Know: Five Minute Friday

May 20, 2022 The Ameri Brit Mom8 Comments

I’m up early on this Friday morning and listening to the rumble of thunder in the distance. Mother nature is providing quite the soundtrack as I sit down with my coffee to join my fellow writers from Five Minute Friday. This week our prompt is: Know.

There are still a lot of things I do not know. After nearly thirty-two years of life, I still have much to learn about this world. In light of May being Mental Health Awareness month, I wanted to give light to some of my recent ponderings.

I want to know…

-Why is success so difficult?

-At what point do we outgrow fear?

-Who decides the standard of health? And can we ever really achieve the perfect picture of health?

-What causes our brains to be so chemically different?

-Where can we be better as a society at promoting mental health?

As we turn our focus this month toward mental health, I want to know how you are making your mental health a priority. Some things I have done recently include journaling, reading, limiting social media, connecting with friends, and trying to be the most authentic version of myself that I can be. I have struggled the past several weeks because the school year is winding down and students are going into Summer Mode. Surrounding myself with a positive community and healthy habits has helped me to get through this slump and to know that this summer will be tremendously beneficial for my health.

The Ameri Brit Mom

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Enneagram Six

March 16, 2022 The Ameri Brit Mom4 Comments

Reading about Enneagram Sixes this week was difficult.

In the past, I have typed myself as a Six. However, when I’m feeling good and at my best I gravitate more toward a One. This week, personal struggles have brought out some of my most unhealthy traits. In the midst of conflict I tend to exhbit some of the unhealthy attributes listed below. This sentiment of being a Healthy One and Unhealthy Six is not totally aligned to the Enneagram as illustrated in The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron, but whether or not every page is accurate I am loving the way that this book is giving language to my emotions and experiences.

Here are other Enneagram pages to check out:

Enneagram Six: The Loyalist

Triad– The fear or head triad (5,6,7)

Security Number– When Sixes are feeling healthy and balanced they lean into the positive attributes of a Nine (The Peacemaker).

Stress Number- When Sixes are stressed and living in an unhealthy mind space, they take on the undesirable attributes of a Three (The Performer).

Deadly Sin- Fear

The Ameri Brit Mom

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Self-Regulation Sensory Exercise

March 13, 2022 The Ameri Brit MomLeave a comment

Friends, it has been quite the week in my life.

To be honest, there is a lot I cannot talk about, but the details are not important. What I want to do today is share with you one way I cope with anxiety.

In 2018 I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder following a traumatic life experience. I’ve been on low doses of medication ever since. Most of the time I am able to regulate my own emotions and fears, but when big, unexpected things happen (like what I experienced this week) I have a difficult time resetting and getting back to normal.

Writing has always been therapeutic for me. When I don’t have the words to verbalize my feelings I turn to the page and let the words run from my heart to my hand. This morning I am going to take a deep breath and re-center myself in a practice that always seems to work: Self-Regulation Sensory Exercise.

Below is a graphic that I created to illustrate how I use my senses to self-regulate. I am not a mental health specialist and I recommend that if you struggle to come down following difficult experiences that you check in with someone trained to provide you strategies or medication.

Save this image for future moments when you are looking for ways to calm yourself. If you like this template and are interested in other creative writing templates, consider joining my Patreon site. Each month my patrons receive videos, free edits, and beautiful graphics to inspire and encourage. I would love to have you on The Ameri Brit Mom Patreon team.

The Ameri Brit Mom

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Enneagram Four

February 28, 2022 The Ameri Brit Mom1 Comment

This week I am taking a look at the eccentric and unique qualities that make up an Enneagram Four. Not only are Fours masters of creativity, but they long to fulfill a special role in their relationships. In their quest for love, Fours may come on a little strong,

they pack the emotional punch to follow through. Reading about Enneagram Fours in The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron has really helped me to better understand the best ways to interact with the Fours in my life to ensure that I am promoting their mental health by my responses to their projections.

Other posts that you may want to check out: Enneagram One and Introduction, Enneagram Two, and Enneagram Three.

Enneagram Four: The Romantic

Triad– The Feeling or Heart Triad (2,3,4)

Security Number– When Fours are feeling healthy and balanced they lean into the positive attributes of a Two (The Helper)

Stress Number- When Fours are stressed and living in an unhealthy mind space, they take on the undesirable attributes of a One (The Improver)

Deadly Sin-Envy

The Ameri Brit Mom

Faith · Uncategorized

Done: Five Minute Friday

July 13, 2018 The Ameri Brit Mom11 Comments

I’m back at it!

Every Friday I like to join a band of inspired writers over at Five Minute Friday.com. There is a weekly link-up posted here with a prompt for a blog post. The goal is to write on the topic for an uninterrupted five minutes. This week the topic is done. Check out my break-up letter with Worry, a long-time companion and a disloyal friend of mine.

More-FMF-Square-Images

Dear Worry,

I am so done with you. You’ve hung around too long battling my mind and injuring my soul. After the past six months I’ve realized that by letting you into my life I have only made things worse. When I thought you were the only thing I could control I clung to you like a cat on a limb. But you’ve let me down hard. The wounds barred into my skin threatening to scar.

You see, with every chance you had you inflicted fear. At times I was paralyzed and choosing a direction was impossible. In the thick of the battle, though, I heard the still, small voice of a God who never left me.

When darkness closed it’s grasp around my mind the light was never forsaken. When your weight sat upon my chest I was being held. When trouble came knocking and pain was agonizing there was a Healer in my midst.

Now I know that when I’m afraid you aren’t my only option.

There’s a God who is watching over me providing the way out. I don’t need to suffer any more. He is ready to offer me the peace I desperately need. His respite is mine for the taking.

So, Worry, this is my good-bye. We’ve grown rather close these past few months, but our relationship is an unhealthy one. It’s not me, it’s you. I’m calling it quits. This journey has been a lot of things, but most importantly it’s done!

The Ameri Brit Mom