Author: Ashley Rector
UNDERSTANDING SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that comes and goes with the seasonal changes. It is rarely talked about and quite common in the United States effecting around 3 million people per year. I think it is an important time to discuss what Seasonal Affective Disorder looks like and how you can take steps to improve your mood. So is Seasonal Affective Disorder just a milder ver...
COPING WITH HOLIDAY STRESS AND ANXIETY
The holidays are in full swing and so is the stress. From holiday shopping to Christmas parties, it seems that every minute of our schedule is booked trying to make 2018 the most festive year yet. So how do we handle the madness of this season? Here are a few hard-and-fast rules to get you to the new year unscathed: Learn to say no. There are Christmas parties you have to attend and then there are...
ANXIETY, YOU TOO?
Who’s going to be there? What time is the event? Is that person talking about me? I wonder if he’s okay? What if something happens and someone can’t get ahold of me? What if I get in a car accident? What if my alarm doesn’t go off? What if someone knocks on the door and I don’t hear it? Am I wearing the right thing? Did I forget to turn the curling iron off this morni...
DEPRESSION AND ME
And it’s back again. The heaviness. For me it comes as a surprise. I never seem to see it coming. It’s like I’m on a stage and the trapdoor opens. I fall only to be submerged in a huge tank of water and there I am swimming with my clothes on. Wondering how this happened. Why is it so hard to swim to the top and grab a breath of fresh air? I’m angry that I didn’t recog...
HEAVEN GAINED A NEW ANGEL
She passed away on a summer Sunday afternoon. Shades drawn and family near. She waited with each shallow breath to say goodbye. Goodbye to all nine of her now grown children. Goodbye to all 29 of now grown grandchildren. She waited for the “I love you’s” and the “We’re going to be okay’s” She waited, and waited, as they drove and flew from miles and miles ...
MY DECISION TO SEEK COUNSELING
It had been months and I was still waking up with my hands clenched in the morning. I was an expert at blocking out stress. As much as my mind denied the outside pressures, my body still pushed through to show me. At the deepest hours of the night when my subconscious could roam free it chose to leave me clues for the morning. A clenched jaw, clenched fits, a charlie horse in my leg or a restless ...
LIVING WITH ANXIETY & TOOLS: THERAPIST, YOGA, WRITING.
Anxiety. The seven letter word that bounces around my head on a weekly basis. I don’t know when it got here, but it’s definitely here to stay. Some days my anxiety takes a vacation and it’s no where in sight. Other days anxiety curls up next to me in bed and squeezes its arms tightly around me. You know the feeling. Chest tightening, heart racing, stomach squeezing. Your mind is ...
THERAPY. IT’S BRAVE.
Therapy. It has become less taboo to go to therapy than it was ten years ago. If you think about it, the fact that it was ever taboo at all – is laughable. We shamed people for wanting to work through their issues and have a better relationship with themselves or others. Why would that ever be a negative thing? I am so happy this idea of “perfection” is slowly being smashed into ...
TIPS ON PUBLISHING YOUR OWN MAGAZINE (PLUS A SNEAK PEEK OF OUR FIRST ISSUE)
WHOAH did we just publish the first ever print issue of Harness Magazine? It feels like just yesterday I was dreaming up logos and wondering if anyone would find our cause worthy. While the process is still fresh in my mind, I wanted to talk through publishing your own magazine and some tips/tricks I learned along the way. Plus, I am going to sneak peek some of our spreads and maybe that will enti...
LET’S BE EASIER ON OURSELVES
Self-care eludes me. The more attention I focus on it – the more things in my life slip through the cracks. Why is it that balancing ourselves always seems the hardest? Why is it that I would rather focus on repairing the holes in another human being than the holes inside myself? Maybe because it’s too painful or too hard to focus on myself. Maybe it’s something I don’t want to bring to the...
HARNESS X 614 FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR GIVEAWAY
The holiday season is finally here. Can you believe it? It feels like just yesterday we were toasting to good health and happiness in 2016. It’s no secret that Harness seeks to empower women, and one of our FAVORITE things to do is celebrate women-owned businesses. What better way to celebrate than to share a few from our beautiful hometown of Columbus, Ohio? These women are exceptionally magical....
#SUPERWOMAN | AMANDA HESLINGA | FOUNDER OF ROCKS WITH SASS TALKS TO HARNESS
Amanda Heslinga is the creative mastermind behind the jewelry company Rocks with Sass. She is the true embodiment of a superwoman. She is a female entrepreneur who launched a business while battling Crohn’s Disease. We are so excited to share her journey with you today. Amanda, tell us about how Rocks with Sass was born? How did your journey begin? Rocks with Sass all began as a hobby; something t...
