We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mandy Maree. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mandy below.
Mandy, we are so deeply grateful to you for opening up about your journey with mental health in the hops that it can help someone who might be going through something similar. Can you talk to us about your mental health journey and how you overcame or persisted despite any issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been in a battle with my own anxious thoughts. Back in 2016, I was a teacher who had been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. Sure, I had heard that taking medicine, going to therapy, exercising, and living a healthy lifestyle would help reduce my anxiety. So, I did what I was “supposed” to do. I’m a rule-follower, to a fault, and never really lived life on the edge. I was a teacher. It became my identity. I “should” on myself daily and let my anxiety thrive within me.
But then, one day, I was having a chat with my mom about traveling. Now, some backstory is that I have two anxiety-filled parents. Divorced, but still, I always thought anxiety must be swirling around in these genes of mine. However, in the conversation with my mom, her fear of traveling by plane became an argument. I thought to myself, how on earth would you want to miss out on so much life experience by letting your fear rule you?
When I say this was an epiphany, it was like an obvious elephant just barged its way into my front door. Instead of judging my mom for her struggles, I took a deeper look into my own. Was I allowing anxiety to rule my life?
Yes. I was. So, I decided to do things I wanted to do EVEN THOUGH THEY SCARED ME. I took flights to foreign countries and met people I’d never met because I wanted to see and meet new people. I stood on ladders and climbed mountains in the US and some of the stairs of the Great Wall of China because I had a fear of heights. I took pictures with clowns because I was afraid of clowns. And then, it got serious…
I was a teacher in burnout. I was mentally exhausted and had kids of my own that I knew not only deserved a better mom but one who was setting a healthy work-life example.
After what I call my biggest “identity crisis,” (since teaching wasn’t just what I did, it was who I was), I QUIT. Yup, talk about anxiety… all the what ifs, the spiraling thoughts, the “Did I just make the biggest mistake of my life?” invaded my mind.
But, I didn’t let it win. I knew that if this decision was something I knew would be good for me while terrifying me, then it must be the right choice. I was living life scared.
I then had my now-son and stayed at home with my two babies. I didn’t have regrets but I still wanted more. I wanted to do the things that young Mandy only dreamed of doing. Because again, even though, they scared me, I had learned that doing scary things always made them doing them again feel less scary, therefore less anxiety and 100% worth it.
I created an almost bucket list for myself. Not the typical bucket list of things to do before I kick the bucket, but things I wanted to do while living simply because I wanted to and I didn’t want fear and anxiety to stop me from fulfilling my dreams and living my best life.
The biggest thing on this list was to write a book. And after roughly two years, I can officially say I’ve written and published my book. It’s a romance novel since romance has always been one of my favorite genres to binge-read. But, it also includes the main female character, Autumn Parker, a teacher with anxiety who through the challenge of overcoming grief decides to fulfill her sister’s wish and does a bucket list of things that scare her.
The list is called a “WOLO” (We Only Live Once) list and can be read in my debut second-chance romance, Meet the Teacher.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an independent romance author who writes sweet stories with real-life mental health representation. I am in the works of writing a self-love novella about a woman who also (like myself) struggles with hypothyroidism.
Writing is my passion and to be able to express myself, get the people (err characters) who live rent free in my head out onto paper, is the best feeling! I will have two more novels coming out before the end of 2024 and will be at an author event called Books & Beaches in Portland, OR this August as well as a book event called Books Gowns and Crowns this October in Seattle, WA. I’d love to see you there!!
You can find me on IG for author life and writing updates at authormandymaree or on my website, authormandymaree.com.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think resilience is the most significant quality to possess. We often don’t feel resilient while we’re in life’s yucky moments, but resilience is the key to opening the door of pushing through and making it to the other side,
I’d say empathy is another quality or important soft skill to have. As humans, we yearn for connection. We were built for it. So, being able to not only hear someone else’s struggles but to really demonstrate an understanding of them, is so important.
The last one would be permission, or maybe you’d call it grace. Be gentle with yourself. We’re always living and always learning, so if you mess up, give yourself grace. And most importantly, give yourself permission to love and accept yourself for who you are. Quit judging yourself – you’re doing your best!
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I have lived most of my adult life telling myself and others that I feel “overwhelmed.” It’s become the new tired for me. So, I’ve recently been working through this. When the feeling of overwhelm starts to creep in, I stop and ask myself, WHAT exactly is overwhelming me. I then learn not to judge myself for how big or how small because I know those small things pile up and before you know it, the thought of doing “one more thing” can break you.
So, I reflect without judgment. Then, I find time to brain dump. I take a journal and just dot down all those “open tabs” that exist in my mind and get them down on paper. I don’t make this pretty. Sometimes my hand writes faster than my thoughts, so it’s often a struggle to even read it myself. But, I get those thoughts down.
Then, I take a glance at what are some of the things I can control or tackle, and I plan. I write them down in my planner throughout the week and give myself a Top 3 Priority list for each day. I’ve finally accepted that not every little thing can be a priority, which is the root cause of where my overwhelm lives.
I cannot recommend a journal to brain dump and a planner to plan (physical or digital, or both – your preference) more!
Contact Info:
- Website: authormandymaree.com
- Instagram: authormandymaree
- Facebook: Author Mandy Maree
