Image credit: Thomas Bormans on Unsplash Welcome to Mental Health Moment (MHM) #13! MHMs are short posts that I write every once in a while as a break from my usual 1500- to 1800-word posts, for your convenience. đ This one is a list of simple and effective ways of feeling productive, even on the days when you donât think you can do anything. LIFE IS NOT BLACK AND WHITE As one of my therapists told me several years…
Image credit: Dayne Topkin **MHMs are shorter posts designed to be a quicker read than my usual posts. Today’s MHM tackles something we don’t talk about enough: Hope.** I wasnât officially diagnosed with major depressive disorder until I was 47 years old. That was partly my fault, because I did not seek psychiatric help until I was 33, although Iâd been in therapy for several years. Iâd been very depressed most of my life; I donât really know why…
Image credit: Ryan Searle on Unsplash Welcome to MHM #11! Mental Health Moments are shorter posts that include tips and suggestions for getting through your day without letting your depression get you down. I tend to be a bit wordy in my regular posts; MHMs are my attempt to be a little more palatable for those who don’t want to read longer posts. And now, onto the show! Spring has sprung and we’re on our way to a nice-looking…
Welcome to Mental Health Moment (MHM) #10! MHMs are shorter posts and often include a list of some sort, making them quicker to read. Image credit: Todd Diemer Do you know what Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is? Itâs a type of depression thatâs brought on by a lack of sunlight. It usually hits during the fall and winter months, and it can hit hard. SAD can, less often, bring about dark moods in the spring and summer. It…
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash Every so often, I like to publish a post about general mental health care. With Thanksgiving and Christmas now in the rear-view mirror and a new year bearing down on us, I thought this would be a good time to remind you to pay more attention to your well-being than you usually do. Certainly, the holidays can bring out the best in people – their smile may be a bit brighter, their words a little less sharp,…
Welcome to MHM #8! Mental Health Moments are shorter posts with practical tips, suggestions, and other helpful things. Iâm on my fifth psychiatrist since 2004, and Iâve seen many more during my hospitalizations. There are some great men and women in this profession who care about their patients and go above and beyond their duties for our mental health. But there are also some doozies out there that should be avoided at all costs. Picking out a pdoc randomly from…
Welcome to Mental Health Moment (MHM) #7! This post is all about fun (and mostly free) things you can do to combat your depression and anxiety or even keep them at bay. Iâve seen lots of lists of ways to keep yourself busy and distracted, but for the most part, they lack an important ingredient â fun! So I thought I would make up my own list of things you can do fairly easily when you feel depression or anxiety…
Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash Every so often, I like to publish a post about general mental health care. So today, I bring you Mental Health Moment (MHM) #6. Iâve been feeling a bit run-down lately. I know a lot of it is because of the stress Iâve been under recently, but the other part of the equation is that my last round of TMS was in November. The effects of the TMS usually start subsiding after about five or six months,…
Photo by Charles Deluvio đľđđ¨đŚÂ on Unsplash Sleep and I have a long, sordid history. If you have depression, you know how important (and messed up) sleep can be. I think itâs ironic that one of the signs of depression is either a lack of sleep or sleeping too much, but there it is. I know that when I donât get enough sleep, I get really cranky and irritable, Iâm more likely to fly off the handle, and Iâm more vulnerable to…
**In honor of my 52nd post, I thought I would change things up a bit. I had intended this to be a funny-in-an-ironic-sort-of-way post, but I guess Iâm not in that kind of mood today. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it. Maybe you can relate?** You Know Youâre Depressed When⌠There are literally billions of web pages and you arenât interested in any of them. Every little thing gets on your last nerve. Sleep comes when (and if) it…
Some of us are more fragile than others; or at least, we feel that way. Others even treat us that way sometimes. For a long time, I was unable to identify my triggers for depression or wanting to drink or use. And then, someone along my journey suggested I make a âSafety Planâ. What is a Safety Plan? Itâs whatever you need it to be. Itâs a way to feel like youâre being proactive. Itâs a way to give yourself…
45 Things To Do Sober The original title of this piece was â45 Things to do When Youâre Broke, Depressed, and Trying to Stay Sober.â But I thought that was a little long. Being broke, depressed, or trying to stay sober are all tough to deal with. Sometimes, you have to white-knuckle it, which really sucks. Itâs damn hard. Being all three at once? I donât wish that on anyone. For this MHM, I thought Iâd share with you some…
This post is the first of what I’m calling Mental Health Moments. MHMs are designed to be shorter than my usual posts, easy to digest, and maybe a little less serious. đ I hope you find it helpful. MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT no. 1 I take two psych meds, Cymbalta and Abilify, plus Trazodone to help me sleep. I take other meds too, for high cholesterol, low iron, and to keep my Vitamin D3 level even. But Iâm not perfect at taking…
