Struggling

Since there are only going to be two post for the month I thought I would run free with them. I have noticed that much of my generation and younger are really struggling in life. Not just financially, although, that is one of the largest problems.We have a severe lack of mental care, with an abundance of awareness for it. We have also lost the ability to socialize in public spaces. As children, we played in the streets until the lights came on, then ran back to the house to wash before dinner. We excused ourselves when we were done, and we listened to our parents with a fear of consequence. That doesn't seem to be how things are anymore. Now, I don't see into the homes of the "everyday" Americans, so this is a (probably false) assumption I have made. 

The financial crisis of my generation, has caused many to live with their families, friends, or strangers (that hopefully become your friends), just to be able to afford the monthly payments, as well as being able to feed yourself and buy necessities. We feel like we are working ourselves to death in our 20's and that's how life will be for the rest of our lives. For some, that may be the case. Those that are content, or simply uncomfortable will likely stay that way. Those that realize this is not what they want out of life will make the change to get to the retirement they want. I have reached that point myself. Many decide to get a second or third job. I am not in the position to just make that decision. I have two children that need to be cared for still. Childcare costs more than I make alone, so that is not an option. I may as well stay home with the kids and have my husband work if that were the case. A free option for us is family, but they work also. In order to keep that an option, we have to coordinate our schedules, and that does not allow for a second job. All we can do is live frugally, save all we can and hope to save enough for a home, and get ourselves to a career that will allow us to afford that comfortably. We can cover more on this another month.

Our mental health is, in my opinion, the most precious thing to care for. As we got older we realized that, we don't have magic to help do the dishes, we don't have a Smart House (although, we are getting scary-close to that), and we don't get Blank Checks. We realize we are suppose to create our own happiness now. For some that is fulfilled with leading a successful career, or having a family, or living as free as you can. For others it is much harder, and it is hard to understand why. Poor mental health is caused by many things: traumatic experiences, family history/chemical imbalances, current hardships, and so much more. The ugly stigma given to mental health makes it so much harder to get the help needed to live day to day life. People think that depression means you can't smile, enjoy everyday things, or have friends. That is far from what depression is or even feels like. The everyday things can make you smile, your friends will bring you joy, you may even have kids that make your world bright. Those things, unfortunately, cannot override the chemicals in your brain. Being with my kids is the most important thing to me, they show me the simple joys in life and what possibilities there are for the future. Despite that, I am constantly struggling with myself, constantly wondering how I can still feel defeated and disheartened about life, when I have the purest and most innocent beings in my life. That is what people ask as well, "How can you feel that way when you have two beautiful babies?!" The truth is I have no control over it. Thankfully, for myself, this is not a constant feeling. It hits in unbelievably crushing waves while i have an anchor tied to my ankle, but the water subsides for me. Not everyone is that lucky. Finding the right resources for ourselves is so important. I think this will be a topic sooner, rather than later. Check the bottom of the post for some resource numbers if you think you need them!

Social media has become an incredible and very powerful tool of the modern world. We have friends all around the world now! We can reach people faster and farther than we could 30 years ago. There is something so amazing about that, but we don't truly realize how amazing that is for us to be able to do. Just 30 years ago, you would receive letters and cards from loved ones that lived hours and hours away. You would visit them a few times a year for special occasions. Now, we can simply push a button on our phone and suddenly there is their face. We can send a picture in a matter of seconds with MILLIONS of people. Our formerly personal and more intimate moments are now public, available for anyone. It has created an environment of people who want to know things about people without having to be around them. Our social awkwardness is no longer a condition, it is a norm. Not having those personal interactions of sharing something special gives us less reason to have face to face interactions with new people we think may be someone we will want in our lives. We are now satisfied by the simple interactions we get through comments on our pictures, or a comedic post about our mental health. This will be a topic I am excited to explore later on, and do more research on!

Remember you are not struggling with anything alone in life, someone is going through or has gone through it too, which means someone somewhere can help! If you need help with something please use the resource you need!



National Suicide Prevention Lifeline- 1-800-273-8255
National Domestic Abuse Hotline- 1-800-799-7233
In any case of emergency call 911, they are there to help!

If you have more resources you want added to this list please let me know!

Welcome to the journey.

When I was little I had an infinite amount of questions to ask, as most children do. My grandmother ALWAYS had an answer. I could ask any question, on any topic, and she would have an answer. She knew everything! I always admired how well-read and educated she kept herself. Now I have two children of my own. My youngest is just over a year old, and doesn't have many questions of his own. My oldest is turning five, the prime age for needing questions answered. With her endless supply of questions, I sometimes find myself with limited answers to give her.

One day while listening to some of her questions I thought to myself, "I have no idea what is happening!". That statement goes to a very broad range of topics. There are times when I don't feel like I was educated on elementary topics (really, it has been so long I don't remember much of it). It seems that all I know right now is how to make a meal all my family members will eat, and how to get to the next paycheck with a few bucks left in the account. Feeling like I barely know enough to satiate my child's thirst for knowledge is very disappointing. I have always wanted to have all the answers like my grandmother did, but never really sought the knowledge out. That is how the idea for this blog was born. I want to involve others in this process, because I can't be the only one looking for knowledge to feed others with. I want to reach ANYONE looking for answers, not just parents.

Every month I will have a different (very broad) topic, eventually chosen by the community, such as: movies, animals, family, politics, etc. Then the weekly posts will get a little more specific based on questions, headlines, and discoveries about the topic. Let's build a community of learning and growing. I would like this community to be open to being educated and willing to have real discussions. I do not want a community that resorts to name-calling and biased opinion shoving. I will site sources I use, and if anyone feels it is inaccurate, please educate me with factual sources. Thanks for following and being a part of this journey. Now, let's get an idea of what is happening!