The Worry Stone Project

09/12/2025

My therapy story from today!

My therapist gave me the following homework yesterday-Shoot to boost Oxytocin this week. Still new to therapy, I had to look up what oxytocin was. Do you know what it is? If not, you need to.

It’s this thing we are doing right here! When we do something for others, we set off the “feel good” hormone in our brain which increases our mood. I guess it’s even better than setting off his cousins, dopamine and serotonin!

09/12/2025

I was working the other morning and there was a family (Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa, and two little, maybe 3 and 5 year old boys. They were two of the cutest boys I have ever seen. They had the most beautiful eyelashes and cutest little Spanish speaking voices I have ever heard. So I went to the car and got my bag of speciality stones. The oldest chose Bart Simpson and the youngest chose a koala bear. The Dad prompted them to say thank you, which they did. I replied “Oh, de nada!” The little guy whipped his head up and around to his Dad and said, “Dad, she’s speaks Spanish!” And I strutted off like a peacock with my feathers puffed up! “Yes, she does, boys. Yes, she does.”

Mrs. Angelilly-Your legacy lives on! I just caught your wink from Heaven. And yes, now I realize how important it was to learn Spanish!

09/12/2025

Hey Everybody! We’re growing! I’m so excited I had a follow up to the story from a few weeks ago.

The woman came into work last night and said to me, “They loved them, and I had two left so I took them with me to an appt. I placed one, on one of the chairs in the waiting room. The receptionist asked her if she dropped something. I told her that I had meant to leave it there and she asked what it was. She thought it was cool, so I gave her the last one I had. And the project grows…❤️💯👏❤️

08/22/2025

Tutorial video for creating polymer clay worry stones

08/21/2025

Tonight, I will post a short little tutorial if you want to give this project a try!

08/21/2025

IT GETS EVEN BETTER: Follow up to yesterday’s worry stone story.

So, I go into work last night and tell my boss and her adult daughter who also works with me, my worry stone story from earlier in the day yesterday and so they started asking me questions about them. I went to the car and grabbed my box so I could show them one. They were so touched. I gave them each one to have/give away. My boss’s daughter said, “You don’t know how much I needed this right now. I was just telling Mom how overwhelmed I was trying to learn all of this stuff for my classes. (She is studying to be a respiratory therapist.) Then, she said, “Could I get another one for my brother. I think he would really appreciate it. I would love to leave it in his house and see if he says anything when he finds it.” So, I gave her another one. Then, I was showing them some of the kid ones I’ve made and my boss said, “My granddaughter loves ladybugs. Can I switch this one out for the ladybug?” And so she got a cute little ladybug I made to leave for her granddaughter.

Once I had everything at work ready to go for the night and everyone was taken care of, as I was pulling out my clay to start making more a lady walked in. There were no seats available so she was standing at the bar talking to me and she started asking me what I was making because she was into crafting too. So I told her about them and how I made them therapeutically for myself, but hopefully they were helping others too.
She too loved the idea and wanted to gift one to each of her nieces and nephews. So she chose 5 and INSISTED on paying me for them, although I wanted her to just take them and share them.

And so the project grows, right along with my heart! 😍❤️🥰

08/21/2025

So a cool little thing happened to me yesterday. I have a physical on Friday for our insurance, so my Dr. wanted a recheck of my numbers after the iron infusions. So, I took three little baggies with one of my worry stones and the explanation card in with me when I got out of the car. There is a nice bench and a covered bus stop outside of the building, so I left one on each bench. And when I got called back for my bloodwork, I left one in the seat where I had been sitting. I came out when I was done to see someone holding it and looking at the baggie reading the card. So I nonchalantly walked by her on my way out. I overheard her saying as she looked at the baggie readingthe card, “That’s really cute. What a cute idea. I have never heard of that before!” I don’t know if she was talking to someone in her ear or just saying it out loud, but I have never “caught” someone finding one yet! It was probably more awesome for me to see her find it than her to get it, but it truly made my heart light up! ❤️

08/21/2025

While I was in the hospital re-examining my life and really thinking about the things that make me happy, I realized I had forgotten how much I loved and found fulfillment in helping others and volunteering. So when I got out, I set out to find a project that I could invest my efforts in that might make someone else going through a difficult time feel a little more hopeful.

I remembered a project we had done WAY back when I was teaching 5th grade. The idea wasn’t mine, but we used polymer (bakeable) clay to make worry stones. A small little “stone” our students could rub or hold in their hand to calm their anxieties or bring them peace and comfort.

So for the last 6 weeks or so I have been making worry stones. I have attached several pictures in case anyone is thinking, “What is she talking about?”

I place one in a Ziploc snack bag, with the attached card. ChatGPT wrote the poem if anyone is curious and then I have been leaving them around town when I am out and about. Places like the chapel at the hospital, the infusion center, park benches, etc. I have been hoping that people have been finding them and are either enjoying them or passing them along for someone else to “find”. Maybe I should include a page someone can go to to post what they found and where they found it, kind of like the painted rock pages. Or maybe I don’t need to know where they have ended up or who they have helped. I do think it would be kind of cool to know just where some of them have ended up though.

08/21/2025

Mental Health Matters! This is not the end; it’s just a pause!

This is a bit long, but is my personal story with depression and anxiety! It ended up with a hospital stay back in May, so please take a few minutes to read this. It just might save your life!

I just want to remind you all that YOU MATTER! Pay attention to your mind and body and if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t, so get it checked out!

About 15 years ago, I was diagnosed with Depression. I have been on an antidepressant ever since. About two years ago, when I began struggling with a newly diagnosed movement disorder, I noticed my depression worsening. With my wife’s insistence, I went to the Dr. and my antidepressant was changed. A few months ago, I started feeling more depressed.

When I decided to leave my very stressful job in March off this year, I thought what I was feeling would get better without all the hours and extra stress of it. It did not. I started to feel worthless as bills piled up. I felt like I wasn't contributing enough to our family. I quickly started a downhill slide. I was moody, irritable, and lost all desire to do any of the things that used to make me happy.

By May 8th, I was feeling suicidal. I reached out to a residential facility for depression, mood, and anxiety disorders for an assessment last Friday. I didn't make it to Friday, by the time my wife got home from work on Thursday, I had been crying all day and couldn't get out of bed, so I asked her to take me to the ER. They evaluated me and decided that it would be best if I stayed for a week of inpatient treatment. My wife and I agreed. I was released a week later and the next week, I began 8-10 weeks of 9 hours of online group therapy a week with continued weekly counseling and meds through Lifestance and CharlieHealth.com.

So, why am I telling you this... because I have a few qualities that I have learned affect me greatly and I KNOW they affect some of you as well. Most particular to me, are perfectionism, stubbornness, internalizing things, and a need to have everything just so (which I call my a**l retentiveness or my OCD).

I am writing this today to say DO NOT IGNORE your mental health like I did! I think we all feel pain and go to the dr., I think we all get sick and go to the dr., but I am willing to bet some of you like me tell ourselves when we are feeling down, that it will be ok. We put a smile on our face, lace up our boots, and march on. We make excuses for why we don't have time to go to the dr., or why we don't want to take another medicine, or even why we won't talk to someone about our problems. But, I am here to remind you that your mental health is just as important as your physical health and one can affect the other super quick and that balance scale in our brains can tip super fast!

Fortunately, while I was in the hospital, my medication was adjusted and I met some great people who helped to get me through my week there. I was reminded to use coping skills like deep breathing, stepping away for a minute, and taking a break when I am feeling overwhelmed. I was reminded of my mood lifters-music, the smells of eucalyptus spearmint, vanilla, and apple, doing my artwork, and spending time outside. I was reminded to practice gratitude everyday (which I am grateful for all of you). And I was reminded to be kinder to myself and realize that it is perfectly ok to take care of myself and my needs every once in awhile.

So, if you ever begin to feel super down that lasts for more than a day or two, like life isn't worth living, or that you don't matter to this world-PLEASE talk to your significant other, go to the dr., talk to a counselor, call someone in your support circle or go to the ER! I love you all and want to see you all as happy as you can possibly be in this world.

Mental health matters! It's shouldn't be a stigma; you shouldn't feel shame, or be embarrassed to seek help.

Just saying!

😄❤️❤️❤️ Love, Julie

Charlie Health provides virtual treatment for mental health, substance use, and eating disorders. Personalized, effective, affordable.