Hello Everyone,
If someone is monitoring your whereabouts, taking pictures of you, breaking into your home or your car, you may be a victim of stalking. Stalking is very dangerous and needs to be taken very seriously. If someone is causing you to fear for your safety or the safety of a loved one please check with your local district court to see if you need to file a stalking injuction. Please check out our infographic based off of information found on WomensLaw.org to help you to better understand what stalking is. Remember, we all deserve to feel safe, take care.

Hello Everyone,

This is a list of questions provided to us from Johns Hopkins Medicine that can help determine if we or someone we love is struggling with substance abuse. If you or someone you love answers yes to one of these questions, we encourage you to take the next step and talk someone about your answers. Getting a substance abuse evaluation can help give you or your loved one direction to begin to deal with the issue. It can be difficult for us or our loved ones to see how our use of a substance is no longer "just" use and has now become abuse. The Brief CAGE questionnaire is used by many substance abuse treatment providers to screen for substance abuse. This is a great place to start, but remember it is just the start. Please reach out to us or your local provider if you need help! Take care and thanks for reading.

Hello Everyone,
 
Have you ever experienced the pleasure that comes from the joy of understanding? Have you ever experienced the joy that comes from understanding yourself? Have you had the pleasure of understanding another person? Take just a moment and think about the extent to which you understand yourself. If you have a partner, take a moment to make note of how much you understand that other person. Have you ever not understood another person and blamed them for it? We tend to say, “you are so confusing” or “I don’t understand you”. If we were working towards joy and happiness, I wonder if we would have to learn how to say, “Help me understand”, or “are you willing to say that in another way, I am not sure I follow you”. Imagine if we began to see misunderstandings as an opportunity to gain joy, rather than a threat to our security. How would making understanding not only a goal but a priority, change the amount of joy we were experiencing on a daily basis in our personal relationships. For some of us, we push being understood rather than pushing understanding. If the pleasure and joy of understanding sound wonderful to you, take an inventory. What are you pushing; the need to understand or your need to be understood? Next, make it a goal for every conversation, for every altercation and for any interaction, especially with the people you say you love. Take care, and my hope for you is that you get to experience this joy on a daily basis!

Hello Everyone,

Today we are discussing the importance of connection. If connection is defined by what we are associated with, what do you associate yourself with? Associates are those that we enter into an agreement with to accomplish a goal. What are your goals? Do your associates share your goals? If we look next at things that you associate yourself with, what will you find? Do you like the connections you have or do you long for other connections. If you have never asked yourself what and whom am I connecting to, maybe it's time to take inventory of your associations and if needed make the necessary changes. Today we challenge you to be mindful and intentional with your connections, and have an awesome rest of your day!

Hello Everyone,
Today I wanted to share an effective way to make a list. Lists are great for reducing stress, getting organized and helping with both anxiety and depression. A list will also help us to prioritize everything we have on our plates. Follow these 4 quick tips to help you get started!

1. Write down all the things that you need to get done
   
2. Add a number next to each "to-do" that you need to complete, start with a number one next to the most important thing that you need to complete that day
   
3. Check off items on your list that you have accomplished
4. At the end of your day be sure that you add any uncompleted items on your list to a list that you will add to and use tomorrow
   

Be mindful that this list is not set in stone, it needs to be flexible. Also at the end of each day, pay attention to what you have achieved even if you have only achieved one to-do and give yourself credit.
By following these tips you will be well on your way to staying organized and improving your mental health! Take care and be sure to make a to-do list!