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Writing: My Self Care Checklist (Part 1)

I recently made a post sharing my self care checklist. I then made a video about one of the activities on the list: writing, which you can check out below. Now, I want to go a little more in depth about writing.

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Stories, lyrics, you name it. Though it’s always been a constant in my life, I never fully realized it was a passion until I took a creative writing class in my senior year of high school. In this class, we would often share songs to help inspire us to write a poem. The writing never felt difficult, the words always came easy to me. My classmates also gave me positive feedback, which felt nice.

After high school, my poems transitions back into lyrics, and eventually I started making music. Speaking of my music, check out my most recent song here!

I am also still writing stories, some original ideas, and others are my own version of existing TV shows. For one of my original stories, I am hoping to share it with the world one day.

I just thoroughly enjoy utilizing my creativity to, well, create some word magic. For the stories, it’s very helpful to immerse myself in the fictional world I’ve created and tell a, hopefully, good story. Writing song lyrics is very therapeutic for me, as it let’s me get out whatever is bothering me. My favorite music artist, Juice WRLD (RIP), wrote a lot of songs dedicated to his depression, anxiety, addiction, etc; I’d say he’s my biggest inspiration to write about my mental health struggles as well.

I hope I never run out of ideas to jot down, because it is very enjoyable!

~ T

Reels To Pick You Up When You’re Down

Check out some Reels we recently posted on our Instagram. Use them as a pick-me-up whenever you’re feeling down. 🧡🩷🩵

And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

What If The Rest of This Year…?


It Gets Easier You Know


What Makes You Happy?

Anxiety Reels

Check out some anxiety Reels we recently shared.

The first Reel shares a few things that people can try to help combat their anxiety. The second Reel is a funny, relatable meme. Enjoy!


5 Ways to Help Combat Anxiety


Going To The Store When It’s Busy

National Hobby Month

January is National Hobby Month! While we engage in our hobbies all year long, I think it’s fitting that the year begins with us taking note of what we enjoy doing. Plus, we can think about whether there are some activities we want to continue doing or stop, and any new activities we might want to pick up.


Some of my hobbies include making music, writing stories, and creating YouTube videos. Check out my music here, and my YouTube channel here!

Let me know in the comments what some of your hobbies are! – T

Reels: Hand Washing Awareness Week & Group Therapy (2)

Hand Washing Awareness Week

Last week was Hand Washing Awareness Week. As a hand washing advocate, especially in public settings, I felt inclined to make a video to help spread the word. Check it out below.


Group Therapy

Recently I’ve been sharing clips from a video on our YouTube channel about Group Therapy. Check out the full video below, or watch the clips on our Instagram!

Reels: Nature Photography & Matching Outfits (2)

This week’s Reels are both from Therell! Enjoy!

Matching Outfits

During Therell’s interview with Child First Greater Bridgeport, he and Josh notice that they are wearing both similar clothes and practically the same colors! 😂

Nature Photography Day

Therell acknowledges Nature Photography Day.

Thank you for staying connected with us! Check out last week’s Reels here!

Reels: Star Wars & The Finch App (3)

Hi everyone! Please enjoy our Reels from the past couple of weeks from Therell (2) and Quinn (1)!

Quinn – The Finch App

Quinn shares a Reel for a blog post they wrote about the Finch app, which helps encourage you to practice self care. Read their blog post HERE!

Therell – Mental Health Awareness Chat

Both of Therell’s Reels are from a mental health discussion he did with Paige Reynolds and Joshua Perez from Child First Greater Bridgeport. Therell split the discussion into 4 parts. Check out parts 1 and 2 on our YouTube channel; PART ONE | PART TWO.

The first Reel introduces Paige and Josh. In the second Reel, Therell asks Josh about the Star Wars video game(s) Jedi: Fallen Order & Jedi: Survivor.

Thank you for watching! Watch our previous Reels HERE!

Reels: Appreciating Our Teachers (1)

This week’s Reel comes from Therell. He celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week, and shouts out some of his past teachers who have made a big, positive impact on his life!

Check out last week’s Reels about Mental Health Awareness Month & Star Wars here!

Star Wars & Mental Health Awareness! (2)

Check out our latest Reels from the past week! Both are from Therell.

Star Wars Day

In Therell’s first Reel, he celebrates Star Wars Day!

Mental Health Awareness

In Therell’s second Reel, he acknowledges Mental Health Awareness Month and gives some encouragement.

Check out last week’s Reels here!

Reels: Celebrations & Social Anxiety (2)

Check out our latest Reels from the past week!

Sarah’s Reel

Sarah gives us some tips on how to make friends when you have social anxiety.

Therell’s Reel

Therell reminds us to celebrate our accomplishments, no matter how big or small they are.

Watch the previous week’s Reels here!

Second Batch of April 2023 Reels (3)

Hi everyone! Please enjoy our latest Reels from the past week! This week we have 3 reels, two from Sarah, and one from Therell.

The Reels

In Sarah’s first reel, she shares some tips for people who experience anxiety while giving presentations.

In Therell’s reel, he acknowledges National Only Child Day.

In Sarah’s second reel, she reassures everyone that it is perfectly okay to keep learning the basics as an adult.

Thank you for keeping up with The TurningPointCT Team! If you missed the previous week’s reels, watch them here!

First Reels of April 2023 (2)

Check out our first couple of reels this month, April 2023, both from Sarah!

In Sarah’s first reel, she shares some things she learned to do to boost her joy despite struggling with her mental health.

In Sarah’s second reel, she shares a few tips for when you might feel overwhelmed while working on digital devices during the day.

Check out our final reel from March here!

Don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe to us on social media!
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– YouTube: TurningPointCT.org
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Final Reels of March 2023 (1)

Happy April, everyone! Please enjoy our final March Reel from Dez!

Miss the previous Reels? Find them here!

Reels: Week of March 12 (3)

Watch our latest Reels from Dez and Therell!

Dez Reel: “What Does Happiness Mean to You?”

Therell Reel 1: “I Am”

Therell Reel 2: “Awkward Moments Day”

Miss last week’s Reels? Watch them here!

You Are Enough

Just in case nobody’s told you lately, but you ARE enough.

You’ve always been good enough. Sometimes we don’t realize that because we have been giving parts of ourselves to the wrong people.

There are people out there who will accept you, flaws and all. Those are the people you should keep close, the ones who love you unconditionally.

I used to constantly feel like I wasn’t good enough. In fact, I thought people hated me so much, I would bend over backwards for people who really wouldn’t do the same for me. I would drop everything to go help someone. I was giving people money I didn’t really have to give. I was giving the best parts of myself, my caring and compassion, to the wrong people who didn’t appreciate it. It wasn’t that I wasn’t good enough, I was just giving my all to the wrong people.

I have cut off and distanced myself from those people who have made me feel not good enough. I’ve learned that I shouldn’t have to desperately try to get people to accept me by giving my all and then some to them. Your worth shouldn’t come from whether or not people like you. There are so many people out there who know your worth.

You Deserve To Be Happy

IEP Meetings

You Don’t Always Need A Plan…

You don’t always need a plan…sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go…and see what happens.

Sometimes, my anxiety gets me so wound up that I panic if I don’t have a plan. I would get so overwhelmed that I would just shut down.

While I still have a lot of moments like this, I’ve found the calm in just going with the flow and allowing myself time to breathe.

I don’t constantly need to have something going on, and I don’t need to have everything planned out. Sometimes it’s better to just be.

Therell Shares His Poem “Remember Me”

@turningpointct.org Writing poems has always been a way for me to cope with my depression. Here's my poem "Remember Me" #mentalhealth #copingmechanism #poetry #poem #writing #rememberme #turningpointct ♬ original sound – turningpointct

Move At The Pace of Nature

I don’t know who needs to hear this today, but…

we operate in this environment of technology and everything moves so fast, but the pace we are actually supposed to be moving at is the pace of nature.

unfortunately we live in a society that seems to think working yourself into the ground means success. we are so busy constantly doing things, multi-tasking, and trying to do it all at the expense of our mental health.

we aren’t meant to constantly be going. we aren’t meant to lose sleep trying to get a million things done in a day. we need rest. we need to take breaks to just be.

I missed out on a lot during my time in college because I worked multiple jobs while going to school. not only was I missing out on a lot by trying to balance it all, but it also lead to some serious burnout and my mental and physical health suffered.

this is your reminder that you don’t need to be speeding through life. take some time to slow down and enjoy the moment your in. your physical and mental health will thank you.

Finding Peace

I don’t know who needs to hear this today but, peace is the result of re-training your mind to process life as it is rather than what you think it should be.

I used to really beat myself up over thinking I was not where I was supposed to be in life. I graduated later than all of the people I graduated high school with, I lived with my parents longer than I thought most people do, and I just constantly felt like I wasn’t where I should be in life.

At this point in my life, I’ve learned to accept and love where I am in life and what I’m doing. My journey looks a lot different than other people’s journeys and that’s okay.

It’s easy to compare yourself to what other people are doing because of social media, but we really only see a tiny glimpse of what people CHOOSE to share on social media.

Learn to love the life you’re living now…find your peace.

Better Days Are Coming

Let’s be honest, sometimes recovery is hard.

You’ll constantly hear people telling you things like “stay positive” and it’s definitely not always easy when you feel completely broken.

This is your reminder that staying positive doesn’t always mean being happy all the time.

On the hard days, remind yourself that better days are coming.

Recovery isn’t linear. There will be good days and there will be bad days. Keep your head up, you’ve got this.

Getting Out In Nature Is My Self-Care

Due to having a puppy, I have very brief periods of time to myself where I can either work, do house work, feed myself, or run errands. This morning during one of my puppy’s naps, I decided to go to one of my favorite local spots to get outside and away from the screens and my responsibilities for a brief moment with just myself and nature.

It was so peaceful at Yantic Falls even though it was sprinkling the whole time I was there. Sometimes, going out exploring in the rain is better because there’s less people and you tend to almost have these beautiful parks to yourself.

While part of me wants to constantly go go go and get things done because of the fact that our society as a whole praises people who work themselves to death, I am really trying to remind myself that there is a life outside of work. There is more to life than just working myself to death. I’m trying to make sure I experience things and find some kind of balance between work and the everyday responsibilities that come with being an adult.

Below is a short glimpse of my little mini adventure at Yantic Falls this morning 🙂

Things That Uplift Me When I’m Feeling Down

Learning To Put Myself First

I used to be that person that was always there whenever ANYONE needed me. I was the person everyone could count on.

I’ve been the person to front people money again and again who I knew probably wouldn’t pay me back.

I’ve gone and picked people up in the middle of the night who probably wouldn’t have done the same for me.

I’ve been a listening ear to people who would never just sit and listen to me when I just needed to vent.

Eventually, I had to put an end to being the person that everyone went to because it was exhausting.

Not only was it taking a toll on my mental health, but I would find myself stressing out about these people and their problems while none of them even thought about the toll their problems were taking on me.

I had to learn to say no. I had to learn that it is not my job to be the fixer of everyone else’s problems.

I had to learn that while yes, sometimes it is nice to help others, it can become a toxic cycle when it’s one-sided. It also becomes toxic when other people’s problems consume you to the point where you’re ignoring all of your own needs and problems.

When I stopped being that person, I lost a lot of “friends” that I constantly helped out.

But, it was honestly a weight lifted off of my shoulder. Now I put my own needs first because I realize how important it is to be the person I was to all of those people to myself. I need to be there for myself because me and my problems matter too.

Social Anxiety

I don’t know about you, but I am the queen of leaving events early (if I even choose to go to events).

My anxiety makes it extremely uncomfortable and difficult to be in social situations where I have to interact with multiple people at once, especially if they’re people I don’t know.

Sometimes I feel guilty and rude slipping out early, but the physical symptoms and the mental symptoms of anxiety together are enough to make me not care because the panic usually takes over.

For the most part, people that know me understand this, but it’s hard when I feel like I have to explain myself to strangers.

Do you ever feel this way at social events?

Life Is Too Short To Worry About The Stupid Things…

In this video, the TurningPointCT team wants you to know that life really is too short to worry about the stupid things.

One Of The Most Important Quotes I’ve Ever Heard…

When You’re Just Trying To Have A Good Day

I Wish I Could Be Chill

When Someone Tries To Give Me Unsolicited Advice About My Mental Health

@turningpointct.org when someone tries to give me unsolicited advice about how to deal with my mental health #mentalhealth #anxiety #depression #mentalhealthtiktoks #fyp ♬ original sound – bethannebrice

High Functioning Anxiety

I Gotta Put Me First

@turningpointct.org sometimes, you gotta put yourself first💯 your mental health is a priority!! #mentalhealth #selfcare #igottaputmefirst #mentalhealthtiktok #fyp #fypシ ♬ I gotta put ME first – Citiboii SRT

Cleaning My Stupid House After My Stupid Depressive Episode

@turningpointct.org cleaning my stupid house after my stupid depressive episode that lasted weeks #stupidwalkchallenge #mentalhealth #fyp #depression #ct ♬ оригинальный звук – _malifisenta007_

Social Anxiety TikTok

The Power of Sharing Your Story Through Your Music

I recently came across this duo, which is professionally known as ‘Us Duo’. They make really meaningful and inspirational music and one of their most popular projects has to do with people sharing their stories.

I think many people may reflect on these songs and at some point hear apart of their stories, which is really the purpose behind these powerful messages. One, the stories are very relatable; the messages are very effective and the music is great.

1. I’m Me (Self and social acceptance)

2. One Last Dance – (Grieving From Loss)

3. Fighting For You (Escaping an abusive household and beginning the road to recovery)

4. Saudade (Loss, Sadness)

5. Follow Me (Overcoming insecurities and self-doubts)

My name is Sophie… (Mental Health Awareness)

My name is Sophie… Mental Health Awareness – Sophie shares her story in a very inspiring video as she brings awareness to the reality of mental illness.

Music Calms The Savage Beast

When I started writing this blog, it was in many ways directed towards personal therapy. What I don’t keep in a personal journal, I share on this post.

Writing has for many years given me an avenue to express my frustration and the opportunity to bring music in the mix, has availed me the joy of tapping into the benefits of both entities.

Anyone who uses music for therapy will tell you that it doesn’t always work (our individualized goals changes overtime), but when it does and to a great extent, its undeniably powerful.

Its ability to channel positive energy, ideas and emotions is still a mysterious phenomenon.

We bring our own uniqueness to the music we listen to and music offers us the courage we need to overcome the savage beast inside of us,

…That said, I’m not sure if anyone has gotten a chance to see the short documentary called National Parks Adventure but its a thriller and I strongly recommend it. Its about a group of friends visiting National Parks around the country on a hiking trip.

It has a decent soundtrack! Nothing beats watching a great film, liking the soundtrack, only to realize that its a composure of some of your favorite artists… Andy Grammar, Jason Mraz, James Bay.

I just want to share this magic that has been ‘nothing but therapy’.

Songs From the Film:

This Land Is Your Land” Performed by Bruce Springsteen

Back to the Earth” Performed by Jason Mraz

Whenever my head starts to hurt
Before it goes from bad to feeling worse
I turn off my phone
I get down low
And put my hands in the dirt

Annie’s Song” Performed by Scott Matthew

“You fill up my senses like a night in the forest,
like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain,
like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean.
You fill up my senses, come fill me again.”

Hallelujah” Performed by Jeff Buckley

In The Summertime” Performed by Mungo Jerry

“We’re not bad people, we’re not dirty, we’re not mean
We love everybody, but we do as we please
When the weather’s fine
We go fishing or go swimming in the sea
We’re always happy
Life’s for living, yeah, that’s our philosophy”

Back Home” Performed by Andy Grammer

Hold Back The River” Performed by James Bay

Flowers In Your Hair” Performed by Lumineers

Wherever is Your Heart” Performed by Brandi Carlile

“I think it’s time we found a way back home
You lose so many things you love as you grow
I missed the days when I was just a kid
My fear became my shadow, I swear it did”

My latest book I have been reading…

Hey, everyone!

I wanted to see if anyone has read some great (or even crappy) books lately. I recently picked up a book by Brene Brown, a researcher, and author on shame and resilience. Her book, The gifts of Imperfection delves into ways to bounce back from setbacks.

It is a pretty light read, and I had some good insights from it. As part of my bedtime ritual, I always grab a book and read when I have some quiet time. (Note to self: do not scroll Facebook before bed. Social media is like Pringles, Once you pop, you can’t stop!

Check out the link on Amazon for more info:

PS. Fun Fact: The book I hated reading most was “Lord of the Flies.” I was in 9th grade, and all I remember is reading about obnoxious boys running on an island “hunger games style” trying to hurt each other! :0

Novels that help

Does anyone else have a book or books that have significantly helped them at some point in their lives? I know mine is (surprise, surprise) The Catcher in the Rye. Aside from studying it twice in high school, I remember reading this book several times from the ages of 13 (right about the time when I started in therapy) until now. It became almost like a checkpoint in my recovery, each time I read the book it was a reminder of how far I’d come since the last time I’d read it, and there was something about the way I will always be changing and growing as a person, yet Holden and the rest of the characters would always remain the same that was very comforting and reassuring to me.
I’d love to hear other peoples’ favorite books!