Here's what happened in my life over the past week: I only spent 2 days in Pinterest jail before they reactivated my account. I don't know if it's my time in the Pinterest jail or the effects of COVID-19, but my new pins are suddenly getting 2 impressions rather than a few thousand, Still, Pinterest … Continue reading Weekend wrap-up
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term is social isolation. Social isolation involves an objective removal from social contact and relationships, which may occur voluntarily or involuntarily. The term perceived social isolation is used to include a subjective sense of loneliness. While loneliness and social … Continue reading What is… Social Isolation
We could all use a little lightheartedness, and here's what we've got for today. Butternut, my black and white boy, is always very excited about the girls who are in the cage opposite my bed. He's the only guinea pig I've ever had who does this particular standing tall move, and I think of … Continue reading Fun of the Day
I'm not sure how universal a thing this is, but one of the many aspects of my life affected by my mental illness is my home. This is something I've noticed over the past few years, and while it's relatively subtle, it's definitely there. I spend the vast majority of my time at home (which … Continue reading How Does Mental Illness Affect Your Living Space?
Here are my top picks for critters that are cute and ugly all at the same time, or at the very least, cute and interesting. Skinny pig This, my friends, is approximately what my little furballs look like without hair. They look like little baby hippopotamuses (hippopotami?). I've gotta say, I prefer fur on to … Continue reading Some Cute-Ugly Animal Fun
Looking for a distraction while you're self-isolating? The description of Reflections: My Mad Memoirs! by indie author Kristina Bryson assures readers that: "If your life has been perfect then my memoirs will bore the pants off you. However, if you have been mentally battered and bruised by dysfunctional relationships, cursed by anxiety and panic attacks … Continue reading Book Review: Reflections: My Mad Memoirs!
The guinea pigs are just so cute, so I thought I'd bring them out to play on the blog today. These are my boys, Butternut (the black and white one) and Peanut. The picture above, though, is a stock photo that I thought was all kinds of cute. They like to play in the … Continue reading Random Guinea Pig Post
With far too many people ignoring public health advice around social distancing, we've come to the unfortunate place that a lot of areas are on lockdown. However, we need to slow this thing down. At the World Health Organization press briefing on March 23, the W.H.O. Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that it had … Continue reading What the Experts Have to Say About COVID-19
Have you aligned your chakras today? Or perhaps you've wondered if the whole chakra craze is a bit over the top. And maybe you can guess what my take on the matter is. The concept of chakras first emerged in India in the first century BCE, in Hindu and then later in Buddhist texts. The … Continue reading Are Chakras Real or Pseudoscience?
One of the chapters in my new book Managing the Depression Puzzle is focused on somatic treatments for depression, which involve the application of energy to the brain. These types of treatment are not as commonly used as medications or therapy, but they do have a role to play, particularly when it comes to treatment-resistant … Continue reading Somatic Treatments for Depression
It's remarkable how a couple of weeks can change everything. I regularly watch the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and that's the marker I use in my head to think back to when things got serious. Two weeks ago they announced that, starting the next week (aka the week just past), all the major late … Continue reading Pandemic Blogging
Here's what happened in my life over the past week: Thanks so much to R.K.B. of VodkaforMondays for nominating me for the Real Neat Blog Award. And on a side note, I've been told that Canadians say "neat" more than others, and it's one of the "tells" that gives away where someone is from. Thanks … Continue reading Weekend wrap-up
All of a sudden, the medication chloroquine is in the news for its potential role in managing COVID-19. This post will look at what's known, and not known, about potential treatments for the novel coronavirus. In the news On March 19, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) had approved … Continue reading What Chloroquine Means for COVID-19 – Update March 21
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term is herd behaviour. Are we people or sheeple? Turns out we're actually a lot more sheeplish than we might like to think that we are, and herd behaviour is exhibited across a range of different contexts. Kameda and … Continue reading What is… Herd Behaviour