“Prior to starting counseling with Kelley and participating in her Mindfulness workshop I was carrying around a lot of “stuff” I guess you can call it. Things that literally weighed me down. I waited a long time to seek help and was becoming physically sick. I was depressed about things that I had gone through in my past and anxious/stressed about what I needed to do or what was going happen in my future. I used the term “overwhelmed” ALOT! Overwhelmed about the things I could not control. One thing a learned through my counseling journey and Mindfulness workshop with Kelley is the importance of living in the present moment. I realized that I was only in control of what was happening right now. And in regard to other people, I could not control their words or actions, I could only control me and how I chose to let things affect me. Another thing I learned, with Kelley’s help, is not to  let my past “haunt me” as I used that term alot as well when moments from my past would resurface. I now look at it from a different perspective. It is not my past haunting me but reminding me about how far I have come! There is a lot of stigma around mental illness. The truth is, mental health is just as important as physical health. If I broke my arm, would I wait it out to see if it got better on its own or would I seek help? I realized that I didn’t need to be embarrassed about admitting that I needed help. I needed to “let go” of some stuff and shift my perspective on how I was viewing circumstances in my life. I am where I am today because I said yes to taking care of my mental health. I’m not saying I am perfect. Some days are better than others and I still look forward to my counseling session check ins because it is a process. Thank you for everything Kelley!”