The Mom, Wife, Dream Life

Life has always been and always will be go go go. No matter what life throws at you or what natural disasters occur, life will be busy, and you keep going.

This can be hard. Just because life is busy and constantly moving doesn’t mean it gets easier. I am going to be completely straightforward when I say this, so take a deep breath, or maybe I should take a deep breath… Okay, let’s both take a deep breath. 2025 has been the hardest and probably most challenging year of our lives.

How Has Life Been Recently For Our Family?

It has had its ups, but the number of downs it has had outweighs them. My mental health has been put through the wringer, but not as much as other people I love. I won’t go into detail about everything, as not everything is my stuff to share. I will share that I have felt incredibly overwhelmed by everything happening in our family and in our lives. There have been some major changes happening, and it’s hard to handle all of them at the same time. Somehow, everything that has happened has shown up within the same amount of time. These last 3 months, everything has felt like a disaster.

The beginning of the year was fun because we had a baby, a toddler, and we took a big family trip for the first time. As the year progressed, things started to ramp up in stress, anxiety, depression, and overall struggles. But, no matter what, we pressed on, because that’s what we do. We keep moving forward, some of us pushing back those things until they bubble up and explode. Well… it did, and it hasn’t stopped exploding since then.

When this happens, we have no choice but to focus on our mental health and get it all squared away, taken care of, and back to a healthy stance in ourselves and in our relationships with others. Mental health should have just as high a priority as physical health. It could be just as life-changing and life-threatening as any other form of health, so it should be important and considered serious just as much.

What Can We Learn From Experiences In Our Lives?

We have had some eye-opening conversations and situations that have led us to this point in our lives. We have had some life curves thrown our way, and we want to be a bit vulnerable for you here. If you or someone you know is struggling or experiencing depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and ideations, feelings of numbness or lack of motivation, please seek support and help. Multiple people care, love, and want to help you and see you get the help you need. I always remind myself that it is always better to be safe than sorry. I would rather my loved one(s) be upset with me and get the help they need to get better than the alternative negative outcomes.

My sweet husband has been more than willing to share with all of us his thoughts and some experiences he has had with prioritizing mental health. Take it away, my love.

What Has My Husband’s Experience Been This Year?

Much like McKenna wrote, this year has been quite the year. There are so many events that have piled up that it almost feels like an insurmountable mountain. Mental health has played a large role throughout these events. It’s not my place to dive into all the events; however, I will speak to my situation throughout this year. I have struggled with my mental health for many years. In middle school and high school, I experienced anxiety and depression. I have been fortunate enough to have great support systems throughout my life that allowed me to find the right help when I needed it. 

This year, these two challenges reared their heads again and have added to the mental load of everything else we have experienced. I feel that at the beginning of the year, it was calm enough. My anxiety wasn’t too bad; however, as work responsibilities continued to compound, there didn’t seem to be an end in sight. I expressed a lot of this anxiety to my support system and ended up seeking therapy again for the first time since high school. 

I am thankful for those who have helped throughout this process. It has been eye-opening to see the amount of love and support that has come from those with whom I surround myself. There have been many ups and downs throughout this journey, resulting in a lot of soul searching and “finding” of myself, if you will; however, I truly am glad for all those who have stepped into my life to help! 

With all that being said, I have to agree with McKenna, mental health is such an important aspect of our lives. Important enough that it has become a big focus of my life at the moment. I have had to step away from many things and start new habits to find that same peace that I had earlier in my life. McKenna has been the biggest supporter of this journey. She has been my rock through this whole process, encouraging me that I can and will find peace.

If you are struggling with mental health, I urge you to seek help from professionals who can help and support systems that love you. Some people truly do care and want to see the best for others, and I promise that they will be right there beside you to help you through this journey. 

Thank you, honey, for sharing your own experiences. As we have learned, sometimes we have to step away from things and take the breath you’ve been needing to refill your life with good air, good habits, good people, and good environments that want the best for you. It’s not always going to be the easy answer to everything, but it’s at least a step in the right direction.

For many, this may include taking a break from continued education, stepping away from a job, leaving a friend group, creating those boundaries between friends and/or family members, allowing those waves of emotions to come, to feel them, express them, acknowledge them, and then to let them go. There are things we do in this life that can easily be changed to make us better people and more focused on what truly matters. Our health should not be something to be toyed with, not something to be taken for granted, and not something to be used incorrectly or improperly. Your health, all aspects of it, is critical to your well-being and can affect others around you as well. 

Why is it So Important To Focus On Our Thoughts?

What you allow yourself to do, say, think, listen to, and be around can positively and negatively affect your health. It is up to you whether or not you surround yourself with the things that affect you positively or negatively. We cannot change other people, but we can change ourselves and create the space for ourselves to grow and change. Doing so sometimes requires that step back, that step away, or sometimes the step forward into something new and safe.

Leaving something detrimental to your mental (or any) health is not quitting. Some people see it as giving up or being weak, or quitting. That is far from the truth. If you are seriously struggling, and you have gotten the help you need and still can’t function or live a happy, healthy life while in a certain situation or place, it’s time to get out. 

Your life is more valuable than your job, it’s more valuable than money, more valuable than the stress, anxiety, and overwhelm of the world. You deserve to heal, to grow, and to be your best self. 

This is a strength! You have the courage to stand up for yourself, you have the bravery to get help, even if it’s scary or you don’t know what will happen. You have the confidence to prove you can get better, you can learn to control those thoughts and emotions, and you can have a healthy mind, soul, heart, and body again. It may take work, effort, dedication, ups and downs, but moving forward with help from your support systems (whoever they may be) will be what you need to get back on your feet and back to your happy self.

What Should I Do When My Day Has Been Hard?

Some days are harder than others, but that means you can get through them because you have before. Life is worth fighting for, worth living for, and worth getting help for. If you or someone you know is struggling or needs help, please know that there are multiple agencies and people to help. I will list some familiar places below in case you need to get help right away. Mental health is not something to be taken lightly; it’s as serious as any other physical condition, illness, plague, or issue. Life is always going to keep moving forward; you might as well keep moving forward, too, while prioritizing your health in all aspects of your life. There should be no shame in getting help. It’s no different than someone wanting to eat healthier; fueling our minds, bodies, and souls with proper nutrients allows us to maintain that healthy life and lifestyle.

Check on your friends, check on your family members. We don’t know what other people are struggling with, but they should always know that they have someone to turn to when and if those things happen. Be the support you would want to have in your life. It’s hard, but it’s worth it.

“Mental health is not a destination, but a process. It’s about HOW you drive, not where you’re going.”

National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

McKenna Sanders

The Mom, Wife, Dream Life Blog

I want to hear from you! Fill out the form below!