Weight loss isn’t just about calories and discipline—especially when you’re living with Bipolar II, depression, or chronic stress. In this deeply personal article, I unpack how my mental health affected my relationship with food, and what finally started to shift.
Category: Wellness
Small Wins, Big Struggles: How I Manage Depression One Step at a Time
Living with depression isn’t about feeling better overnight—it’s about finding strength in the smallest steps. Here’s how I manage mental health one win at a time.
Hiking Alone with Bipolar 2: How to Stay Safe and Centered on the Trail
There’s something both thrilling and a little frightening about stepping onto a trail alone. No distractions, no audience, just you, your pack, and the path ahead. For some, solo hiking is a form of adventure. For others, it sounds like a mental health risk. When you live with Bipolar 2, it can feel like both….
Hiking as Therapy: How Nature Heals the Mind and Spirit
I’ve spoken honestly with therapists, tracked moods, adjusted meds, and journaled through shadowy days. All of it has helped. But nothing has healed me quite like the trail. When I walk through a forest, I begin to feel whole again. Not cured—but whole. Not perfect—but present. Something about the rhythm of footsteps, the openness of…
Life After Bipolar 2: Finding Peace in the Diagnosis
Less than a joy I never planned to fail. Especially not in something I worked so hard to achieve. So, when I returned home in 2024 after a failed attempt at thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, something I had put my heart and soul into, it didn’t take very long for depression to sink in. This…
Journaling in Nature: A Simple Way to Process Emotions Outdoors
There’s something that happens when you step off the pavement and into the woods. The air feels softer. The noise thins out. And your thoughts — the tangled, cluttered ones — start to breathe again. Pair that moment with a pen and a notebook, and you’ve got a quiet kind of therapy. Journaling in nature…
Out of the Fog: Using the Outdoors to Navigate Depression
Depression doesn’t always look like falling apart. Sometimes it’s just the dullness—the inability to feel much of anything at all. Maybe that’s where you’ve found yourself lately. Numb. Tired. Heavy. Existing, not really living. Hiking can help you heal. It can help you get out—out of the house, out of your head, out of whatever…
From Couch to Trailhead: Beginner Hiking for Mental Clarity
Because sometimes the best therapy starts with lacing up your boots. There’s something deeply healing about stepping outside and heading into the woods—especially when life feels heavy. If you’ve been stuck in a fog of stress, burnout, or emotional exhaustion, the idea of going on a hike might feel far-fetched. But here’s the truth: you…
Small Wins, Big Shifts: The Power of Micro Goals
We often treat change like a mountain we need to summit in a single push. We aim high, set sweeping resolutions, and then wonder why we burn out by week two. But the truth is, lasting transformation doesn’t come from big leaps. It comes from steady steps. That’s where micro goals come in—small, manageable actions…
Trail Time, Not Screen Time: Digital Detox in the Great Outdoors
In a world consumed by screens, the trail offers a much-needed reset. This article explores how unplugging and spending time in nature can reduce stress, restore clarity, and help you reconnect with yourself—one step at a time.