In today's episode, I'd like to talk about a situation I'm sure we've all been in (and will again sometime through our lives) and have most likely been on both sides of. I'm talking about this:

Going through something and (regardless of what said thing may be) not knowing how to let people be there for you OR knowing someone you care about is going through something (no matter what that mat be) and you aren't sure if they'll let you be there for them/how they want you to be there for them.

No matter what the relationship is between you and a person or you and people or what the situation/news/life change may be - being on both sides of this situation can be tough, emotionally and mentally especially. 

Although I won't share exactly what is going on because it's not my story to tell, I did want to share with you where I'm at right now and how I'm trying to navigate my anxiety and worries. 

If you are going through any sort of situation or season that makes you feel overwhelmed, anxious, scared, or worried please feel free to connect with me on Instagram (@thisiskaitey is my handle). We're on this journey together, never be afraid to talk to me! If you have people in your circle who need to hear something like this, make sure to share the episode and tag me so I can thank you for spreading the word about my podcast! Thank you so much for being on this journey with me, and the continued support! I'm truly grateful for all of you! <3

About two and a half weeks ago I had so many knots develop in my back, shoulders, sides and even neck (according to the registered massage therapist I saw) that I was in too much pain to focus on this podcast or my small design and decor shop, Kreative Kaitey Decor. It sucked of course, but our overall health should always comes first. 

I'm not back to feeling 100% yet and this is a tough season of life for me in other ways as well, but I do feel better than I have the past couple weeks. I don't know what life holds, none of us really do.. well except mediums maybe, but you get my point. I will do episodes myself when I can off course, because I do miss our conversations, but when things get really tough mentally and emotionally I have friends with their own podcast willing to do interviews with me or do a whole guest episode. This is a come along with me and figure this life thing out together type podcast, so I wanted to quickly share these updates and be super raw/real with you all. 

Thank you so much for your continued support, and especially for keeping my podcast going and growing while I took a need break to focus on my health. You are all freaking amazing!!

If you want to share with me what has been going on in your world recently or just connect with me more, you can find me on Instagram - @thisiskaitey is my username! If you'd like to check out my shop, that handle on Instagram is @kreativekaiteydecor :)

I appreciate you all so much, and I'm so glad we're connected! <3

I may not have children, but in the 90's I was a young one who experienced signs of being different from others. Those differences turned out to be early symptoms of anxiety and depression. 

Mental health issues in children were already too common when the pandemic hit, and that pandemic has lead to things only getting worse. I feel for these children, who are having what should be a normal childhood ripped from them. I fear the constant back and forth between online and in class learning is hurting many kids, and making them feel like guinea pigs through covid. I worry about how these young souls will come out of this and be okay, if adults (in all different fields) do not make sure proper and truly accessible mental health tools/support/resources/support are not put in place and don't even know how to first identify a mental health issue in a child. 

If sharing my story and the signs/symptoms I mention leads to even one child being helped or some of you listening in understand what types of things to watch for, I will be elated. My goal is to help all humans learn how to cope with mental illnesses, work through traumatic experiences, and thrive in this life! 

If you resonate with this or enjoyed this episode, please message me on Instagram (@thisiskaitey) so we can better connect! And if you know people who need to hear this, share it on social media and tag me so I can say thank you for helping getting my podcast out there!

I'm so thrilled to be connected with you all, and that people from all over the world listen in. That truly touches and fulfills me, thank you so much! You are loved., and you are amazing!

Trauma, tragedy, grief, triumph. They are things that we'll inevitably have to experience and have to work through in our lifetime. 

Before going any further let me say this: I believe people can heal from many things, but grief from a death is different because we more or less just lean how to live with that grief, how to sit with it. I'll do an episode on this exact topic in a later episode! 

Time does not slow down or pause, not for anyone or anything. Sometimes it's really fucking hard and downright sucks to have to show up when you're grieving and life is a complete shit show. Here's the thing I've learned from experience, trying to give up on yourself or life altogether doesn't do any freaking good. Let's have a chat about that, and ways we can thrive even during our toughest seasons of life. 

@_lisaolivera is the amazing human I mentioned in this episode! I highly recommend checking her out and if you like reading, giving her book a read!

If this episode resonate with you, message me on Instagram (@thisiskaitey is my handle) so we can connect more! If you know someone that needs to hear this, share it on social media and tag me so I can thank you for helping get the word out about Triumph After Trauma!

TRIGGER WARNING: this episodes topic is sexual assault, and although I don't share details of what happened to me I have chosen to share on my podcast how I was mentally affected, and ways people can be that I didn't experience. If for any reason hearing about this topic will make you feel uncomfortable or could be triggering, please listen to a different episode of the podcast!

In today's episode I'm bringing up a hard but important subject, one I have personal experience in. We're going to have a chat about sexual assault, friends. Sexual assault is not easy to talk about, but it has to be talked about. We have to be willing to acknowledge that ideals like 'boys will be boys' has been harmful to have us grow up believing, and the mental effects that can come from being sexually assaulted can be life altering and sometimes ending for people. When treating someone bad in any way, one can't truly know the depth of the harm they are doing. Not knowing someone's story means not knowing if you are making them re-live something, triggering them, etc. 

In our chat today, I'm focusing on the topic of how I was mentally affected after my experience and sharing a few ways many have experienced or do, but that I did not. My goal is to have an honest conversation about what someone is really doing they violate another human. I will be honest, this is not the easiest for me to talk about, but it's an important topic and not talking about it just keeps barriers up/lets stigmas carry on. I don't want that.

If you  relate to this episode or found it helpful to you in any way please message me on Instagram (@thisiskaitey  is my handle),  so we can connect better! If you know anyone who needs to hear this, share it on social media and be sure to tag me so I can thank you for helping to get my podcast out there! I appreciate your love and support so far on this journey!

If you are struggling to deal with an experience like I had, here are some resources for you:
National Mental Health Hotline: 866-903-3787
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

In todays episode, we're having a chat about self sabotage. 

It's easy to self-sabotage, and it can be done without you realizing it if you don't do any sort of personal development or reflecting internally. Here's the thing though, as easy as it is for us humans to self sabotage, it's just as easy for us NOT TO! If we can pay attention to ourselves and catch things we do/say/feel/ways show up that don't benefit us, we can make the choice to instead do/say/feel/show up in ways that will make us feel better and actually be good for our mental health!

If you vibe with this episode of find it helpful for you, please DM me on Instagram (@thisiskaitey) so we can connect better! If you know someone who needs to hear this, share it on social media and tag me so I can thank you for spreading the word about this podcast!

 Thank you so much for all the love and support already! i love you all and am so grateful we're connected because of this podcast!

In todays episode we're having a conversation about external environment, something that we're constantly surrounded by and greatly affects our mental health. 

Who you surround yourself with, what you listen to or read, and how every space you enter makes you feel has an affect on our mental health - believe it or not.

How? That is exactly what we chat about today, friend! Together we'll learn the importance of associating with the right people, taking in podcasts/music/books conducive to how you want to feel, and spending time in places that make you feel good not anything negative. I know this may be something you haven't thought about or paid attention to, and that's okay! We can never know everything but we all can always learn, grow, and evolve!

I hope this episode will help you understand external environment, or clarify whether you have a solid one or need to make some adjustments/improvements!

If you enjoy this episode, send me a DM on Instagram (@thisiskaitey) so we can connect better! If you know someone who needs to hear this, share it on social media and tag me so I can thank you for helping get the word out about Triumph After Trauma! Thank you so much for all the support already! 

Trauma and triggers that come with those experiences are something no human can skip experiencing in their life, unfortunately. Given that fact and considering all that is going on in the world right now, I decided to do an episode on this topic so we can hopefully better understand trauma and talk about how to help ourselves/others when triggers happen. 

War, abuse, losing loved ones, unhealthy environments, unstable parents growing up, being groomed, assault, rape, going to jail, addictions, etc .. a long list of life altering experiences that can be traumatic for anyone. While listening to this episode please know and remember that your trauma is valid, no matter what that trauma looks like. There is no right way to experience and work through it, there is no right way to cope with triggers when we experience those. 

If you found this episode helpful or informational please DM me on Instagram (@thisiskaitey) and let me know so we can connect better! And if you know people who may need to hear this, share the episode so people can find my podcast! Thank you so much for the amazing support already, I cannot wait to continue getting to know and grow with a bunch of you!

If you want to get to know Brittany Piper, the trauma informed coach I talk about in the episode, you can do so via Instagram @healwithbrit and the website www.brittanypiper.com!

Article Mentioned In The Episode: 
https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/trauma 

There's a stigma around mental illness, especially depression, yet it's  something many of us are diagnosed with. It's an illness many of us experience in different seasons, for different reasons, and in different ways. I'm diagnosed with dysthymia, a form of depression that is mild but comes with long lasting symptoms. 

I want to be open about my struggles with mental illness, and be and advocate for or friend to people going through really rough shit too . Let's face it, no human is exempt from some sort of mental health issue/crisis in their lifetime or can get through their hardest obstacles alone.

I want to talk about depression (in all its forms) because even if I didn't have the diagnosis I do, I would want to fight against stigmas around mental health. Our mental health is the key to keeping everything else in check, it's a huge part of our wellness. I don't understand how something so commonly diagnosed and potentially dangerous this mental illness can be so heavily stigmatized. I may be one person, but I will do what I can to help this stigma. 

In this chat, friends, I share what depression is (what forms of it there are and ways it can show up in people), the story of my first experience with it severely, as well as a few ways we can help ourselves and help others when depression tries to really take hold or you see it really affecting someone you know. 

If you resonate with anything in this episode or find a tangible support tip is helpful (for you or someone you helped) please DM me on Instagram (@thisiskaitey is my handle) so we can connect more! Of course, if you know people who need to hear this share it on your Instagram story and tag me so I can thank you for supporting my podcast!

If you're looking for even more support but cannot afford therapy or don't want to try that (again), here are some people I follow on social media who have had a positive impact on me:

@brittheheealer, @theanxietyhealer, @_lisaolivera, @sarah0blake, @allyshalynnblog to name a few of the top of my head! DM me for more information anytime :)

I'm grateful to be connected to you! Thank you for the support of my podcast! 

Nearly four years ago to this day I left someone who I'd been with for six years, but was narcissistic. For a few years this person got away with treating me terribly while I held onto false belief it was a phase this person would get out of, and we would someday work things out enough to get back on the right track. 

In February of 2018 during yet another fight (at this point fight was all we did) , my now ex made a comment that made me feel I was being given the green light to go. The comment made me feel like this person was trying to say they couldn't leave but couldn't take this anymore, so I took that as my chance to end it and I ran. 

The road to healing, forgiveness and finding myself again has not been easy. It's been scary, painful, and overwhelming at times. However that time and work paid off, because I'm healthy and happy (well trying to stay happy, we're in a pandemic which has been really rough) again!

If you love this episode please share it and tag me (@thsiskaitey on Instagram) so we can connect better! If you know someone who needs to hear this episode, send it to them!

I'm so glad to be connected with you! Thank you for supporting my podcast! :)