Guest Post: Kim Belanger-Mills Holistic/Vegan Lifestyle Consultant

Got Stress?

Kim Belanger-Mills Holistic/Vegan Lifestyle Consultant

I was asked to be a guest blogger on tips for those with stress. I'm not a doctor or therapist but stress is my business, "Helping those with stress in their life to feel more peaceful and grounded". Why stress? Because I've dealt with my fair share. Here's my story and how I keep on top of stress.... 

I grew up in a very... intense...household. My father was old-school military and made no bones about letting me know that he never wanted me, found me to be a burden and loved his car more than me. My mother was always the victim who couldn't leave my father because she had me. Both angry and depressed.

My childhood was anxious (obviously) and I remember having night terrors. Speed ahead to my teen years I had high anxiety and panic attacks daily.  I asked my parents for help but they just stared at me like I was an alien. I was on my own.

The mental and emotional abuse at home didn't get any better and when I was 19 my mother attempted suicide in front of me. This is when I started to lay down some boundaries with my parents and others.

Here's what I learned... EVERYTHING can be a learning experience and the most important thing is to start with self-respect and boundaries from others. You teach people how to treat you and you deserve your own life  and to be happy. Not 10 years from now. TODAY.
So, fix your relationship, get rid of those who don't positively enhance your life. Parents, siblings, friends, spouse.... *gasp* yes, anyone. It may not make you very popular with those who only seek to control you but that's their business. Your business is being happy, plain and simple.

Something else that helped me immensely is to find things that give me joy. Sounds easy, eh? It's not. First, stop listening to others. You can't find YOUR joy if you are constantly listening to others in what THEY want you to do or negativity about what you "can't do". It might be gardening, walking, running, training for a race.... oh, and remember, there is no such thing as failure. Only failure to try! 

Replace stress and anxiety with something better. Healthier. 

Here are some ideas...

-use essential oils
-meditate (count your breaths, do yoga, do dishes with the tv off)
-exercise (walk, run, bike etc)
-read (as in fiction, for fun)
-get up a 1/2 hour earlier to journal and plan how wonderful your day will go (it's mostly an intention, after all)
-eat more raw food (smoothies are amazing)
-smudge (changes the energy of the room and even yourself)
-find a life purpose (my family and I are planning to buy a farm in 2016 and to open a farm sanctuary)
-receive Energywork (such as Reiki)

I'm not going to tell you that once you have a system of tools in place that your life will be all roses and sunshine. Nope. (2003 my dad died, and 2005-2008 my mom died, I was laid off from my job, started school, was separated, was divorced, had a miscarriage, gave birth to a daughter, was remarried) BUT, I will tell you that you will bounce back quicker and easier. You will feel more confident that you can handle just about anything and you will worry WAY less and hopefully enjoy your life WAY more. Because that's what life is all about, right? Enjoying it!! 



If you would like further information about any of the tips given (essential oils, meditation, Reiki, smudge etc) please visit www.VeganKim.com or information about our farm sanctuary journey can be found at http://www.greenerfarmsanctuary.blogspot.ca/ 

Kim Belanger-Mills

Holistic/Vegan Lifestyle Consultant

Bursting With Excitement

How time flies. It's almost time for our friend Kerry Connely's second book Shaken to hit the shelves. Guess what! She has been in contact to say that she will be stopping by to do an interview early in August. I don't know about you, but i can't wait to get my hands on this book. Kerry had become such a hero to me as she puts herself out there to raise awareness about the effects of abuse and depression.  Keep an eye out for her upcoming interview. Better yet, sign up for updates through google plus or bloglovin and you will be sent the update automatically. Take care and enjoy the weather. My thoughtts and prayers are with you.

Tracy

P.S. I REALLY AM SO EXCITED +author KLC

Guest Blogger This Friday!

Sometimes the most crucial part of our recovery is to learn to be positive. I can  already hear that little voice saying "Yah, I'm positive. Positive life sucks!". Life is hard. That's just the way it is. How we interpret our circumstances can make all the difference in how we experience life though. This week I hope to get in a few posts on the value of being positive when dealing with mental health issues. We will cap off the week with a guest post by fellow blogger Jamie Clark from Being Positive With A Depressive Soul. I am so excited to share her words of wisdom. Jamie has suffered from a depressive disorder for more than two decades. Make sure to check out her post Friday or better yet visit her blog and get to know her before she visits us. Thanks for sharing your story Jamie. You are a true champion of the mental health awareness movement. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

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Meet Kerry Connelly: Author and Survivor

As promised Kerry Connelly is guest posting today! I must admit Kerry's bravery in sharing her story makes me feel rather inadequate in my efforts to raise awareness about Mental Health.  Hopefully, as people read her story there will be new discussions about what it is like for people who suffer in silence and solitude out of fear of judgement.  Many people would rather seal themselves off from the world than tell someone that they need help.  If you or someone you know is suffering from Mental Health issues please read Kerry's book.  We are stronger when we share our stories with the world.  

Thanks for joining us today Kerry I will look forward to hearing more from you as your book launch gets closer!

GUEST POST BY AUTHOR KERRY LOUISE CONNELLY.

Candid Introduction/Shaken pre- release promotion and depression/emotional abuse awareness.

Hi ever body, My name’s Kerry Connelly, You may be politely scratching your head thinking, ‘Hmm should I know her?’  No need to rack your brains… no you ‘shouldn’t’ know me – but hopefully you will.

I’m an author and an education assistant. I’m also a sufferer of depression, panic and anxiety disorder. At 28 yrs old , I published my first book ‘Observation City’ – a witty and relatable tongue- in cheek collection of pieces on human behaviour and life situations – I got in just before my 29^th birthday and am about to release my 2^nd book which is  much different to the joyous manifestation that became ‘OC’ (available now in paperback).

Not so long ago I was in a pretty bad place, I was in an emotionally abusive relationship and suffering terribly from depression and other mental health issues, apart from that I was in a job that was contributing to my depression. I was basically fed up and feeling so far past low and lonely that I thought I may end up in a loony bin!

I started to change my circumstances, I quit my job – yep that’s exactly what I did, -You know it’s got to be bad when the only light there was to quit.  Now don’t think I took immense pleasure in quitting– I actually liked my job in the beginning and quitting brought a flood of tears, but I knew it was contributing to the deterioration of my mental health, which is an extremely important issue – so I took a casual position instead while I cradled my dream to learn and write and also get involved in education.

And so - I studied and obtained my certification in education support.                                                                          I left the emotionally abusive situation I was in, but continued to struggle, as I still sometimes do, with my mental health and the understanding of both myself and the situations I have been in. 

– Anything there sound familiar?

What I started to realise is that I want and always have wanted to feel ‘something more’. I remembered back to my primary school graduation, where a 12year old girl in a bright green dress with matching lime green pumps, stood on the assembly stage while the principal declared that ‘When she grows up, Kerry wants to be a writer and a kindergarten teacher’ – maybe kids have it right in the first place, before they’re tainted by the outside world of adulthood. That’s what I realised and that’s what I started to do – in the simplest of terms, - chase my dreams.

‘Shaken: A story of emotional abuse and depression’, is inspired by personal experience, which I hope serves not only as a good read, but as a self-help book of sorts. Interspersed with checklist material and signs for the emotionally abused/depressed as well as their friends to look out for, and to understand the topic better – I hope to help at least one person gain some comfort in what may be a confusing situation.

Yes it’s a scary venture, but I believe things happen for a reason, - maybe just maybe, one of the reasons I went through such depression (Which you will learn about in ‘Shaken’) was to help me on my path of becoming a published author- who knows?

‘Shaken’ is due for release in the coming months and I would appreciate all the support that I can get as the release date draws nearer. You can show your support by joining me via my official Facebook and website pages for upcoming release information.

I hope readers will enjoy it and be able to take something personal away from reading it. I sincerely hope to connect with readers and hear your feedback and stories. Please feel free to contact me on the listed sites, and I look forward to hearing from you!

PLEASE JOIN AND HELP SUPPORT ME VIA FACEBOOK AND MY WEBSITE

http://www.facebook.com/authorKerryLouiseConnelly

http://www.kerrylconnelly.wix.com/authorklc