing my Masters, working part time, and just figuring out this whole adulting thing. One of the most daunting parts of being an adult, and living in an entirely different state, is finding new doctors. My parents did a great job picking out doctors for me back home that I just don’t want to leave them – ever.

I was broken. It’s the only word I have to describe how I felt at this pivotal period in my life. I felt like I had been shattered into a million pieces and I was trudging along, trying to appear whole on the outside. 

Do you have a friend or family member that is going through a rough time? Would you like to reach out to them but you are not sure how to approach them or when is the best time to do so?

You know how satisfying it is to cross something off your “to-do list”? That’s exactly how making and keeping promises to yourself feels. It’s like you were just holding your breath for a long time and finally got to exhale into contentment. 

A friend and I were talking last week about how she was so tired from her busy weekend. She told me what she did and I was exhausted just listening to her! Both weekend days were jam packed with work or play. I told her my weekend was full of R&R and brunch, both days. I told her I felt like I had reset over the weekend and was ready to work my 40 hours in 4 days.

As someone who has been on and off antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication for 10 years, I wanted to take a more self-healing approach. In doing so, my doctor gave me some homework: answer the following questions every day, at the end of the day, for two weeks straight:

Last week I was babysitting two young boys in my neighborhood while their parents ran errands. It started off as most of my babysitting gigs do – we put together a puzzle, played tickle monster, and competed over a game of Zingo (for those of you who don’t know, this is basically bingo for younger humans. Needless to say, it’s a very good time). During the game, the five-year-old boy told me that he had completed his bravery mission for the month and was excited to see what his Mom was going to get him as a reward. I looked at him quizzically. What was this bravery mission he spoke of? His explanation resonated deeply with me, someone twenty-two years his senior.

New Year resolutions don’t work... for me.  I have tried, really, I’ve tried. For years, I used to have a little notebook that I would always write ten, yes always ten, resolutions in. I would also look at my resolutions from the previous year and I can tell you... I do not recommend it. Most of my resolutions were to lose weight, meet a good guy, find a hobby, and the super generic “be happier” They were superficial and honestly really depressing. It was like a plan (that I never followed through on) on how to be someone else.  So, around the age of 30 I stopped making resolutions; no more “New Year, New me”.  Flashforward to 2021

We are all struggling to adapt to the ever-changing world impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Trying to avoid getting sick, adjusting to social isolation, working from home, and if you have kids, taking care of their needs concurrently has become a massive undertaking. How do you balance it all and keep things running with some sense of normalcy, decorum and efficiency? What works best for me, and my family, is to run my home office and kids’ educational and entertainment needs as a mini business where both operate by guidelines, clear expectations, and communication.

Many years ago, I used to buy really amazing (*cough* expensive *cough*) gifts for my family members at the expense of my own financial well-being. Translation? I charged everything to my credit cards. And, to make matters worse, I would spend that whole next year paying those same credit cards back down to, you guessed it, do it all over again.

Whether you are married or single, live with your parents or on your own, have a large family or small, spend the time alone or with family, navigating the holidays while keeping your mental health protected can be difficult. But it doesn’t have to be impossible.
Here are 8 strategies you can try to help keep your mental health safe throughout the holiday season.

Picture this, you’re 5 years old and it’s show and tell day at school. You wake up so excited that morning and can’t wait to bring all your favorite things with you— that cool doll or action figure, a special rock you found that you swear has magical powers, and a flattened penny you got from the gift shop of the aquarium you went to over the summer. 

“I thought journaling was for little girls.”
“I’m not a writer.”
“I don’t have time to write in a journal.”
“I wouldn’t know what to say.”

As a longtime grief clinician for Jewish Community Services, I frequently encourage people to use journaling to decrease grief symptoms and increase feelings of well-being. Time and time again, however, the responses I receive are those of uncertainty.

The great thing about journaling is that anyone can learn how to do it. Journaling is not the same as writing, where you tend to think about format and perfection of the end result. Instead, you are giving yourself the opportunity to just be in the moment – to feel and to process.

If someone had asked me four years ago how I would react if I found my mother on the floor after an accidental alcohol overdose, I would have told them that I would hyperventilate, scream or cry hysterically. But that’s not what happened. When I found my mother lying motionless next to her bed that early morning in June of 2013, I just froze. I woke my father who was asleep in the next room and then called an ambulance. And if someone had asked me that morning how I would feel four years later, I probably would have told them that I would be living in deep, anguishing mourning. But that’s not what happened either.

“I’m failing as a wife.” This is what I told myself when I took my third pregnancy test with negative results over the course of 26 days since I missed my period. When I wrote “What is your body telling you?” I thought I was back on track with my normal 28 day cycles, but I was wrong. I’m currently on day 53 since the day of my last period.