Captivity

Captivity.

It’s a strong word and at first, if you’re like me, you would have equated it to war and thought this doesn’t pertain to me. I truly didn’t think it did as I read the book, “Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence – From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror.”

See, it was 2015 and I had recently gotten myself out of a dangerous cycle of a relationship. I was feeling so out of sorts, like my head was spinning and I couldn’t catch my breath. I knew I needed something for the anxiety I was feeling, so I decided to study up on it. Little did I know, one paragraph in one chapter would change my life forever and begin my healing journey.

“People subjected to prolonged, repeated trauma develop an insidious, progressive form of post-traumatic stress disorder that invades and erodes the personality. While the victim of a single acute trauma may feel after the event that she is “not herself,” the victim of chronic trauma may feel herself to be changed irrevocably, or she may lose the sense that she has any self at all.”

BINGO.

WOW. I read that paragraph over and over and it hit me that the chapter I almost skipped over, the chapter I thought wouldn’t help me at all may have just saved my life! I now knew what I was struggling from: PTSD.

Realizing this was what I was truly dealing with gave me a sense of clarity, understanding and a weight lifted from my shoulders because now? NOW, I knew what I had! And once you know what to “fix” or work on, you can start to heal.

That’s how it started for me. My journey has been going on for 5-years and even lead to beginning Feel This Happy so I can help guide you or someone you love who is struggling to find their happy place like I have.

It takes work, dedication and the true want to move forward but for those who are ready for a change, it becomes the most incredible first step! Feel free to send me a dm and ask whatever questions you need answered. The more I can provide that allows you to know this is the right fit for you, the better

You Never Have To Do It Alone

The people have spoken

I’m not saying I have all the answers.

What I’m suggesting is that you never have to go through your journey alone.

From the very first steps you take, you can have someone to lean on, talk things through with and start making choices that’ll guide you to your end goal, whether it be weight loss, confidence boosting, removing toxicity from your life and much more to help lead you to your happy place.DM me for more or please take a moment to visit my website to see more. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that I started FTH at the beginning of 2020, entering into one of the mentally toughest periods for all of us. Lets get through it together!

Feel Happiness

“The most worth-while thing is to try to put happiness into the live of others.”

This quote is so incredibly true. I am someone that people have always gone to for advice, an ear, a shoulder…watching how this helped people or how the advice and guidance changed their world for the better, it gave me the push I needed to start Feel This Happy.

When I began putting all of this together, I clearly had no idea we would be heading into a global pandemic (talk about timing.) I could have allowed it to discourage me, instead, I’ve worked harder.

Launching in January and signing up my first client, then the next and the next; working with companies to speak with their employees via Fb live and Zoom during the beginning of this pandemic on how to make life easier for themselves; hopping onto radio shows dishing out anxiety reducing techniques. Getting to the 6 month mark right on par with my personal goal and moving forward one step at a time. This has been a crazy year, but a crazy year full of positive results!

You can read some of the reviews on Facebook and you can experience it for yourself. But, you need to want to feel your best and you need to put in the effort that goes along with it, like anything else.

So you tell me: Are you ready to feel better? DM me today for more

“How Did I Get Here?”

When I was at my lowest, I remember having moments of wondering, “how did I get here?!”

Like what in the ever loving hell brought me to this point? To this place of overwhelming sadness, darkness, unintentional, ever-flowing tears where some days it took all I had to push through? How did I get here?

In reality, I knew.

I wasn’t blind to my surroundings, I was just too invested in them. Toxic people or environments can trick you into thinking you can fix them or things will change over time. You just need to get to this date or this anniversary or get past this thing at work being due.

But the truth of it all is the only thing that changes over time is how awful you begin to feel inside. I chat to clients a lot about toxic people and toxic spaces and what it comes down to for yourself and your well being – get away. Away from the constant fights or feelings of not being worthy; Away from the place that’s twisting your stomach into knots and leaving you anxious to return.

The moment you make the choice to leave these situations, the moment you take that first step is the moment you become lighter and more free. It doesn’t mean you’ll immediately feel your best. What it means is you’re on your way to getting there, one step and one day at a time.

You don’t have to do it alone. For an ear, guidance and information reach out to me today. Your next chapter can start confidently bold with strength in numbers.

Happiness Is a Choice

I know, you may be having a moment reading this all like, “Marissa, I can’t choose happiness like it’s on a shelf at Target.”

*insert your eye roll here*

But believe me when I say, you’re RIGHT, because it’s INSIDE OF YOU. You just choose if you allow yourself to feel it or not.

For realzies!

Our own personal happiness is something that we all begin with when we are brought into this world. Think about it, have you ever once met a baby that you just couldn’t get to smile or giggle by doing almost next to nothing. It’s instilled in us.

So what happens? Well, for a lack of better description: STUFF.

It’s all the experiences we have and the people surrounding us that become a part of our own personal code. They, along with how we react and feel, program our insides. And suddenly (or not so suddenly) we’re super depressed and can’t get out of the funk.But a lot of the time, we get in our own ways.

Example: We have something traumatic happen and choose to bottle it up rather than getting the help we need to heal. This is something that can have long lasting effects. It can control how you handle every single thing you do…

So where do you start to pick up these pieces to put yourself back together? Take my hand…let’s start this trip with someone you can lean on and help you begin. Reach out to FEEL THIS HAPPY today

The First Step…

This pandemic has been a struggle for everyone – yes, literally everyone!

We may all be in different boats, but we’re all wearing life jackets wondering if they’ll stay afloat.

You’re not alone!

But it doesn’t need to feel like the anchor is life is weighing you down all the time – even during a pandemic.

Find out techniques you can do wherever you are to start feeling better, happier and lighter by setting up your first session with Feel This Happy. Our clients are already feeling the difference, join them by taking that first step…it’s always the hardest to admit you’re not feeling your best, but once you hop over that hump, you’re on your way to smiling more and taking your life back

See The Good In Everything…

Andy Grammer has been called, “too positive.”

In fact he wrote a song called “Naive” about the fact he’s been called “too positive,” for so long.

“𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙥𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙡𝙮, 𝙄’𝙙 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙞𝙫𝙚”

It comes down to perspective, which I often find popping up when chatting with clients. Someone will be in the middle of telling me what’s been going on and causing them sleepless nights, I stop them and start my “okay, I see that, but what if you looked at it this way…” The amount of, “Wow, I never thought of that,” I get in response is so telling.

If you’re so focused on what can go wrong, the weight of whatever it is you’re going through will feel so much heavier and cause so much more stress than if you flip the script.

So, why do we automatically feel like the absolute worst of the worst is going to happen in every and all situations? Negative Bias.

An article from the Very Well Mind states:

As humans, we tend to:

*Remember traumatic experiences better than positive ones.
*Recall insults better than praise.
*React more strongly to negative stimuli.
*Think about negative things more frequently than positive ones.
*Respond more strongly to negative events than to equally positive ones.

Are there ways to change this? Well – it’s up to you. It takes training in order to rewire how your brain works and what it focuses on. But, from my personal experience, you CAN change it…over time.Lets work together and I can help you learn how. DM me today for more info

There’s Nothing Holding Me Back

We all have things we want to achieve and what’s normal is to feel like things get in our way that deter us. It may happen more than once. You may feel like nothing is going your way and that someone just doesn’t want you to reach your goal.

That someone? It just might be YOU.

For real. Step back for a second and look your situation over. Yes, there may be some stressful moments, some things that’ll push back the timing a bit – but it comes down to YOUR mental headspace in how you allow it to affect YOU and your progress.

The moment you’re able to start taking those stressors or set backs and use it to power you rather than stop you, YOU WIN.

Unsure how to flip your perspective? Let me help! DM FTH today

Happy Hour(s) Start Here

Wanting to feel happier is common.
Not knowing where to start is 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 super common.

And truest thing around is that 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 & 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 a”𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙔” 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧…so, how do you get to that place?

If I were going to sugar coat it for you, I’d say “𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘌 𝘖𝘕! 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘠!” But, I’ll give you the truest of true: ɪᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴄᴏɴsisᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴇffᴏʀᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇ ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢ ʟasting ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ.

Like anything else, it requires practice, technique, awareness and some times it all needs to start with a little push and accountability.

As your𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡, I can help you set your goals and reach with small steps that’ll lead to big successful changes. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨, 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮?

Send me a DM today to find out more and check out my website to see what your personal one-on-one session can be. Mental Health is important and it shouldn’t be so difficult to take care of, so lets start taking each small step together to a happier, healthier you!

Your Gut Can Guide You

Photo by Nina Uhlu00edkovu00e1 on Pexels.com

What I’ve learned in my 30+ years is that just when you think everything is going one way, things will go another. It’s life. We are never really in control of it.

Take the pandemic as an example; I know many of us that were about to jump into new adventures with anxious excitement! …then the world shut down.

If you’re like me, the opportunity you were anxiously excited for disappeared. Other opportunities that I had for months also slipped away to avoid companies with exposure risks. Suddenly, I found myself down to the company I had only just built for myself to continue to grow, which I can thankfully say I have during this weird time.

But no one could have predicted the last few months for any of us (well, maybe China.) Many of us headed to our families to take care of them in this time. Many had to give up things and places they love to keep moving forward.

I, too am one of those people – but I practice what I preach in that if your gut is telling you to do something, follow it. Even if it hurts, even if it’s not a choice you want to make but have to, do it. Your gut is almost never wrong and the pieces will fall into place and you will be okay…

We’ll all be okay.

Keep leaning on each other, keep being safe, keep reaching out when you need to and keep going.

And never forget, Feel This Happy is here for you