advice
Advice and tips on managing mental health, maintaining a positive outlook and becoming your happiest self.
3 Tips for Handling Shopping Urges
Now that we are in the midst of the holidays and all of the sales that come with them, let’s talk about a symptom of Borderline Personality Disorder that is not often addressed but is just as damaging as some of its other impulsive actions: binge shopping. I personally struggle with shopping when my emotions are high (which, let’s be honest, with BPD my emotions are generally high ALL OF THE TIME) and my shopping gets particularly bad when the holidays roll around and sales begin to pop up. My resistance is not very high, and I have gotten into serious trouble with money in the past due to my spending habits. My excessive spending is not a symptom I like to talk about very often due to the stigma that surrounds money and credit card use, but it is something that I think is important to talk about around this time of year as we are struggling with various impulsive behaviors, such as eating, substance abuse, and of course, spending. To help with this, I want to give you three alternatives you can try out if you suffer from a shopping addiction and begin to feel the urge to shop during this time of year. My hopes are that they help you out and make managing this symptom that much easier on your own.
By Ashley Nestler, MSW5 years ago in Psyche
Mental Illness Is Real
Mental illness is something no one wants to talk about. Its real. Some people are ashamed of it, do not want to talk about it and get laughed at it. It is no laughing matter. People take their lives in behind humility and shame. Some people suffer in silence. It is sad when people feel like they have no one to talk to but unfortunately, that’s how things are these days. People hide their feelings for fear of being called crazy and sometimes fear of being called stupid or fear of losing friends.
By Nerissha Hunt5 years ago in Psyche
My Anxiety Story
Before I get into my story, here's some things to know. Anxiety can be a mental illness, and in most cases it is. Like depression, it is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Some things that most people don't know is that panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are included in the mental health disorder of anxiety. Some things that can come along with anxiety are constant worry and fear, which if these emotions are bad enough, can affect a person's daily life. So, now that you know a little bit more about anxiety, here's my story.
By Tori Wilson5 years ago in Psyche
My Journey with Panic Disorder/Anxiety
From a very young age I had problems sleeping, concentrating and keeping calm. I was an anxious child growing up but as an adult, now, my anxiety feels uncontrollable. I had troubles expressing my emotions in a correct manner and I tended to keep everything bottled in until it was too late and I exploded on everyone. I had a range of emotional and mental issues when I was younger. I never fitted in at school and was always trying to be someone who I wasn't just to be "cool". I had unstable relationships with the closest people around me and overall I just doubted and hated myself for a very long time but those feelings I had about myself I never wanted to speak about because I was embarrassed to express myself, I just wanted to be considered as a normal human being, I didn't like the fact I had a mental illness.
By Hannah Douglas5 years ago in Psyche
Emotions
Ever since the moment that we took our first breaths, our lives had been filled with emotions. Emotions that determine the way we eat, dress, and talk, but also the way we study, interact with others. Most importantly, the decisions we make on a daily basis, that shape our identities. It is not easy to admit that sometimes we tend to focus on ourselves too much, to the point that we lose our ability to learn from our mistakes and grow. And once we start to compare ourselves to the people around us, we become unsatisfied with our own achievements. We have focused so much on our physical health this year, and left mental health on the back burners.
By Random Chattering5 years ago in Psyche
The “Great” Depression Part 1
Some days are really hard...you try and try but nothing ever seems to work out the way you need or want it to. Does that sound familiar? The days when you barely have the energy to get out of bed. You ignore phone calls and text messages. Somehow you just seem to wander around in a foggy forest within your mind. The fog and darkness set in and you literally feel like you are in a labyrinth of sorts. It’s a feeling that is extremely difficult to explain to someone who has never wandered in the darkness. Sometimes you see a bit of light in the distance that you try to reach...and yet it remains out of reach. You find yourself laying in bed at 3:00am...unable to sleep but feel completely exhausted. Now that we have established a basic understanding of the how deep depression can feel, what do we do about it? The stigma of mental illness is a real thing. Many people are afraid to seek out a counselor or therapist. They hide their feelings away from others because they don’t want people to think they are “crazy” or even the terrible R-word that I wish wasn’t part of our vocabulary. Depression is not an easy battle. After all, you are fighting against you. It truly is a paradox. The battle can be ridiculously intense. It can leave you wounded in ways that are extremely difficult to come back from. Everything becomes so personal and somehow the slightest little thing can send you over the edge. I’ve personally worked in the mental health field for 8 years but I have also been battling the depression and anxiety fight for many many years. Some days are rough. I’ve had stretches where I’ve laid in bed for a week or two...mentally and emotionally exhausted in ways that even start to make me feel bad physically. What’s the point of all this I’m sure you’re wondering. How to you cope with your depression? When I talk with my clients I encourage them to watch “What About Bob?”. People laugh at this movie, and to be honest there is a lot of comedy within it but there is a serious underlying message. When people are depressed they want to get rid of it right? They go to a counselor or therapist and set a goal to get over their depression. It doesn’t work that way. That’s the honest truth. Think about trying to lose weight. If you weighed 300 pounds and you set a goal of losing 100 pounds and then you mess up and now you feel like shit. Some people give up right then and there. Much like with losing weight, depression battles need to start with really small goals. Your ultimate goal is to get over the depression but it isn’t gonna happen in an hour or a day. If you set the goals too high and somehow slip up, it can make your depression even worse. You gotta take baby steps. Set yourself small goals. Sometimes a goal needs to be just getting out of bed. I know to some that will sound silly, but when you accomplish a goal, it makes an impact on your mental state. Think about losing the weight again. Today I’m gonna walk for 15 minutes. Write it down and track it. Next time go for 20 minutes. Write it down. Celebrate it. Pat yourself on the back for accomplishing this simple goal. If the next day comes and you miss, you start the process over again. I get that it sounds like a real pain in the ass but in the end it’s worth it. You are the only one who can accomplish one of your goals. No one else can do it for you. The same principles truly do apply to depression battles. Today I’m going to clean off a table. Write it down and track it. Tomorrow I’m going to dust off the television. Write it down. Celebrate your little victories. You still have an ultimate goal to attain but you have to celebrate little victories. Regardless of what anyone thinks of your progress, you are in control. Trust me, I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you do have the power within you. It all starts and ends with you. Much like with other parts of life you have to pick your battles. Pick them wisely. Be kind to yourself. The world is rough...and life can be a bitch...and it will continually knock you out over and over. Life continues moving while you’re standing still. You have to learn to focus on those little things. People often ignore the little things until all of a sudden they turn into something bigger. You have to fight. When you celebrate those little victories by doing something for yourself (that’s called self-care by the way) you will take some of the pressure off of yourself, even if it’s just for that day. One good day is much better than another bad one. Love yourself. Stop listening to the criticism and negativity that the world may throw your way. I’m not going to lie and tell you that it’s easy. I assure you that if you made it this far into the first part of the story, you understand what I’m talking about and you can somehow relate to this. You are not alone. Other people understand the fight your in but you have to realize that everyone’s battle is different. We are all battling something. Someone cares about you. Someone loves you. Even when you don’t care or love yourself...someone does. Those of us battling depression care about one another because we understand the battles and struggles. I care. I love you. I encourage you to keep fighting. I wish you all Peace and Love ✌️💙
By Robert Michael Ruggieri5 years ago in Psyche
Disguised
Almost 2 years ago, she yearned for love . Coming out of something more than toxic . Abuse , pain , confusion, it was all a wreck. You ever wish you could get a slight preview of what you’re getting yourself into before actually getting into it ? Yeah .. that was her. In fact she’d scroll her page , Oh ! And yes I mean her , she loved women , just as much as women claimed they love her. Continuing on , she’d scroll her page and view her past , past as in others before her , what she likes , what she’s into just everything anyone would want to know about someone they had their interest in . She was pretty cool . Her name was Alice . See Alice loves social media , she love making people laugh and just notice her , and what she could do. She as in Porcha realized Alice pain , no attention, past trauma and so on but there wasn’t anything Porcha could not fix .
By thelifeofpre _5 years ago in Psyche
If you can go back in time.
I know. Is a very cliché question. If you can go back in time what would you change about yourself? I use to have this question in the back of my mind whenever I have scramble eggs and coffee. The coffee always remind me that I am older and the scrambles always remind me that I might have high cholesterol. This is one of the question that I personally feel like we need to ask ourselves at least once a month.
By Ruby Castro5 years ago in Psyche
