Manna Mental Health

09/05/2025

✨ When Home Feels Heavy ✨

Ever notice how a messy room can make your whole body feel on edge? The piles of papers, laundry, or boxes aren’t just clutter...they send signals to our nervous system that say “chaos, overload, danger.”

Here’s the thing: when you see all the piles at once, your brain registers it as one giant, unsolvable problem.

But really, it’s a hundred tiny solvable decisions when you probably already do this in other areas of your day:

Where does this paper go?
What season does this clothing belong to?
What box can leave the house?

That kind of decision fatigue leads straight to freeze mode.

For many women, the pull toward creating order and beauty at home isn’t about being “old-fashioned” or living up to some ideal. It’s about craving peace. It’s about longing for a space where your body can exhale and your relationships can soften.

The good news? You don’t have to do it all at once. Even small acts of homemaking—clearing one surface, lighting a candle, creating a cozy corner—can shift your nervous system from stressed to settled.

Sometimes tending to home is less about “keeping house” and more about keeping soul.

09/04/2025

Life can be tricky, and endings—big or small—can feel heavy. That’s where thanatology, the study of death and dying, meets heart-centered care. As a death doula, I guide people and families through the final chapters with compassion, clarity, and yes… even a little joy.

What I love about this work:

Honoring stories, memories, and legacies
Supporting families in creating gentle, meaningful rituals
Helping people live fully while preparing for endings

Death doesn’t have to feel frightening. It can be sacred, deeply connective, and yes… even a touch joyful. I can’t promise it’ll be all smooth sailing, but I can promise presence and gentle guidance throughout the journey.

Life is precious. Endings are too. Let’s embrace them together.

09/02/2025

We were already fun therapists, but now we’re fueled!

Therapy + coffee = your new favorite combo! ☕💛

Cassandra Long and I have a new coffee bar!

09/02/2025

✨ What it feels like to glow again… ✨

It’s not fireworks.
It’s not a giant overnight transformation.
It’s subtle, quiet, steady.

🌿 You notice yourself laughing at something silly again.
🌿 You wake up and realize your chest doesn’t feel quite so heavy.
🌿 You catch your reflection and think, “hey… there I am.”
🌿 You have energy for the little things—making coffee, texting a friend, stepping outside just to feel the sun.

That’s what therapy can do. Not erase the hard stuff, but help you find you again—the you that shines underneath the weight.

💌 If you’re ready to feel this shift in your own life, I’d love to walk with you. Message me or visit my website at www.mannamentalhealth.com to learn more

08/28/2025

I would love to know who left this beautiful gift outside my office 🌈💙💜❤️🩷🧡

08/23/2025

"Super nervous all the time?"
You’re not broken—you’re human.

Your nervous system was designed to protect you. But when life has been full of stress, trauma, or constant responsibility, it can get stuck on high alert. That’s when you might notice:

Racing thoughts
Tension in your body
Exhaustion (even when you’ve done “nothing”)
Difficulty relaxing or trusting rest

At Manna Mental Health, I help sensitive, intuitive souls learn how to calm their “super nervous all the time” system—so you can feel more at home in your body and your spirit.

💛 With the right tools, your nervous system doesn’t have to run the show. Safety, softness, and steadiness are possible.

08/21/2025

Why I Steer Clear of the News (Most of the Time)

As a therapist, I have to be intentional with my energy. Constant exposure to the 24/7 news cycle can drain me emotionally, mentally, and spiritually—and if I’m depleted, I can’t show up fully for my clients, my loved ones, or my community.

That doesn’t mean I’m uninvolved. I stay connected locally, because that’s where changes often impact us most—our families, our clients, our neighborhoods. That’s where I can have influence and feel grounded in real connection.

Some might wonder: “But what if your clients are affected by national or world events? Aren't you doing them a disservice by not being connected and in the know?"

Here’s the truth—if something in the news is weighing on them, they bring it into session. Then we can talk about it in a contained, meaningful way that’s tailored to their unique experience. There’s no way for me to keep up with everything happening globally in an effort to stay informed in case a client has a particular concern about any random world event—and honestly, trying to would just leave me burnt out and really unable to be the best version of myself for my clients.

And here’s the part that matters for you too: you’re allowed to set boundaries with the news. You don’t have to consume everything. You don’t have to be “on” all the time. Protecting your energy is not ignorance—it’s wisdom. Constant news exposure can fuel fear, exhaustion, and anxiety. You get to decide how much you let in.

Now someone may read this and still claim that I practice ignorance. Now, to that I would say if you enjoy keeping up on all the news everyday...honey--you keep doing you. I truly mean that. Do what feels meaningful. It would seem you have a passion and a gift that involves being very informed and wanting to do something with that information. Earth needs humans with all different types of gifts. 💙

Take care of your energy. The world needs you whole, not worn out. 🌍💛

08/19/2025

08/19/2025

Think you can only bring certain topics to therapy? Think again!

So many people think therapy is only for “big” things like trauma, depression, or major life transitions. And yes — those are important reasons people come to therapy. 💛

But here’s the secret: you can also bring in the everyday stuff that clogs your brain, stresses your heart, or keeps you up at night.

✅ Planning a vacation (and the overwhelm of packing)
✅ Clutter or house projects
✅ Pet worries
✅ Shopping guilt
✅ Technology stress
✅ Career coaching + job interviews
✅ Medical appointments and decision-making
✅ Money stress
✅ Wedding planning stress
✅ Even meal planning!

If it matters to you, it belongs in the therapy room. 🪻
Therapy is not just about healing wounds — it’s also about creating space to sort through real life. Sometimes the “little” things hold the biggest meaning. 🌈

08/14/2025

When someone asks “how are you doing,” it’s almost automatic to respond with, “I’m fine.” We say it when we are grieving, when we are sick, when we have had a terrible day, when someone we love is struggling, or when our own heart is breaking. We say it because it is easier than explaining. We say it because it spares others the discomfort of hearing the truth. But the truth is, we are not always fine. Sometimes we are barely holding it together.

Why is it so darn hard to answer honestly? Why can’t we just say it the way it is, “I am not okay,” and trust that the person hearing it will lean in instead of pull away? Why can’t the response be, “what can I do for you?” instead of silence or retreat? We have been taught to hide our pain, to package it neatly so no one else has to feel it, but the human experience was never meant to be lived that way.

It’s okay to say you are not okay. It’s okay to let people see the cracks and the mess. Because some days we are not fine, and admitting that is not weakness, it’s honesty, and honesty is the doorway to connection, care, and healing.

“I’m fine” locks the door, “I’m not okay” opens it.

xo
Gabby
www.thehospiceheart.net