Sweet As Ever LLC

Seeking help for our mental health takes courage and strength. Openly discussing our mental health with someone else, even a doctor, comes with fear. But to me bravery is taking action despite fear, rather than the absence of it. For those in the workplace, fear can come about due to the perception, and sadly sometimes the reality of how you may be treated. If someone takes time off to grieve the loss of a close relative, or to fight a very serious illness, they are always welcomed back without question and often admired for their bravery. But in some workplaces many worry about how they will be treated and perceived when they return. Will the challenging projects go to others “to protect them from stress”?. Will leadership and advancement opportunities still be available to them. My message to every individual is to take the time to work on your mental health even if that requires time away from your role. Yes it takes honesty, vulnerability and even bravery, but investing in your own health always pays dividends. And remember if you are struggling with mental health challenges you can’t really be firing on all cylinders at work. So seeking help, working on yourself and improving your mental health will see you being much more productive at work. It is also important for leaders to remember that people do not return from working on their mental health as diminished in any way. They are strong, capable and will continue to deliver for you.

Coping Skills Alphabet: Your Guide to Mental Well-Being Mental health is the foundation of our overall well-being, yet it’s often overlooked. Stress, anxiety, burnout, and emotional struggles are common, but how we cope with them determines our ability to thrive. The Coping Skills Alphabet provides simple, effective strategies to help manage emotions, reduce stress, and promote resilience. Each letter represents a powerful tool: 🔹 A – Ask for Help: Seeking support is a strength, not a weakness. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or therapist, talking about struggles can bring relief. 🔹 B – Breathe: Deep breathing helps calm the nervous system, reducing anxiety and improving focus. Try techniques like box breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. 🔹 C – Count to 10: A simple but effective way to pause and prevent emotional outbursts. 🔹 D – Doodle: Expressing emotions through art can be therapeutic and relieve tension. 🔹 E – Eat Healthy Food: Nutrition impacts mood and energy levels. Balanced meals help regulate emotions and prevent mood swings. From mindfulness techniques (M – Meditate) to physical movement (X – Exercise, Y – Yoga, S – Stretch), this alphabet highlights practical ways to maintain emotional balance. 💡 Why Mental Health Matters Mental health influences everything—our relationships, work performance, decision-making, and overall happiness. Neglecting it can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout. Just as we take care of our physical health, we must prioritize our mental well-being. Coping skills are not just for moments of crisis; they are daily habits that build resilience and emotional strength. Whether it’s listening to music, journaling, using affirmations, or simply taking a break, small actions can make a significant impact on our mental state. Prioritize your mind. Protect your peace. Take care of yourself. 💙 #MentalHealthMatters #CopingSkills #SelfCare #Mindfulness #EmotionalWellness #AnxietyRelief #StressManagement #MentalWellbeing #Resilience #SelfLove

Things I wish I knew before I started therapy (from a trained therapist who also had their own therapy for 12 years). - 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬. I went through two - and a lot of rejection and confusion before I found someone I could work with. - 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠. There are literally hundreds of different theoretical approaches. Some people use more than one, some people think their approach is better than others. - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - next to that is the quality of the relationship you build with your therapist and in a distant third is their therapeutic approach. If you want to change, find someone you like working with, that's enough to get results. - 𝐀 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲 - we bring in templates from other relationships to help us make sense of what a therapist “is” to us. Totally fine if you do it, but learning how you form relationships is mega. - 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - this is a therapist’s go to question, “how does that make you feel”, but you might not know. That’s not because you’re broken or weird, you’ve just never learned how to do it. - 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 ‘𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭’ - most therapists will avoid right and wrong, which can make you feel like you’re in some weird limbo. - 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 - you don’t have to just take it. 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 - I went looking to my therapist for advice, but when it was offered I rarely took it up. Instead what I was looking for was understanding. - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 - hard in ways you didn’t really know or can articulate, but it is hard. That ‘hardness’ will change and evolve. Hard because you don’t know how to get past something, hard because you don’t know how long it’s going to take. If you feel it, say it. - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 - in good ways, and sometimes bad. It will bring up a lot of unpleasant stuff, but learning to live with it will make life easier in the long run. - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 - 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧. You don't need to be in therapy forever to still do the 'work' on yourself. Therapy can give you some tools and direction, and that's all you might need to keep going. 

Halt Fentanyl Bill is just another ridiculous bill that shows our government hasn’t learned anything and they simply want to make Americans think they will actually be making a difference. Drugs will always exist. Supply and demand. Is this about making our privatized prison system richer? What about cancer patients? Look at how having marijuana and psychedelics as a scheduled 1 worked out! Enough with prohibition. The war on drugs failed. #fentanyl #addiction #haltfentanyl