Mental Health Step Up: "Check on Your Strong Friend"

Photo by Shalom Mwenesi on Unsplash The phrase that went viral a few weeks ago after we lost some pretty amazing people. The phrase that highlights that people who seem put together on the outside, may actually be breaking and screaming in the inside. The phrase that is trying to break the stigma of asking for help and the stigma […]

Postpartum Depression: A Survivor's Story

One in five women will experience Postpartum Depression. In my doula training, we all discussed that we think that number might be higher, closer to one in four. Postpartum Depression is a condition that people are generally aware of but few understand.  I experienced Postpartum Depression after I gave birth to my daughter. No one warned me that I would feel […]

On The Right Road with Mental Health

Photo by Julien Lavallée on Unsplash At work, bored, I took a bunch of personality quizzes online. One of the quizzes was about gratitude. I don’t really think of myself as a person who (sadly) is very appreciative of who I have in my life, what I have in my life and where I am in my life. But, I […]

My Mental Health Journey

I am Jamie, a partner, a mother, sister, a daughter, and a doula as well as a blogger and podcaster and rec league basketball player. I wear many hats and that’s how I like it, always on the go! I am new to Step Up for Mental Health, and here is my story: When Adrienne and I connected after my […]

May is Mental Health Month

For me personally, I feel as if every day of every month is revolving around Mental Health as I try to live my best quality of life with Bipolar 1 Disorder. However, we’re lucky that we get a month designated towards celebrating and embracing us living with mental illness! I want to bring up Mental Health Month because since my […]

Step Up For Mental Health on Mental Health Education

Photo by: Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash As we educate for Mental Health Month in May we continue to move our programs forward by helping families. I want to reflect on a personal note of 2012—of the death of my mother in January who suffered from a mental health illness from the time I was born. The catalyst of Step Up […]

The Medication Dilemma

Photo by: Simone van der Koelen on Unsplash I have a basket next to my bed, which is next to my apartment door and it keeps my keys, TV remote, current books I’m reading, my AirPods and my medication. Usually, there are three bottles next to my bed. The medications I take at night, in the morning and during the […]

World Bipolar Day 2018

Vincent van Gogh – Self-Portrait, who was thought to have suffered from Bipolar Disorder. Happy Day to us, living with Bipolar Disorder! Today is the day to celebrate those of us who fight, strive, struggle, thrive, last and live through each and every day, no matter how hard and no matter how difficult these days may be. I remember writing […]

The Art of Saying No

Growing up, my swim coach always said, “Become comfortable with being uncomfortable.” It’s a phrase, for me, that has translated beyond the pool and into my everyday life. Recently, for me, that phrase has gone hand in hand with saying no. Life throws so many choices, decisions, options, and opportunities at you and it can feel blurry to navigate how […]

Finding a Fitting Job While Having a Mental Illness

Image by: DeathtoStock To me, it feels like a common question that is asked and inadvertently has been set to “define” me is, “what do you do?” The question is always in reference to a job. Although, I could just say, “I wake up every morning and go to sleep every night.” But instead, I scrape together some answer that […]