Heidi Fischer is a writer, public speaker, and content creator, to name just a few. She has Major Depressive Disorder and passionately writes articles and creates content to comfort and humor us, provide helpful information and resources, and reduce the stigma that still surrounds mental illness. Follow her on IG: @mentalhealthyxe, www.mentalhealthyxe.com. Read her articles on themighty.com!

My dear friend, Ashlee, is someone I’ve admired for over a decade, as an endless student of life, fierce advocate for positive change, and badass human who always speaks her truth. Ashlee shares her experience of living in Africa and what she wants you to know about the culture, then takes us on her Ayahuasca journey in the Netherlands.

Our lives have seasons to them. Only WE can determine our next moves or non-moves. Are you taking too much action or perhaps avoiding it, altogether?

Hilary, a dear friend and Licensed Mental Health Counselor, shares her personal experience in this role, as well as answers my questions on the complexities of trauma. Hilary feels that a good therapist should feel like a “warm hug.”

Hooray for pain! It’s too easy to avoid feeling our pain, especially if we’ve been doing so for many years. This past week I’ve been feeling some old, foundational pain, which I’m choosing to see as an opportunity to feel it before bottling it or distracting myself.

I’ve been in Marijuana Anonymous for close to one year now. It still feels silly to admit that, since M.A. isn’t spoken of very often. That said, I have a sponsor who’s been a deeply supportive, guiding light for me in all aspects of my life. In this episode, she answers many questions about M.A. and shares her insight on addiction in general.

My bladder has been unreliable for as long as I can remember. Here are some of the fun details!

I’m feeling silly and unhinged and discussing my relationship with being present. Sometimes we spend the whole day in our heads, but all it takes is a little practice to live in this current moment.

We all have desires and dreams, yet many of us find a million excuses for why pursuing them isn’t practical or even possible. Whatever you believe, you’re correct. Let’s change these beliefs.

Rory James is a very funny and talented comedian and the host of podcast “I’m Super Excited” - where he shares weekly positive hilarity with all kinds of amazing guests in the creative biz. He’s my dear friend and has killer biceps.

Affirmations like these have positively changed my daily life in ways that I never expected - which is why it took me so long to get into them. My self esteem is higher and I feel good about who I am on a more consistent basis. Committing to saying them for 21 days in a row gives you an opportunity to FEEL the difference. Enjoy the process 😉

From eating disorders to Bipolar 2 to BPD, my dear friend, Esther, shares a detailed account of her experiences through the most difficult periods of her life and how she got help.

I share my feelings about Inauguration Day and my new perspective on how to move through overthinking and obsessive thoughts.

Even when things are going okay, fears and anxieties creep in and can be relentless. While we don’t want to perpetuate them, sharing them is important, as well as plenty of other techniques to get us to a more calm state of mind.

It’s 2021 and WOW, this new year feels like a big deal. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves at times like these and let’s not forget that we just made it through 2020. Let’s give ourselves a break. We can take action without obsessing over the results. Also it’s your party and you can cry if you want to.

If there was ever a time to have learned a few things, this was the year. Here’s what I’ve learned about myself on a personal level in 2020. 🥸 Cover Photo: my 2020 Vision Board that I created at the end of 2019 😮

Each of our family dynamics are different and yet all of them can be painful, aggravating, loving, and supportive. Although our families have typically been our blood relatives, we are gifted with opportunities to CREATE family members with new humans who we cultivate loving relationships with. Even if we struggle with our family foundations, we always get to choose to nurture healthier relationships with others. This is important to remember, especially around the holidays.

Codependency is not uncommon and it presents itself in different formats. I share my experience with it and what I’m doing to help ease my codependent tendencies. As impossible as it may sometimes seem, we EACH deserve to live our lives without feeling restricted by the behaviors of another person.

I’m grateful for this platform to speak my thoughts and feelings, to make fun of myself, that I found a new therapist, and for my pants. Gratitude lists HELP.

Do you believe you deserve to experience joy? This answer is very telling. Also spoiler - you do! I also discuss the excuses we make in making positive changes for ourselves and how balance feels damn near impossible.