Mormon Bloggers

Dr. Thomas J. Boud, MD published a recent article in the most recent issue - LDS Living – Why Am I Always Tired?. Dr. Boud writes: Many people feel exhaustion creeping up on them during the holiday season, but it is possible to overcome the tide and find energy again.  Fatigue can tax just about every … Continue reading »  Read More →

A few years ago I wrote an article on how I was able to overcome anxiety and depression without using medication.  At the time, I didn’t realize how many people struggled with either anxiety, depression, or both.  Since I wrote that article along with some other ones,  people have emailed me, called me, or just talked with me about their struggles with anxiety and depression.  When I started receiving so much feedback, I decided a great way to get the word out would be to write a book on the topic. Over a year ago, I started writing a book on my experiences with overcoming anxiety and depression.  What I thought would be a short process ended up being about a year in the making.  Editing the book and finding a publishing company was another endeavor that took almost as long. Long story short, I finally finished the book and am excited to share it with you or anyone else you think may be able to benefit from overcoming anxiety and/or depression.  The book includes my personal... Read the rest of this entry »

Who am I?  That is a question that I seem to ask myself and over and over again the past couple of years.  I have started asking myself why I keep coming back to that question because I think that I have it figured out and then something happens and I’m so unsure of myself and what I’m going to do with my life.  Last semester I took a Life Planning and Decision Making class at BYU to try and help me ensure I knew what I was doing and by the end of that semester I thought I had it figured out.  When summer started, I thought I had a point that I was working towards and I was so sure of it at that time.  However, things have again changed (I use this word a lot ) and I am trying to figure everything out. I think we all are trying to figure out who we are and what we want out of life, so I’m not so unusual in my struggles.  However, I do believe that not as many people think they get it figured out and then it doesn’t turn out that way.  I feel... Read the rest of this entry »

My friend and colleague, Lindsay C., wrote this poem about living with Alzheimer’s. To my loved ones; I have experienced many things in my life, which I cherish and hold deep within me. I wouldn’t trade them for the world, because I am able to re-live them in my memory. I have noticed slight changes in myself, from wrinkles, energy, mood and mind. But I don’t let it bother me, because a long happy life is hard to find. At times I am forgetful, and my memory isn’t as sharp as it was in the past. But forgetting things is normal with age, so I am not concerned that it will last. My family hasn’t noticed any changes yet, because I am good at hiding what I can’t recall. But what they don’t understand is it’s not just me, that this hidden darkness will affect us all. I have grown to be more confused and nervous, I used to be very neat and clean. For something is happening that I cannot explain, I have become messy and somewhat mean. I enjoyed all activities with my family... Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes workplace stress and depression symptoms can take on the mindset of “which came first, the chicken or the egg?”  Has workplace stress caused your depressive symptoms, or have depressive symptoms caused you to have stress in the workplace?  There can be a fine line between cause and effect for working mothers of younger children. Previous research has concluded that workplace stressors such as high levels of pressure, lack of flexibility, and low complexity and control over work can be linked to employee’s having depressive symptoms (Barnett & Brennan, 1995; Paterniti, Niedhammer, Lang, & Consoli, 2002).  Individuals having lower incomes in rural communities have fewer job opportunities with a higher wage or quality of work (Gibbs, Kusmin, & Cromartie, 2005).  Mothers with infants and young children have an increased risk for experiencing depressive symptoms when they are employed in lower wage and quality jobs.  This increased... Read the rest of this entry »

This Mormon Channel episode, “Left Behind by Suicide,” explores a difficult topic of suicide. Hear how some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) have personally dealt with this tragedy of losing a loved one to suicide. What do Mormons believe about someone who has committed suicide? You can read more about this topic in the following posts: What do Mormons believe about suicide? (part 1)  What do Mormons believe about suicide? (part 2)  Read More →

The past four months have been rough at my home. In my home. In my skin. In my soul. Let me preface this by saying that I don’t want to over share, but I also feel compelled to be honest. To make sure I am not making too little out of my experience, because I want a record of how I have survived. And it is no hyperbole to use the term “survive.” Honest: Once Jojo came home I shut down. I stopped getting out of bed, going downstairs, talking, thinking, eating. Buster was my reason for functioning at all, the only light in my life. Honest: I didn’t feel anything at all for my new baby, once the adrenaline wore off and he was safe at home. I seriously debated giving him up for adoption, because it was not fair to him to grow up in a home with a mother who did not feel anything for her son. I had the conversation with my husband in all seriousness. I felt relief at the idea. Honest: I made a list of things that would need to happen in order for... Read the rest of this entry »

So I have a million ideas of things that I want to post about and I was planning to do them all before this one, but seeing the recent events in the past few days, I felt impressed to write about this.  Even though I should probably be heading to bed right now as I have finished my most pressing homework assignments, I really feel that I need to sit down and write this.  The last few days have been hard for me because I have gone through a roller coaster ride of emotions as I have dealt with a lot of new issues that I’ve never faced before.  I’m very grateful for them at this time because they taught me a ton, and this blog post is talking about one of the things I learned. So many, if not most, of you know that I am not particularly fond of my birthday.  People think I am crazy because I say that quite frequently, and I don’t normally share when my birthday with others because I don’t like them celebrating it.  When I’m asked when my birthday is, I... Read the rest of this entry »

~by Ariane I recently attended the viewing of a sweet newborn baby. As I watched the parents of this infant shed tears of sorrow for the unexpected and untimely loss of their baby girl, I tried to comprehend what they might be feeling. I thought of the various challenges that they would continue to face as they learned to cope with their loss. My heart ached as I quietly and respectfully watched this good father, carry the tiny casket holding his precious baby, into the funeral services. Knowing that I couldn’t take their pain away, I struggled to find the right words to express to the distraught parents, and I prayed that they would find a measure of peace and comfort through the difficult grieving process. As I have taken time to ponder upon this brief and sorrowful moment, I’ve recalled many times the vision I have etched in my mind of this father carrying the tiny casket which held his precious baby girl. I’m sure for this father it didn’t take a great deal... Read the rest of this entry »

~by Cheryl The other night at the dinner table, we were talking about gratitude. I explained to our five children that gratitude for things we love is easy; but what about gratitude for things we don’t really like? I asked everyone to name one thing they were grateful for that on the outside, would seem ludicrous. What were they thankful for that was hard but had inadvertently blessed their lives? Homework. Cleaning the house. Bedtime. Their answers didn’t come very quickly, but when they did, it was obvious to see how they could be a blessing. Finally, it was my turn. For me, the answer is easy. I’m grateful for my depression. Depression is not fun. It’s not easy. It’s slow to strike, slow to diagnose, and sometimes it’s slow to eradicate. Like my asthma, depression never really, truly, honestly, goes away. It lurks. Depression enters the mind, slowly leaking into the heart and soul. During my darkest times, I would feel nothing. I would be motivated... Read the rest of this entry »

It never fails. The weekend comes and my goal is to ensure that when we wake up Saturday morning, there is nothing that needs to be done. All the laundry is caught up, dishes are caught up, counters cleaned off and organized, everything is placed where it is supposed to be. Yet, something magical happens. [...]  Read More →

Editor’s note: Ariane has created a blog where she talks about dealing with clinical depression and anxiety. She kindly consented to us sharing one of her posts here at Mormon Women. “Finding the Light from Within” (the first in our “Forward With Faith” series) ~by Ariane As we journey through life, along the way we discover through various personal experiences, the learning and growth that is required of us to become the type of person that the Lord intends for us to become. As we experience both the struggles and the victories, we can gain valuable strength and knowledge that will add to our character an extra measure of strength and understanding. It is my hope that through sharing my experiences with clinical depression and anxiety, that I might in some small way be able to make a difference in the life of another who is carrying the same burden, and that along the way each of us will find additional faith, hope and strength as we trust in the Lord and... Read the rest of this entry »