You are not the only one.
A mental health advocate sharing her personal experiences, articles, and resources.
I am a mental health advocate, who does a lot of presentations. Often my conversations touch on the topic of stigma toward mental illness. I regularly refer to the language we use when talking about it, and how when compared to other illnesses it is regularly treated shamefully.
Read MoreI’m a mega “Star Wars” nerd. I have major depressive disorder. And the two are positively linked together in my mind.
Read MoreFifteen years ago I was sitting in a therapist’s office, and I was afraid to tell her how I was really doing. She persisted, and over the session, I was able to tell her I was having suicidal thoughts. I didn’t know what this would mean. I was afraid a “white van” would show up and take me away, or that she would get angry or not believe me. None of those things happened.
Read MoreImagine this scenario. You’re having an average day, and you’re in the mood for a coffee. You decide to walk over to your favorite coffee shop, just a few short minutes away. Step, step, step. Zap! Step. Zap! Wait, what? Zap? Zap shouldn’t be a part of this equation. This strange sensation is something that happens to me, as well to many others. It’s a side effect of antidepressants that many are not familiar with, but it does happen.
Read MoreMotivation is a tricky thing, and sometimes you have to fight back with your own tricks. As a person who lives with depression and anxiety, I often struggle to get the most basic of things done. It’s not that I physically can’t or that I’m choosing not to — it’s that everything becomes difficult and the fatigue is very real. As I have lived with this for many years, over time I’ve developed a few tricks to get things done. They aren’t necessarily permanent solutions, nor will they work for everyone or every situation. Yet they are handy little tips which I’d like to pass on to you.
Read MoreKeeping things orderly is not my strong suit, especially when I’m dealing with depression. While all areas of my home suffer, no area suffers more than my kitchen. Dishes pile up, clutter is not organized and surfaces are not wiped down. Of course over time it only becomes worse, making it all the harder to find the motivation to get into cleaning it. I recently discovered a method that helps me to slowly get things into shape.
Read MoreThere are certain familiar symptoms of depression we often hear about, such as sadness, oversleeping or isolation. There are other symptoms though, that aren’t as out in the open, and I struggle with one of them.
Read MoreWinter makes things that I already find difficult even harder. Getting out of bed is already a hard; doing it in the dark only makes it worse. Getting outdoors to exercise is not an easy task, add those freezing temperatures and my motivation goes out the window. At times I struggle with isolation, when everyone seems to be hibernating this becomes a little more acceptable. As you can see there is no shortage of reasons why depression can either arrive or worsen during these winter months.
Read MoreWorld Suicide Prevention Day is being marked Sept. 10 and mental health advocate Heidi Fischer is hoping the day will be used as an opportunity to shed some light on suicide. Going through her own experiences of suicide and helping those who have had similar situations, Fischer said, “The word suicide in and of itself remains highly stigmatized and hush-hush. People worry that by speaking it
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