For years, I lived in a mental prison, spiraling at every symptom, terrified of dying, terrified of being sick, and constantly scanning my body for what could go wrong.
In 2013, after losing my father to cancer, I spiraled into 7 years of obsessive thoughts, panic attacks, and constant fear. By 2019, I hit rock bottom — numbing with alcohol, numbing with food, living foggy and disconnected on antidepressants, my body screaming with IBS, eczema, headaches, and pain. I had gone from bubbly and trusting to angry, checked out, and stuck in survival mode.
That was the moment I said: I need to get back to me.
I became obsessed with learning about neuroplasticity and rewiring my mind — because I didn’t just want to cope, I wanted to change the way my brain worked. I discovered nervous system work, Internal Family Systems, and somatic practices that helped me finally connect with the younger part of me — the Protector — who still felt unsafe. I realized my healing wasn’t about having 100 tools, it was about mastering a few powerful ones that built safety with the part of me that had been carrying fear all along.