Menu
  • Home
  • Breaking News
  • Feature
    • Arts
    • Astrology
    • Business
    • Community
    • Employment
    • Event Stories
    • From the Pioneer
    • Government
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Non Profit News
    • Obituary
    • Public Safety
    • Podcast Interview Articles
    • Pioneer Pulse Podcast: Politics, Palette, and Planet – the Playlist
  • Weather
  • Guest Column
    • Perspectives
    • Don Backman Photos
    • Ardent Gourmet
    • Kitchen Maven
    • I’ve been thinking
    • Jim Heffernan
    • The Littoral Life
    • Neal Lemery
    • View From Here
    • Virginia Carrell Prowell
    • Words of Wisdom
  • Things to do
    • Calendar
    • Tillamook County Parks
    • Tillamook County Hikes
    • Whale Watching
    • Tillamook County Library
    • SOS Community Calendar
  • About
    • Contribute
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Opt-out preferences
  • Post Submission Test
  • Search...
Menu

TILLAMOOK COUNTY WELLNESS: Opening the Doors to Personal Transformation (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Editor

by Michelle Jenck, Tillamook County Wellness Coordinator

Last week we shared Mariah Decker’s story, about her personal journey and how experiencing trauma in her early childhood led to severe depression, anxiety and poor health into her twenties. Thanks to on-the-job training for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Mariah was able to make the connection between her exposure to early trauma and her mental and physical health concerns. Taking inspiration from the quote, You can’t pour from an empty cup, she began a process to fill her own cup and restore her health.

Struggling with mental health issues and obesity, Mariah was overwhelmed by the thought of making healthy behavior changes. “It was terrifying.” she recalls. “How am I going to get from where I am now to where I want to be?” She took a step back and thought, “What are the little decisions I can make today that are going to compound into a big difference later on?”

Mariah’s plan for personal transformation did not start with a goal of losing weight. She decided to focus first on getting her “mind right” and says, “The more I got my brain in order, the more I started feeling happy.” She began by practicing being present and grateful each day, finding inspirational quotes and choosing to have a positive perspective. That was a turning point, she says. “With my mindset and motivation in place, I was ready to take charge of my life and not just be a bystander.”

As a teacher at South Prairie School, Mariah was required to set professional goals each year and she had the option to include personal goals as well. Mariah decided to make her health transformation a “work-thing,” where her boss could help hold her accountable. “I decided to set a personal goal – something I had never done before – to do one social thing every month. I had to post about it on Facebook and tag my boss.” Despite extreme anxiety, she committed to completing one new social activity each month, like going out for ice cream with a co-worker or attending a family dinner. Over time, getting out and doing things became easier and more fun and she started taking better care of herself and her appearance.

One of Mariah’s monthly goals was to go to the YMCA. She and her husband had a membership but she had never used it. “I had never even walked through the doors of the building,” she says. “That became my goal – just to walk through the doors. Sometimes, the hardest part is just getting started; I didn’t want to put any pressure on myself to use the gym or join a class. All I had to do was go there and see what it was all about.”

When she did walk through the doors of the Y, people were friendly and welcoming. “I did it and none of my worst fears were realized,” Mariah says. “What I saw was there were real people who looked like me, were the same size as me, on elliptical machines, grunting, lifting weights, swimming. And I realized, this wasn’t just for the healthy people, it was for all the people. I ended up signing up for a class and it evolved from there. I did Zumba and weight training classes. I even work out at home now.” Mariah explains that it is the “not knowing” that’s scary. Once she put herself into each new situation, she was able to discover that it was okay and gained the confidence she needed to try the next thing.

Now, four years into her journey, Mariah is quick to point out that this is a long-term gig. “From the very beginning I told myself this isn’t going to be a fad thing. This is going to be a lifestyle. And It looks different today than it did four years ago.”

Other steps Mariah has taken during this journey include eating a mostly plant-based diet, consuming much smaller portions, and nearly eliminating junk food. “I know myself well enough to allow for an indulgence here or there; I do love French fries,” she says.

Having lost eighty pounds, people have taken notice of Mariah’s physical transformation but she says that isn’t what motivates her. “It’s an extra thing; My body is just a vessel. What motivates me is how I feel – having more energy and vitality.”

And, while she does not belong to an organized religion, Mariah emphasizes the role spirituality has played in supporting her well-being. “I feel really close to God. It is related to my practice of gratefulness. It’s hard to be judgmental or feel angry when you are practicing being grateful. It’s a continuous, on-going process to fill your own cup.”

For more local health and wellness information, go to www.tillamookcountywellness.org, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Featured Video

Slide Contribute SUBSCRIBE

Tillamook Weather

Tides

Tillamook County Pioneer Podcast Series

Tillamook Church Search

Cloverdale Baptist Church
Nestucca Valley Presbyterian
Tillamook Ecumenical Service

Archives

  • Home
  • EULA Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Opt-out preferences
  • Search...
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
Linkedin
Catherine

Recent Posts

  • Tillamook Air Museum to Acquire Historic U.S. Coast Guard HU-25 Guardian

    May 24, 2025
  • Celebrate May at Camp Magruder with Two Special Events: Camp Magruder’s 80th Anniversary Celebration May 24th & Community Open House May 31st

    May 24, 2025
  • RESIDENTS STAND TOGETHER AGAINST CIRCUS CRUELTY IN TILLAMOOK, PROTEST OF JORDAN CIRCUS AT TILLAMOOK COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS TUESDAY MAY 27th

    May 24, 2025
©2025 | Theme by SuperbThemes

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}