ericaanneMar 21, 20223 min readGoodbye Florida, Hello ColoradoIt was finally time to leave Florida behind. We were trading the beach for the mountains, the humidity for dryness, and sea level for...
ericaanneMar 14, 20223 min readChristmas 2019I was starting to see hope with Nick's video game addiction. Graduation had gone well and he had finally realized and admitted that video...
ericaanneMar 7, 20225 min readGraduation Part II: RealityWhen we showed up to the graduation venue, Nick was on edge. I could feel it. I was still worried, but as we got inside and started to...
ericaanneFeb 28, 20223 min readGraduation Part I: WorriesIt was finally time to graduate. Nearly three and a half years of hard work and dedication were coming to a close. We had taken all 5...
ericaanneFeb 22, 20224 min readSkydiving For My Mental HealthWhen Nick was hospitalized, I was already in therapy. I was also knee-deep into Brené Brown's work on vulnerability. I had just finished...
ericaanneFeb 11, 20222 min readNick Wanted a DivorceShortly after Nick's video game addiction started, we started fighting daily. I was quick to point out that the amount of time he spent...
ericaanneJan 31, 20223 min readSilenceI have mentioned that I didn't tell friends and family what was going on with Nick in the early stages. There's a handful of reasons for...
ericaanneJan 22, 20225 min readHospitalization: Part 2So we Baker Acted Nick. I got a call from him about an hour after the police drove off with him. He was screaming at me. "I can't believe...
ericaanneJan 18, 20225 min readHospitalization: Part 1We got married on February 1st, 2019. If I haven't mentioned it yet, I'm Canadian. All of my family is in Canada. I met Nick at an...
ericaanneJan 8, 20223 min readVideo Game AddictionNick started to realize that the only time he wouldn't be thinking about his OCD was when he was playing video games. He came home one...
ericaanneJan 1, 20222 min readEarly Behavior ChangesPrior to Nick's tinnitus and OCD onset, he was the type of person to get up at 4:00am to go to the gym, somehow be energetic all day, be...
ericaanneDec 28, 20213 min readSomatic OCDOnce Nick had started Googling his symptoms, he eventually came across the diagnosis of somatic OCD: the hyperfocus on neutral physical...
ericaanneDec 26, 20212 min readOCD OnsetIn the summer of 2019, Nick developed tinnitus. He's been to countless music festivals and never really used proper ear protection. The...
ericaanneDec 23, 20211 min readExpanding the ConversationSupporting my husband through mental illness was, by far, the hardest thing I've ever done. I'll get more into some specifics of his...