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I have a confession to make--I am almost incapable of calling a crisis hotline, no matter how bad I feel. I flip open my cell phone, stare at the screen, flip it shut, flip it open again, start to dial the number, stop and flip it shut, on it goes. It can take me up to half an hour to call a crisis hotline. I have no clue why I do this.
And I'm not the only person who does this. According to IMAlive.org, more than 30 percent of people who call a crisis hotline hang up as soon as they hear a voice. Maybe you're one of these people. Did you know you have the option to chat online about your problem?
Finding healthy alternatives to self-injury can be stressful. Sometimes, it’s tough finding someone who understands the emotions and thoughts connected with self-harm. Many people hate thinking about counseling or talking about their self-harm because, well, it is too personal.
So, if you’re too nervous to jump into therapy or tell someone you self-injure, where can you go? What can you do?
Why not dive into a good book? A TV show? A movie?
I have always felt different from everyone else, alienated, alone. As a young child, I would react to things, even tiny things, in such intense ways, and I would look at other people and wonder: did they feel things this strongly, too? Did they fall to the ground crying when they saw a dead butterfly on the sidewalk? Or have sudden intrusive thoughts of swerving and crashing their car in a wall?
A veteran with PTSD considers living in a van in New Hampshire with his wife, two small children, and two large dogs. He can't find housing that will accept the dogs he can't live without. A peer specialist fails to get a homeless woman with a psychiatric disability into a shelter because she won't be separated from her cat. A woman with bipolar disorder pays hundreds of dollars each year in illegal fees to keep the cat who helps her sleep. These people are real. Their needless suffering and expense occurred because few people understand our rights under the Fair Housing Act (FHA).
In my case, I never really had a formal sit down discussion with my parents about my eating disorder. I started eating disorder recovery in my mid-twenties, long after I had moved out. By then, I had graduated from law school and the time felt right. I told each parent separately about my eating disorder (they are divorced), and as uncomfortable as the conversation was, surprisingly, their reaction was one of relief. All along, they had known something wasn’t quite right regarding my eating habits and body image, and they also knew I’d had my gallbladder removed a couple of years earlier. So to them, as much as I tried to hide it, they knew something didn’t add up, but they just didn’t know what. (read: How To Tell Your Parents About Your Eating Disorder)
Ah, yes, categories. When first diagnosed with a mental illness, many of us already feel as though we are suddenly defined by our illness. We immediately need to drastically change our lives. That's tough enough but, more often than not, we also have to explain to those in our lives that, yes, we have been diagnosed with a mental illness, but we are still the same person. You and I both know that this isn't easy, but it is a great way to weed out those who will support you and those who may not.
While it seems hard to believe, some people want others to stay mentally ill and, indeed, sometimes even individuals themselves, choosing to maintain mental unwellness. You have the obvious example of people refusing medication and thus becoming very sick but there are other forces as well that can encourage a person to stay acutely, mentally ill.
This is a misleading title perhaps. What I want to talk about today are Legos and games of all sorts. I want to talk about adult ADHD and boredom and what can bring relief. I want to talk about having fun when fun can't be had and all sorts of interesting thing. And, I want to talk about whether rules make fun more fun or less fun. Let's get started!
![Image courtesy of [image creator name] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_listing/public/uploads/2013/06/ID-10073348.jpg?itok=hYhc8ojB "Black Hole")
When life's highs are followed by inexplicable lows, the clinically depressed person has the hardest of times.
As I mentioned in my About Me blog post, my battle with depression is ongoing. I lay in the trenches, at the ready for when my brain decides to ambush me with yet another volley of chemical scud missiles.
Boredom can last for hours. ADHD-Related boredom can last for days, weeks, etc. And, there are things we can do to address it. Turn on the tunes or bust out some brain-stimulating games and see things go from boredom to less-boredom!
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...