Welcome to The Velveted Fern

Unfurling and Finding Peace

Hello, and welcome. If you’ve found your way to this corner of the internet, I’m so glad you’re here.

I am so thrilled to officially welcome you to The Velveted Fern. Starting this blog has been a dream of mine for a long time, and I am so excited to finally hit “publish” and share this space with you. But before we get too far in, I want to introduce myself and share what this space is really about.

Who I Am

I’ll write more about myself later, but a quick snapshot – I am a proud latchkey, Gen X woman, and yes, over 50 – athough in my head, I still feel exactly like I’m 27! I am a mom, wife, and someone who works hard to not have a nervous breakdown every 5 minutes. I am also a survivor of childhood trauma. I navigate life every day with CPTSD, depression, and major anxiety. As many do, I have good days and bad days.

Just surviving in today’s messed up world feels like a full-time job, let alone actually thrive in it. Over the years, I’ve had to actively search for and fight for things that help me regulate my emotions, calm my nervous system, and keep my head above water. As part of that healing journey, I dabble in writing, art, gardening, and nature. Nature has helped me heal so much that I became a certified Forest Therapy Guide. I have found that intentionally immersing myself in the More Than Human World is a profound way to cope with deep stress and trauma, and I lean on it heavily to survive in today’s world.

But hey! I also love grunge music, fashion, cooking, making fun crafts – all kinds of things I’m excited to share with you. So please, don’t think this blog is all doom and gloom, because it’s not!

Who This Space is For

While this blog is especially for women who are over 50 who absolutely do not feel “old”, it’s for anyone who wants to NOT be alone in this world of disconnect and comparison. If you still feel like you’re 27 and if you stubbornly refuse to just “grow up,” you are in the right place. We deserve to have a place in this world, one of safety and belonging. You belong here with me!

Why “The Velveted Fern”?

While I love plants, this isn’t strictly a botanical or gardening blog. Instead, gardening happens to be one of the vital tools I use to cope. Getting my hands in the dirt, tending to something living, and watching it grow helps me regulate my emotions when the world feels too loud. Plants are my anchor, but this blog is about the broader journey of survival and healing.

What You’ll Find Here

My hope is to share the things I’ve found that actually work for me in managing anxiety and surviving the day-to-day. Here, we will explore:

• Real Talk on Mental Health: Honest conversations about living with CPTSD, anxiety, and the realities of healing as a vibrant, energetic woman over 50.
• Coping Strategies & Forest Therapy: The habits, routines, and boundaries that help me navigate modern life, alongside the mindful, sensory practices I use as a Forest Therapy Guide to process trauma and destress.
• Gardening as Therapy: How connecting with nature, tending to plants, and getting my hands dirty helps me stay grounded in the present moment.
• Shared Wisdom: I am here to share what I’ve learned, but I am just as eager to learn from you.
• Fun: Fashion, cooking, making things, whatever I do in my daily life.

Let’s Grow Together

My biggest hope for The Velveted Fern is that it becomes a community. I want to share my successes, my inevitable setbacks, and everything in between-and I want to hear about yours, too. We are all just trying to unfurl and find the light, and it’s a lot easier when we do it together.

Thank you so much for being here at the very beginning. Feel free to introduce yourself in the comments below-I would love to know: what is one thing that brings you a sense of peace today?

Stay grounded,

Cinde | The Velveted Fern