Mental Health

Suicidality: Impulsivity vs. Planning

People had a lot to say in response to my recent post Suicidality and Other People’s Perspective, so I thought it would be good to have another down and dirty chat about the reality of dealing with suicidal thinking (and sometimes attempts). In this post, we’ll talk about the tendency to be impulsive and engaging […]

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Review: Living with Chronic Mental Illness Podcast

I wanted to share with you a new podcast created by my friend Mike Edward called Living with Chronic Mental Illness. It’s about his own journey with chronic schizoaffective disorder. As the host says, “It’s the story of challenging moments, of failures, of successes, of love, of loss, and of hope. This is the story

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Suicidality and Other People’s Perspective

For some of us, suicidal thinking and perhaps even a history of attempts are part of the mental illness experience. What I wanted to discuss in this post is how much of that suicidality is focused inward and how much relates to our place in our social world. That’s rather vague, and this post’s title

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Procrastination vs. Energy Budgeting: What’s the Difference?

Energy budgeting and procrastination both involve putting tasks off until later, but one is healthy and the other isn’t. So what’s the difference? That’s what we’ll explore in this post. What is procrastination? I like Wikipedia‘s definition of procrastination – it is “the action of unnecessarily and voluntarily delaying or postponing something despite knowing that

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Mental Health @ Home book review: The Panic Attack Relief Workbook by Mayra Diaz

Book Review: The Panic Attack Relief Workbook

The Panic Attack Relief Workbook by Mayra Diaz lays out a seven-week plan for people to be able to better manage panic. It incorporates cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and exposure therapy. As the title indicates, it’s a workbook with exercises to fill out. The book begins with background information about

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Mental Health @ Home book review: Are We There Yet? by Elizabeth Jones

Book Review: Are We There Yet?

Are We There Yet? is a memoir by my lovely blogging friend Elizabeth Jones about her recovery from depression. I like how she conceptualizes recovery: “Recovery is a lifelong journey, not the destination. Recovery is the wrong word. There’s no going back to my former state. If I did, that wouldn’t be progress.” Liz’s journey

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Mental Health @ Home book reviews: cover of Overcoming Trauma and PTSD

Book Review: Overcoming Trauma and PTSD

Overcoming Trauma and PTSD by Sheela Raja is a workbook that incorporates elements of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). The book begins with an explanation of the effects of trauma, including how trauma memories, which are emotionally charged and situationally accessible, are different from verbally accessible

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A Display of Public Ignorance About Depression

People are dumb; there’s nothing new about that. Public ignorance about depression in particular was on display recently in a news article I came across, and it annoyed me, so I thought I’d write about it. First, let’s start with some background. The news related to the findings of an article published last month in

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Mental Health @ Home book review: Be Mighty by Jill A. Stoddard

Book Review: Be Mighty

Be Mighty by Jill A. Stoddard draws on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help women free themselves from the anxiety, worry, and stress that are holding them back. The author observes that if you get attached to narratives about being damaged or broken, you’re “probably a frequent flier at the popular hot spot known

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Mental Health @ Home book review: Sh*t I Say to Myself

Book Review: Sh*t I Say to Myself

Sh*t I Say to Myself by Katie Krimer aims to help readers change their negative self-talk. The author is a therapist, and also describes herself as “a recovered negative thinker and self-talker. I’m also a former insomniac, life-long worrier and overthinker, recurring panic attack survivor, skilled ruminator, and recuperating perfectionist.” The book is broken down

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