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There is a difference between drug abuse and drug experimentation. When I was in the state hospital, I was questioned extensively about my use of substances. I admitted to using marijuana twice, both times for medical reasons. So according to my file, I abuse marijuana (Using Marijuana to Manage Mental Health Symptoms). I argued that there's a big difference between drug experimentation and drug abuse. In experimentation, one can take it or leave it. Drug abuse occurs when the person has to have the substance in question despite negative consequences. Drug experimentation does not always equal drug abuse. In this video, I discuss the difference.
Socializing while coping with depression is challenging. As the New Year approaches and various holiday parties ensue, I am feeling the pressures of socializing while depressed because I find this time of the year too emotionally difficult and exhausting. I wrote a couple of weeks ago about surviving the holidays while coping with depression by taking time for yourself during social engagements and doing what makes you comfortable. Here are some other things that have helped me maintain healthy social interactions while coping with depression during the holiday season.
Hope in eating disorder recovery is a vital key to success (Hope – the Foundation of Mental Health Recovery). Without hope, we have nothing to look forward to but a life tortured by our eating disordered voice and patterns. We have day after day of a cruel, incessant voice in our ears about what failures we are. Hope, even if just a sliver, is like a thin whisper of smoke over the mountains when you’re wandering alone in the forest. That smoke says, “If I can just make it there, over the mountain stretch, there’s a place waiting for me by the fire.” So how do we raise our heads and see the thin veil of smoke as we wander? How do we keep hold of hope in eating disorder recovery?
Personal growth can be achieved through self-reflection. As December wraps up, are you considering resolutions for the coming year? Before you resolve to change a habit, take time to engage in self-reflection, which is a valuable tool for personal growth.
Bipolar disorder doesn’t have to mean that you can’t enjoy the holidays. Really. Even though bipolar disorder may complicate our holiday planning you can still enjoy the holidays with bipolar.
Seasonal depression exists but so do seasonal depression remedies. Seasonal depression exists in my part of the world, where winter brings with it subzero temperatures and short hours of sunlight. This can make even the most chipper of us feel down. Whether it's winter blahs or full-blown seasonal affective disorder (SAD), it's not fun to experience, and sufferers want to get better quickly. I've recently had a bout and here's my three things to try for seasonal depression.
Fighting mental health stigma dos are important. When talking about mental health stigma and offering some advice for combating it, we often talk in terms of what not to do. Don’t shame someone. Don’t say these things. Don’t believe the lies that stigma tells us. Recently there was a comment left on one of HealthyPlace’s blogs pointing this fact out and asking for some dos in fighting mental health stigma instead. Here are some of those dos, but keep in mind there are tons of other things you can do to fight mental health stigma.
You can manage holiday stress, enjoy the festivities this year and improve your confidence with a few simple adjustments. The most "wonderful" time of the year is also when people have the most on their plate. It's the end of the semester for students, work piles up, schedules change, families gather, and expectations are high. Everyone around you is frazzled, and it's hard not to pick up on their negative vibes. When you manage the holiday stress in practical ways, it improves your overall confidence.
My name is Martha Lueck and I'm very excited to be writing for the blog Getting Through Tough Times. I have experienced symptoms of depression and anxiety all my life, but I wasn't officially diagnosed with these conditions until after college. Throughout my education, I struggled with severe test anxiety. I also had learning disabilities which caused me to feel stupid compared to my peers. When I was 17, I lost my father who was my best friend. This loss affected my outlook on life, relationships, and even self-esteem.
Anxiety can happen at any age. Anxiety itself is part of the human condition, present in our lives merely because we exist. Sometimes, anxiety grows and expands and begins to take over our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; when this happens, we may qualify for a diagnosis of one or more anxiety disorders. Both existential anxiety and anxiety disorders such as separation anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and fears or phobias, can happen at any age. Let’s take a look at the anxiety that can happen at various ages.
I believe she will only be able to rid herself of her demons, and hopefully her BPD as well, when she's ready to confront the abuse of her father. If she can put the blame where it belongs, she may stop projecting that victim/perpetrator cycle on the present men in her life. These demons are a metaphor for the purgatory she has created for herself. That reality has consequences in the real world, but it need not be real in the tangible sense. Exorcising her demons will require the expenditure of real physical energy and probably the destruction of aspects of her personality. If this ever happens, and it's possible but not probable, then these demons will evaporate. They are only as real as one's personality is real. In short, reality is not the question, it's what you make of the things you feel to be real.