Stuck thoughts … the brick walls that form a prison around your mind. The harder you try to get rid of them, the more powerful they become. I’ve been wrestling with stuck thoughts ever since I was in fourth grade. The content or nature of the obsessions have morphed into many different animals over the […]
I wrote the following post a few years ago when I was in the midst of a severe depressive episode. I wanted to repost this week as we commemorate Valentine’s Day. Most of us utter “in sickness and in health” with no view into the future, blind to the challenges that illness brings to a […]
Prayer has always been a foundation in my recovery from depression. I often read the The Psalms to reassure me that God is with me in my struggle. Here are seven other favorite prayers. What are yours? The Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage […]
I will always remember the therapy session 12 years ago in which my therapist told me I smelled. “Have you been showering?” she asked me. “Yes,” I responded sheepishly. “How often?” she inquired. “I don’t know … a few times a week,” I said. “Well, you should really shower every day, because you have some stink […]
According to Dr. Cliff Arnalls, a British psychologist with Cardiff University, a number of factors coincide to make January 24th the most depressing day of the year: It’s dark. Not as dark as December 21st, the shortest day of the year, but dark enough to make our heads and bodies crave sunlight. Christmas bills come […]
Every year on MLK, Jr. Day, I like to repost my dream. In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.: I have a dream that one day I won’t hold my breath every time I tell a person that I suffer from bipolar disorder, that I won’t feel shameful in confessing my mood disorder. I have […]
This is a guest post by Mark R. He does a great job of addressing many of the misconceptions associated with depression and articulating the chronic nature of the beast–helping loved ones and friends who haven’t experienced a mood disorder understand the illness better. He ends with hope. And I want to reiterate — there is always hope. Sometimes […]
The season has arrived when we give ourselves an annual review and pick a few ways we can improve our health, our parenting, our faith life, or maybe our attitude. Among the most popular New Year’s resolutions are losing weight, eating better, being more organized, living life to the fullest, learning new hobbies, and spending […]
For Emily Dickinson, hope is the thing with feathers. In my world, hope is the thing with tinsel. Like most people, Christmas evokes all kinds of emotions for me. There is grief of loved ones lost during Christmases past and anxiety about how handle difficult relationships at family get-togethers. There is stress when I add […]
This post is from my archives. I have a love-hate relationship with December. Many people do. I feel like December adds another 50 percent of things to be scratched off of my “to do” list, and therefore tells my sympathetic nervous system that panic mode is appropriate, that we are aboard the Holiday Titanic and […]
Today I have the opportunity to interview Howard Samuels, Psy.D., author of “Alive Again: Recovering from Alcoholism and Drug Addiction” on the topic of managing addiction, stress, and anxiety during the holidays. Dr. Samuels is the founder and president of the prestigious The Hills Treatment Center in Los Angeles. He is an internationally renowned recovery expert […]
I feel guilty writing that: “getting through the holidays.” I’ve done an excellent job this year of scheduling events that will force my brain to appreciate the magic of the holiday season: I actually participated in a cookie swap even though sugar makes me suicidal; I made time last week to attend a friend’s holiday […]
I call the two months between Halloween and New Years the “eating season.” No matter where you turn, there’s a bowl of your favorite candy on someone’s desk, decadent holiday treats at your doorstep, and invitations to parties. The holidays are packed with stress, and we all know the easiest, safest, most affordable place to […]
George Burns once said: “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family… in another city.” So that would explain why the holidays are so stressful. Those dear relatives who live in San Francisco suddenly are lingering in front of your refrigerator in Cincinnati, Ohio and you have to figure out a socially acceptable way […]
Musician and songwriter Willie Nelson once said, “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” Study after study on gratitude shows how simple exercises of appreciation build emotional resilience, improve our relationships, and promote our well-being. Gratitude researchers like Martin Seligman, PhD, director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; Robert […]
I think most people cringe at the thought of “falling back,” or turning our clocks back an hour to signal the end of Daylight Saving Time and the beginning of Standard Time, or Winter Time, as it’s sometimes called. Technically there isn’t less sunlight — it’s just rearranged. But it feels like there’s less because it’s dark when we […]
For many people, the beginning of autumn triggers anxiety with its shorter days, reduced sunlight, changes in schedules, and allergies. Fortunately, many foods and spices that are easy to find during this season can help us stay emotionally resilient and boost our mood. So as the leaves begin to fall and the temperature cools, enjoy the following […]
Perfectionists tend to regard boredom, distraction, and procrastination as the axis of evil. But they can actually benefit your mood and productivity. In his blog, Why You Need Boredom, Distraction, and Procrastination in Your Life, Thorin Kloswki defines boredom, distraction, and procrastination as the “holy trinity of inactivity.” According to his research, the brain can’t […]
Admittedly, I have always been a skeptic of art therapy until recently. I didn’t understand why psychiatric units included occupational therapy into the mix, where suicidal people painted birdhouses. However, having recently joined up with a group of women to paint free form, I now understand that this creative form of expression can access emotions […]
Study after study demonstrate that our thoughts and emotions affect our body. Our mood very definitely drives our physical state of being. One story in Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book Full Catastrophe Living illustrates this point better than any research study. Although she was functioning quite well, “Mrs. S” had a narrowing of one of the valves […]
