Be Careful with What You Consume (Post #65)

First and foremost, welcome back, Hottest Moms

We hope you took some time this Mother’s Day to celebrate yourselves.

Whether you spent time with family, relaxed at home, treated yourself, or simply took a moment to breathe and reflect — we hope you allowed yourself to feel appreciated.

And we’d love to hear from you:

What did YOU do to celebrate yourself this Mother’s Day?

Share your experience in the comments. Your story might inspire another mom who struggles with celebrating herself or who may be going through a difficult time right now.

Now, let’s talk about something important:

Be careful with what you consume.

Recently at the psychiatric facility where I work, I met a young woman who appeared very kind and soft-spoken. She explained that she came to the facility because she was struggling with depression and anxiety.

When I asked what was contributing to those feelings, she shared something interesting.

She enjoyed true crime stories, horror movies, and scary content in general. Recently, she began watching large amounts of content online related to pedophile cases and criminal investigations.

Over time, she became so consumed by the topic that intrusive thoughts about it started entering her mind repeatedly. Eventually, she began questioning herself and became terrified by the thoughts she was experiencing.

What made the situation especially heartbreaking was that this young woman had no criminal history and repeatedly stated she had no desire or intention to ever harm a child. But the more she consumed the material, the more the thoughts began to dominate her attention and emotions.

She then shared something else that stood out:

This had happened before.

At another point in her life, she became consumed with death-related content online. The more she watched and read, the darker her thinking became until she no longer wanted to live.

That’s when it became clear:

She had developed an unhealthy pattern.

She would intensely consume emotionally heavy material until it completely overwhelmed her thoughts and emotional state.

So what did we focus on?

First, becoming more present in the moment.

Instead of endlessly consuming harmful or emotionally intense content:

• Put the phone down
• Spend time with loved ones
• Reach out to friends
• Engage in healthier routines
• Reconnect with real life instead of feeding fear and obsession

We also talked about identifying:
What triggers the cycle to begin with
When the pattern starts
And what different action she can take before it spirals further

This isn’t just about horror stories or true crime.

This applies to all of us.

Ask yourself:

Is the information you consume helping you feel happier?
Is it helping you connect positively with others?
Is it helping you move closer toward your goals?

If the answer is no…

Then maybe this is your sign that something needs to change.

Because what we repeatedly consume eventually affects:

• Our thoughts
• Our emotions
• Our outlook
• Our behaviors

Be mindful of what you feed your mind.

When you break unhealthy patterns, you build Confidence.

When you keep trying — even after setbacks — you build Resilience.

And never forget…

You’re already Beautiful.