Kim Powers at Heart Soul Mind Strength LLC

04/22/2026

04/14/2026

One of Soul & Story Creative’s main goals and passions is to support families, teachers and our community in these top tier priorities.

04/05/2026

DEPRESSION TIPS:

“Shower. Not a bath, a shower. Use water as hot or cold as you like. You don’t even need to wash. Just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. Sit on the floor if you gotta.

Moisturize everything. Use whatever lotion you like. Unscented? Dollar store lotion? Fancy 48 hour lotion that makes you smell like a field of wildflowers? Use whatever you want, and use it all over your entire dermis.

Put on clean, comfortable clothes.

Put on your favorite underwear. Cute black lacy panties? Those ridiculous boxers you bought last christmas with candy cane hearts on the butt? Put them on.

Drink cold water. Use ice. If you want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost.

Clean something. Doesn’t have to be anything big. Organize one drawer of a desk. Wash five dirty dishes. Do a load of laundry. Scrub the bathroom sink.

Blast music. Listen to something upbeat and dancey and loud, something that’s got lots of energy. Sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both.

Make food. Don’t just grab a granola bar to munch. Take the time and make food. Even if it’s ramen. Add something special to it, like a soft boiled egg or some veggies. Prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something.

Make something. Write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, color a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. Even if you don’t think you’re good at it. Create.

Go outside. Take a walk. Sit in the grass. Look at the clouds. Smell flowers. Put your hands in the dirt and feel the soil against your skin.

Call someone. Call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. Talk to a stranger on the street. Have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. If you can’t bring yourself to call, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. Even if you don’t say much, listen to them. It helps. (You can always call/text/message me!)

Cuddle your pets if you have them/can cuddle them. Take pictures of them. Talk to them. Tell them how you feel, about your favorite movie, a new game coming out, anything.

May seem small or silly to some, but this list keeps people alive.

*** At your absolute best you won’t be good enough for the wrong people. But at your worst, you’ll still be worth it to the right ones. Remember that. Keep holding on.

*** In case nobody has told you today I Love you and you are worth your weight and then some in gold, so be kind to yourself and most of all keep pushing on!!!!

***People don’t fake depression.. they fake being ok.

Find something to be grateful for!”

National Su***de Prevention Lifeline

Hours: Available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish.

800-273-8255

**copied and pasted, feel free to do the same.

💜💜💜💜

03/19/2026

Your brain strengthens what you practice most.

Because of neuroplasticity, the brain constantly rewires itself based on repeated thoughts and behaviors. The neural pathways you activate most often become stronger and easier to access over time.

When complaining becomes a frequent habit, you repeatedly activate circuits involved in problem detection and threat awareness. The brain adapts by becoming more efficient at scanning for flaws, frustrations, and disappointments. This pattern is connected to what psychologists call negativity bias, the tendency to focus more on negative experiences than positive ones.

Each complaint can act like a rehearsal. Research in cognitive psychology shows that repetitive negative thinking is linked to higher stress hormone levels, including cortisol. Over time, this may reduce emotional resilience and make it harder to access balanced or optimistic interpretations of events.

However, the same plasticity works in the opposite direction. Studies on cognitive training and gratitude practices suggest that intentionally shifting attention toward solutions or appreciation can gradually strengthen alternative neural pathways.

The brain is not fixed. It responds to repetition.

What you focus on consistently becomes the pattern your brain expects. And over time, that pattern shapes how you experience everyday life.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified professional for personal concerns.

03/19/2026

When you feel nervous, your body shifts into a stress state.

Heart rate rises, breathing changes, and the nervous system moves into “fight-or-flight” mode. This response is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which balances stress reactions with calming signals that bring the body back to baseline.

One of the most important calming pathways is the vagus nerve.

The vagus nerve runs from the brainstem through the face, throat, heart, and digestive system. When it becomes more active, it helps slow the heart rate, stabilize breathing, and shift the body toward a calmer physiological state.

Certain small physical actions can stimulate this system.

Touching or lightly pinching the bridge of the nose activates sensory nerves connected to the trigeminal nerve, which communicates with brainstem regions involved in vagal regulation. This sensory signal can briefly influence the parasympathetic system, producing a mild calming effect.

It is not a cure for anxiety, but it can act as a quick nervous-system reset.

Simple sensory inputs—like controlled breathing, cold water on the face, or facial pressure—can all interact with brainstem circuits that regulate stress responses.

Your nervous system constantly listens to signals from the body.

Sometimes a small physical action can send the message that it is safe to slow down.

Source: Cleveland Clinic — Vagus nerve function and parasympathetic regulation research.

Disclaimer: Educational neuroscience information, not medical advice.

03/13/2026

03/05/2026

The therapeutic process within a counseling space can be extremely difficult. It requires time, finances & or insurance, emotional & spiritual effort & humility, perseverance, consistency, sometimes tough feedback, trust, openness & vulnerability.

COURAGE to participate is a costly asset that in turn, can have exponential dividends. Personal growth, empowerment, healthy CHANGE, soul HEALING, relationship building, TRANSFORMATION, learning, unlearning, and creating & sustaining productive momentum. Finding meaning. Finding purpose. Discovering wisdom, truths, & untruths. Taking an uncomfortable look in the mirror. BUILDING. Bouncing back. Loving yourself & others well. FINDING HOPE, strength, life, & peace.

To those who have participated, either short term or many of you-long term: YOU CAN BE SO PROUD of yourself. You have chosen the tough refining process. Many with tears in the process. Way to love yourself. Way to invest in yourself. Way to choose a consistent hour for you to heal & grow in the hardest & richest way. Way to be forgiving of your provider, who is only a human just like you. You have sacrificed & humbled yourself to reach out for support. YOU ARE BRAVE! You are STRONG. You are LOVED. May you be blessed, & may you be well.

02/27/2026

Grief is not only about losing a person. 💭
We grieve relationships, unmet expectations, childhood wounds, lost time, health changes, and versions of ourselves we had to outgrow.

Grief can also come from transitions, boundaries, estrangement, or letting go of what we hoped would change. Naming these losses supports emotional healing and growth.

Read more here 👉 Grief Revisited: Tips For Growing Past Sadness
https://reachoutrecovery.com/grief-revisited-tips-for-growing-past-sadness/

02/27/2026

Thank you to LaRue’s Family Restaurant in for featuring ! Clinical faith based mental health counseling in Kzoo now by WMU!

02/24/2026

DBTSkills : Emotion Regulation. Understanding Emotions.


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