Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “mental illness”
The holidays can be so hard, whether you’re grieving the loss of a loved one or you’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of responsibilities you have. Taking time for yourself after a big holiday is so important. This year, my holiday season looked different than it ever has before, and at times I just felt so overwhelmed and burnt out. …
It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to rely on your support system. It’s so easy to get caught up in the idea that we can do everything on our own, that we don’t need someone else’s help to be okay. Relying on others isn’t a bad thing, though. This week, 1N5 had our staff Christmas lunch. In the …
Remember to stay present with this version of you. This is a reminder I am telling myself right now. Recently, I’ve been somewhat freaking out about becoming a mom. I’ve been so excited for so long but with my due date approaching in just over a month, I’m starting to feel all the fears and feelings. I’m starting to wonder …
This week, I had both a psychiatry and therapy appointment. In both of my appointments, I had to admit that I’ve been shutting down my feelings for a while and not facing the emotional truths I need to face. As an act of contrition, I’m writing an open letter to my heart to apologize for how I’ve wronged it. You’re …
In 1992 I was diagnosed with bipolar 1. I struggled mostly untreated for almost two decades. Countless hospital stays. Electroshock therapy. Never being able to hold a job. I lived in New York City for the first 10 years of this time and moved back to Iowa during a manic episode in 2003. In September 2008 I became very “sick” again …
It’s okay if the holidays are hard for you. I was always someone who associated the holidays with joy. The holidays always were a joyous time for me and my family. As I got older, it became less about material items or the food and more about the time spent with some of my favorite people. My therapist has told …
The past few days, I’ve been in a little bit of a funk. I hadn’t been working out, I’d been overworking myself, and I was just exhausted. This morning, I slept through the original workout class I had scheduled, and I really didn’t want to schedule another one. I debated for over an hour whether I should go but finally …
Change makes us stronger. As scary as it may be, try not to run away from change. I’ve recently gone through a lot of change in my personal life. As I’m maturing and becoming the person I want to be, I’ve been experiencing change. I started therapy again, as we know, but I’ve also been letting go of people and …
I’m starting to feel joy again. What an amazing feeling. I remember telling my therapist shortly before my mom passed that one of my goals was to be able to truly feel laughter and joy again. I spoke about how life felt less joyful, and moments of laughter felt almost out of body, and that I wasn’t actually experiencing them …
Lately, I’ve been doing really well. With therapy and medication, I’ve been able to cope with my mental illness and properly take care of myself. This week, though, my therapist reminded me to be prepared for when things might take a turn. When we’re in a good headspace, it can be difficult to think about how we’ll continue to take …
