By Deborah Marini, Mental Health Advocate and Owner of The Awareness Impact, LLC~ Last week would have been a friend of my son’s 21st Birthday. But it wasn’t. Because he wasn’t here… I want to talk about that. Suicide. It’s not an easy topic to chat about. But we need to. This is directed toward all…
By Deborah Marini ~ Taking just 5 to 10 minutes in the morning before rushing into your day can make a huge difference in your mental health. I was always the one who would “snooze” and go through what can I eliminate from my process of getting ready so that I could go back to…
By Deborah Marini, Certified Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid Instructor~ “Everyone around me seems to be learning lessons” “Everyone around me is growing” …But I just feel…numb If you identify with any of the above statements you are not alone. What makes some rise to the top and see these times as an…
By Deborah Marini, Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor ~ February 6, 2020, marked 6 months since my dad passed. Yes, I could write something nostalgic…. or sad… or mournful… But God has worked so many miracles since my dad’s been gone that it makes it hard to do anything but smile when I think…
By Deborah Marini ~ July 4th my dad was at his home in the mountains. He was supervising the pig roast and sitting with his kindle by the fire pit, enjoying the company of multiple families joined together. July 20th my dad was in Asbury Park celebrating our daughter’s engagement. He was smiling and just…
By Deborah Marini ~ In life you hear a lot of advice about finding yourself: Be true to you Be who you are Always be yourself But what if you have no idea who “you” are? How do you know if you’re being true to yourself or not if you don’t even have an outline…
By Deborah Marini ~ I don’t actually know when it started. I don’t know if you’re born with it or if life inserts it into your soul… But I’m afraid. I’m afraid of not being enough. I’m afraid of failing. I’m afraid to show my imperfections. I’m afraid to be vulnerable. Throughout my life I’ve…
By Deborah Marini ~ There was recently a video circulating with over 22 million views of a floor routine in gymnastics by a young woman named Katelyn Ohashi. She received a perfect 10 on her routine but what is also catching attention is the pure joy on her face as she performed her routine. Something…