Untamed Journey Insights

Since May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, let's take time to reflect on the importance of mental well-being, break down stigma, and foster supportive conversations. Whether you’re navigating your own mental health journey or supporting someone else, understanding key aspects of mental health can make a significant difference. Here are twenty things everyone should know about mental health. 1. Mental Health Is Health Mental well-being is just as vital as physical health. Just as we take care of our bodies, we need to nurture our minds. Treating mental health as a fundamental part of overall health helps reduce stigma and encourages people to seek support when needed. World Health Organization (WHO) - Mental Health 2. You Don’t Have to Hit Rock Bottom to Seek Help Seeking help shouldn’t be reserved for moments of crisis. Early intervention can prevent deeper struggles and promote lasting well-being. If you feel overwhelmed, it’s okay to reach out—no matter how small your strug...

Case Study (Anonymized): “Sara, the Smiling Achiever” Sara is a 38-year-old working mother employed at an accounting firm. She’s widely known as dependable, upbeat, and always willing to help. She juggles a full-time job, raises two children, and also serves as a caregiver for her aging parents. To the outside world, Sara appears to have it all together. She never says "no"—whether it's her boss unfairly piling on extra projects or her neighbor frequently asking her to manage their full garden, greenhouse, and houseplants every time they travel (which happens every other month). A couple of years ago, Sara experienced a breast cancer scare that completely shook her foundation. Although she received early detection and successful treatment, the fear triggered a cascade of symptoms: panic attacks, night terrors and waking up multiple times throughout the night. While she remains cancer-free during follow-up visits, the emotional impact of that period lingers. Prior to her h...

There’s the popular joke “I’m so OCD” often tossed around when someone keeps their car spotless or alphabetizes their spice rack. But that joke minimizes the reality of what people with actual Obsessive Compulsive Disorder endure. Yes, OCD can involve cleanliness or organization. But it's rarely that simple, or that tidy. OCD often goes far beyond avoiding handshakes or color-coding your calendar. It can look like hours of mental anguish, intrusive thoughts that won’t stop, and compulsive behaviors that feel impossible to control. Let’s break it down in a way that’s not overly clinical because if you truly understood what it looks and feels like, that “I’m so OCD” joke might not be as funny. So… what is OCD, really? OCD is a debilitating mental health disorder that can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or lifestyle. How it shows up can be just as diverse. It’s made up of two parts: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or ur...

  Whether you’re knee-deep in your healing journey, guiding others as a helping professional, or just craving deeper meaning in your life, books have a way of walking us home. As a therapist and human walking my own untamed journey, these 22 books have stirred something sacred in me and I have shared many of them with the humans I work with. Each one offers a mirror, a map, or a medicine. Below, you’ll find the author, a brief summary, and why it’s life-changing—from the lens of someone who sits with trauma, grief, hope, and transformation every day. 1. Your Key to Happiness – Harold M. Sherman A classic on self-image psychology and how our inner beliefs shape our outer reality. Written in 1935, it was a book far ahead of its time. 👉 Why it heals: I actually found this book at a yard sale in high school, thinking it was just a self-help book (early signs of where my career would end up, apparently). It turned out to be my first introduction to the power of manifestation—before I ...