Hello Diary • 9th December 2022

An Open Letter to My Husband & the Woman He Fell in Love With

“It's too soon to write about this. The wound is so fresh it's oozing. But I don't see any other options in this landscape. I want to call on my best friend for a shoulder to cry on. But I can't go to him. He's front and center of the dilemma, right along with me. Except, for the first time since I became his wife—seven years, three weeks, and one day—we've entered a battle we cannot fight together. I am alone. He is alone. I am awake. He is asleep. He's in love with someone else.”

Hello Diary • 17th December 2022

Love Doesn’t Die Alone

“It feels like I'm falling slowly from a burning building. Someone pushed me out the window. Thank God, who wants to stay inside a crumbling structure engulfed in flames? People say there's a net waiting to catch me, but I can't see it, so I'm afraid. What if they're lying?“

Hello Diary • 24th December 2022

I Don’t Blame You

“Just typing this sends a chill down my spine. Of course, any sane person would've heeded such a clear-cut warning, but I married him instead. Perhaps, it's because I was in a dark place mentally and emotionally—dry but not sober, lacking in self-worth, a chicken with its motherfucking head whacked right off.”

Hello Diary • 15th January 2023

Let Go For Dear Life

"At around hour thirteen of alcohol withdrawal, roughly 3:30 pm, I got in my car and drove 180 miles to my mother's house, where my son had spent the previous night. There are two reasons I made the trip: I needed my boy and an escape––one not poisonous as those I'd taken nearly every day since New Year's Eve. Truthfully, I'm an escapism junkie; alcohol is quick to the punch and most accessible for me, but it's all a matter of escaping someone or some feeling."

Hello Diary • 28th January 2023

What More Can I Ask For?

"Today is Day 15 of sobriety. I don't feel great, but I feel good. I am hopeful. Dare I say, happy? I shouldn't say that. I'm not particularly happy after all, but I am grateful. Living in gratitude, specifically. It's helping. My mom says I need more therapy. I tell her I am therapy. I mean this lightheartedly. I and psycho-therapy go way back; old friends, chums, pals. On good days, I think of myself as a reincarnation of Allan Watts and Bill Wilson. On other days, I practice humility..."

Hello Diary • 2nd February 2023

A Tangled Web We Weave

"Yesterday at 10 a.m., while I sat on my front porch sipping my morning coffee and staring at the screen of my Macbook, two police cars pulled up next to my driveway. My heart sank to my feet. Although I know I didn't commit a crime, it's still disconcerting when the cops show up at your door."

#parentingSLACKS • 2nd September 2022

Vol. 14: Gratitude

“Implementing gratitude has helped tremendously with my mental ailments, such as anxiety. A few moments of self-reflection on something I am thankful for is enough to slice through my toxic thoughts. That's because gratitude activates the limbic nervous system in a way that regulates emotions and puts a damper on the worrisome chatter of the mind.”

#parentingSLACKS • 26th August 2022

Vol. 13: Healthy Humility

“For some, the topic of humility can conjure up images of restriction and bondage, but the invitation to humility is incredibly freeing.
It's one of those simple but not easy principles and, not surprisingly, has much to do with our stress and anxiety levels.”

#parentingSLACKS • 19th August 2022

Vol. 12: The Psychology of Procrastination

“Although we do many things habitually and non-consciously, without the ability to schedule, choose, and execute actions voluntarily, we would lack aspects of mental functioning that many consider central to what it means to be human.
But, more importantly, and in practical terms, we would often fail to get things done without volitional regulation; we would remain in a procrastination loop.”

#parentingSLACKS • 2nd December 2022

Vol. 27: Imposter Syndrome & Self-Sabotage

"We know that Imposter Syndrome is a direct route to Self-Sabotage, but what causes us to doubt our worth so madly in the first place?

Perfectionism is the leading indicator of Imposter Syndrome; typically, people who experience one also experience the other."

#parentingSLACKS • 25th November 2022

Vol. 26: The Introvert's Guide to Friendship

"Friendship is one of the most critical relationships in our lives; buddy bonds provide an essential source of social support. In addition, a strong network of friends can help cushion stress, loneliness, anxiety, and other potential mental health problems.
Research shows that people with close friendships are more likely to experience positive emotions and live with greater satisfaction. So even one solid homie can do wonders for your mental health!"

#parentingSLACKS • 17th November 2022

Vol. 25: Mental Health & 7 Ways to Improve It

"We often try to do 5,000 things daily to keep our mental load balanced and our inner peace in check, but this can lead to adverse outcomes. Instead, we're more likely to see long-term, sustainable success by laying a solid foundation of actions and mindsets — cornerstones that offer daily support and provide a sturdy base to build upon over time."

#parentingSLACKS • 11th November 2022

Vol. 24: The Science of Sleep

“The foundation of the well-known scientific premise for sleep evolution builds from the idea that we were awake and evolved to sleep. But what if it's the other way around? Why do we assume that we evolved sleep rather than that sleep is the defacto state of all birthed life on planet earth, and it's from rest that wakefulness emerged and became?”

Love What Matters • 12th December 2022

‘The most unlikely teacher.’: How our dog taught me to love my mother unconditionally

“I answered my mother’s phone call that night nearly twelve years ago because I was drunk––the only time I liked to talk on the phone, despite hardly ever remembering any details of the conversations the next day. This time was different. I remember it well, all thanks to the hysteria in her voice that immediately killed my buzz.

“I just saved this poor little dog’s life! Paid three hundred bucks for him, and he’s not the purebred like they said in the ad, but I don’t care!”

She told me how th

Dailystar.co.uk • 25th April 2023

Drug addict mum who went to first AA meeting aged 9 looks so different sober

A recovering addict who went to her first AA meeting aged nine says she tried every drug on the market by the time she was 13.

Ashley Carter Cash, 38, had a mum who was dependent on crack cocaine and an alcoholic dad.

Her parents divorced when she was 12 and afterwards she lived with her mum.

READ MORE: Mum whose booze addiction turned eyes yellow unrecognisable after going sober

A young Ashley hoped to save her “from the demons that drove her to drugs” but unfortunately she “fell into the t