Tag: depression

Are You Walking Through A Storm?

July 30, 2013 / Sarah Boucher / 0 Comments

Are You Walking Through A Storm?

Nothing you or I do can EVER effect the forces of nature or the unpleasant circumstances and trials we will walk through in our lives. All we can do in the midst of any storm, is take a deep breath and remember that in this moment today, we are okay. We are breathing and our life is still a gift. We have survived many storms in the past, maybe not this ferocious, but this storm, just like every other storm, will eventually pass and the sun WILL shine again.

Perhaps this storm will leave behind a horrible path of destruction. If that is the case, all we can do, is take a deep breath, and make a choice. Are we going to let the devastation consume us along with its other victims or are we going to continue to breathe, be thankful for the good things that remain, and move forward POWERFULLY one day at a time?

The ONLY thing I can control today is how I CHOOSE TO BE in the world.

My heart is FLOODED with love and concern for you when I think about the storms you are seeking shelter from today. All I can do from here is take a deep breath and tell you how much I care for you. You ARE truly a POWERFUL woman. I am amazed by the strength we were all created with that gets us through the storms of life.

Don’t try to face this storm alone. Reach out for support. Remember the POWER of Self Care. One day when this storm is a memory, you will be able to support another POWERFUL woman, feeling scared and alone, who is going through a storm of her own.

Self Care is the resource that has helped me through major trials in my own life, especially within the last year. I love to learn from other women. What thoughts, actions, people, or resources have been a comfort to you in times of trial? Let me know below.

I love you!
Sarah

P.S. Feel free to share this post with anyone you know who is walking through a storm.

Sarah Boucher happily encourages women to find their power at I Am A Powerful Woman. Come join the conversation there.

Take A Smile

May 19, 2013 / Sarah Boucher / 0 Comments

Take A Smile
If your husband has a bad attitude today…take a smile.
If your kids aren’t listening to a word you say…take a smile.
If your car is in the shop or
your washing machine is broken…take a smile.
If someone you love dearly is in the hospital…take a smile.
If someone you care about is addicted to drugs or alcohol…take a smile.
If you are a single mom…take a smile.
If you are a widow…take a smile.
If you are sad…take a smile.
If there’s no money in your bank account…take a smile.
If EVERYTHING seems to be going wrong…take a smile.

YOU are a POWERFUL woman. YOU are breathing and life is still a gift. We are all connected. This smile that you take, will lift your spirit and you will bless the next person. All of those circumstances above happen to us and go on around us every day. We can’t DO anything about them. The ONLY thing we have any control over is the way we CHOOSE to BE in the world. So…know someone cares very much about you and take a smile.

Self Care is the resource I turn to daily that helps me smile even through “tough” times.

YOU are going to be okay…one day at a time.

I want to hear what you have to smile about today, even if you are walking through a trial.
Let me know in the comments below.

~Sarah

Sarah Boucher offers encouragement for women to grow in their power daily at I Am A Powerful Woman.

You Are Not Stuck

May 12, 2013 / Sarah Boucher / 0 Comments

You Are Not Stuck
I hope you are having a very happy experience of life, but some of you are in a different place than that. Your thoughts are filled with pain, worry, and maybe even hopelessness. You are not stuck.

I was greeted this morning with the terrible news of a suicide. A sweet, red headed woman who always had a big smile on her face. I barely knew her but the news hit me like a ton of bricks.

POWERFUL woman–listen to me. There are ALWAYS choices available to you in ANY situation. YOU ARE NOT STUCK! YOU ARE NOT TRAPPED! HELP IS AVAILABLE ALL AROUND YOU. Reach out and take the hand of a stranger even. MAKE THE CALL. People all around the world care about YOU and we are cheering you on.

There are so many stories of success–of women who took that first step to make the change for herself and her children.

Depression
If you suffer from depression, please call your doctor, get free counseling, and even learn techniques to change your thinking. If your depression is not severe, look for something you can do for someone else or look for the next thing that needs to be done. Get up and get to work. Find the next thing that needs to be done and do it. Don’t sit and think for hours (I’m a thinker, so I know how easy it is to get stuck in this place. I struggled with depression for about a year, maybe longer than that after my fourth child was born. I didn’t want to accept the fact that I was depressed. Learning that I had more control over which thoughts I put energy into, proactively filling myself up with grounded, positive thoughts and a daily Self Care routine made a world of difference in the way I experience my life whether the circumstances around me are “good” or “bad”.)

Single Moms
You are definitely not alone. There are many resources available to single moms–grants, state programs, single parent groups in your community and in churches. I did a search for single moms on Pinterest and found all kinds of encouragement there. Check out this article as a jumping off place if you are feeling overwhelmed or need extra encouragement. 10 Single Mom Secrets.

Addiction
If you struggle with addiction, check out Sisters of Serenity and Sobriety for daily encouragement and start your journey to recovery. Katie has quite a survival story.

Physical or Emotional Abuse
If YOU are being abused or your children are being abused, call the police, get into a shelter, and start rebuilding your life.

Human Trafficking Victim or Prostitution
If you are in either of these situations, you are not alone and help is available to you.
How to Know if You Are a Victim And for those of us who want to fight for our sisters, here’s 20 Ways You Can Help Human Trafficking.

Hookers for Jesus Their desire and goal includes providing transitional support and assistance to the youth and women seeking to leave the sex industry.

Loss of Loved Ones
If you are dealing with the loss of someone close to you, first of all, I am very sorry for your loss and secondly, I hope this site helps you make sense of your grief. MedicineNet.com

Take Action
If the action is calling National Suicide Prevention Hotline, then make the call now. Be your own hero by taking that first step today to rescue yourself. GET HELP! I believe in YOU! YOU are a POWERFUL woman. YOU are not STUCK!

Please comment below if you have encouragement or a resource to pass along to anyone who might feel alone in any of these areas.

All my love and POWERFUL thoughts being sent your way!
Sarah

www.facebook.com/IAmaPowerfulWoman

How Did You Cope?

October 10, 2012 / Sarah Boucher / 2 Comments

The Boucher Family

When I started I Am A Powerful Woman on facebook, my biggest problem was that we were a family of seven with very little income. I was on top of the world emotionally. I was no longer a victim of my own thinking. I was creating my days instead of reacting to them. Nothing could bring me down or so I thought. I was living through tough financial times and I wasn’t freaking out over everyday challenges. In all our years of marriage I felt like we always had our priorities straight. We didn’t have money but we had each other and five healthy kids. We were rich indeed. And it was just getting ready to turn around for us financially. My husband was promoted to management and we finally had enough money to get on top of our financial situation.

My husband moved out of the house a month ago. I was completely blindsided. My well being flew out of the window and I crashed hard. I am not angry–just very sad. We are not at each others’ throats. Our communication is civil and the situation could be much worse than it is, but it is still not at all the way I would choose for my life to be going. I was CRAZY in love with him and my life was completely intertwined with his. I am still scratching my head over this turn of events and what is to become of me.

Some of my first thoughts were that I would be okay one day. I will get through this and it is an opportunity to explore my life independently. I was a young wife and mother and have never been independent from another grown up. Some days I have been just fine. Other days I don’t know how I could ever be happy again.

I thought recently about how much pressure he was under to provide for such a large family and how unhappy he was in that struggle–especially the last couple of years. During his darkest days was when I learned I had control over my thoughts and could be happy regardless of other people’s emotional state and actions. I soared. He sunk.

My feelings of despair have really shaken me up. Will I ever be happy again? How is it possible that I was able to feel happiness in the midst of his stress, but I can’t feel it now? How can I separate my life from his and find myself again? Where did my POWER go?

Have you been in my position? Are you here now? I am very curious as to how others coped through these hard days of learning a new way to live without sinking into despair and not functioning. The best advice I have been given for really rough days is to ask myself, “Am I breathing?” and then ask, “What’s the next thing?” With five kids, there is always a next thing to be done.

I cannot change the past. It is what it is. The ONLY thing I can control is the way I CHOOSE to BE in the world today.

I made a list yesterday of all of the things that I have done for myself or that others have done for me that have encouraged me during this time. Here are a few of the things on my list.

* Self Care

* bubble bath

* candles

* an $8 purse

* Pumpkin Spice Latte

* dinner with a couple of friends (Yummy Mexican food!!!)

* my mom took me to the movies (a lovely distraction–We saw Dark Knight Rising. Nothing like fighting and killing to get over a broken heart.)

* I bought a puppy for my kids

Puppy Power!

* Loads of love and support from friends and family–texts and calls. These have meant so much to me.

How did you cope? What did you do (or are presently doing) to make it through a similar situation? What helpful books did you read? Comment below or come over to fb and share.

Overcome Your Insecurities!

July 1, 2012 / Sarah Boucher / 1 Comment

I was born insecure–well not really, but it seems like I was always that way. I wanted to be accepted by other people. At a slumber party, as a ten year old, a friend told me I smelled like strawberries and cigarette smoke. I was so embarrassed and sad. As soon as I got home I made a major effort to keep my bedroom door closed so my clothes wouldn’t smell like smoke ever again. When I was about 14, a girl hollered down the hallway when she saw my white white legs, “Hey Sarah! That’s why they have tanning beds!” I don’t believe I ever wore shorts to school again and still don’t like them too much. With the 100+ degree temperatures we have had this weekend if I owned a pair, I would be wearing them for sure though.

After the birth of my fourth child, I went through a depression that lasted about a year, not as bad as postpartum but unpleasant nevertheless. I was completely overwhelmed with a new baby, homeschooling my 2 oldest, and keeping up with a toddler. My little boys got used to the frequent melt downs and knew that when I had one, we wouldn’t be homeschooling that day. They started looking forward to their free days. One day I was sitting in my bed crying to a friend on the phone, and it occurred to me that I was NOT functioning.

I hit rock bottom emotionally when my husband and I almost separated a year later. I remember feeling like I was NOTHING. I knew I was blessed with healthy kids and a husband who loved me and wanted to work things out, but all of it threw me for a big loop. It’s handy to have a mom whose day job is a therapist. I called her and asked her if there was a way to work on my confidence. She told me about The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.

The first agreement is be impeccable with your word. Don’t use your words to hurt yourself or others.

I later learned how our mind believes that what we tell it is true.

About two and a half years ago I really started applying the first agreement in my life. I got sick of the self abuse I was putting myself through every time I made a mistake. I remember giving myself a verbal lashing and stopping myself in mid sentence. “No. That’s not true. I am a powerful woman.” I made a choice to be nice to myself that day–to change the message. When I caught myself being hateful, I would correct myself. It took time, but it worked!!!

You would not stand by and watch anyone else being verbally abused. Do not allow yourself to be abused either! You ARE a POWERFUL woman! Love and honor yourself! You are POWERFUL and worthy of being treated like the POWERFUL woman that you are every day by YOU! Set a good example for the little girls and women around you!

Watch this video You Are A Powerful Woman! and then share this post to share the POWER! Sending love and POWERFUL thoughts your way! Sarah Boucher

www.facebook.com/IAmaPowerfulWoman

https://twitter.com/#!/P0WERFULW0MAN

Tag: depression

Are You Walking Through A Storm?

Take A Smile

You Are Not Stuck

How Did You Cope?

LET’S CONNECT!

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