Or would the correct term be joy, a core emotion? Either way, I suppose this is a milestone of birthdays. It has been coming for a while. There was nothing to do but allow it to tick forward, a day at a time, until now it is the big day. I turn 65 today. Now I can finally take advantage of the senior discount at Denny’s. Just kidding. … [Read more...] about Can I Be Happy With My Birthday?
concealed depression
How to Use Coping Statements for Self-Care During the Holidays
How will you cope with the holidays? That is a question I am asking myself. Each year presents different challenges. When the kids were young, it was making sure Santa had time to get the presents under the tree before the kids awoke. My coping statement then was “we have done this before; we can do it again.†As the kids became young … [Read more...] about How to Use Coping Statements for Self-Care During the Holidays
How I Use Mental Health Programs to Avoid Circling the Drain
I’m not 100% sure I would be alive if I hadn’t found these powerful organizations. When I was admitted to the hospital last spring, I was seeing zero hope. Nothing. I was up against the wall, smashed as tightly as possible and I could not see anything. There was an empty place in my heart where hope had been, but it was not there that … [Read more...] about How I Use Mental Health Programs to Avoid Circling the Drain
After Getting Help for Myself, I Can Now Share with Others
Asking for professional medical help was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I started writing the morning after I was released from the hospital. In 5 North, I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, with suicidal ideation. Feeling up against the wall, seeking professional medical advice was the least hard of the three choices I felt I had. Choice #1 was to … [Read more...] about After Getting Help for Myself, I Can Now Share with Others
Why Do I Have These Thoughts?
Thankfully, I am not talking about suicide. During my last Psychiatrist visit, my Doctor asked me when the last time was, I had thoughts of suicide. I had to think, before answering. My doctor pointed out that this was an incredibly positive sign. Her patients who know exactly when they had their last suicidal thought are more at risk. But not having those kinds of … [Read more...] about Why Do I Have These Thoughts?
