Our bonds
“A journey, after all, neither begins in the instant we set out, nor ends when we have reached our door step once again." - Ryszard Kapuscinski
Introduction:
This is not the beginning, and yet, every day is - every day is a new beginning. So, where to start? In the middle I suppose. I am, indeed, in the middle phase of life... ugh... er, I mean, yay! This creative journey I've embarked on is a culmination of everything that has shaped me into who I am today AND a way of building the future I envision. This blog is the narrative part of my own experiences as a single parent of two teenagers, with a focus on brain health - both theirs and mine. My hope is that, by sharing our adventures, others may learn from our life lessons for the betterment of their own. I hope that this brings more awareness to mental health, physical health, and how our relationships, connections, and experiences impact our overall health and longevity.
“A dandelion’s journey begins with a single seed
and blossoms into endless possibilities.”
My WHY?
In my continual self-reflections throughout life, it always comes back to the underlying desire or internal pull to help others live their best lives from wherever they are today, to connect and add value, and to live by example. This drew me into healthcare where I've worked in different areas with diverse populations, and where I found great personal reward in public education. While my role in public ed focused on physical health, I couldn't help but to also educate on mental wellness and how it all interacts. I became a certified mindfulness educator, CYT-200, and certified health coach (behavior change specialist) to better equip myself to provide the best, most comprehensive care I felt I could to both students and educators. I've also spent a bit of time working with older adults and sometimes with their families if they are so lucky to still have family around. Our American culture has come to put so much value on independence that we've largely abandoned the connection and support of our extended family unit. Through my work, I've witnessed what goes right when the support and future-planning is there, and what goes oh so wrong when it isn't. Making even an ounce of difference in the trajectory of someone's future will prove this a worthwhile cause.
What the WHAT?
Besides telling personal stories of parenting two teens, I plan to write about all things brain health. The mental health branch of this will dive into some of my own struggles - past, present, and the hopeful future. I will also explore different aspects of mental health as it relates to adolescents, adults, older adults, and different factors that can affect whole communities, such as geography, climate, disasters, conflict, etc. Additionally, I'll discuss some of my favorite neuro-related topics including neuroaesthetics (the brain's processing of the arts and other stimuli that evoke emotion), ecopsychology (brain health and nature), and interpersonal neurobiology (brain health and shared experiences). Full disclosure - I am not a mental health professional, nor a neuroscientist. I just geek out on all things neuroscience.
YOU will want to keep reading ....
Because ... I'm going to be writing about some interesting shit! I'm certain it won't be for everyone, and that's ok - don't read on if you don't want to. I invite you to keep coming back though and checking out new stories, new (and re-visited) life lessons, new things to learn about and build conversation around.
You'll also want to check out our website, connect with us and the Deeper Bonds community on socials, and my daughter and I will soon be launching a podcast - more to come on that!
Nothing but love,
Monica
