Who's Kristen Brooke Beck?
By Kristen Brooke Beck
Updated
June 4, 2010
The Summary
My name is Kristen Brooke Beck. I'm a wife, mother, writer, mental health activist, graduate student, business owner, artist, computer geek, amateur scientist, vegetarian, health nut, nature-lover, comedy fanatic, and humanitarian.
Most importantly, I'm happy. And I love helping other people find their own happiness.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) from Site Visitors
Where are you from?
I've lived in a variety of places in California during the first twenty-five years of my life. I spent the majority of my childhood and all of my adolescence in Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley, two small desert communities near Joshua Tree National Park and the Twenty-nine Palms Marine Base. The Mohave desert was where I learned to love being in nature, learning about science (especially astronomy since the desert night sky is so beautiful), and creating art, music, movies, comedy, and writings (because there really wasn't all that much else to do out there).
I now live in a suburb of Portland, Oregon, quite the opposite of my desert upbringing. I absolutely love it here. Portland is filled with friendly, rain-loving, bicycling, outdoorsy, art-loving, intelligent, open-minded people. It is also surrounded by beautiful scenery (and we try to keep it that way).
Why did you make this site?
This site started as a place where I could collect my ideas, and since my ideas always focused on how to make life easier and increase happiness, the site evolved into having the same focus.
Striving for happiness is so important to me because I wasn't always happy. Growing up, I was plagued with anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. As a child, I was afraid of everything and nearly always in tears. As a teenager I was angry and self-destructive. I dealt with my stress by binge eating, hurting myself, and hiding. I believed that some people were just blessed with happy lives, and I wasn't one of them. I often contemplated suicide. Fortunately, I still had hope that perhaps somehow, some day, I would be able to fix myself. That hope saved me.
I went off to college, met a wonderful man who eventually married me, learned how to break out of my shell of shyness to conquer any obstacle in my path, and planned the perfect future for myself as a wife, mother, and professional. I still felt like a defective person, but I figured at least I could be a defective person with a good life. Along the way, I learned to deal with my anxiety by suppressing it until I convinced myself it wasn't there.
Then my husband and I conceived our first child. Everything was wonderful at first, but not long after our baby came into the world, my anxiety returned in ways I never imagined it would. I developed obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and panic attacks. After the birth of our second child, my OCD intensified, and I slipped into a deep depression.
I was lucky to have a strong support system: my husband, postpartum support group, and psychologist. A friend who had gone through a similar experience told that these obstacles in my life would be the "best worst things" to ever happen to me. She was right.
Because of what I've dealt with, I understand what other people with these problems are going through. I also understand what it takes to overcome the problems you can conquer and how to let go of the ones you can't.
So far, I've learned that happiness isn't something you wait or hope for, and it's not the kind of goal that you can cross of your to-do list and yell "mission accomplished!" It's something you create for yourself by working a little each day toward building the life you want. You don't need to travel to distant lands to find it. You don't need to seek gurus or ancient books of wisdom either. You just need to learn some practical beliefs and behaviors that make life a bit less stressful and far more fulfilling.
Now my goal is to help other people find their own happiness.
What education do you have to write about this stuff?
Preschool
I vividly remember cookies, milk, a bunch of cranky old ladies who yelled at me while they sat in in a big brown chair, and lots of kids throwing tantrums.
Elementary School
I went to three elementary schools:
- The first was lots of fun.
- At the second, I learned what it was like to be bullied by nearly ever kid in my class, the after-school kids, the teachers, and the kids in my neighborhood.
- While at the third, I learned to play the clarinet and piano, coded TI Basic on my Texas Instruments 94/A computer, and decided to become a writer when I grew up.
Junior High
Accomplishments:
- Started taking honors classes
- Played clarinet in the school band
- Played keyboard and piano with my friends
- Discovered boys
- Wrote bad teen romance stories
- Spent hours in the computer lab after school
High School: Graduated (Honors)
- Focused on college prep and business classes
- Decided to become an English teacher to combine my love of writing with a stable career
AA in Liberal Studies (High Honors)
Areas of focus:
- General education
- Psychology
- Computer applications and website design
- Humanities: literature, music, art
- Discovered I'd rather be a science teacher instead of an English teacher
Certification in Freelance Writing
This was a program that taught me about the professional writing industry and took me from the "I want to be a writer" dream to actually getting paid to write.
B.A. in Natural Science (Cum Laude and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society)
Areas of study:
- Physics
- Earth Sciences: geology, oceanography, and astronomy
- Biological Sciences: zoology, botany, wildlife, ecosystems, environmental studies, health, organic chemistry, biochemistry
- Education (for teaching): child development, curriculum design, student teaching, science instruction, learning theory, juvenile sociology
- Philosophy: ethics in science, comparative religion, death, Judeo-Christian-Islamic history, Neo-Paganism, Eastern religions
- Computer Science (studied at the same time but not a part of my degree): hardware, applications, repair
Motherhood
Becoming a parent has been the most education experience of my life. I'm happy that I had a background in child development and education because I believe it has helped me be a pretty good mom (not perfect, but my kids are doing great and I have very few regrets). And my background in science has been great for answering all of their "why" and "how" questions.
M.S. in Mental Health Counseling (in progress...)
I'm currently enrolled in graduate school (part-time) in a CACREP program. I expect to graduate with my Masters degree in 2014.
Areas of study (past, current, and planned):
- Psychological and Sociological Theories: Human Development, Multicultural Studies, Personality, Marriage and Family Systems, Human Sexuality
- Psychopathology Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment
- Mental Health Counseling
- Addiction and Compulsion
- Counseling Children and Adolescents
- Career Counseling
- Group Counseling
- Research
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