Thanks to everyone who filled out my survey on the therapeutic benefits of blogging. I initially published results last weekend, but then decided to extend the survey and do an update today. In the end, there were 45 responses, although not everyone answered every question. There weren’t any major changes compared to the preliminary results […]
Mental Health Benefits of Blogging: Survey Results Read More »
This guest post on dealing with depression in relationships, either as the depressed or the non-depressed person, comes from Marimeia of Through Anxiety and Beyond. We’ve done a guest post tradesies, and you can read my post about how fabulous all of you are on her blog here. I have recently been to visit a
Tips on Dealing with Depression in Relationships: Guest Post Read More »
I got thinking about this recently because my best friend is a normalizer, and it really doesn’t feel very good sometimes. But there are other times when normalizing aspects of mental illness can be helpful. So what’s the difference? The invalidating way A little while back, I told my best friend that I was heading
Normalizing Mental Illness Symptoms: The Good & Bad Ways Read More »
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
What Is… Social Isolation Read More »
I recently came across ring theory, an approach to supporting people in times of crisis, loss, and grief that involves the notion of comfort in, dump out. It was first described in an LA Times article by Susan Silk and Barry Goldman. The development of ring theory Ring theory was developed by clinical psychologist Susan
Ring Theory: Comfort In, Dump Out Read More »
A fellow blogger recently shared this Youtube video. The video is about supporting someone who is grieving, but it’s a powerful message about validation in general, which is what inspired this post. Many of us have chosen to blog because there are difficult experiences that we’re dealing with. We look for various things out of
The Power of Validation Read More »
I think we’ve probably all felt the urge at one point or another to give advice. We see the situation someone is in, and can’t help but think if they only did X, then things would be so much better for them. Chances are that most of us have also been on the receiving end
How Helpful Is It to Give Unsolicited Advice? Read More »
I never would have thought that I would feel like a stranger in my own family. Depression changed everything, though. The present story I spent Christmas with my family this year. It was a small gathering – just my parents, my brother, his fiancee, and me. Except it didn’t feel small; it seemed like there
Feeling Like a Stranger in My Own Family Read More »
Depression is a profoundly isolating illness, as many mental illnesses can be, and as my illness progresses in many ways I find myself evolving into a hermit of sorts.
My Hermitification: Depression & Social Isolation Read More »
