I’ve been a volunteer with NAMI-NYC for a little over six years, and during that time, I’ve served as a young adult presenter for the Ending the Silence program. Yesterday, October 16, was my first full day as the lead presenter, and I was really anxious and nervous about it. I wasn’t sure if I’d do a good job, but I did it — all on my own too!
One thing about me is that, despite my anxiety, I always give my best. I’m proud of myself and grateful for the feedback I received. I’m excited to continue educating and sharing my story in community spaces, schools, and psych wards all around the city!
🗓️📌 Marking this day on my SparklyWarTanks calendar because it means a lot to me.
It’s taken me some time to gather these thoughts, mostly because energy and motivation have been hard to come by these days. Sometimes, I wish there were an easier way to collect all the ingredients needed to create my best work. That, plus the procrastination and perfectionist blocks that make me feel like I have to know exactly what I’m going to write before I even start. And yet, here I am, still not 100% sure what I want to say.
2025 has already been overwhelming. The world is in pain, and there’s so much fear in our collective energy. As for me, I haven’t been feeling well. The problem solver in me wants to make everything better—for both myself and others—but I’ve been feeling lost and out of control.
A few weekends ago, I facilitated my first expressive arts workshop of 2025. One of the activities involved writing a series of personal notes reflecting on our values, what’s important to us, the habits that benefit us, and what we will let go of this year. In my notes, I wrote down my words and phrase for the year: my words being love and freedom, and my phrase being “I’m not doing that.”
This year, I want to take back my energy from the spirals of negativity I often find myself in and explore what it feels like to let go of the expectation of failure and missing out. I want to let love in—and even though I’m scared—be willing to work through the discomfort of change because I deserve to experience something different from what I’m used to. I want to feel free enough that making mistakes or feeling embarrassed doesn’t make me a bad person. I want to be able to make choices that are right for me and not feel guilty when I say no or set boundaries that keep me safe.
These are my intentions for the year. As I begin to feel better and safer expressing and receiving love while navigating freedom, I hope to find others who are doing the same for themselves.
Well that’s what I have for now. Thank you for reading. 💌
We’re 30 years old already. Can you believe it?! We made it this far. And, yes, we still have big emotions that feel overwhelming sometimes. But, I’m still working on our goals and I’m continuously redefining what success looks like every day.
We were going through some old pictures with mom a few weeks ago and I finally remember. I remember how you felt most of the time. I remember the moments where you didn’t feel seen or loved by anyone. I remember when you started to use perfectionism and people pleasing to try to get people to notice and prioritize you. I remember when self-hate seeped in, too. I’m unlearning all those things for us, though. You are lovable and don’t need to be perfect for anyone to realize how valuable you are. We don’t need to go above and beyond anymore, hurting ourselves by doing too much, just so people can be happy that we’re around.
I remember when we didn’t know how to identify our emotions and were confused a lot of the time from our sensitivities. I know how often we cried from being overstimulated. No need to worry though. I’ve created safety for us now. You can feel your feelings and no one will get mad or yell at you anymore.
Little Nina, there is nothing wrong with you. There was never anything wrong with you. Our big emotions make us extra special. Our brain gets sad and anxious sometimes now, and sometimes we have bad dreams, but I promise I’ll take care of us.
I know that there were things you really wanted to experience, especially when we were a teen, and it hasn’t happened yet, but that’s OK. We still have more life to live and people to meet. I’m trying my hardest not to give up on certain things. I know how much we value love and want to bask in it as much as possible. But, I can’t say I don’t struggle with that idea still.
I’ve grown in loving US, though. I love you so much and want you to feel safe to be you. You are amazing, talented, funny, and beautiful. Your light is sooo bright and it’ll only get brighter as we get older. You don’t have to be scared anymore. I put boundaries up to protect us, OK?
We are helping other people who felt like you did growing up now. I’m sharing our story so we can help other people feel loved and seen, too.
We’re doing a great job and walking in our purpose. It started with you, though, because you did your best with what you had. I got it from here.
I love you so much 🩷 Big hugs and kisses from 30 year old you, Adult Nina
I’ve been thinking a lot about my personal standards lately and why setting them straight is essential to my growth and mental health journey. What is a standard you ask? Great question.
A standard is a rule, expectation, or guiding factor to live by, especially when we’re navigating or making decisions. What we hold as a standard creates a blueprint for us to follow, ensuring we stay true to our values and what’s most important to us.
One of my newer, non-negotiable standards I’m following — especially as it applies to my perfectionism and people-pleasing recovery — is to make sure I’m respecting my time and energy by paying attention and setting limits to how much of myself I give to others, and ensuring my relationships are mutual and not one-sided. I deserve to be loved as much as I love others.
What’s yours?
You can also find this reflection prompt in the Cheer Me On group on The Mighty here.
In honor of World Mental Health Day let’s reflect and share our experiences, perspectives, and goals!
Pick a leaf and follow the prompt that goes with that leaf:
1. 🍁 Share a mental health victory you’ve had this year.
2. 🌱 Write a list of three ways you can prioritize your mental health this week.
3. ☘️ Finish this sentence: My mental health is important because ____________________.
My Reflection
I choose all three leaves today ☺️
🍁: This year I continued therapy and grew so much in self-love!
🌱: Three ways I can prioritize my mental health is by getting enough sleep (8-9 hours), eating breakfast every day, and writing in my journal to manage my overthinking.
☘️: My mental health is important because I deserve to feel at peace within myself and feel proud of how far I’ve come on my journey.
Let’s take steps forward together and affirm what we’re moving past and what we’re moving toward.
My Reflection
I’ll go first!
I am moving past shame, guilt, and self-limiting thoughts.
I am moving toward self-love, self-forgiveness, and accepting all parts of me.
What about you?
Let’s walk together 🤝💌.
You can find this post in The Pencil Case on The Mightyhere
Activity
What does “comfort” feel like to you?
Whether we feel supported by those around us or in an environment where our needs are being met, the idea of comfort may look different for all of us.
What does comfort look and feel like to you? What makes you feel most comfortable?
My Reflection
For me I know comfort is directly related to how safe I feel in my environment. If I feel safe and supported by those around me, I’m able to access and navigate that environment more freely.
What about you?
You can find this post inthe Self-Care Lounge group on The Mighty here.
Activity
What is a lesson you’ve learned that you feel is valuable to share with others?
Is there a life lesson you’ve recently learned or learned over the years that you feel is valuable information that others in our Mighty community can benefit from?
My Reflection
A valuable lesson I’ve learned was that life isn’t a timeline that everyone has to fit into. It’s OK to go at your own pace and do what’s best for you. There is no need to compare your journey with others people’s journeys. We are all on our own path.
You can find this post intheChat Space group on The Mighty here.
Everything good that you’ve experienced and will experience is coming your way simply because you deserve it. You deserve peace, success, celebration, abundance, wealth, support, and love. Nothing you do or don’t do will pave the way for something that is already yours. It’s yours because you exist. Keep on taking one step at a time and one breath at a time. Keep moving forward. Believe in goodness.
Say this affirmation with me: I trust and believe in myself to manage and navigate through tough situations.
No matter how challenging the situation or how frustrated I feel, I’m capable of navigating each tough situation I’m presented with. I am capable of problem solving, self-care, and doing what is necessary to move forward. I trust in my intuition. I know who I am. I love myself. I believe in my capabilities.
With each thought of impossibility lies a possibility, a possibility to shift and change the perception of that thought.
In times of confusion, fear, doubt, or worry know what possibilities can be crafted.
Possibilities we can create include:
Awareness and reflection
Observation and understanding
Perception of control
Growth in perspective
Possibilities for change
As we navigate the possibilities in our lives we open channels to perceive, observe and reflect on what is happening. With understanding where we fit in our experiences, we create opportunities for awareness, growth and change.
Take a deep breath and say this affirmation with me:
I release any and everything not aligned with my highest good. I welcome possibilities and opportunities for peace, growth and love of all kinds. I’m ready to receive.
Reminder: You are worthy of receiving what is good. Accept what is and continue to create pathways for abundance to enter your energy. As you navigate your daily thoughts and ideas, know when to release what is not serving you and act when opportunities arise. Continue to be the creator.
SparklyWarTanks 