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I control my daydreaming to lessen depression. I know "controlling your daydreaming" sounds a bit odd, but I've found that most mental processes can be controlled to some extent by paying attention. Interestingly, a new study has come out suggesting I had the right idea all along. If you control your daydreaming, you might reduce depression.
Now, I have therapy skills for my schizoaffective disorder, but that wasn't true when I was younger. My first psychotic episode hit 25 years ago this holiday season, when I was a student at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). I was only 19 years old—terrified and somewhat unaware of what was happening. I’ve grown up a lot since then. You can grow and change while living with a mental illness. I know because I did, and my mental illness changed with me. What helped me and my schizoaffective disorder grow up, along with medication, are skills I learned in therapy. Here are some of the ones I found to be most helpful.
Verbal abuse is a damaging tactic that many individuals use in relationships for various reasons. Although it may be common, this method of communication is harmful to the recipient. It can cause negative side effects for years, even after the verbal abuse is no longer present. The only way to move away from verbal abuse and heal is to change. 
Having a strong support system is so important for anxiety. This is something I've learned throughout the years in my journey to learn more about my anxiety and how to cope with it. Even in times that I feel like I want to withdraw from others because I feel overwhelmed with anxious feelings, I make it a point to turn towards my anxiety support system.
Finding yourself falling into an anxious spiral is scary, and it's easy to feel out of control. Luckily, there are some physical skills you can utilize to fight off this feeling. Sometimes, in an anxious spiral, it's difficult to think clearly, so when I face those issues, I tend to lean into physical practices, meaning that I'm doing an action using my body and not necessarily my mind to find comfort. Using physical practices is a great way to center yourself and regain emotional balance.
In my life's journey, which includes nearly two decades of mindfulness practice, I have unearthed a profound connection between a mindfulness practice that creates increased mental control and the augmentation of self-esteem. This realization has been transformative, shaping the way that I perceive myself and my role in the broader tapestry of society. There is a huge potential for mindfulness to improve one's self-esteem.
I have been living with depression for 20 years, and I mean it when I say I'm both a survivor and a victim of depression. What do I mean by this statement? Let's take a look at being a survivor and victim of depression.
Drinking alcohol with bipolar is a no-no, but over the holidays, it can be hard to remember that. After all, at holiday parties, everyone seems to be drinking. What might help is understanding why people with bipolar disorder shouldn't imbibe alcohol.
I realize now that I need to accept a lack of control in my eating disorder recovery. My battle with anorexia was never just about caloric restriction or exercise compulsion. Those behaviors were surface-level indicators of a more complex issue underneath. The main fear that drove my illness had nothing to do with food itself—on the contrary, I longed for nourishment and sustenance. My source of terror was a loss of control.
Facing verbal abuse is an awful situation to be in, regardless of your age or the circumstances. Often, if someone is dealing with verbal abuse, they don't have the strength or confidence to stand up for themselves. This situation can allow the abuse to continue and worsen over time. However, some people can face abusers and call them out on their behavior when they aren't the victim of the situation. Why is it easier for some people to stand up against others facing verbal abuse?

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Julia Gutierrez
Hi. I've been dealing with a psychiatrist who doesn't seem to listen, puts false words in my mouth (quoting me with things I never said), and speaking down to me in a very patronizing way. I just barely had my 2nd appointment with her a few days ago & i want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but after the 2nd appointment, I'm not so sure about her 'passion to help'. I noticed she started to cut me off a lot. Prior to her, I was diagnosed with ADHD after under going an assessment with a therapist specializing in ADHD (child & adult ADHD) who sent her findings to my primary care doctor who made the final diagnosis. So I can talk a lot, get distracted while talking, and that gets annoying sometimes, I get that. No offense taken. I try not to interrupt which is tricky, and getting diagnosed as an adult is off-putting to some I guess. Anyway. I try to explain what my concerns are, concerns fall on deaf ears so she asks to talk to my mom which I give her permission to (I'm 26 and the only reason my mom was there is because she had to go to work; figured we'd go to my appointment, drop her off after, instead going to the appointment, back to the house, back to her work; my thing ended with enough time for us to make it to her work before she clocked in-) regardless, they talked then she called me back in to talk with her and for some reason she felt the need to bring the supervising doctor in. This is where I immediately knew something was severely, horrifically misunderstood (little did I know, there is more then just a simple misunderstanding). She decided to gisregard everything I had said and focused in on 2 things- 1: my parents got divorced when I was 14 (traumatic for some, yes, but NOT for all!) And 2: migraines I've been dealing with for years. Her diagnosises; cluster b personality traits- mood disorders | personality disorder - borderline personality disorder. She referred me to a psychological testing (which I started last week) due to the "multiple medical comobordities". Reading her summary has not only shattered my heart, but has just brought me closer to losing hope in getting the right treatment. I tried to correct her on the information that was blatantly wrong (she had written that I said I am constantly "screaming in public", "blacking out", and, per collateral obtained by mother, "doesn't listen, is incoherent at times, violent outbursts"), even my mom wanted to speak with her as she had wrongly quoted my mom with words she never spoke either. I've never blacked out and I don't scream constantly in public. I try to pay attention but it's not easy and I did start to get frustrated with her (when she started cutting me off more and spoke to me like I was illiterate-it hurt and I just wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything) but I never let frustration build up to the point of an outburst, especially a violent one. I'm honestly so shocked at how wrong all of the information the psychiatrist wrote down is. Something to note; even the psychologist that the psychiatrist referred me to disagreed with the psychiatrists diagnosises. I don't know what I can do aside from finish the psychological testing and hope that the results will give reason to the psychiatrist so that she can take those misdiagnosises off of my record. This is really long, I hope it's not confusing and if so, I'll happily clarify anything needed. I know I shouldn't let this experience deter me from seeking help but it's scary enough that I'm honestly trying so hard not to question myself. Maybe the psychiatrist is right, or maybe not. Maybe I'm not struggling with any of those diagnosises, not even ADHD, maybe I'm just stupid? (Kind of joking) I know I shouldn't think like that, and I hope this doesn't come off with cluster b vibes. I'm so tired but I'm not ready to give up yet. Any advice? Thank you and I hope you have a good day!
LeeANN
Me and my twin brother made our First Holy Communions at age 12.Bro wore a suit and ty and i wore my poofy,knee length communion dress and veil with the cloth diaper and rubberpants on under it.Mom put the diaper and rubberpants in my drawer and she had me wear them for easter,christmas and special occasions up untill i was 15.
G
Ugh my bf told me he doesn’t have the strength to continue our relationship. He hasn’t blocked me in anything. He does read my messages but hardly responds. I call but he never answers. We do live in separate countries so I can’t even go to he’s place to check up on him. This is my first experience and it sure taking a toll. I’m not ready to give up and taking it a day at time. I also want to talk to him but I’m just waiting and hoping he will come back.
S
This is a good way to approach it… I was thrown for a loop when I got the care plan sent to me after the second appointment with my psychiatrist, he’d put EUPD on there (I was referred by GP with a PTSD diagnosis following the death of my younger brother who was killed). He never mentioned it to me and after reading the symptoms I think his lack of insight into my life prior to this bereavement is apparent since BPD causes issues and symptoms I’ve never had he also decided I didn’t have ADD for which I was tested once as a child and once in my early 20s after he asked me ten questions. But I’ll listen to him and try to see it from his pov and if not I’ll move on to a second opinion it’s scary though being in constant flight or flight and now regretting asking for help since the trust isn’t there anymore. Maybe the silver lining is that after researching BPD I’ll definitely ask him to consider cptsd (without trying to be the psychiatrist) I definitely see myself in the symptoms described
AM
Hi MK,
I'm younger than you (21) however I have to tell you it is not truly normal to be suicidal even if you do make constant mistakes.
I'll have you know that the frat boys in my classes who fail every midterm, who get suspended, and then who then proceed to harass women do not feel suicidal for their mistakes. My professors who berate their students in class do not feel suicidal. The university HR team that underpaid me (10$ /hour compared to the 18$/hour male counterpart who had less certifications than me!) did not feel suicidal.
Anxious and depressed people notice their mistakes and fixate on them more often. It's best to work these feelings out with a therapist and find a way to separate your work from your identity.
Just this week I was in a meeting with a professor who told me my writing sucked for an assignment and gave me 2 extensions to fix it... and she was right. I felt suicidal for this. When I was in a point of wellness I booked a writing workshop, I restarted my assignment and I asked for 5+ people to read over what I wrote. It still will probably not look as good as other students' work. I had to accept that I'm alright with being mediocre or bad at a job :( I also got diagnosed with PMDD and my uni made me go to a therapist.
My therapist told me that I'm not just a student/worker, I'm a daughter, I like to paint, I enjoy cooking new foods, I learned a second language, I read webcomics/novels/novellas, I collect trinkets, I enjoy feminine fashion, etc... And all of these things I can be bad at or mediocre, but these things I can't really mess up yk? It's a hobby and it doesn't need to be perfect.
I hope you learn to forgive yourself for these mistakes, you deserve to give yourself kindeness.