wellness
I Battle Anxiety, Don’t Tell Me to Relax.
mental healthAnxiety is a mental illness, and I get to battle it daily (along with many others).
TRUTH (a wonderful infographic to read, if you’re interested in more understanding can be found at the Mental Health America website:
• NO. It’s not nervousness about a coming event.
• NO. It’s not from too much caffeine consumption.
• NO. It’s not attention-seeking.
• YES. It’s me analyzing EVERYTHING.
• YES. It’s a negative voice that follows me EVERYWHERE.
• YES. I am constantly overcoming fears and worries to battle it.
And no, I’m not ashamed (nor should you be). This is real. Let’s talk about it.
Dealing with BPD: Don’t Touch My Naptime
mental health
I stumbled across a Pinterest post that struck a chord. First, let’s get the basics down:
• Yes. I’m diagnosed with Bipolar.
• Yes. My bipolar is paired with depression, anxiety, and OCD.
• No. I do not use my diagnosis as an excuse, but rather as a challenge to change the discussion around mental illness. It’s not a taboo subject. Do not be ashamed. And don’t be afraid to ask questions!
Distorted Reality
mental health
Hello beautiful writing community. I’ve been out of commission for a minute.
My husband’s grandfather, a man who I had the pleasure of getting close to, Pa – passed away July 1st. It was a bittersweet event that will be with me for the rest of my life. It was a blessing and an honor to stand next to him as he took his last breath. He was a beautiful man, and he will be missed. So I’m dedicating this post to him… Pa.
Being a survivor of depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, I’ve realized through this struggle with grief, which is very new to me, that I fight with assimilating in order to make everyone around me happy. Along with this realization, I have also discovered that there is absolutely nothing False about any one person’s way of grieving.
Transformation Takes Two
mental health
Well, if that isn’t a loaded topic, I don’t know what is.
But, we can do this, together. Here we go.
Transformation can be a difficult thing to imagine, see, and especially do. At this moment in my life, I’ve felt that I’ve been on the verge of transformation for some time. Now, things around me, my relationships, my hobbies, I’ve seen them transform— now, I believe it’s my turn. I want, more than anything, to safely lose the weight I’ve packed on over the years, and keep it off. Before that happens though, I now know that it can’t be just another fad diet or complete restriction—it has to come from within me.
Proposal for Purpose
mental health
Now, finding a Purpose for things is easy. A hose brings water from one place to another. A lawn mower cuts the grass. Goggles keep water out of your eyes. A personal purpose is another story. If you feel like a fish out of water — you’re not alone.
I’ve struggled greatly with this, especially through my times of deep depression. As I begin crawling out of my deep, dark hole – I see how important understanding what my purpose is. Yet, there seems to be a huge learning curve. I have no idea where to start.
Dis•ci•pline
mental health
Not just any discipline, but self discipline. It’s said that self discipline is the key to utter happiness. Self discipline is not something learned overnight, or downloaded off the internet (believe me, I’ve tried everything!) – it takes lots of practice, repetition and falling down and getting back up.
So let’s put our big kid pants on and give it a try – shall we? I mean seriously – nothing worth going for is easy. And if this is the key to life happiness, then heck yeah!
Set yourself up for success: I’ve been reading that it’s best if you just kick out the distractions. Whatever that is for you, be it television, that trusty old smartphone, or, like me – food – get rid of it. Toss it. Pitch it. Turn it off! By getting out from under those things – it helps to allow a deeper sense of focus on what’s important.
What I Learned From My Failed Whole30
fitness
A Whole30 is 30 days without any sort of processed foods: no alcohol, no dairy, no processed stuff. It’s hardcore.
I’m the kind of person who likes to do 20,001 things all at one time, and believe that I can give 100% to each and every thing. Yeah… no. Not happening.
I am choosing not to look at this as a failure, but a learned lesson. I learned more about myself than I would’ve than if I hadn’t tried. And to me, that’s a success. This life is a journey, and the more I can learn about myself, the better.
I learned I lack discipline, right now. I can work on that. I can get better at that.
I learned that I’m focusing on getting my medication for my diagnosis of bipolar depression and anxiety right now. That’s my priority.
#goodtidings
mental health
Thinking gets in the way. Did I want to think about being up way past my bedtime this morning as I was sleepily pulling on my running shoes? Yes. Sure did – but, I asked God to shut out those thoughts and I just… did.
Sometimes, we get in our own way of making our biggest triumphs happen. Don’t let that happen to you. You decide what thoughts get to live in that head of yours. This morning, I chose to think about that blissful after-workout soreness that reminds you that you just did something really good for your body and state of mind. I chose to say “Well done. Keep it up.” You can too!
When I want to give up, I go here:
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
#goodtidings
fitness
For that morning workout, that’s only your second one, but goodness were you in a deep sleep, and my did you want to stay there so bad … BUT YOU DIDN’T. You got up and kick butt, and now you get the pleasure of that gentle soreness reminding you – YOU DID IT TODAY and that’s what counts.
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