The emerging blogger series is aimed at community building through giving mental health bloggers who are early in their blogging evolution the opportunity to have their work seen by a wider audience. It's also a way to introduce you as a reader to some newer members of our community. This post is by Lara of … Continue reading Emerging Blogger Series: Lara
I got thinking about this a little while ago when I was commenting on a post by B of Convolute Me. I had mentioned that those of us who are okay with dying are unlikely to be the ones actually taken down by the COVID-19 pandemic. While that may sound suicidal, it's not meant that … Continue reading Life Isn’t (and Never Was) Fair
In my depression-free days, my brain felt like a finely tuned machine. I could handle multiple tasks efficiently and effectively. I've always been organized, but when I was well it was helpful rather than necessary. I performed better when I was organized, but it wasn't a crutch. If non-depressed brain was skiing black diamond runs, … Continue reading Compensating for Depression Brain
Here's what happened in my life over the past week: Thanks to Rory from A Guy Called Bloke for gifting me a compliment this week for my post What is… Herd Behaviour. My week was dominated by a sinus infection. The snot monster I mentioned last week expanded its facial footprint to encompass and enter mouth, … Continue reading Weekend wrap-up
It's not uncommon to hear the term high functioning getting tossed around to describe people's mental health conditions. But is it a term that's meaningful or useful? To clarify, I'm not referring to people describing their own level of functioning in a way that feels right for them. I'm all for people using whatever language … Continue reading Is High Functioning a Useful Descriptor for Mental Illness?
Alert and Oriented x3 by Leif Gregersen II, a book about living with a psychotic illness, is offered as a free download from the author's blog, Mental Health Coping Skills Blog by Leif Gregersen. The author has schizoaffective disorder, and this book focuses on his most recent hospitalization, which he describes as being unimaginably painful. … Continue reading Book Review: Alert and Oriented x3
Being a hermit is supposed to be a bad thing, but it's made it a whole lot easier to adjust to COVID-19 and the social distancing restrictions. Over the last year, I've really struggled with psychomotor retardation (slowing of movement) with my depression, and that made it hard to get out and do anything. So … Continue reading Pandemic Life as a Pre-Existing Hermit
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
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?
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!
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
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
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook by Matthew McKay, Jeffrey C. Wood, and Jeffrey Brantley is a self-help workbook that covers the major skills involved in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). DBT is considered the gold standard for the treatment of borderline personality disorder, but its usefulness is not limited to people with BPD. DBT is … Continue reading Book Review: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook
The emerging blogger series is aimed at community building through giving mental health bloggers who are early in their blogging evolution the opportunity to have their work seen by a wider audience. It's also a way to introduce you as a reader to some newer members of our community. This post is by Lisa of … Continue reading Emerging Blogger Series: Lisa