Blogs
Being unemployed not only results in a reduced standard of living, but it can also cause depression. Speaking from personal experience, depression can hit the underemployed individual hard as well. However, while I have read a substantial number of articles about depression and unemployment, I have not seen much content on depression and underemployment. And that baffles me because many of us are grossly underemployed today, and the situation is likely to worsen even in a post-pandemic world.
Today is one of those days when I woke up anxious for what seems like no real reason. This happens on occasion, but every time it does it catches me off guard. Between the overall feelings of anxiety and feeling powerless and surprised when it happens, it’s hard to even get out of bed on days like this. One of the ways I deal with this feeling of stress and powerlessness is to return to a small collection of music, movies, and video games that occupy a special place in my heart.
Let's talk about self-care as it relates to working with bipolar. As you know, self-care is a trendy topic. On the one hand, it's encouraging that more people -- especially folks with marginalized identities -- are recognizing that all people deserve to have their physical and psychological needs met regardless of external expectations, including those of our employers. The downside is that the conversation around self-care is often focused more on treating ourselves than building sustainable long-term practices to carry us through life's trials. Building and maintaining a good self-care routine is essential for everyone and is non-negotiable for those of us who live and work with bipolar disorder.
When I reflect on some of the bravest people I know, those who are in eating disorder recovery often come to mind. That's because the pursuit of eating disorder recovery is courageous. It can be scary to take the steps into a new way of life apart from this illness, but the decision to move toward healing is also incredibly brave.
Recovering from depression is tricky because depression is a chronic illness that can't be fully cured, so sometimes it's hard to tell whether you're getting better or not. There are countless articles detailing the signs that you have depression, but I wanted to create an article explaining the signs that you're recovering from depression. This is what recovery has looked like for me so far.
Self-injury can affect anyone, regardless of age, ethnicity, or gender. However, recent studies suggest that female self-harm is soaring for reasons that include poverty, sexual abuse, cyberbullying, and unrealistic beauty standards. This International Women's Day, let's talk about why young women self-harm.
I find that it's easier to make difficult decisions when I have the support of my loved ones behind me. When I have to make decisions that they have difficulty supporting, the isolation I feel heightens my anxiety. I have learned three methods to take steps to cut down the anxiety resulting from disagreeing with my family so that I can still make the decisions that will benefit me.
The global pandemic has altered many aspects of our day-to-day lives, but what is its impact on mental health stigma? From what I've seen of discussions and news reports and so forth, more and more folks are experiencing mental health struggles during this change in lifestyle and time of uncertainty. I wonder, though, what impact that might have on how mental health is treated by society.
Have you ever had a time when a negative intrusive thought made it difficult for you to focus on a task? If you only had the thought one time, it probably wasn't a huge deal. However, when a negative thought starts to occur more frequently, it can prevent you from doing your best work. Constant unwanted thoughts that disrupt your ability to do something are called intrusive thoughts. If you are struggling to deal with these thoughts, here are five coping strategies.
Fact: depression is not always clinical. Sometimes, it occurs not due to changes in the brain but because of a difficult life situation. I know this because I have experienced both clinical depression and situational depression over the years. And although their causes are different, they have similar effects, effects that make life harder than usual.
I read this book many years ago, just as I was entering the turmoil of remembering, questioning and doubting myself all the way (as I'd been covertly taught over a lifetime). I happened to mention to my two sisters one day, "This is so strange but I've been diagnosed with PTSD." Both my sisters surprised me by responding, "Me too."
THEN I happened upon an old book manuscript that my now deceased father had written (not published), wherein the protagonist was obviously based upon himself and he rapes his "fiancee," who had my unusual name. Yes, truly.
Then I made myself look at the peculiar memory I always had where he violently threatened me but somehow I had never been able to recall what came before or after the episode. I had to admit that was a bit strange.
The pressures and powers to forget sexual abuse are great, both in family and society. In fact, I've come to the sad conclusion that the vast majority of survivors never really deal with their childhood wounds (a neglect for which there are always repercussions).
To critique an encouragement of people trusting their intuition in such matters is really getting the prescription dangerously wrong.
Thanks!