Last week, I received a Direct Message on Twitter from someone at the MyTherapy app. Turns out they think my blog is a winner!

That’s right, they have named Depression Warrior one of the Top 9 blogs for mental health! Specifically, the Keepin’ it Real blog is their #2 top blog for people with depression. They even provided a badge for my website. How cool is that?!

Now, I’ll admit that I hadn’t heard of the MyTherapy app, so I did a little research. It’s a pill reminder and medication tracker app that has over a million downloads and a 4.4-star rating out of 5, with over 17,000 reviews.

Not bad, eh? 🙂

ABOUT THE BLOG

I’ve been writing this blog for almost two years now, and I put my all into every post. I try to be honest and open to let people know the realities of what it’s like having depression. I may be accused of the occasional bout of TMI, but I don’t care. The way I look at it, the more I share, the more I might be able to help someone.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I’m comfortable talking about almost anything: Depression, self-injury, suicidal ideation, life in a psych unit, etc. As far as I can tell, there aren’t a lot of blogs out there that are so open.

Personally, my favorite blog about living with depression is called Horribly Human, written by A.N. Gibson. It’s gritty and real, and she swears just enough to make her point – she makes it real. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Most of the depression blogs I see are about signs and symptoms. That’s all fine and good, but I saw the need for a more in-your-face type of blog. Something that says to people, “I have depression, and I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone” – and that you can have hope.

I also wrote a Manifesto, which you can download for free. It’s called “It’s Okay to be Okay,” and it offers a positive outlook and support for feeling better. I know that when I’m feeling good, I often get suspicious of that feeling and wait for the other shoe to drop. My manifesto explains this in more detail and tries to help people realize that it is possible to recover.

MY PROCESS

It probably looks easy to maintain a blog – just write a new post every week or so and publish it. But for me, it’s not quite that easy. It often takes me two or three sessions to finish writing a post, sometimes over two or three (or four) days. I’ve been really restless the last six months or so, and it’s been hard to just sit down and write for an hour or more.

I think that’s my anxiety peeking out. Rather than put pressure on myself to start and finish a post in one sitting, I allow myself time to rest and then come back and finish it.

A lot of “pros” say that you should publish a new post once or more a week, and I try to do that. But sometimes life gets in the way. Appointments, exhaustion, depression, distractions, and everything in between can prevent me from starting or finishing a post even when I’d really like to.

I tend to write in the mornings, before the day carries me away. For me, I normally need silence to write. I get distracted easily by people, noises, even my cats. Plus, we get The Tennis Channel on cable, which can screw up my schedule for a whole day if I let it. 🙂

My poor sleep schedule also gets in the way. I might wake up at five o’clock, semi-awake, and feel like writing. But if I’m still tired, my eyes start drooping quickly and I get nowhere. Then I go back to bed.

I post links to all of my blog posts on Facebook and Twitter once I’m done, and then I send it out to my subscribers. I use MailChimp for my email list. It’s fairly intuitive and easy to use. It probably takes me about ten minutes to send out the latest post to my subscribers.

I’d love to say that I follow a tried-and-true outline for each of my posts, but I don’t. I’ve tried using a template before, and I found it somewhat constricting. I like to be free to write what’s on my mind and in my heart. For that reason, I feel that some of my posts come out a little discombobulated and hard to follow, but the feedback I’ve received says otherwise. Let me know what you think.

THANK YOU

If you’re reading this, I thank you. When I began Depression Warrior and the Keepin’ it Real blog, I wasn’t sure if it would resonate with anyone. I was hoping, but you never know. There are a lot of blogs out there – why would anyone read mine?

I’ll confess that my subscriber list is very tiny at this point, but that’s okay. I know that people read it without signing up, and based on the comments I’ve received, I’m hitting the nail on the head for many people.

It’s hard to find someone who can put into words what you are feeling, and when you do, you tend to stick with them. And why not? Recovery from depression or anxiety or addiction all requires introspection and insight. If you can get that from reading what I write, then read away!

I am honored to write things that people can relate to. Writing is my biggest talent, and I choose to use my power for good. When I receive a message from someone that they understand exactly what I feel or what I’m going through, it helps me and it helps them. For that, I am grateful.

Whether you’ve read this blog for two years or this is your first visit, THANK YOU!! I appreciate every visit from every person, and I love comments! Hopefully, you can relate to what I write and maybe feel not so alone. That’s what the Warrior community is all about.

As always, Keep it Real!

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