Peer Reflections

Nurturing Wellness through Creativity and Compassion
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Peer Reflections Page

Peer Reflections

Stories of Hope, Resilience and Growth

In Peer Reflections, I share stories, experiences, and reflections from my own journey with mental health, recovery, and healing. This section is an honest, vulnerable space where I can connect with you through both the struggles and victories I’ve faced along the way. As a Peer Support Specialist and someone who has navigated mental health challenges, I understand the power of shared experience in helping others feel seen, heard, and validated.

Peer Reflections is about more than just telling my story; it’s about offering insights, tools, and emotional support to anyone on a similar path. By sharing these reflections, I hope to provide encouragement, real-life examples, and practical takeaways that might resonate with your own journey.

Through these stories, I aim to create a compassionate community where we can support each other, learn, and grow together. Whether you’re seeking validation, insight, or just a reminder that you’re not alone, Peer Reflections is here to be a part of your healing process.


Recent Posts

  • Spark of Light

    Bright colors catch our attention—do we dare take the time to mindfully notice? Notice the way the lights intertwine, the lines as they burst outward from the screen, alive with motion and energy. Happiness shows up in small and unexpected ways. Sometimes it’s quiet and subtle, and other times, it’s loud—vibrant—right in our faces. When…

  • My Walk with Happiness

    Before understanding happiness I had been depressed for a long while—it was a postpartum thing. Then one day, my darling husband told me we could finally purchase an electric fireplace for our living room. He worked overnight shifts and slept during the day, so I recruited some close family friends to help assemble the unit.…

  • Getting to Know: Happiness

    Happiness: A Fleeting Feeling or a Piece of the Puzzle? Happiness is one of the most sought-after emotions, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood. Unlike fear, which keeps us safe, or sadness, which allows us to process loss, happiness doesn’t seem to have a survival function. It often feels fleeting, appearing in bursts—when…

  • Through the Lens: Sadness

    Stillness Above The Surface Sadness can feel empty and hollow. We may struggle with feeling lifeless—just floating along—or find ourselves wanting to hunker down because the world might not understand the depth of our sorrow. This image reflects that sensation: black and white, gloomy, even eerie. But sadness is more than what we see on…

  • My walk with Sadness

    A friend of mine was heartbroken after the loss of their animal companion. They were distraught and vulnerable—and on top of their grief, they were judging themselves for feeling it so deeply. “It was just a pet,” they said. “This shouldn’t be affecting me this much. I can’t sleep, I can’t eat…” But the truth…

  • Emotional Regulation: Sadness

    Getting to Know Sadness Sadness is an emotion we all experience, yet it remains one of the most complex and misunderstood. Many assume sadness is simply about tears—crying when we grieve. And while grief is generally accepted, it often comes with an unspoken time limit. When we lose someone we love, there’s an expectation to…

  • Lucy, The Unexpected Ally

    Lucy, the Unexpected Ally This is Lucy. She was a cellar spider that lived in our dining room. The first time I noticed her, my immediate reaction was fear—I wanted her gone. But then, I saw what she was doing. Lucy had captured a harlequin lady beetle, better known as an Asian beetle. These invasive…

  • My Walk with Fear

    The Old Me As a child, I hated being scared. My brothers used to hide in my room or sneak up behind me. They would jump out and say, “Boo.” I would fall to the floor in tears. I know it was all in good fun, and I’m sure my big reaction kept them coming…

  • Emotional Regulation: Fear

    Getting To Know Fear Fear is an interesting emotion; it can arise from a legitimate situation or a perceived threat. This makes fear a very complex emotion. In many ways, fear acts like an internal alarm system. The brain sends signals to the body, prompting automatic reactions. Most people are familiar with the fight-or-flight response,…

  • Rage Battle

    The overwhelming sensation of anger disturbs and disrupts—not just our vision, but our internal balance. When rage takes hold, it can feel like the only relief comes from a volatile eruption of disdain and distress, releasing the tension however we can. For a long time, my walk with anger was exactly this—a rush for release,…