My apologies to those of you who attempted to join my live and to those who planned to view the playback. I prepared, I planned, I had notes, I logged on two hours before the scheduled time to make sure everything was ready to go. I spoke for 20 minutes, something was horribly wrong with the sound, and I never knew it. 🤦🏽‍♀️

I uploaded a short video to explain what happened. Please don’t take my light-hearted presentation as lack of regard for your time and support. I was annoyed when I realized what happened but I just can’t give the enemy the victory.

My goal during the live was to meet with the parents of teenagers. I am especially interested in helping families with teenagers who may be battling depression and low self-esteem. When I was a teenager, I was diagnosed with depression. It can often make a person feel misunderstood and alone. I went from being a relatively happy child to what my parents described as a stranger in their home. For me, I felt like an “uninvited guest”. My depression felt like a burden. I hated how it made me feel. It made me want to be alone, but when I was alone I felt abandoned. My sleeping habits changed, my appetite changed, I had mood swings, I was sad all the time, I had anxiety attacks. I felt like someone had dropped a heavy blanket on me and often times I felt like I was struggling to breathe. It was a terrible time in my life.

It was not until I became a Christian that I realized I was in a spiritual battle. Depression may be triggered by traumatic events or stressors but it has spiritual origins. If your child/teenager is exhibiting behaviors that indicate they may be depressed I encourage you to seek the help of a professional counselor. If you do not know of a counselor, the counselor at your child’s school or your child’s pediatrician or physician may be able to help or recommend someone. In additionn to seeking the help of a counselor, please also consider seeking the help of the LORD. I still have moments when feelings of depression try to return but now that I am walking with the LORD I do not feel like I am fighting this battle alone.

Finally, I have a free pdf that I would love to send to you. It includes a list of “Things Your Teen May Not Have Told You”. I believe this list may help you to better understand what your teen may be feeling. To get a copy of this list, please visit my website: auntasheai.com and join my email list. I will send a copy of the pdf directly to your email.