Blogs
You probably know that building self-esteem is important for your mental health and wellbeing, and there are many ways you can build your self-esteem. Below is a list of tips for self-esteem building, compiled from posts over the past year.
There are many ways to have healthy communication. My family's communication style is not even remotely what I would call healthy. For example, I mentioned I had an upset stomach on Christmas Eve, and my mother said that if that were the case I needed to go home before the festivities started. I took this to mean that I was not welcome and left shortly after gifts were opened. Hurt feelings could have been avoided by phrasing this in a healthy manner (Healthy Communication In Relationships). Here are three ways to have healthy communication.
Sometimes saying goodbye is a part of posttraumatic stress disorder recovery. A good friend used to end his emails with, “Nothing lasts. Everything changes.” That has proven true in my recovery from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I will be headed in one direction, and then life will take an unexpected turn. Sometimes, saying goodbye must be a part of PTSD recovery.
New Year's Eve brings lots of unsafe alcohol consumption but you need safety on New Year's Eve. Whether you're sober or not, you should make plans to stay safe this New Year's holiday. Here are some ways to ensure alcohol safety on New Year's Eve.
Do you know how gut health affects mental health? We know that mental health and physical health aren't separate concepts. But still, it came as a slight surprise when my psychiatrist said that gastroenterologists call the gut "the second brain" because it has such a powerful impact on one's mental health. For example, constipation (a side effect of many psychiatric medications) can cause the body to kick into fight-flight-freeze mode, which causes racing thoughts, fear, and panic. So it is important to know how gut health affects mental health.
The holidays can be a time of mental health stigma. The holidays can be a wonderful time of the year; the sparkle of tinsel and coloured lights, the cheery tunes on the radio, gift giving, and time with friends and family all contribute to the festive air. What a lot of people don’t realize is all that festivity can become a time of struggle for those with mental health issues (Your Mental Health and the Holiday Season). Those with mental illness may have to survive mental health stigma through the holidays.
It's one thing to know what your binge eating disorder triggers are, but when one of your binge eating disorder triggers is parties, things can get complicated. How do you cope with your binge eating disorder when one of your triggers is a completely average, social gathering? With the holidays upon us it's natural to get invited to lots of parties and gatherings where triggering food, events, and people might be present. How do you handle it when parties are your binge eating disorder trigger?
Few people would place anxiety among their "best of 2015" lists. It is, though, that time when the year winds down and "best of" lists abound. Is it possible to make a list entitled "Anxiety: Best of 2015?" Not only is it possible, it's actually a pretty good thing to do (How To Create An Emergency Anxiety Tool Kit). Here's how to make a best of 2015 list for anxiety and why you should consider making one of your own.
As the New Year approaches, I realize how much I want organized living to a part of my life in 2016. Almost all of my stressful moments occur, to some degree, as a result of my disorganized life. I want to use organized living as a tool for happiness in 2016.
If you are a member of a family dealing with mental illness, you'll probably agree: dreams of a perfect Christmas hardly ever come true. We look backwards to before the mental illness, wishing, once again, for a life without meds, doctors and the mental illness rollercoaster. But looking backwards instead of focusing on the present sets unreal expectations for the Christmas at hand. The best gift you can give your mentally ill loved one this Christmas is not more unrealistic, nostalgic expectations. Rather, focus on making choices for this present Christmas that will help move your loved one and your family further down the road of recovery.
Where do we go from here? Most of the family thinks just to let her hit bottom and then if she reaches out to help any we can. Some want to just keep paying her bills and just let her sit in the house with no responsibilities. Never been on medication and impossible to get to her when she refuses to talk to ANYONE.
Help.
On the day we agreed to videochat to make things less awkward IRL she woke up with a migraine so we rescheduled to the day after, I made sure to assure her that it was okay and to take her time. Later that day, in the late evening we had a nice chat but suddenly she stopped replying, even though nothing had happened. The day after I texted her good morning and said I hope she was feeling a little better. she wouldn't open my texts.
A couple days after I sent her a longer text saying that even though I had only known her for a short time I care a lot for her and would like to know how she are doing, telling her I'm there for her, assuring her I'm not going anywhere even though things might not be very easy. She wouldn't open it.
A week later I sent a text saying not to feel bad about not answering and that I will be there when she is able to answer again. It's been two weeks since this and she still hasn't opened my texts. She hasn't been active at all.
I don't know what else I can do. I assumed she might have fallen into a depression. I have tried to just not think about it anymore, and I haven't that much but when I do it sort of kills me inside...