18 Wednesday May 2016
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
articles, blogs, interviews, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, Psych Central, psychiatry, psychology, schizophrenia], writing
I was interviewed for both of these articles. I think they are very well written and incredibly informative.
Lesser Known Schizophrenia Symptoms Which Actually Have a Great Impact.
Outdated Notions About Schizophrenia.
FYI- I will resume writing on my Psych Central blog tomorrow. I will post a link here to new content.
14 Monday Mar 2016
Posted in Uncategorized, writing
Tags
anniversary, Blogging, blogs, Facebook, long-term relationships, marriage, pictures, posts, privacy, relationship, relationships, social media, wedding
Hello. I was gone all weekend celebrating my eighteenth wedding anniversary with my husband.
We didn’t go on a trip. We didn’t buy each other gifts. We didn’t do the “traditional” things people seem to do on a wedding anniversary.
We spent three days in each other’s company. We went to breakfast twice. We walked in the park and on the beach. We bought lots of snacks and binge watched our favorite show while eating comfort food all the while I rested my head on my husband’s chest.
We didn’t post one picture to social media. Why didn’t we post pictures of all that we did? We didn’t post pictures, because we don’t care if people don’t think we have an exciting life. We don’t care if people don’t know that we had an Italian breakfast, or went to one of the restaurants on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives.
I believe the reason we can enjoy each other’s company for three days and think of that as a celebration is because we don’t seek or need the approval of others on social media.
I know how most of my friends celebrate their anniversaries. I know that because they post bouquets of flowers their significant other bought, they post pictures of a meal they either went out to eat or prepared at home. They post pictures of wine bottles, candles, jewelry, or a trip to another city.
Some people on social media (not all, but some) don’t feel as if they have done or been anywhere without posting it on social media to get attention and count the number of “likes.” I don’t know if people post pictures to try and say, “Look at me! I’m important! I have an exciting life!” or if they are so lonely, and attention starved that they need the positive affirmation of a “like” for everything they do.
I feel like I share enough on this blog without sharing pictures of the meals I eat, the places I go, the friends I hang out with, or the trips I go on. I feel like I give people a look into my life and my heart by writing these blog posts. I’m not trying to impress anyone. I’m not trying to show off to anyone. I don’t feel the need to post every experience on social media to prove to myself or anyone else that my life is interesting and full of wonderful adventures.
Every day we get out of bed has the possibility of being a wonderful adventure.
I’m not envious of people who post vacation photos, food photos, or photos out with friends. I simply find myself saying, “That’s not for me,” and living the majority of my life away from the eyes of social media makes things feel very intimate, personal, and deep. I am present for people not a camera.
I just celebrated eighteen years with the love of my life and no cameras were there to document the weekend. With no eyes on us we got to just live life the way that we are – no Photoshop, no worries about lighting, or getting the right angle. We were not on show for three days – no one liked or ignored our pictures or posts. Servers, tourists and other people in our city saw us live and in the flesh. It was real. The weekend happened, but I don’t need to put it on display. It is in my heart from this day forward, and that does more for my happiness and well-being than a thousand pictures on social media.
If you haven’t put down the camera in a while, you may want to try it. You may find you gain more intimacy as you gain more privacy.
21 Sunday Feb 2016
Posted in hope, Uncategorized, writing
Tags
articles, Blogging, blogs, dirt bikes, dreams, essays, hopes, inspiration, motorcycles, racing, school, supercross, writer, writing
My nephew is twenty-three-years-old and living his passion and following his dream.
When he came to San Diego just over a week ago, he wrecked his dirt bike and ended up in the emergency room. The very next week he drove from California to Texas, got back on his bike and did better than the week before.
It is true that he holds the world record for a dirt to dirt jump, but at other times, his body has been bruised, broken, and hurting. He gets back up, though. He travels long distances to try again. He commits his time, his money and his talent to being the best rider he can be.
I love that spirit.
I had a minor meltdown the other day. I ended up crying that I couldn’t keep up my current schedule (two blogs, articles, essays, and other school work). I thought of my nephew, and all he does to live out his passion and try to make his dreams come true.
I don’t have the grit, the determination, or the physical strength of my nephew, but I can learn from the one thing he does over and over again – he wrecks that bike and gets back on to race.
I have to let something go, and for many reasons, what I am going to let go is school, but it is just a minor wreck. I’m hurt, but I’m getting back on the bike right now – typing these words.
I wish I was like my nephew and followed my dreams when I was young, but there is no guarantee I would have a trophy or first place race behind me now. I am fifty. I am slower and more cautious than when I was younger. I am less likely to risk it all and throw my whole self into the process. I am wiser now, though, and I need wisdom more than strength for my dream to come true.
I’m a bit roughed up today. It could be my ego that is hurt worst of all, realizing that my limitations are far more than I previously understood. I can push limits, though, and I’ll do my best to go as far as I can.
Both my nephew and I are moving toward dreams – he wants to be the fastest, and I want to make words sound like a symphony.
He needs to get back on the bike and ride, and I need to spend time forming sentences at my computer.
We are both going to get a little dirty, a little sore, but in the process, we’ll gain experience.
I hold that young man in my heart, and say under my breath like a mantra to us both, “Ride Alex, ride.”
19 Friday Feb 2016
Posted in articles I wrote, hope, mental illness, schizophrenia, Uncategorized, writing
Tags
articles, blog posts, Blogging, blogs, doctors, essays, hope, labels, mental health, mentally ill, politicians, Psych Central, schizophrenia], The Mighty, writer, writing
Here is my latest blog post on Psych Central. The post is about the misuse of the word schizophrenia by politicians and doctors. Warning, the subject matter can raise your blood pressure!
This is a post I made to Psych Central earlier in the week. It has almost the exact opposite message as the first one I posted, so if you need a little hope, here it is!
Here is a link to my latest article on The Mighty. The article is about not identifying too much with a label of “mentally ill.”
02 Tuesday Feb 2016
Posted in hope, schizophrenia, Uncategorized, writing
Tags
bloggers, blogs, demon possession, hope, inspiration, links, Meet & Greet, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, Psych Central, schizophrenia], wellness, writers, writing
I wrote a blog for Psych Central 5 Ways Schizophrenia Made Me A Better Person. Please check it out if you have time.
Last week I wrote a blog for Psych Central Schizophrenia Is An Illness Not A Spiritual Crisis. I hope one of these posts interests you.
I haven’t done this is a while so it is time. If you want to find other blogs to follow or gain some new followers, leave your link in the comment section and visit a couple of new blogs.
20 Wednesday Jan 2016
Posted in bipolar, caregivers, hope, mental illness, schizophrenia, stigma, Uncategorized
Tags
advocacy, Advocate, Blogging, blogs, growth, homeless, inspiration, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, politics, progess, writer, writing
This post is a hierarchy of mental health advocacy that I created based on my priorities, development, growth and commitment. I am not at a certain level. I find that I move back and forth through the different phases. This document is a work in progress; it is a living document that I am creating to help me grow as an advocate. Because it is a living document, and I am going to be updating it, feel free to leave comments with information I may have left out or anything that may be helpful to grow this idea.
Most people would agree that writing can be therapeutic. There are many blogs and online journals that people write in an attempt to work through their issues. These blogs or journals can also help educate people about the diagnosis the writer is living with, and they can build up a community of people who suffer from the same illness or loved ones who care about someone with the same illness. But primarily these blogs are focused on the writer’s life and thoughts.
Then there are blogs and online journals that the writer’s goal is to educate. On these blogs, you will find more links to research, news, and things that are happening that go beyond the life and mind of the writer.
Then there are writers who blog, write articles, guest posts, do interviews, etc. to spread their influence and further their reach with the hope of educating more and more people.
Then there are people who contact their elected officials and make their voice and opinion known about policies that directly relate to mental health. These people may make regular calls to the offices of their representatives. They may also start online petitions and try to get other people engaged in changing everything from treatment to stigma.
Then there is service; getting completely outside of one’s experience to reach out and help others. This service might be starting a non-profit, volunteering at NAMI, helping the homeless, etc.
16 Saturday Jan 2016
Posted in bipolar, mental illness, schizophrenia, Uncategorized, writing
Tags
artists, bipolar, blog post, Blogging, blogs, creativity, depression, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, myths, Psych Central, research, schizophrenia], writers, writing
I wrote a new blog post for Psych Central. The title of it is the same as this post. It is about the link between creativity and mental illness and how I believe we shouldn’t romanticize mental illness in any way. I hope you will check it out. The link is here.
29 Tuesday Dec 2015
Posted in mental illness, schizophrenia, stigma, Uncategorized
Tags
artists, bands, Blogging, blogs, essay, fear, internalized stigma, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, music, musicians, paranoia, Psych Central, relationships, schizophrenia], stigma, writer
Today is one of the days that I blog for Psych Central. I try to blog for that site every Tuesday and Friday (occasionally I can’t make that schedule). Anyway, I woke up and wrote a blog about relationships that I thought was fantastic and then paranoia started to creep in. Thoughts like, “What if someone takes my advice and they die? What if the person reading my blog is in a violent relationship?” So, I ended up too fearful to post my writing.
I sat at the computer with nothing. Nothing for this blog and nothing for my Psych Central blog. I did a few yoga stretches. I tried to clear my mind. I decided research was the way to go and I ended up writing this post for Psych Central. It is a blog about internalized stigma.
If you are interested you can also read my blog post about bands and artists that I think stigmatize mental illness. It is a post I wrote over the weekend. Fans of the rock band, Disturbed disagree with my take on the video but every time you have an opinion people are going to disagree. I don’t mind disagreement, it can lead to further understanding.
20 Sunday Dec 2015
Posted in hope, mental illness, schizophrenia, writing
Tags
awareness, bipolar, blogs, celebrities, depression, discrimination, homeless, hope, inspiration, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, progress, schizoaffective, schizophrenia, stigma, Treatment, writing
I was first diagnosed with a mental illness in the early 90’s. At first my diagnosis was depression, then bipolar disorder, and then schizoaffective disorder and eventually paranoid schizophrenia. I think my final diagnosis was given to me in 2006 or 2007. But I have been living with a mental illness for over 20 years.
I’m an old timer. I’m old school. I’ve seen a thing or two and I am happy to report progress. There are certain aspects of being mentally ill that I would give an A to right now, and others I would give an F.
I know I frequently write about discrimination, stigma, need for more treatment (especially accessible treatment), homelessness, and the mentally ill in prison. All of the things I just listed are real, and they are very pressing and important issues, and I would give most of these areas a D or F if I were grading them.
I said I would give an A to some progress we have made about mental illness though, and that A would go to awareness. We have come so far in mental health awareness over the past 20 years.
When I was first diagnosed, there were therapy and group therapy and there was the organization NAMI. Those were really my only choices beyond my medication for talking about and learning about my mental illness. Now there are more organizations providing education and trying to raise awareness than I can count. There are new organizations springing up all the time and many of these organizations are set up around telling people stories about the lives of those living with a mental illness.
There are also huge sites like Psych Central, Psychology Today, and others, devoted to getting information out there about all the different mental illnesses.
There are online support groups. There is online therapy. There are more celebrities than ever coming out with their stories of addiction, bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression (I still don’t see too much about schizophrenia) and there are more movies, books and television shows being created with characters who are struggling with one or more of these illnesses. And now there are blogs – thousands of online journals where people can read what it is like to have a mental illness from people who are actually living with one.
When I was first diagnosed, friends of mine who were doctors, told me not to tell anyone about my diagnosis. They thought people would judge me, and reject me. I only came out publicly with my diagnosis 9 months ago – the young psychiatrist that encouraged me to come out must have known the world had changed while I was in hiding. Well, I flung open the curtains and showed the world what it is like to have paranoid schizophrenia, and I have to admit, the world for the most part has been kind, compassionate, and accepting. I give us an A for progress in that area and although that’s not everything, I think it is something we can all celebrate.
15 Tuesday Dec 2015
Posted in mental illness, schizophrenia, Uncategorized
Tags
anxiety, bipolar, Blogging, blogs, companions, crisis, depression, dogs, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, posts, Psych Central, recovery, schizophrenia, self esteem, service animals, writing
Here is a blog post I wrote for Psych Central this morning. It is about the issue of companion dogs – how they aren’t for everyone. If you are considering a dog, or even if you have one, pop over and see what you think. It is here.
Here is an article I wrote last week about 5 ways to recover your self esteem after a mental health crisis. I think it is helpful. What do you think? You can find it here.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
