Category: Mental Health

Learning to Be Open About Your Mental Health

Learning to Be Open About Your Mental Health

by Christine Benedict ♥ 6 Comments

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I like sharing how I’m feeling with others. I know some people are uncomfortable even sharing their feelings with themselves, but I’m all about being open. As far as I’m concerned, the better you can understand what’s going on for me internally, the better we can get along. And that includes the tough stuff.

Hiding my depression, I feel, doesn’t help you or me. If I start acting “weird” or not like my “usual self,” I want you to have the tools to understand why that might be. Not to mention, I’d tear down the mental illness stigma single-handedly if I could. And I think that if every person who struggled with their mental health could be more comfortable being open about it, we’d be able to bring that wall down brick by brick.

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9 Lies to Stop Telling Yourself

9 Lies to Stop Telling Yourself

by Christine Benedict ♥ 2 Comments

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We can’t know for sure how many times we’re lied to in a day—unless we count the number of times we lie to ourselves. Have you ever stopped and turned your self-talk on its head? Sometimes our state of mind is more confined by self-imposed boundaries than we realize.

Get rid of that clutter. Cut that mental red tape. Stop telling yourself these 9 lies.

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Why I’m Embracing JOMO: the Joy of Missing Out

Why I’m Embracing JOMO: the Joy of Missing Out

by Christine Benedict ♥ 3 Comments

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FOMO, or the fear of missing out, is something that has come to the forefront for a lot of us since the rise of social media. Other people are constantly sharing only the highlights of their life, and when friends get together and present curated posts of some outing or event, that’s when it hits. You’re sitting at home in your comfy flannel pajamas with a cat on your lap, content as ever, but that picture of your bestie with her other friends gives you major FOMO.

But what if you chose to stay home that night? If you elected to stay home and have a quiet night, that FOMO shouldn’t take over your mood. It’s about intention. What if you can turn this instance into some JOMO–some joy of missing out instead?

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The Problem of Being Creatively Overwhelmed

The Problem of Being Creatively Overwhelmed

by Christine Benedict ♥ 2 Comments

creativeoverwhelm3.19-1In a previous blog, I talked about how creative inspiration comes and goes whenever it pleases. I gave some tips on how to coerce it out of hiding and into your life, but what happens when you have the opposite problem?

Sometimes, I have too many ideas all at once. There are so many things I want to tackle right then and there, but I don’t have the time or the materials to do it. I feel creatively overwhelmed.

It’s feast or famine, folks, and I can’t decide which is worse.

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5 Things I Did to Improve My Body Image

5 Things I Did to Improve My Body Image

by Christine Benedict ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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It’s no secret that being someone who is larger than the “average” or “ideal” body type comes with challenges. It feels like all of the body positive plus/midsize influencers that I follow get asked the same question over and over: how did you become so confident in yourself? Their answers vary, but one common thread is that they’re “still working on it.”

Body confidence is more of an ongoing process than a definitive goal that you can check off on your to-do list. This has been true in my personal experience as well. That being said, I think that there are still some actionable things that you can do to help your journey along. Today, I’ll talk about the top 5 things that have helped me gain body confidence.

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When Goals Can Be Harmful

When Goals Can Be Harmful

by Christine Benedict ♥ 3 Comments

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Goals are pretty universally seen as a good thing. They help you be mindful of what you’d like to achieve, they keep you on track, and they’re a great way of measuring your accomplishments.

In my experience, though, goals have sometimes caused undue stress. In fact, some past goals of mine have actually been harmful to me. Especially for people with perfectionistic tendencies, goals may not be the best way to work towards improvement. So I’d like to share my experience and offer some suggestions for alternative ways of tracking your aspirations.

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Don’t Trip Over What’s Behind You

Don’t Trip Over What’s Behind You

by Christine Benedict ♥ 1 Comment

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People often talk about living in the past like it’s one of the biggest mistakes you could make. But there are so many ways you can interpret “living in the past.” Unfortunately, I think the blanket conclusion for all of these interpretations is that thinking too much about what has happened before can keep you from living well in the present and future.

I don’t know if I agree with this generalization.

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Are You Who You Wanted to Be as a Kid?

Are You Who You Wanted to Be as a Kid?

by Christine Benedict ♥ 3 Comments

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If you’re reading this on its publish date, my 26th birthday is tomorrow. My birthday last year was exciting because so many people consider 25 to be the prime of your life. But what about 26? I think the only thing that most of us associate with turning 26 (in the US at least) is that it’s the age when you get kicked off your parents’ insurance.

Truly exciting. So what else can we say about 26? I’m now closer to 30 than to 20. Honestly, I get little waves of nervousness thinking about 30, but then I remember that a lot can change in 4 years. I mean, 4 years ago I was 22. I’m certainly very different than I was in my last semester of college, so I’m sure I’ll be ready for 30 when I get there (fingers crossed).

Maybe it’s because I feel like I’m really starting to settle into my life, but I’ve been reflecting on my identity a lot. I want to make this year about self-care, self-empowerment, and self-formation. I think I’ve gotten the hang of self-care and self-empowerment, but how do I know where to start for self-formation? I think back to when I was a kid.

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Why Winter Helps My Mental Health

Why Winter Helps My Mental Health

by Christine Benedict ♥ 4 Comments

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Most people love the warmth, sunshine, and liveliness that come with summer. Maybe it’s because of my tendency to be contrarian, but I come alive in the colder months. Don’t get me wrong, I love a great beach vacation or day spent kayaking on a lake, but I’d so much rather be sitting by a fire or even enjoying a chilly stroll around the neighborhood.

I know a lot of people are impacted by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in winter, but did you know that it can also affect people in summer too? I don’t know if my aversion to summer is SAD, but I think it’s good for everyone to keep in mind that for every person who agrees with you, there is bound to be someone who feels the opposite. If you’re someone who has trouble when the days get shorter and the temperature drops, maybe hearing what I love about winter will help you through this season.

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The Biggest Mistake I’ve Ever Made

The Biggest Mistake I’ve Ever Made

by Christine Benedict ♥ 9 Comments

biggestmistake1.19-10Smart kids get good grades. Good grades get you into good colleges. Going to a good college gets you a good job when you graduate. Getting a good job gets you a good career. Getting a good career gets you a good life.

Sound familiar? We’re pretty much all taught to think this way in the US. And if you’re a bright kid, you’ve probably internalized this mentality and formed your life plan around it. You set goals constantly, have a straight and narrow path that is both comforting and stress-inducing to follow. You know exactly how to get what you want from life.

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