Unmasking Suicide: A Candid Conversation

Guest Post by Cherise Young Breaking the Silence: A Compassionate Look at Suicide Prevention Two years after September was first deemed National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, I led my first suicide prevention training. What I discovered was eye-opening: the concept of suicide as a preventable public health matter was foreign and even uncomfortable for many….

Holding Space for Grief

Guest Post by Cherise Young Around this time in recent years, I’ve found myself reflecting deeply on loss and grief. In 2020, I wrote about feeling weary from the global pandemic – the isolation, collective loss, and traumatic experiences that seemed to permeate every aspect of our lives. But 2022 brought a different kind of…

Breaking Free from Self-Sabotage

Guest Post by Cherise Young The Thunderbolt of Awareness Imagine discovering that your self-sabotage isn’t just an unconscious habit, but potentially a deliberate pattern. The word “deliberately” changed everything: to deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct. This isn’t about casual self-defeat. It’s about understanding the deep-rooted mechanisms that keep us stuck. What Is Self-Sabotage, Really? Self-sabotage…

Exploring the Sun’s Role in Mental Health

The simple pleasure of basking in sunlight — head thrown back, eyes closed, warmth pouring over our skin — is one of life’s universal experiences. Yet over the past two decades, warnings about sun exposure have led many of us to avoid this natural source of wellness. While protecting our skin is important, this shift…

Grasping Trauma Response

Guest Post by Cherise Young May Is Mental Health Awareness Month Working in the mental health field for over 20 years has given me a front-row seat to many of the struggles those living with a mental health diagnosis endure. Whether clinically diagnosed or not, many contend with societal stigma, and problems locating culturally competent…

Navigating Anxiety — A Holistic Approach

Guest Post by Cherise Young Anxiety affects millions of people worldwide, manifesting through a constellation of symptoms that can feel overwhelming: racing heartbeats, cold sweaty hands, shortness of breath, and an inability to find calm. While these feelings are universal human experiences, clinical anxiety transforms normal nervousness into a debilitating force that can control our…