To inspire. 

• I’ve read many articles on the benefits of exercise on mental health. They’ve been educational and insightful, but they weren’t quite what I was looking for. I was missing the human aspect . I wanted to read someone’s story of how weight lifting or running eased some of the effects of depression and anxiety.  Maybe I wasn’t thorough enough in my search or was too impatient to keep looking. So I thought.. hmmm well weight lifting has helped me so much, it might be cool to share a few things here and there on my journey. That’s where the idea of this blog stemmed from – to write on the benefits of exercise,  share the story of how imperfect my journey has been, and meet others who have or are struggling with mental health.

To educate.

• Do you ever read an article and a few weeks later forget most of the content? We’re inundated with so much information that that I don’t take it too hard when I can’t recall all the details of articles, documentaries, books, etc. I wanted a share links and content that I found fascinating and share those with those that might be interested. I also want you to share awesome content that you find interesting.  I want to make this a platform that encourages two-way communication.
• Another huge impetus for starting this blog is to connect with the Latino community. It’s already hard enough to talk about mental health and in the Latino community you really don’t. You don’t want to shame your family, it’s not really an illness, oh and my favorite ” you can pray it away”. Yes, my faith helped, but I also had to take the steps to get better which required  taking a long break from work, doing intensive cognitive behavioral therapy and medicine trial and error.

To connect.

• I want to build a community around this blog. We all have different stories and perspectives and it is my wish to have a family that supports each other and feels free to share their uniqueness without feeling judged. While healthy discussions are welcome and encouraged, I will not tolerate any form of hate or intimidation. This will be an opportunity to connect, share, and provide encouragement to all regardless of background.

I’m so excited to meet each and everyone of you!

Love, Andrea