I’m not usually one to use or follow hash tags, but for the past week I’ve been looking for just the right motivation to help push me back on the health track I followed with some success over the past few months. Brute force will-power alone rarely works for me; I seem to need a whole program of sorts. Fortunately, in my perusing the interwebs yesterday, what should I behold but #AllInForAugust.
I do love alliteration. Continue reading “All In For August”
March 8th snuck up on us. Busy with the wee babe and the six-year old, we were surprised by our Sobriversary this year. Last year felt like a major accomplishment; this year felt like just another day.
Because it was.
At three years sober, we’re well–settled into a life without alcohol. That old life and who we used to be feels very much in the past. So much so, that at times I look at my ever-present ups and downs and wonder if I truly am better off. I still experience depression. I still have much to learn as a parent. I still have a messy house. I still have weight to lose. I still don’t accomplish everything I’d like to. Continue reading “Three Years Sober and Counting”
Several times over the past week I sat down to write about the serious topics at hand and it just didn’t work. I thought I was ready, and I am, but life as it tends to do had other plans.
When it comes to writing, I’ve learned not to force it. It’s no good if I do. The words will come when they’re ready. When conditions are right. Like the weather. Or spring blooms. Or a good bowel movement.
“Mom, why is there poop on the carpet?” the six-year old asked loudly. Continue reading “Surrounded”
Kellie Knight Receives NAMI Media Award
At nearly nine-months pregnant, I recently made the 8-hour trip to Minneapolis/St. Paul to stand before an amazing group of people and nervously stammer out a Thank You speech. NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) chose my series on mental health in rural America written earlier this year for its Media Award. Continue reading “An Honor and a Privilege”
The phone rang and I let it go to Voicemail. I was in the middle of playing Go Fish with the now-five-year old, but that’s not the real reason I didn’t answer. When I’m feeling low, I don’t want to talk to anyone. I barely have the mental energy to get the dishes done, let alone put on a smile and pretend life is peachy keen. My dear and trusted friend, who is SO much better at reaching out than I am, left a cheerful message as she always does and in my state of mind, I couldn’t even bring myself to listen to it. Continue reading ““Hello, It’s Me Again…””
Mental Health in our Rural Communities (Part 4 – Sidebar 3)
Focus on more and better sleep. Take naps. After dinner, start setting your environment up for sleep. Turn your house lights down earlier. Put away technology earlier. Start a 10-minute tidy-up routine each night to help quiet the mind’s To Do list. Get into bed earlier. Do some stretching just before
Continue reading “Six Things You Can Do Today to Feel Better Tomorrow”
Mental Health in our Rural Communities (Part 4 – Sidebar 2)
For help right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or call 911.
You can also:
(Published in the February 13th, 2018 Warroad Pioneer)
Part 4 The New Normal
Part 4 Sidebar 1 Know the Signs and Symptoms
Mental Health in Our Rural Communities (Part 4)
We all know someone with high blood pressure, with diabetes, or who has broken a bone and received treatment. We don’t think of them as abnormal. Chances are, we also know someone with some degree of mental illness, whether that be mild depression, anxiety or something more serious.
Despite one in four people suffering with mental health issues, the tendency to think of them or ourselves as abnormal is still prevalent. Continue reading “The New Normal”
Mental Health in our Rural Communities (Part 3)
As parents, there is nothing we care about more than the health and well-being of our children.
Yet often, for both ourselves and our children, we de-prioritize mental health issues until as individuals or families, we are in crisis mode. We’re quite fortunate In Roseau County to have access to a good crisis response system, but hopefully just as you would aim to take care of your heart health before the muscle is in full crisis, so too should mental health be prioritized before something major happens. Continue reading “Safe, Calm and Consistent Wins the Race”
Kellie Knight’s “Angle Full of Grace” 