Addiction and bondage to anything only provide a false sense of control that keeps a person on a hamster wheel of misery…but sometimes, it still feels safer than the alternative. Lies become truth, and the mind, heart, and body pay the price. I eventually reached out for help, but the road has been long and bumpy. I have wanted to give up more times than I can count, but God’s great love kept pulling me in, never letting me go.

Many of us are ready for a new year. 2020 is behind us and we are not sad about it! There are a lot of things we would like to leave behind from this past year, but there may also be some lessons learned and wisdom gained that we would like to carry into this new year as well. January is often seen as the big “reset”. We are inundated with advertisements for decreasing weight, exercising more, reorganizing our homes and lives, and setting new goals. Choosing a “word of the year” is quite popular as well and while some of this may be inspiring, it can also feel old, exhausting, or out of reach.

The holidays feel different for each person among us during a normal year.  Gatherings, gifts, memories, and traditions come with expectation and joy for some, and stress, anxiety, and pain for others.  Sometimes it can be a mixture of both!  This year brings a new brand of “different” for many as we navigate the holidays with a myriad of changes to what we consider normal.  Anytime we experience the loss of what we once knew, feelings of grief are bound to follow. 

Grief is oftentimes associated solely with death, but any loss in our lives can evoke grief and it is important that we listen to those feelings and allow them to have their place.  Suppressed grief will find a way to make itself known and as difficult as it may feel, grief serves a purpose. 

Back to school. Three words we hear every August, yet they feel so different this year.  It is safe to say most students, teachers, and parents are facing a school year that looks a little…okay a lot different than most!  Many are feeling frustrated, overwhelmed and experiencing a general lack of control over many decisions and outcomes for this school year.  With all the changes, challenges and unknowns this year holds we are left with a lot of decision making that we have likely not had to face in the past.

February 26 through March 4 marks this year’s Eating Disorder Awareness Week. We at Two Roads Wellness Clinic want to raise awareness and help eliminate the stigma and shame that often accompany this illness. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder and are often clouded in confusion for both the sufferers and their loved ones.