Today I have a treat for you… a guest post from an artist friend, Kendra Kantor, who is celebrating the launch of her new book.

I invited her to talk about her journey of self-discovery and overcoming the debilitating effects of depression and mental illness.

You may not know that this is a topic close to me and has touched members of my family. It warms my heart and gives me hope to see how far Kendra has come and I invite you to read about her journey.

And if you feel guided, I also invite you to check out her book: “Dear Self: A Collection of Poems and Art.”

Mental illness is a subject we often sweep under the rug. It causes deep rifts in families and relationships, and it often results in shame, blame, guilt … and ultimately grief when it goes to extremes. And just because it might be in someone’s head, doesn’t mean it isn’t real.

Let’s lift the veil and fling wide the closed doors and shine a healing light on mental illness in all its diverse manifestations. 

Kendra Kantor, I applaud your courage and openness and willingness to turn your challenge into a beautiful gift that helps others. Shine on!

Blessings & Love,
Karen

3 Essential Questions to Ask

When Starting Your Self Discovery Journey

by Kendra Kantor

What does it mean to discover your self? It kind of sounds new age-y and woo woo, I know.

And I know that can sometimes scare people off. But I want to tell you, it's not scary and it doesn't have to be woo woo.

Getting to know yourself is an essential part of life, of healing.

I first started my own self discovery journey in high school. I suffer from depression and anxiety and, at the time, I was so lost.

I was drifting and my life was clouded with pain and tears more often than not. I felt like I had no idea who I was.

My mental illnesses pretty much blocked who I was, deep down. I identified as a girl with depression more than anything and it felt wrong.

As I've grown and gone through a lot of changes, my mental health declined, and after my son was born in 2012, I finally took control of my health. I got on proper medication and in therapy and I started to see the light.

It was then that I finally began to realize that, yes my mental illnesses are a part of me, but they are not who I am. There is so much more to me and I just have to figure it out.

Am I really this sad girl?

Am I actually quiet?

Do I like to stay home or was that just a reaction to my poor health?

Who am I? 

This is a question I've pondered for years. One that I don't know if I can ever know the full answer to. But I still try. Because it's fun!

It's exciting to learn about yourself, to sit and listen to your inner voice, pull your passions and emotions from way deep down and figure out who you are.

As an artist, my biggest self-discovery tool is my art.

I take photographs, I doodle, I paint, I journal. I create and through my creations, I pour my inner self into my work. When I look back on what I've created, I can see my values, I can see what is truly important to me (my son, my family, helping women, beauty).

I love creating prompts and helping people start this journey.

3 Essential Questions to Ask When Starting Your Self Discovery Journey:

1. What are my core values? Am I embracing these in my daily life?

How can I better nurture these ideas? 

2. What part of me do others never/rarely see? Why?

Who would I show if I knew there would be no judgment?

3. What is one thing about myself or my life I don't want to lose or let go of?

Self discovery doesn't have to be filled with pains like your journey to wellness. Self discovery is the fun part of healing, the fun part of life.

You get to try new things and decide if they fit. You can go hiking or scuba diving, you can try painting or dog walking.

You can try anything and learn about who you are, learn about what you value and what you want to nurture in your life.

Kendra Kantor is a Wellness Mentor and Guide for creative women looking to embrace their self discovery and improve their mental health wellness.

“Dear Self: A Collection of Poems and Art” is Kendra's first publication. This collection of 30 poems and art perfectly blends her love of visual art and the written word. What started as a personal project to improve her wellness blossomed into a lifetime dream coming true.

When she's not helping you improve your life and wellness or working on her next book, you can find Kendra  indulging in her guilty pleasure reads (romances or zombie novels), stealing as many cuddles as possible from her toddler and bribing her husband to go get ice cream (it's really not that hard!).

Pre-order your copy of Kendra's new book “Dear Self”, today!

You can visit Kendra on her Website: http://kendrakantor.com or her Blog: http://likeabirdblog.com