My husband and I honeymooned in Greece after our wedding. Greece was spectacular – the calm, azure waters, the craggy cliffs, the blue and white buildings dotting the landscape, the ancient ruins reminding visitors of the deep, rich history of the land and all those who came before. Not to mention the incredible food andContinue reading “It’s an Illusion”
Author Archives: thehopeantidote
The Important Thing
I’m going to be honest when I say sometimes I look forward to Monday more than I do the weekend. It wasn’t always this way. Although, now that I think about it, sometimes even pre-mom me felt like this, because at least there was routine. There was structure. I knew what was coming and thereContinue reading “The Important Thing”
I Remembered
My anxiety had been so severe for so long that when I finally started to feel better it was…strange. I had forgotten what it felt like to feel normal. I had felt poorly for so long. It was something I lived with every day and, yes, I was coping, and actually convincing myself that thisContinue reading “I Remembered”
A Tough Decision
I thought the toughest decision I’d ever make was the decision to become a mother or not. My husband and I were married for 10 years before we finally decided to try and I wasn’t even certain how easy getting pregnant would be for me. Turns out, very easy. I went off the pill andContinue reading “A Tough Decision”
Guarded Vulnerability
I hear it over and over again. Be vulnerable. Be real. Be authentic. Vulnerability is praised while being guarded and reserved is not. It was my biggest struggle – vulnerability. I didn’t want anyone to know I was suffering from anxiety, and not just anxiety, but a full blown, debilitating, what often felt bizarre, anxietyContinue reading “Guarded Vulnerability”
The Land of the Living
It was the promise I clung to when my anxiety was at its peak and I was at my worst. “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13 NLT As a Christian I believe one day the world will be rightedContinue reading “The Land of the Living”
Unacceptable Anxiety
Social media is controversial for good reason. It’s been called addictive and demotivating and it’s been linked to an increase in depression and anxiety. On the flip side, I would argue it’s brought awareness and openness to the once-taboo topic of mental illness. I struggled on and off with debilitating anxiety most of my lifeContinue reading “Unacceptable Anxiety”
36 Things I’ve Learned In Motherhood
Well, I’ve been around the sun 36 times. I’m not sure how it happened so fast, but here we are. Not too long ago, I was 34, in a labor and delivery room, enduring yet another earth-shattering contraction, when after a harrowing 48 hours, the Doctor plopped a little, naked baby on my chest andContinue reading “36 Things I’ve Learned In Motherhood”
A Cage Called Social Anxiety
“I feel a blinding shaft of terror, which I tell myself to ignore, as my brain will often try to send me messages that are untrue and I do not have to listen to them. This is lesson one at St. John’s: your brain is an idiot.” – Sophie Kinsella, Finding Audrey It didn’t makeContinue reading “A Cage Called Social Anxiety”
Confessions from Pre-Mom Me
I can picture her, pre-mom me. I am sitting on my couch, scrolling through instagram stories, and I see reel after reel, picture after picture of my friends’ babies. Babies learning to walk. Kids blowing out birthday candles. Posts about potty training. Pre-mom me rolls her eyes. A friend posts a quote about how challengingContinue reading “Confessions from Pre-Mom Me”
The Hope Antidote 