Is it Possible to View Mental Illness Positively?

April 11, 2013 / by / Recovering from Mental Illness

This topic came to me at a rather ridiculous time—though this is often the case and I am usually somewhere without a pen!—when putting on mascara. Ah, yes. The best ideas plant themselves in my often scattered brain when I am doing anything other than wondering what I might write about.

That being said, with mascara wand in hand, I ran into my office, grabbed a pen, and scribbled it down. And then I thought: “Can we actually view our mental illness positively?” At this moment, as I write these words, I have no idea. But I want to give it a shot. After all, what’s the worst that could happen (cue somber music)?
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What A Eating Disorder Relapse Can Teach You About Your Recovery

April 11, 2013 / by / Surviving ED

Facing an eating disorder relapse, I’m settling into my first full day of inpatient eating disorder treatment. So in case my beating around the bush in previous posts didn’t make it clear: I’ve relapsed back into my eating disorder. I wish I could say this were uncommon.  It’s not – estimates for relapse in the first year after eating disorder treatment are nearly 50%. I’ve been bouncing in and out of treatment for three years now; I have met women who have been doing so for ten years or more.

And while I could go into a long diatribe about how the eating disorder relapse rate might be lower if insurance companies covered treatment earlier in the disorder (oh wait – I’ve already done that), instead I want you to consider something. Maybe a little relapse can be good for your eating disorder recovery.

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Are You Settling?

April 10, 2013 / by / Building Self-Esteem

Are you setting for less in your life? Do you ever find yourself wondering “is this it?” Possibly feeling as though you are settling in your relationships, career path, or with everyday activities? It’s a common question I hear from many clients, friends, and I have even thought about the “settling” question in my own life. When we are putting up with less than we are worth, trudging through each day with less and less excitement or optimism, we are undoubtedly reducing our positive energy and depleting our self-esteem. The pull of wanting more from your life, expecting more out of your day-to-day activities, is not a sign of an unhappy soul, rather it’s someone who knows (somewhere) that their purpose is more than just “this.”

Does not settling for less this mean you should quit your job, end your relationship, or attempt to effectively find something else that suites your desires? Not at all! That would be a huge risk and something that can unhinge you. Rather, if you are feeling like you deserve more from life; it may be time to take a good look at what you are putting up with, what you want, and what you desire.

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5 Ways To Cure Hospital Anxiety, Surgery Fear, Fear of Medicine

April 10, 2013 / by / Anxiety-Schmanxiety Blog

What do hospital anxiety, surgery fear and fear of medicine have in common? They are all extremely common things that people get anxious about. In fact, some people become so anxious, these normal fears turn into phobias. Nosocomephobia is the name of the phobia relating to the fear of hospitals. Tomophobia is a fear of surgery or surgical operations. Pharmacophobia is a fear of medicine.

Millions of people have hospital anxiety, fear of surgery, and are afraid to take medicine. Even if the medication is for anxiety, some people claim they are too anxious to take it! (I, too, felt this way when I was anxious.) But what causes these fears and what can you do about them? Keep reading »

PTSD and OCD: Has Trauma Caused You to Become A Little Obsessive-Compulsive?

April 10, 2013 / by / Trauma! A PTSD Blog

There is a relationship between PTSD and OCD, but sometimes the obsessive-compulsive behaviors sneak up on you and so it’s not so obvious. Have you noticed, since your trauma, that you have new, idiosyncratic behaviors, even ones that don’t make sense? Do you clean (yourself or your home) obsessively? Does everything suddenly have to be perfect?

Following a trauma, it’s normal for your behavior to change in response to the new experience you’ve had. The question is, how do you move past that? Keep reading »

Self-Care: Getting Enough Sleep to Minimize Stress

April 10, 2013 / by / Life with Bob

Over the past month, I’ve been writing about self-care and eating right to help parents improve their mental health and wellness. Parenting a child with mental illness can push you right to the edge all by itself. Throw in minimal sleep, poor diet and no breaks to the mix and you’ll have enough stress for 20 people. Reducing stress can mean the difference between helping your child and making things worse all around. I’ve found that if I’m not physically and emotionally well, I cannot be patient enough to parent Bob with kindness while also setting appropriate limits. In the video below, you’ll find my tips to how getting enough sleep can help you reduce stress and be a better parent.

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Is It a Spiritual Experience–Or a Psychotic Episode?

April 9, 2013 / by / More Than Borderline

I’ve often said that it would be interesting to do a study on psychosis among charismatic Christians or others who emphasize spiritual experiences in daily life. How many would be psychotic? And how do we know the difference between religious experiences and psychosis? How do we know the difference between a heavenly experience and the hell of mental illness? I once read a book that attempted to answer this question by saying that religious experiences are usually visual and pleasant. Keep reading »

Insanity Unaffordable For Many According To New Study

April 9, 2013 / by / Funny in the Head

According to a study released recently by the American Association of Associated Americans (AAAA), insanity may soon be out of reach for all but the super-rich, if current trends continue.

Chumley Throckmorton, PR Liaison for AAAA, explained the findings at a recent press event. “America was founded on democratic values,” he began, “our constitution guarantees specific freedoms like speech, religion, and the pursuit of happiness. Happiness means different things to different people but one thing is certain, for many of us it means embracing our inner whackadoomian and smiling shamelessly as the cheese drifts slowly off the cracker.

“If one quality has helped to shape this nation more than any other it is the enthusiastic celebration of personal insanity,” he smiled. “Madness was no mere colorful side road of the American experience, oh no, looneytude carved Main Street out of a hostile wilderness, tied the sky with wire, clogged the air with carbon monoxide and made the racing rivers glisten with mercury. Toxic levels of greed, ambition, and aggression drove a long parade of pathologically disturbed explorers, industrialists, bankers, bookies, assassins and interior decorators to ravage a utopia of incalculable natural wealth and beauty. Keep reading »

Tips and Tricks for Adult ADHD Conference Attendees

April 8, 2013 / by / Living with Adult ADHD

This month, I wanted to share some experiences about conferences!  I love conferences and look forward to the opportunities to travel around the country to enjoy some time with other ADHD coaches and entrepreneurs, increase awareness of ADHD challenges, and finally meet some of my long distance clients face-to-face. It’s sort of like the social season of 19th century London, when the movers and shakers gather together in the city for debutante balls, elaborate dinners and spectacular galas. They can be both exhilarating and exhausting.

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Addiction and Mental Illness: The Struggle to Stay Sober and Sane

April 8, 2013 / by / Recovering from Mental Illness

I tend to include my experience in these blogs because I believe that sharing parts of our life allows us to connect on a more personal and human level. You can Google “bipolar disorder” but you cannot find out what a person is really feeling unless they tell you. And so I will tell you: Addiction, having once taken over my life, is trying to sneak its way back in. And I’m scared.
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