I can't connect with people anymore. There are so many people in my life who I love so dearly, but lately, I haven't been able to feel connected to them in any meaningful way. Even though part of my brain is telling me that something is horribly wrong with me because I can't connect with others, I think this may actually be affecting lots of other people in recovery.

Decluttering your home might seem like a daunting task. However, cleaning up and organizing your surroundings has a proven therapeutic effect on your mental health. It can also serve as a self-harm distraction and help you gain control over your emotions.

Unsolicited advice about our mental health, even when it comes from a place of good intentions, can contribute to the mental health stigma and judgment we face as people with mental illnesses. Opinions about what we should or shouldn't do for our mental health can come off as judgmental, especially when those opinions minimize the time, effort, and research we have put into our choices. People want to help by telling us which medications we should take, that we shouldn't take medications at all, which foods we should eat, or which spiritual practices we should try. The unwanted advice-givers offer their opinions as facts, assert themselves as experts on your situation, and discount your own lived experiences in favor of their own. Even though they want to help, their methods don't have the intended effect.

As open as I am about my depression, I'm not completely open about it. I'll talk about having depression and how dark it can get, which is done both in an effort of catharsis and to show others who may be going through the same thing that they're not as alone as depression can make us feel. Ironically, mental health stigma can be a part of what keeps me from being completely open about my depression.

My parents filed for a divorce when I was 10 years old. This experience uprooted the development of my childhood and aided in the decline of my mental health. Although the divorce caused me a lot of pain, I learned how to face it and move past it.

I’ve been taking ballet classes online as a way to get exercise without going out into the cold--or into a world contaminated with the COVID-19 virus. Here’s how ballet is affecting my schizoaffective anxiety.

One of the most vital components of recovering from self-injury is learning to manage the urges that drive you to hurt yourself. Rarely is this as simple as relying on willpower alone to tell yourself "no." Enter self-harm urge surfing: a potential recovery tool that requires patience, rather than power, to use.

We may be social creatures, but other people certainly can cause anxiety. Regardless of what type of anxiety or frustration some people might be causing in your life, you don't have to let them continue to negatively impact you. Here are three ways to deal with any type of anxiety about other people.

If you have depression, especially for an extended period of time, you might also have a case of internalized ableism. The combination of depression and internalized ableism can have a severe impact on your work and career. Let's take a look. 

You might be thinking, "Wait, what did you just say? You're okay with your child having a mental illness? How could you say such a thing?" It's true, though. I am okay with my child having a mental illness. I have a lot of reasons to feel that way, and I think if more parents could take this attitude, life would be easier for everyone.