If winter seems to drain your energy, motivation, or sense of hope year after year, you’re not alone—and you’re not weak. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real form of depression linked to changes in daylight, and it affects many people during the darker months. Understanding what’s happening in your body and mind can be the first step toward feeling better, and help is available.

During a season that’s supposed to feel joyful and bright, many people quietly carry sadness, grief, or a sense of disconnection. If this time of year feels heavier for you, you’re not alone, and you’re not doing anything wrong. The holidays can stir up memories, highlight losses, or simply feel overwhelming when the world around you seems to demand constant cheer. Allowing yourself to acknowledge what you’re feeling, without judgment, is an important act of care. This season, it’s okay to move at your own pace, honor your emotions, and choose the traditions (or the quiet moments) that feel right for you.

Mental pain is often invisible, but no less real than physical pain. Depression can quietly steal our energy, joy, and hope—but reaching out and sharing what you’re going through can begin to lighten the burden.

Grief has a way of reshaping the world around us. Even if we’ve experienced loss before, each new one can feel raw and unfamiliar. As both a mental health nurse practitioner and someone who has recently navigated personal loss, I’ve seen how the way we talk about grief—especially the idea of “stages”—can unintentionally create pressure or confusion. In this post, I explore what the stages of grief mean, how they show up in real life, and why there’s no single path through mourning. Your grief is valid, and it doesn’t have to look a certain way to be honored.

When life hits hard, the emotional impact can feel overwhelming—especially when pain touches the people we love. In this post, I share a personal moment of unexpected healing, the concept of "rage gardening," and how finding healthy ways to cope can make all the difference when we feel helpless, irritable, or emotionally raw. If you’re struggling with big feelings and don’t know where to put them, you’re not alone—and there are ways through.

We all wear masks—but when the mask hides more pain than it protects, it's time to take a deeper look.
Depression often hides behind a smile, behind busyness, behind the “I’m fine.” This post explores the quiet weight of the “underface” we carry—where sadness, self-doubt, and emotional exhaustion live unseen. If you’ve been feeling like a shadow of yourself, you’re not alone—and healing begins when we stop hiding.