The holiday season is very difficult for many people, especially individuals who have a mental health diagnosis. The stressors are quite abundant and memories of past trauma can trigger an episode for many people. I often try not to internalize "the madness" of the holiday season. This includes the stress of holiday shopping, gift-giving, traveling, family interactions among other other possible triggers. I usually distract myself with far more interesting ideas of hope, help and happiness.

Some time ago, I wrote about generic medications. I explained that generic medications are bioequivalent to brand name medications within a given margin. Generic medications may use binding and other inactive agents that are different from the brand name medication. All of this can lead to a generic being less effective than the brand name drug in a small percentage of cases. Usually though, the generic works just fine for people and the switch is unnoticeable. And all that information was correct. But new information has arisen. And it’s alarming information to me. It’s information on exactly how bioequivalence is determined for medication and in the case of one generic medication, the generic of Wellbutrin XL 300 mg, it caused an ineffective drug to be allowed on the market for many years.

All of us survivors know that our ex will at least verbally and emotionally abuse our children. We survivors also know how hard that type of abuse is to prove, and even proving it doesn't mean your ex will have less time with our children. Proving non-sexual or non-physical abuse typically results in therapy if it results in anything at all. Therapy doesn't work unless the abuser wants to change. They don't want to change which is the reason you left them in the first place.

Creating the motivation to recover from mental illness is a chore. That's why people who just don't like to get out of bed annoy me. Their lack of motivation comes from no reason at all--no depression, no anxiety, no medication side-effect. They just roll out of bed whenever they like. They make some coffee and do what they do. I don't understand lazy people. I hate the word lazy. I hate it when people think I'm lazy. I hate it because my parents never stopped working and never stopped driving the laziness out of us kids. If we kids did not work, we were That Thing (child) That Did Not Belong. But I love my parents and it is because of them I get the hell out of bed. Many mornings, they're my motivation to recover from mental illness and not be lazy.

Anxiety affects so many areas of our lives, mostly because it negatively affects decision-making. When you think about it, your ability to make a decision, any decision, affects everything you do. Anxiety infuses confusion into our decision-making, and that makes all areas of life more difficult (Anxiety and Over-Thinking Everything).

Learning how to communicate effectively can change your relationships with others and yourself. Learn skills you can implement right now to make yourself a more confidence and effective communicator.

Several years ago, I made a video in an attempt to explain the complexities of my condition (Schizophrenia). When I made this video, I was starting to successfully control my illness. Even this, however, did not quell the anger that burned inside of me towards both the world and myself. I began to ask questions. Why was I chosen to carry this burden? What did I do to deserve this?

Why do senseless things happen to people who are just doing their best to move through life being good? You can be productively contributing to society, helpless and young, older and learning to evolve on the continuum of your own private journey here on earth -- it doesn't seem to matter what kind of person you are, trauma randomly selects you to scoop up in the siphon of its cyclone. Why?

Kasandra Perkins and about ten other women died at the hands of their partner on December 1, 2012 (4000 women killed by partners/year divided by 365 days/year = 10 - 11 dead women per day). Yet today, Internet news sources remember Kasandra Perkin's boyfriend, the man who killed her before killing himself, and the jest of the commentary is, "We didn't see this coming. He was such a great guy!" Typical. Newsday reported "Friends of Perkins have said there was tension between the two that escalated after the birth of their daughter, now 3 months old, and a police source said the two argued about money." Abuse escalates or begins after the abuser feels that the victim cannot separate from them. For example, after the birth of a baby.

The recent murder-suicide involving Kansas City Chiefs linebacker, Jovan Belcher, calls attention to the issue of domestic violence. While it is unclear if Belcher was an abuser, recent reports indicate that he and girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, were in counseling for relationship issues. So it makes domestic violence a reasonable topic for discussion. I've noticed that mental illness is often a factor in domestic violence.