Carol’s Blog

One thing people with mental health disorders deal with is “stinking thinking.”  Mental illnesses have ways of holding consumers hostage in their heads as they ruminate non-stop over-exaggerated and doubtful thoughts.

For those who have never dealt with this issue, it is hard to imagine the constant flux of paralyzing fear these thoughts can bring. However, stinking thinking is not reality.

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As 2019 comes to an end, take time to reflect on the good, bad, and even the ugly. What Behaviors do you want to leave behind?

Reviewing the past year will help you embrace the new year.   At times, everyone’s life appears better than your own. However, if given the chance to uncover the façade most people hide behind, you would realize no one lives the perfect life.

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When you are first diagnosed with a mental health condition, your life seems like it’s turned upside down. This is when your ‘second life’ starts. However, you must embrace a second life after accepting a diagnosis.

Can you remember how you felt when you were first diagnosed with your mental health disorder?  I know I can.  I felt like “damaged material”. Fears and limitations were planted in me not only by my healthcare professionals and society but most importantly by me.

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Tis the season to be jolly! Or is it? For many people, the holidays are anything but jolly. Depression and loneliness can turn what is supposed to be an upbeat, joyous time into the holiday blues, a dreadful period that some would rather skip completely. The blues brought on by the holidays are as varied as ornaments on a tree.

If you experience dread thinking about the upcoming holiday season, it may help you to determine the biggest culprits. Then you can take steps to alleviate the blues, even a little.

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Self-image is multifaceted and not restricted to just the ‘person with depression or anxiety’. Depression and anxiety do not define you.

It’s disturbing to hear individuals describe themselves by their mental health disorders.  Somehow during their life journeys, these men and women have allowed themselves to take on unflattering personas.

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Changing old (and unhealthy) habits is one of the hardest things to do. Recruit an accountability buddy to help change bad habits, and make the process easier.

When you have a mental health disorder, it’s tough to change. Well-embedded behaviors take years to develop.  Many of these habits infringe on your needed wellness strategies. This is where accountability comes in.  However, you don’t have to go it alone.

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If you continuously dwell on the future and the past, how will you find inner peace and contentment in the present?

There are times when your confidence wanes. You find yourself disappointed in who you are and how your life is moving along.  Unfortunately, one of the symptoms of many mental health disorders is the disappearance of liking yourself.

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