Welcome!

Welcome!

Who am I and why do you care?

My name is Jessie, and maybe you don’t care…. And that’s fine.  I’m an open book, but since nobody reads books anymore, I thought it might be time to start a blog.

I work full time while juggling my roles as a mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, and occasionally, a hurricane. We'll get to that. 
 
Along with all of those things I'm also a few others, but I try not to let them define me. I've always been pretty candid about my life (ask me anything and I’ll tell you. Probably in greater detail than you would like), but there is one subject I’ve kept pretty quiet about.  Until now.
 
The truth is, I’m also a depression and anxiety sufferer.
 
 I was actually nick named Hurricane Jessie by an ex (um, thanks for the excellent nickname and blog title, wherever you are these days). It was his way of describing my occasional bouts with depression and anxiety, when I would "cloud over."

Since those days, I've become better at managing my storms, but I still struggle from time to time.
 
Why am I baring it all now, for everyone to see? Because I know I that am not alone. I know there are many of you out there like me, who are hurting, struggling, or worse, considering hurting yourselves. I'm hoping that by coming forward and sharing my stories, I can help someone see that they're not alone.  

I've suffered from some form of anxiety ever since I can remember.  It wasn't until high school that it became clear to me that it wasn't a "normal" thing that everyone dealt with, at least not in the capacity that I experienced it.  After I had my son, O, my anxiety skyrocketed, and I began experiencing some different symptoms, and was eventually diagnosed with postpartum depression.  It should have come as no surprise to me, considering the anxiety I had experienced before, but it was difficult for me to come to terms with, nonetheless.
 
Because I've tried not to let my struggle claim too much of my life, it won’t be the main focus of this blog. Yes, this blog is about my stormy days, but it’s also about my coping mechanisms. I'll share with you what gets me through my rough patches (my hilariously naughty dog, my beautiful son, my enduring husband, crafts, music, beating things with hammers, etc.), things I love, and I'll probably do some bitching about things I hate too.

Stick around, maybe you’ll learn something. We’ll laugh, we’ll cry, we’ll drink cheap wine… I guess I’ll do all those things. You decide if you want to join me.  It’ll sure make me look less crazy if I’m not alone!