Janie Who? 2022

“I am a complex, yet simple, rural Missouri girl. I am named after my outstanding Grandmommy, Janie. Some call me JayCee, as it was given as a nickname at birth. I am very open-minded to new ideas and concepts. I accept everyone for who they are, and I hope you accept me for who I am.” I wrote these words in my first blog in 2018. They’re still very true today, but so much has changed!

So, let me reintroduce myself.

Hi, I’m Janie. The woman behind Janie’s No Sugar. I have several titles: mom, wife, assistant manager, Chamber of Commerce President, blogger and soon another will be added to my list. (Sorry, it’s a secret!!) I do not like to be bored, so I keep myself busy with all sorts of crazy tasks and hobbies. When I go for something, I throw my whole heart into it. I don’t like half-ass. PS – I called my blog Janie’s No Sugar because I do not sugar coat things… You get me for who I am, cusswords and all!

I suffer from severe depression and anxiety. I honestly can’t remember a time in my life when it wasn’t there. It really escalated when I became an adult with more responsibilities. I am very high functioning, so I don’t think people realize how serious it is, not even the people closest to me. I take an antidepressant along with going to therapy twice a month. I am a firm believer in bringing awareness to mental health & ending the stigma that comes along with it. I have made great strides, but still have plenty of room to grow. My mental health problems are chemical, not situational. Yes, some situations make it worse, but I did not suffer trauma that caused this. I grew up in a home full of love with 2 parents and 2 siblings. They provided everything I ever needed, allowed me to be the person I am without holding me back, and truly love me without condition. My relationship with my parents is actually so good that we’ve managed to work together for 7 or 8 years now. Together, along with our sidekick, badass, best ever (do you understand that she is amazing yet?) secretary, we manage Indian Creek Marina on Mark Twain Lake.

Back in 2018 I suffered from Chronic Hives. You’ll see that the beginning of my blogging journey is pretty much all write up’s about how awful it was. This is when my depression took a downhill turn. I gained a ton of weight, dropped out of college and my self-image became so horrible I hardly left my house. I pushed through and no longer have hives.

On November 9th of 2019, I married my best friend, Tim. On April 3rd the following year, we welcomed our sweet Oliver into the world. Covid-19 was all the talk. I look back now and roll my eyes at all the worry that caused me, because 4 days later I lost my little brother, Donnie, in a motorcycle accident. My world crashed, and I haven’t given a rat’s ass about Covid since. I have all sorts of feelings about Donnie’s death, but I’ll save that for another time. What you need to know now is that it completely changed my priorities, my anxiety started to spiral out of control and my (at the time untreated) depression got so bad I didn’t recognize myself anymore. I finally got some help.

At some point I gladly accepted the roll of Chamber of Commerce President, which is pretty cool. I’ll talk about that in another blog.

All of these things, and so much more, make me the unique, quirky, overwhelmed, wild at heart girl that I was meant to be. I shoot for the stars, while also laying in my ‘rut’ for hours on end. There is a balance to my life many don’t see or understand. I hope following along my blog helps you to understand me better & understand yourself better. No matter what you’re going through, good or bad, there’s someone out there going through it too. I hope I can be that person for many of you.

I am going to post when I feel it in my heart to do so. I am not going to force content… So, don’t expect to hear from me on a very regular basis or expect me to stick to certain topics. I bounce off the walls with what I write. No sugar coating – you get me for who I am.

Thanks for reading. 🙂