Finding Your Marbles
A Mental Health Survival Guide

Miguel over at the Think Happy Thoughts Happiness Blog (I absolutely love that name) writes about the importance of writing down negative thoughts.

Writing down negative thoughts is a great idea and it is a very good way to help manage depression and anxiety. By writing out your negative thoughts you get them out of your mind and down on paper where you can study them and figure out if they are “real” thoughts or if they are just being sent to you by your depression. When you see your thoughts on paper they may not seem as overwhelmingly negative as they did inside your head, or, as Miguel puts it:

“Your mind recognizes the difference between what “should” be happening and what actually is happening. The greater the difference between OUGHT and IS, the more cognitive dissonance is felt emotionally. Close inspection of these untrue beliefs is the solution to negative thinking. A person can revise their beliefs by investigating them.”

Continue reading “Link: Write Down Negative Thoughts Immediately” »

I have to admit that I liked Ask Dan and Jennifer the moment I got to their site. Under some sexy pictures of the authors, Dan and Jennifer, was this headline:

“The Right Way and the Wrong Way to Kiss a Woman”

I thought, “All right! A relationship advice site with information that I can use!”

I was hooked. Not only were these guys good-looking, they had great relationship and dating advice for that real people could use. I loved their straightforward yet playful style.

Continue reading “Blog Review: Ask Dan and Jennifer” »

I love sticky notes. I think they are one of the greatest inventions of all time.

I use them everywhere. Right now, in my office, I have at least 10 that I can see in front of me, and another dozen or so more scattered around the room. I’m a bit crazy about them.

If you have a mental illness, sticky notes can be a real lifesaver. By using them, you can leave yourself important little messages that will be right there when you need them. I think that once you start using sticky notes to manage your life, you’ll wonder how you ever got by without them.

So grab a pen, and a pad of sticky notes, and lets go.

Continue reading “How to Use Sticky Notes to Make Your Life Easier” »

I’m frustrated by the way that our society handles suicide. On one hand, people who commit suicide, or who even think of suicide, are condemned as evil, selfish cowards, and on the other hand, we know and accept that suicide and suicidal thoughts are common symptoms of many mental illnesses.

This creates a conflict for anyone who suffers from a condition like depression, and who is troubled by suicidal thoughts. Suicidal thoughts are a big warning sign that there is something wrong, yet even though we know that these thoughts have a medical cause, there is such a culture of shame and fear around suicide that most sufferers would rather keep silent and refuse treatment rather than ask for help.

Suicide is an act of desperation. People who commit suicide do so because they have given up on the hope that they will ever feel better. And by clinging to outdated myths and unfair notions about suicide, we as a society are failing to help these people. Each person who commits suicide is a loss for us all.

Continue reading “Four Dangerous Myths About Suicide and How to Avoid Them” »

Therapy is expensive. Really expensive. I used to joke with my therapist that for the amount of money that I spent on therapy I could have gone on a cruise, or at least had a great weekend in Vegas.

One thing to keep in mind when you are trying to figure out how to pay for therapy is that therapy is very important. Your mental health should be one of your top priorities. Therefore, when you are trying to balance your budget, or when you are looking for a way to pay for your therapy, try to keep things in perspective. Think of any money that you spend on therapy not as an expense, but as a necessary and positive investment in your future well-being and good mental health.

Continue reading “What to do When You Can’t Afford Therapy” »

On Thursday, April 5, 2007, I will be participating in Blog Against Sexual Violence Day as part of the national 2007 Sexual Assault Awareness Month campaign to raise awareness about sexual assault. This year, the national slogan for the campaign is “Prevent Sexual Violence…in our communities.”

Participating blogs, including Finding Your Marbles, will be posting articles related to the campaign theme.

If you are a blogger and you would like to participate in the Blog Against Sexual Violence event on Thursday April 5, please either contact me directly or visit the campaign homepage at Abyss2Hope.

If you are a rape survivor, or if you just want to learn more about sexual assault, then I invite you to drop by Finding Your Marbles on April 5th to read my article. I will also be posting links to the other articles in the campaign.

Continue reading “Blog Against Sexual Violence Day - April 5” »

I love meditation.

I started meditating about a year ago, and it has made a huge difference in my peace of mind and my health. I am calmer, more relaxed, and I feel a lot better about myself.

Meditation can also be a great way to manage mental illness. Not only is it relaxing, but meditating also helps you center your thoughts and feelings, which enables to you focus on your healing instead of on your symptoms.

I have tried a bunch of different types of meditation, but the one that works the best for me, and the one that I think has had the biggest positive effect on my mental health, is the ancient“Lectio Divina,” meditation style used by Benedictine monks. It takes a little bit of practice, but it’s easy to learn so you’ll be able to get going very quickly.

Continue reading “How To Meditate Like a Monk” »

Medication can be very expensive, especially medication for mental illness. Lots of expensive research goes into those drugs, and the drug companies charge very high prices to recover their costs.

Since costs can run upwards of $75/month for some medications, this can be a major problem if you are out of money or if you’ve got to take a lot of different medications together. Even worse is when you run out of money in the middle of a medication cycle and you might start missing doses. With some medication, such as SSRIs, missing doses can be very serious so there are some major health implications if you can’t afford meds.

There are a couple of things that you can do to get your medication if you can’t afford to pay for it. Some of them take a bit of work and patience, so it is a good idea to plan ahead and make sure that you always have a good supply. The last thing you want is to be on your last pill when an unexpected bill comes in.

Continue reading “What to do When You Can’t Afford Medication” »

I am a childhood sexual abuse survivor. I am not saying that to gain your sympathy, nor am I trying to start a movement. I am saying it so that if you are a rape survivor and you are reading this article, you will understand that I know what you are going through. I have been there.

In this article, I will give you a list of 10 things that you can do if you have been raped. Some of them will help you in your recovery, some will help you gain justice, and some are just things that I have learned during my own recovery.

However, before I start, there is one thing that I need to say.

It wasn’t your fault.

Write that down and stick it on your wall. Shout it out loud while you are driving in your car. Say it to yourself every morning.

Because it’s true. No matter what you did, or how you acted, or what you wore, or where you were, being raped was not your fault. Never let anyone convince you that it was your fault. You are innocent.

Continue reading “10 Things To Do if You Have Been Raped” »

This article is dedicated to my friend J. We were talking about self-injury the other day and I said something very stupid about people who self-injure. It was unfair and I apologize.

Self-injury is one of those “misunderstood” aspects of mental health. There are all kinds of myths and misconceptions about people who self-injure, from “they are just seeking attention” to “they are just too cowardly to commit suicide.” The sad truth is that self-injury is neither a cry for attention, nor is it “practice” for suicide. It is an unfortunate side effect of many mental illnesses, most notably depression.

When you feel the urge to self-injure, there are a few things that you can do to help make the feelings go away and keep from hurting yourself. In this article I will talk about a couple of them.

Continue reading “What to do When You Want to Self-Injure” »