It’s so strange to think about the fact that we have to ask why mental health is important. No one ever asks why physical health is important—this is a given. We all agree on it. We all know it. We all at least feel properly guilty and ashamed when we don’t take care of our […]
Why Is Life so Hard?
Why is life so hard? I think there are several reasons, but before we get into them, we have to define what it is about life that’s so hard in the first place. Life can be broadly broken down into a few different aspects: Work Love Health Meaning Fun Spirit There’s probably more, but these […]
Overcoming Fear
Overcoming fear can seem impossible, especially if you suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder like I do. Sometimes fear feels so completely overwhelming that we’re paralyzed. Sometimes it feels like fear’s got us by the balls and won’t let go. What do we do then? It’s a hard question to answer, especially when your heart is […]
The Perfectionist | Fear of Imperfection and Procrastination
“My greatest weakness is that I’m a perfectionist, haha.” How many actual perfectionists have said this in job interviews before? If only that was a joke. If only my fear of imperfection (an outgrowth of my OCD) didn’t cause me to procrastinate so much that I don’t get anything done in the first place. It’s […]
MDD | This Is What Major Depressive Disorder Looks Like
MDD (Major Depressive Disorder) is something I’ve suffered from my entire life. We always talk about MDD as a disease, but what does that mean really? Does the disease model make a difference in how something like this affects my life? It does. Defining it as a disease means that it has nothing to do […]
Anxiety Neurosis | Free Floating-Anxiety Explained
Anxiety neurosis, also known as free-floating anxiety or Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is easily the worst kind of anxiety you can have. Here’s what it looks like. Something’s wrong. Something’s wrong and I can’t breathe I can’t breathe I can’t breathe I— I just need to go outside. Maybe I need a drink. Damn I […]
What Are Boundaries? Setting Boundaries with an Alcoholic or Addict
Boundaries are rules that we set with other people. These rules govern what they can and cannot do to or with us, but they also describe the consequences of what will happen if those boundaries are crossed. Setting boundaries is healthy, and for most people, this is just sort of done naturally. They’re happy to […]
OCD–Intrusive Thoughts, Obsessive Cleaning, and Checking Everything Twice (and Three times, and Four… Five… Six…)
Since I was a kid, I’ve had OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). OCD can manifest in a variety of ways. Here’s what mine looks like. This house isn’t clean. This house isn’t clean. I need to write. I need to work. I need to make money but it’s not clean it’s not clean it’s not clean […]
Anxiety and Addiction—Substance-Induced Anxiety That Doesn’t Go Away
If you’re a tweaker, you probably have a pretty damn good idea what substance-induced anxiety feels like. Anxiety and addiction are as closely related as depression and addiction. One usually follows or causes the other. Many of us use to self medicate and get rid of the anxiety, and the addiction follows. For many more, […]
It’s Not That I Want to Die—It’s That I Don’t Want to Exist
Depression is a bitch, and I’ve suffered from it my whole life. It’s hard to explain to someone who’s never suffered from it. It’s hard to explain the difference between being depressed and being suicidal. It’s even harder to explain clinical depression (major depressive disorder) to someone who has experienced situational depression (like how you […]
