Alyssa Mull, PMHNP

04/11/2026

Grief and severe depression can make the world feel impossibly heavy, often trapping us in cycles of rumination and emotional pain. But even small, intentional actions—like going for a walk—can begin to shift that pattern. When you choose to move despite the pull to stay still, you’re engaging the mid anterior cingulate cortex—the part of the brain involved in effort, motivation, and persistence.

This kind of effort-based action helps strengthen that system over time. It doesn’t erase grief, but it can build your capacity for willpower and follow-through, making it a little easier to take the next step, and then the next. Each walk becomes more than movement—it’s a quiet way of rebuilding resilience and reminding yourself that even in the heaviest moments, you still have the ability to respond.

04/05/2026

Happy Easter to those who celebrate 🤍 and holding space for those who have complicated or painful experiences with religion—you’re seen too.

Many Americans leave religion. Here’s how psychologists are helping them cope with distress and form new beliefs to build meaningful lives.

02/19/2026

If I ever have boys they’ll be dangerous men
They’ll smile at dogs and children and be a tonic to friends
They’ll send flowers to their mother just because and they’ll be a shoulder for many when the world is too much
My boys will know that vulnerability is strength
They won’t bottle anger, they’ll learn how to express
They won’t let pride be the reason they hide, wearing masks while they’re hurting inside
My boys will be dangerous men
They won’t stay silent even when it’s uncomfortable for them
They’ll learn that their actions are more effective than words but they’ll use their voices to amplify the unheard
They’ll know that love isn’t something to perform
They’ll see beauty in all of its forms
My boys won’t grow learning to emotionally hide
They’ll reshape masculinity into something they like, make it softer to touch
They’ll know that who they are is more than enough
They’ll know that being a man doesn’t mean carrying the burden alone
They’ll learn that an emotional man is a man fully grown
They won’t settle everything with violent swings
They’ll live in truth even when that truth stings
So yeah, if I ever have boys they’ll be dangerous men
but the danger they’ll be won’t the one society meant
A poem by Daragh Fleming

02/04/2026

One of the most effective ways to build empathy in kids is to make it visible and verbal.
I ask my daughter how she thinks different situations might feel, and I intentionally point out acts of empathy when we see them—then explain why they matter.

When children learn to name feelings and notice kindness in action, empathy becomes something they do, not just something they’re told about. 💛

How do you help empathy grow in the kids you care about?

02/01/2026

Hygge (pronounced "hoo-guh") is a Danish concept of creating a warm, cozy atmosphere to foster a feeling of contentment and well-being. Key principles involve simple pleasures like warm drinks, soft textiles, and shared time with loved ones, often in a home setting with candles and fires. Creating a hygge atmosphere involves dimming lights, using candles, and gathering with friends and family. Foods like hot chocolate or a bowl of candy and activities such as reading by a fire are common. Textiles like soft blankets and thick socks are associated with the practice, along with the overall feeling of comfortable safety.

01/21/2026

Choosing growth is rarely the easy option. It asks you to sit with discomfort, release familiar versions of yourself, and trust that who you are becoming matters more than who you have been. Staying the same may feel safer, but growth is where your truth lives.

Your willingness to evolve is not a weakness. It is proof of self awareness, courage, and emotional maturity. You are not changing because you were not enough before. You are changing because you finally honor yourself enough to want more.

Growth is not betrayal of the past. It is loyalty to your future.

12/27/2025

This resonates..

Growth changes as you get older. At first, it looks like striving, proving, becoming something impressive enough to be seen or chosen. Over time, it softens. You realize that chasing validation is exhausting, and becoming at peace with who you are is far more meaningful than becoming someone the world applauds.

True growth begins when you stop measuring your life by milestones and start measuring it by how safe you feel in your own body, how honest you are with yourself, and how gently you allow yourself to evolve. It is less about arrival and more about alignment, about choosing peace even when it costs you approval.

There is real beauty in choosing inner peace over external praise.

innerpeace emotionalgrowth

12/21/2025

I like this one for this week…

🌿 You are allowed to be a walking contradiction and still be whole.

Healing doesn’t require you to be tidy.
Growth isn’t always linear.
And being human means feeling a lot — sometimes all at once.

You can be excited and afraid.
Grateful and grieving.
Hopeful and overwhelmed.

Don’t shame yourself for the complexity — honor it.
You’re not broken. You’re just deep, dynamic, and beautifully human. 🤍