TW: death; suicide Death can be a taboo topic, but it is an inevitable one. Within the past 2 weeks, I've had 5 deaths impact my life. The one I really want to focus on is the first one which was a suicide. We worked together and I had only had a couple interactions with … Continue reading The inevitable
Definition
"How do you define your mental illness?" I like to ask people this because it's interesting to see how they choose to define their mental illness. If they can't, it opens the discussion of this. Yes, we can go to the diagnostic criteria, but I've posted in the past about how constricting this can be … Continue reading Definition
Being uncomfortable
This is especially for the people that feel stuck in their recovery and struggling with making that "first step" towards treatment. It is ok to be uncomfortable. Treatment is going to constantly test you. You will be pushed to places that you may have buried for years. I've spoken before about vulnerability and I feel … Continue reading Being uncomfortable
NEDA Awareness Week
Bulimia ruled my life for many years. I was ashamed of it, but it was mine and I didn't want to let go of it. I was open about my issues with depression and anxiety as a teenager, but guarded with discussing bulimia because it was the one thing providing an temporary fix. I didn't … Continue reading NEDA Awareness Week
The aftermath
I have a friend that has schizoaffective disorder and we talked about the aftermath of an episode. Episodes include depressive, manic, mixed, psychotic, etc. You go through them at weeks (or months) and at times all you were trying to do is stabilize enough to make it through them. You survive it but now you … Continue reading The aftermath
My own journey
"I'm a recovering drug addict and have learned to accept my own journey. I looked at someone else's successes and would get disappointed when I didn't live up to them. Once I realized I was still using addictive behaviors, just not with drugs, I was able to be real with myself. I'm now 2 years … Continue reading My own journey
Moving on
Through years of therapy and recovery, you learn different coping techniques or skills to manage your symptoms. Over time, you saw results and they were proven effective. You remain hopeful and dependent on them. Then one day, it no longer works. You give it time, try to make it habitual, but it still doesn't work. … Continue reading Moving on
