Blogs
You probably know that building self-esteem is important for your mental health and wellbeing, and there are many ways you can build your self-esteem. Below is a list of tips for self-esteem building, compiled from posts over the past year.
There are many ways to have healthy communication. My family's communication style is not even remotely what I would call healthy. For example, I mentioned I had an upset stomach on Christmas Eve, and my mother said that if that were the case I needed to go home before the festivities started. I took this to mean that I was not welcome and left shortly after gifts were opened. Hurt feelings could have been avoided by phrasing this in a healthy manner (Healthy Communication In Relationships). Here are three ways to have healthy communication.
Sometimes saying goodbye is a part of posttraumatic stress disorder recovery. A good friend used to end his emails with, “Nothing lasts. Everything changes.” That has proven true in my recovery from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I will be headed in one direction, and then life will take an unexpected turn. Sometimes, saying goodbye must be a part of PTSD recovery.
New Year's Eve brings lots of unsafe alcohol consumption but you need safety on New Year's Eve. Whether you're sober or not, you should make plans to stay safe this New Year's holiday. Here are some ways to ensure alcohol safety on New Year's Eve.
Do you know how gut health affects mental health? We know that mental health and physical health aren't separate concepts. But still, it came as a slight surprise when my psychiatrist said that gastroenterologists call the gut "the second brain" because it has such a powerful impact on one's mental health. For example, constipation (a side effect of many psychiatric medications) can cause the body to kick into fight-flight-freeze mode, which causes racing thoughts, fear, and panic. So it is important to know how gut health affects mental health.
The holidays can be a time of mental health stigma. The holidays can be a wonderful time of the year; the sparkle of tinsel and coloured lights, the cheery tunes on the radio, gift giving, and time with friends and family all contribute to the festive air. What a lot of people don’t realize is all that festivity can become a time of struggle for those with mental health issues (Your Mental Health and the Holiday Season). Those with mental illness may have to survive mental health stigma through the holidays.
It's one thing to know what your binge eating disorder triggers are, but when one of your binge eating disorder triggers is parties, things can get complicated. How do you cope with your binge eating disorder when one of your triggers is a completely average, social gathering? With the holidays upon us it's natural to get invited to lots of parties and gatherings where triggering food, events, and people might be present. How do you handle it when parties are your binge eating disorder trigger?
Few people would place anxiety among their "best of 2015" lists. It is, though, that time when the year winds down and "best of" lists abound. Is it possible to make a list entitled "Anxiety: Best of 2015?" Not only is it possible, it's actually a pretty good thing to do (How To Create An Emergency Anxiety Tool Kit). Here's how to make a best of 2015 list for anxiety and why you should consider making one of your own.
As the New Year approaches, I realize how much I want organized living to a part of my life in 2016. Almost all of my stressful moments occur, to some degree, as a result of my disorganized life. I want to use organized living as a tool for happiness in 2016.
If you are a member of a family dealing with mental illness, you'll probably agree: dreams of a perfect Christmas hardly ever come true. We look backwards to before the mental illness, wishing, once again, for a life without meds, doctors and the mental illness rollercoaster. But looking backwards instead of focusing on the present sets unreal expectations for the Christmas at hand. The best gift you can give your mentally ill loved one this Christmas is not more unrealistic, nostalgic expectations. Rather, focus on making choices for this present Christmas that will help move your loved one and your family further down the road of recovery.
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.