Inside Bell's Brain

I adapted and expanded this from an earlier Facebook post that I wrote for my personal wall.  I have added to it to explain a little bit more of what's been on my mind and what I've done about it since the original post.  I've gone back and forth (and back again) for most of the quarantine.  It's been so distressing trying to establish any kind of normalcy to the anything-but-normal state that we're living in right now.  But I've been reflecting a lot this year on understanding people's needs.  Of course, this has been a journey for me as a newlywed, but I think there are applications beyond that most intimate of relationships.  I think when we seek to understand what makes one another "tick", even in a professional sense, truly magnificent things can result. That said, I'm undeniably a words of affirmation love language girl.  My second highest-ranked love language is quality time, but it's just something about those words... especial

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.  I was working on this post before I even knew this, but... I’ve debated a lot about this post. But it feels like something I need to speak out about. I mentioned a few posts back that things were about to get serious and head in a different direction, and I think (and hope) the time is right because people need to hear it and heed it. There still exists such a stigma about mental health in our society, and we've got to take it seriously before it's too late for those we love who are still fighting the battle.  It takes a lot of courage to be this open, but I want to share it because it could very well give someone the push they need to get the help they deserve. I literally had everything I ever wanted.  I had lost weight and was proud of the achievements I'd made in my body (before all this took its toll on me anyway).  I had a job I was passionate about and had just earned my National Board Certification -- the pinnacle of achiev