Gut health isn’t something I ever thought I’d be obsessing over—until I realized how deeply it was messing with my anxiety. What started as bloating and mild discomfort quietly crept into my daily life like a shadow I couldn’t shake. Turns out, the gut and the brain are on a constant group chat, and when…
I never thought sitting still could be the answer. For years, my mornings were clouded by an invisible pressure sitting heavy on my chest, my brain looping the same anxious thoughts like a stuck record. You know the kind—“What if this happens?”, “What if I mess up?”, “What if it never gets better?”. It wasn’t…
Not long ago, I noticed something strange happening every time I skipped a few glasses of water. I’d get irritable, my heart would race, and out of nowhere, this fog of anxious tension would roll in. At first, I thought I was just having one of those rough days, but the pattern was undeniable: the…
When I first heard the term “mental health screening tools,” I honestly didn’t think it applied to me. I wasn’t in therapy. I wasn’t on medication. I was just… stressed. Or so I thought. Like so many people, I didn’t realize that what I was brushing off as “just stress” had already started to chip…
To be honest, I was skeptical the first time someone suggested progressive muscle relaxation. I remember thinking, “How is tensing and relaxing my muscles going to calm my anxiety?” But after trying it for just a week—only a few minutes before bed—I started sleeping deeper. The racing thoughts didn’t vanish, but they softened enough to…
It wasn’t some big dramatic moment that made me realize I needed help with my anxiety. It was the little things. Sitting in traffic and suddenly feeling like I couldn’t breathe. Lying in bed exhausted but unable to sleep because my brain wouldn’t stop rehashing the same worry. Getting a text and avoiding it because…
It’s strange how anxiety can sneak up on you. I remember standing in line at a grocery store, heart racing, palms sweaty, convinced something awful was about to happen. Nothing did. But the feeling lingered. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed for no clear reason, you’re not alone—and chances are, anxiety has touched your life too….
If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a Rheumatology nurse practitioner, it’s that stress and arthritis go together like thunderstorms and leaky roofs — one just makes the other worse. When my patients ask me about the best ways to manage stress with arthritis, I always say: it’s not just about popping pills or stretching…
Living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is much more than just dealing with physical pain and discomfort. The emotional toll of living with rheumatoid arthritis can be profound, affecting everything from mental well-being to relationships and daily life. As someone who specializes in diagnosing, treating, and managing RA, I’ve seen firsthand how this disease touches every…