healthandwellness_nsmlcsw

11/13/2025

Holiday Reminder for Everyone Doing the Work

This season, remember that it is okay to say no.

It is okay to rest.
It is okay to set boundaries without guilt.

To the helpers
To the healers
To the community workers
To the advocates
To the caregivers
To the educators
To the ones holding space for everyone else

✨✨✨✨✨ REST ✨✨✨✨✨

You cannot pour from an empty cup, and you cannot serve well from depletion.

Take this time, if you can, to pause, breathe, and refill your cup (mentally physically emotionally socially and spiritually)

This is not selfish. It is healthy. It is how we sustain ourselves and continue to show up with purpose.

The greatest impact begins within us and within our homes. When we take care of ourselves, everything else flows from that place. Our clarity expands. Our patience deepens. Our giving becomes more intentional.

I refuse to let this world drain me.
If my heart is empty, how do I give with intention
If my energy is gone, how do I serve with love

So here is your reminder:
✨ Rest
✨ Refill
✨ Recenter
✨ Protect your peace

We deserve that, and may your cup run over!

11/12/2025

And So It Begins ✨The Not Alone Summit
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11/08/2025

Tomorrow, as we gather for Hope Means Nevada’s HOPE IN ACTION, I invite you to come out, be present, and be part of something bigger than ourselves.

Let’s show up in community, for our youth, for one another, and for hope.

And as you walk, listen, or simply stand in that space, I ask that you hold three questions close to your heart:
✨ How are the children?
✨ How is the village?
✨ What is my part?

Sometimes we think that to make an impact, our part has to be wrapped in credentials or titles, but that’s so not true.
Every one of us has a role in the wellness of our community.

Your part might look like:
💚 Checking in on a young person who’s been quiet lately
💚 Encouraging a parent who’s doing their best
💚 Mentoring, volunteering, or simply showing up
💚 Offering a word of kindness, a moment of patience, or a seat at the table

Because sometimes the most meaningful impact comes from our presence, not our position.
Those simple acts of compassion help our children, our families, and our communities heal.

So come out tomorrow. Bring your hope. Bring your light. Let’s do our part together. 💜💚

📍 HOPE IN ACTION
🗓️ Saturday, November 8 | 10AM–1PM
📌 UNLV Campus – Valerie Pida Plaza

11/07/2025

This is for the 40-somethings… 💃🏽
— Schoolin’ Life 🎶

With 48 just 11 days away and in the spirit of celebrating growth and grace, I made the Top 10 in the competition! 🎉🙌🏾
Voting for the Top 5 ends November 13th, and I’d love your continued support to keep this momentum going!

As we move through our 20s, 30s, and 40s, mental wellness starts to look a little different. Here are a few reminders that have grounded me in this season of life:

💚 Give yourself permission to evolve. You are allowed to outgrow people, habits, and old versions of yourself.

💚 Rest is non negotiable. Your nervous system deserves recovery just as much as your goals deserve your energy.

💚 Say no without guilt. Protecting your peace is not selfish, it is sacred.

💚 Center joy and gratitude each day. Research shows that both can rewire the brain for positivity, reduce stress, and boost overall well being. Even in times of transition, there is always something to be grateful for, something that can make your soul smile.

💚 Reflect, release, and renew. Each decade teaches us something about letting go and becoming more aware of who we are and what we need to live fully and freely.

There’s something powerful that happens as you age, you stop rushing, stop apologizing, and start embracing every part of your story.

👉🏾 Cast your daily vote through the link in my bio!
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11/07/2025

💜💚 The Nevada Pediatric Access Program (NV PAL), within the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health - Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, is proud to join this year’s Hope in Action 2025 event hosted by Hope Means Nevada!

mission is to eliminate teen su***de and empower Nevada’s youth to live hopeful lives. Their annual Hope in Action event brings together individuals, families, and community organizations for a meaningful day of service, connection, and mental health awareness, all centered on supporting the well-being of Nevada’s youth.

📍 UNLV Campus – Valerie Pida Plaza
🗓️ Saturday, November 8, 2025
🕙 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
💰 Free and open to the community

Come out for a day of hands-on service, wellness walks, art therapy, sound baths, yoga, and resource tables promoting teen mental health and community connection. Don’t forget to stop by the NV PAL table to learn about our FREE statewide services, created to bridge the gap in youth mental health care and ensure that all children, adolescents, and young adults no matter their location or resources, can access the expert support they need.

💚Learn more at www.nevadapal.org💚

11/02/2025

🧠 Mental Health Tips for the Ones Doing All the Things ✍️🏾

Owning a business, working a full-time job, and raising little humans is not for the faint of heart. The invisible load feels endless and the constant shifting, balancing, showing up, and doing your best even when you’re running on fumes.

But here’s the truth: your brain and body are not wired to run on fight-or-flight mode forever. Chronic stress without rest leads to burnout, irritability, anxiety, and even weakened immunity (American Psychological Association, 2023).

✨ Evidence-Based Tips to Protect Your Mental Health:
1. Micro-rest, macro-impact
Even 2–5 minute mindful pauses throughout the day can lower cortisol and improve focus (Harvard Health, 2022). Try deep breathing, stretching, or stepping outside between tasks.

2. Reframe “rest” as “recovery.”
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches us to reframe negative self-talk. You’re not being lazy, you’re restoring capacity. Rest is maintenance for your mind and body.

3. Nervous system reset.
Grounding techniques like 5-4-3-2-1 (5 things you see, 4 you feel, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste) calm your body’s stress response (Trauma Research Foundation, 2021).

4. Connection over perfection.
Resilience studies show that meaningful connections, even brief ones, boost serotonin and buffer against burnout (Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab, 2020).

5. Give yourself grace.
Self-compassion, according to Dr. Kristin Neff’s research, increases motivation and emotional balance far more than self-criticism ever could.

Peace isn’t found in the grind, it’s built in the moments you choose to protect your energy, honor your boundaries, and remind yourself that you are enough, even when the list isn’t done. 🌿

10/31/2025

“Almost.” 🌸 That was the last word my mother whispered, surrounded by me, my two brothers, and my sister in love, on October 18, 2010.

In that sacred moment, it felt like she was preparing us for her transition, just as she always did. A mother who loved deeply, guided fiercely, and prepared us for every season of life, even her final one.

Now, when I get tired or anxious, I whisper “almost” to my own spirit. It reminds me to rest, to keep going, and to carry her love forward. 💗

✨ Today, standing in the Top 15 of the Fab Over 40 Competition, I do so in her honor, for every lesson she left behind, and for every woman and family still fighting through the pain that breast cancer brings.

As October closes and Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to an end, may we remember:
Advocacy. Support. Education. Action.
These must continue every single day, not just this month. 🎗️

This competition supports the National Breast Cancer Foundation, a cause that is part of my heartbeat, honoring my mother’s legacy and every family impacted by this disease.

🌱 Why Your Vote Matters:
Winning the $40,000 prize and a feature in NewBeauty magazine would allow me to pour directly back into our communities by:
💫 Investing in individuals, projects, and programs that provide holistic care honoring the connection between mind, body, and spirit.
💫 Breaking barriers by covering licensing and certification fees for post graduate mental health students and wellness practitioners, helping them begin or continue their careers without financial strain.
💫 Sponsoring resources like books, classes, and community spaces that foster mental health education, healing, and both professional and personal growth.

🗳️ Voting for the Top 10 ends November 7!
With your support, I can remain in the running and use these funds to plant even more seeds of healing, wellness, and community care. 🌿

Tap the link to cast your vote and share! 💕
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10/30/2025