In this episode Kristen and I discuss - 

- Mental illness and stigma associated with,

- How she recovered from her own Post Partum Depression and Grief & loss of her sister who died by suicide.

- Tips and things that helped her recover from it. 

Have you joined my community yet?

Follow me on Facebook or IG @gpatelcounseling here is a free gift from me - Free Self- Compassion Guide I have created to help you get unstuck. I also invite you to join my private FB community - Traumatic Transformations: Emotional Intelligence & Conscious Living. 

Find Kristen at www.lightingtheshadows.org or find her on Facebook & IG @lighting.the.shadows.

Kristen Laursen - Lighting The Shadows portrays what I am very passionate in my personal life: taking something originally dark and scary (a mental illness, an emotional challenge, feelings of shame/self hate, grief/loss, etc) and transforming it into something enlightening, empowering, and purposeful. I believe that God can take any challenge we face, any brokenness, and transform it into something even better than before the trauma. I know He has done this in my life. When I lost my sister to suicide, the grief was insanely painful. Afterwards, I battled several bouts of depression and anxiety that progressed while I was pregnant to suicidal ideation and psychosis, where I was so lost in the darkness that I lost sight of reality. Through medication, therapy, music, poetry, faith, EMDR, adequate sleep and exercise, and learning how to love myself and give myself compassion, my life completely transformed to being stuck in a big, dark pit of despair to feeling real gratitude and joy for life in all of my cherished roles as mom, wife, daughter, sister, and friend. Where I once had severe anxiety around public speaking, now I faced my fears and joined my local toastmasters club where I won first place in a second level speech competition just months after joining. I now have much more understanding and compassion towards those who have faced mental battles, my concept of God and Love have become more solidified, and I feel that my life, and each life, has so much purpose!