Self-Care for Mental Health | Recovery, Anxious, Sadness, Bipolar, Emotions, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Self-Esteem

Practical self-care steps to reduce seasonal overwhelm and support mental wellness.

In Part 2 of this two-part series, Amy gently guides you through the final 2 steps of creating your own Self-Care Action Plan for the holidays.

🌿 You’ll learn how to:
🫶 identify your support people
🫶 name how they can support you
🫶 set weekly intentions to meet your CARE goal
🫶 feel like your true self this season

📝 Grab a notebook and pen—today’s episode is filled with tools to help you feel calm, present, and supported this holiday season.

Your presence matters here. <3
With you,
Amy

Connect with Amy:
🌿 Subscribe to Self-Care for Mental Health & leave a review
🌿 Share this episode with a friend who could use a little extra care today
🌿 Join my weekly newsletter for gentle reminders at www.amymcvay.com

Read the rest of this entry »

Practical self-care steps to reduce anxiety and support emotional wellness.

In Part I of this two-part series, Amy gently guides you through the first steps of creating your own Self-Care Action Plan for the holidays.

🌿 You’ll learn how to:
🫶 gently check in with yourself
🫶 understand your emotional and mental starting point
🫶 set one supportive CARE goal
🫶 feel grounded and intentional this season

This episode is soft, practical, and created to help you move through the holidays with more presence, compassion, and calm.

📝 Grab a notebook and pen—today’s episode is filled with tools to help you feel calm, present, and supported this holiday season.

Your presence matters here. <3
With you,
Amy

Connect with Amy:
🌿 Subscribe to Self-Care for Mental Health & leave a review
🌿 Share this episode with a friend who could use a little extra care today
🌿 Join my weekly newsletter for gentle reminders at www.amymcvay.com

Read the rest of this entry »

Hi friend 🫶 Have you ever felt resistant to seeking professional help for your mental health or that it’s too late?

My guest today, Jonathan Kemp, is a mental health advocate, entrepreneur, and creator of SmartWisdom- a scientifically validated note-taking technique. He was born into privilege as the future 3rd Viscount of Rochdale. He knew something wasn’t right since he was about 7 years old and struggled for years trying everything he could on his own to feel better.

He was diagnosed at age 39 with bipolar disorder, depression, and dyslexia. He had been unaware of how these mental health challenges had been shaping his life until he finally sought professional help. 

His memoir, Finding Peace of Mind: An Inspirational Journey through Bipolar, Depression, Addiction, and Dyslexia is releasing today, October 10, 2025. 

In it he reveals how privilege and outward success offered no protection from the quiet devastation of undiagnosed mental illness and how he ultimately fought to build his sense of purpose and mental clarity. 

If you’ve ever felt resistant to seeking professional help or that it’s too late, this episode is for you. Listen in. 

Your presence matters here. <3
With you,

Amy

Connect with Jonathan: 

Facebook & IG: @jonathankemplondon

Website: https://www.jonathankemp.com/

Get your copy of Finding Peace of Mind here: https://a.co/d/4sluLRI

Connect with Me:

🌿 Subscribe to Self-Care for Mental Health & leave a review
🌿 Join my weekly newsletter for gentle reminders at amymcvay.com
🌿 Share this episode with a friend who could use a little extra care today

Just a reminder, I am a Certified Peer Specialist and Self-Care Coach. I share from my own lived experience of wellness recovery to walk alongside others in their recovery. I am not a medical doctor or clinical counselor. I do not attempt to diagnose or prescribe. If you or a loved one needs immediate care, please seek out your nearest health care provider or call 911. Also be aware that anytime we are talking about our mental health, any number of topics could trigger our emotions. Please take precautions while listening and seek out support if needed.

🎶 Back to Self-Care Quick Tips: Dancing to Release Stress

Movement can be medicine. In this playful episode, I share how dancing helps release stress, reconnects us to joy, and even brings us back to our younger selves.

Together, we’ll talk about:

• Why movement is a powerful way to release stuck energy
  
  
• My story of remembering how dance helps me move through anxiety and stress
  
  
• Simple ways to bring more fun and freedom into your day through movement
  
  

✨ Quick Tip Takeaway:
Play one song you love and dance however feels natural. No rules, no steps, no performance—just you, your body, and the music.

 

Your presence matters here. <3
With you,

Amy

Connect with Me:

🌿 Subscribe to Self-Care for Mental Health & leave a review
🌿 Join my weekly newsletter for gentle reminders at amymcvay.com
🌿 Share this episode with a friend who could use a little extra care today

Just a reminder, I am a Certified Peer Specialist and Self-Care Coach. I share from my own lived experience of wellness recovery to walk alongside others in their recovery. I am not a medical doctor or clinical counselor. I do not attempt to diagnose or prescribe. If you or a loved one needs immediate care, please seek out your nearest health care provider or call 911. Also be aware that anytime we are talking about our mental health, any number of topics could trigger our emotions. Please take precautions while listening and seek out support if needed.

🪺 Back to Self-Care Quick Tips: Cocooning for Rest

Sometimes the most powerful form of self-care is retreat. In this episode, I share how cocooning—creating a safe, cozy space to rest—helped me move through exhaustion this summer.

Together, we’ll talk about:

• How cocooning calms the nervous system and restores balance
  
  
• My personal story of reaching burnout, unplugging, and recovering after rest
  
  
• Simple ways to create your own pocket of safety at home
  
  

✨ Quick Tip Takeaway:
Create a 10-minute cocoon this week—wrap up in a blanket, sip tea, dim the lights, or play calming music. Let it be enough.

Your presence matters here. <3
With you,

Amy

Connect with Me:
🌿 Subscribe to Self-Care for Mental Health & leave a review
🌿 Join my weekly newsletter for gentle reminders at amymcvay.com
🌿 Share this episode with a friend who could use a little extra care today

Just a reminder, I am a Certified Peer Specialist and Self-Care Coach. I share from my own lived experience of wellness recovery to walk alongside others in their recovery. I am not a medical doctor or clinical counselor. I do not attempt to diagnose or prescribe. If you or a loved one needs immediate care, please seek out your nearest health care provider or call 911. Also be aware that anytime we are talking about our mental health, any number of topics could trigger our emotions. Please take precautions while listening and seek out support if needed.

🌬 Back to Self-Care Quick Tips: Conscious Breathing 

Your breath is always with you—and it can be your reset button. In this calming episode, I share how conscious breathing can help reduce anxiety and bring us back into balance. 

Together, we’ll talk about:

• Why stress shortens the breath and keeps us stuck in fight-or-flight
  
  
• My experience with waking up anxious and using deep breathing to calm my nervous system
  
  
• A simple practice you can use anywhere to reset your mind and body
  
  

✨ Quick Tip Takeaway:
Take a moment to breathe: inhale through your nose for 4 counts, exhale through your mouth for 6 counts. Repeat 3 times. Use this anytime you feel anxious or need to reset.

Your presence matters here. <3
With you,

Amy

Connect with Me:
🌿 Subscribe to Self Care for Mental Health & leave a review
🌿 Join my weekly newsletter for gentle reminders and bonus resources @             amymcvay.com
🌿 Share this episode with a friend who could use a little extra care today

🌿 Create your own Self-Care Map 🗺️ 🫶 when you sign up for a Summer Self-Care Session with me! Limited spots available.  I’d love to support you on your wellness journey. Email me at hello@amymcvay.com to secure your spot!

Just a reminder, I am a Certified Peer Specialist and Self-Care Coach. I share from my own lived experience of wellness recovery to walk alongside others in their recovery. I am not a medical doctor or clinical counselor. I do not attempt to diagnose or prescribe. If you or a loved one needs immediate care, please seek out your nearest health care provider or call 911. Also be aware that anytime we are talking about our mental health, any number of topics could trigger our emotions. Please take precautions while listening and seek out support if needed.

💧 Back to Self-Care Quick Tips: Watering Our Mental Health

Sometimes self-care is as simple as a sip of water. In this short and gentle episode, I share how hydration affects our mental health and a personal reminder I had this summer about how easy it is to forget our own needs.

Together, we’ll talk about:

• Why water matters for clarity, calm, and emotional steadiness

• A personal story of learning to listen to my body’s need for more hydration

• Simple ways to make water a part of your self-care rhythm

✨ Quick Tip Takeaway:
Pause right now and take a sip of water. Pair hydration with a daily cue (like checking your phone), and make it inviting with lemon, cucumber, or electrolytes. Each sip is a reminder that you’re caring for your future self.

Your presence matters here. <3
With you,

Amy

Connect with Me:
🌿 Subscribe to Self Care for Mental Health & leave a review 
🌿 Join my weekly newsletter for gentle reminders and bonus resources @             amymcvay.com
🌿 Share this episode with a friend who could use a little extra care today

🌿 Create your own Self-Care Map 🗺️ 🫶 when you sign up for a Summer Self-Care Session with me! Limited spots available.  I’d love to support you on your wellness journey. Email me at hello@amymcvay.com to secure your spot!

Just a reminder, I am a Certified Peer Specialist and Self-Care Coach. I share from my own lived experience of wellness recovery to walk alongside others in their recovery. I am not a medical doctor or clinical counselor. I do not attempt to diagnose or prescribe. If you or a loved one needs immediate care, please seek out your nearest health care provider or call 911. Also be aware that anytime we are talking about our mental health, any number of topics could trigger our emotions. Please take precautions while listening and seek out support if needed.

Hi friend 🫶 Are your big emotions overwhelming you?

I used to live in fear of my big feelings and where they would take me until I realized they weren’t there to hurt me but to inform me that I needed to take action to care for myself in some way.

In today’s episode I will be sharing who the real enemy is when it comes to caring for ourselves where we need to be. *Spoiler- it’s not our emotions. 

If you are ready to befriend your big feelings and lean in to what they are actually there to tell you, this episode is for you. Listen in.

Your presence matters here. <3
With you,

Amy

👉 Next Steps:

> Create your own Self-Care Map 🗺️ 🫶 when you sign up for a Summer Self-Care Session with me! Limited spots available.  I’d love to support you on your wellness journey. Email me at hello@amymcvay.com to secure your spot!

> Subscribe to Self Care for Mental Health & leave a review :) 🤩📝

> Become a Self-Care for Mental Health insider!! Think of it as a little TLC for your inbox 📥 ❤️ Sign up for my newsletter to stay connected with our community @ amymcvay.com.

Just a reminder, I am a Certified Peer Specialist and Self-Care Coach. I share from my own lived experience of wellness recovery to walk alongside others in their recovery. I am not a medical doctor or clinical counselor. I do not attempt to diagnose or prescribe. If you or a loved one needs immediate care, please seek out your nearest health care provider or call 911. Also be aware that anytime we are talking about our mental health, any number of topics could trigger our emotions. Please take precautions while listening and seek out support if needed.