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]]>I will encourage you to look out for the following when you read the short letter:
- mental illness myths;
- gun myths;
- does the author have a firm grasp of the Second Amendment;
- did the author of the letter present, truthfully, both sides?
- what did she leave out?
I would love to hear from my mental health advocates their opinions on the contents of this letter. The author of the opinion letter made some pretty harsh comments concerning mental illness guns and the world we live in. Please use the comments section to share your thoughts. Or you may email me at [email protected].
mental illness guns ruin lives
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rare depression symptoms
Experiencing depression
From my wedding in 2006 to the following December 2007, I was in the biggest depression of my life. At that time, I was a completely different person. I am still battling depression but not like that year. Those months leading up to my first psychiatrist appointment were brutally painful. Here I had just spent a decade in mania that was so powerful that I do not remember suffering any depression.
I laid around the house during that year of depression, unable to do anything. My job as a middle school teacher wore me down something awful to the point that I was useless at home to my husband and my dogs. Cooking was like caring a small fire in your hand while climbing Mt. Everest. Laundry was akin to being swallowed whole by a big fish. The effort to bring work home from school was practically futile since nothing would get done.
Need to be willing to learn
In order for me to know that what I was undergoing was depression, I needed to learn. I spoke with professionals. Read a ton of books and on the internet. I wrote down what I was feeling every day and got feedback from family and friends.
depression symptoms
11 rare depression symptoms
- Anger and irritability
Many men will display their depression in crankiness, grouchiness or anger. So what? Everybody gets angry. True. The intensity the depressed person experiences and reacts to are far more intense and lasts longer than any person without a mental illness.
- Sleeping patterns change
Sleeping too little, too much. Broken sleep. Restless sleep. Difficulty sleeping. Going back to bed after a partner leaves for work.
depression symptoms
- Forgetfulness and trouble concentrating
I can completely relate! That is me all the time! If it is a thought and can be forgotten, it will be forgotten by the person who is depressed.
Likewise with concentration.
- Beating yourself up
Their defect self-talk is all negative. Doubt. Lack of self-confidence.
- Drinking and drugs
“Drowning your sorrows.” The drugs and drinking could become a habit that once was not there or an uptick in the regular abuse.
- Feeling numb
Inability to feel affectionate or grieve a loss. When my Granny passed away, I was numb and had no feeling at all. Ironically enough, I was unable to grieve because I was depressed.
- Trouble starting your internal engine and getting started
Difficulty getting out of bed, going to work, starting on projects, cleaning, exercising or getting the kids ready for going to church.
- Changes in eating
Eating too much or not at all. Bingeing and purging. Barely eating.
- Not showing up
Disappearance from people and regular hangouts, is a sign of problems.
- Anxiety
Unnecessary worrying.
- Passive thoughts of dying
There is a difference between regular thoughts on dying and abnormal thoughts. That difference is the abnormal thoughts are thought all the time. Like an obsession.
depression symptoms
Comments
If you have a comment to make or to add to this blog, write your comment in the section labeled as such below. You can also email me if you want to keep your comments private.
References
https://www.aafp.org/news/health-of-the-public/20180219nchsdepression.html
Life Conquering and Psych Central (Mental Health Discoveries)
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The post ADHD in Adults – How do I find a therapist near me? appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>ADHD Symptoms
ADHD is a tough disorder to deal with as a kid as well as an adult. If you are an adult with ADHD who has been recently diagnosed, you need to find a therapist ASAP. See the link above to obtain more information.
This mental illness is not the same for everybody who has it. However, there are some symptoms which overlap and mirror other symptoms. Here is an abbreviated list of the symptoms you may encounter. If you are not touched by the disorder yourself, here are some signs so you may help a loved one or a friend.
- Unable to concentrate
- Unable to pay attention
- Difficulty getting organized
- Inability to plan
- Difficulty solving problems
- Inability to control your own emotions
ADHD – organized
I HATE ADHD!
I had no idea I had ADHD until my psychologist brought it up. Apparently the complaints I had like: unable to plan; lack of concentration; paying attention; and the inability to solve problems were sure signs of this disorder; as well as not capable of reading a book or watch TV. I was a walking advertisement for Adult ADHD.
For me, concentrating is one of the hardest skills to do with this mental illness. The lack of concentration crept up on me when I worked desk jobs and now as a writer. The inability to pay attention has many similarities to that of concentrating. It does not matter the activity. I can talk on the phone, work on the computer or talk to someone face to face, I go space cadet or fall asleep.
The importance of a therapist
Adults with ADHD find it extremely difficult to stay awake, alert, sufficiently aroused and activated to continue their concentration when things are not interesting or no immediate excitement or payoff. This in turns causes them not to pay attention. Having these brain issues that might slow you down at home or at work, your therapist will be able to give you coping skills to compensate for the loss of focus or concentration and the inability to stay organized. In order to find a therapist near you, go to the link above, and take a look around on their website for information.
ADHD – alertness
Organization
The difficulty to organize is liken to climbing Mt. Everest with a goat on your back. It can be done, you just have to work above and beyond to achieve your goals. Try to see your therapist as your trainer/coach for the climb. He or she will give you ideas to respond when the ADHD gets out of control or tries to take over.
When I was a teacher to middle school students, I was the Queen of Organization. Nobody could beat me in the organization relay race among the teachers and staff. Toward the end of my career, though, as a teacher I started losing that organization relay race as the ADHD grew and developed in my brain..
ADHD
Where do you turn?
Like I said at the beginning, having ADHD is really, really hard. Many times family and friends cannot understand or grapple with the ADHD you are experiencing. If you have a mental illness, such as ADHD you need professional help With my mental illness, I try to go to Jesus first for help and comfort. He sticks closer than a brother. He will never leave me nor forsake me. If he doesn’t take the symptom away, He will walk with me through it, never letting go of my hand.
You could also go to your therapist If you need help finding a local therapist, go to the link at the top of this page. Sometimes when my ADHD ramps up, I believe it is time to see my psychiatrist and let him adjust my meds.
Comments
Please post comments in the section below or email me at: [email protected]. I would love to know what your experiences have been with Adult ADHD. And how you were able to cope.
References
“Taking Charge of Adult ADHD” by Russell A. Barkley, PhD with Christine M. Benton
Going Further
https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-adults#1
https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/10-symptoms-adult-adhd#1
https://www.additudemag.com/adult-test-for-add-adhd/
Life Conquering and Psych Central (Mental Health Discoveries)
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The post Mental illness: making decisions, heads or tails appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
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If you have difficulty making decisions, you are in the right place. When you attempt to make a decision, you may have butterflies in your stomach, a faster heart beat, your cheeks glow a bright read or you may feel nothing at all. The last thing you want to do is make a decision without thinking it over..
making decisions
Suffering from indecisiveness
With my bipolar disorder, I have suffered through many years of indecisiveness. If I cannot come up with a decision, I take the easy way out and do nothing. I may appear selfish, lazy, dumb or rude. Just as my mood ebbs and flows with the chemicals in my brain, making decisions is nearly impossible. I will go back and forth about any one thing and my head is beating like a big bass drum. It is exhausting, embarrassing and paralyzing.
Mental Illness triggers inability with making decisions
We know that having a mental illness makes simple life task such as making decisions almost impossible. Scientists have discovered why making decisions are so difficult for these individuals in our society.
1. anxiety disengages the part of the brain that is imperative to decision making.
2. “Schizophrenia patients with prominent positive symptoms were unable to integrate cognitive and emotional components of decision making which may contribute to their inability to generate adaptive behaviors in social and individual environments.”
3. And we must not forget, bipolar disorder. With the various and numerous mood swings, they make it is extremely difficult to nail down a decision. This is especially the case during manic episodes.
Symptoms of the inability to make a decision
- Paralyzed;
- Unable to conjure up basic problem solving skills;
- The world does not turn to black and white. Everything is a muted gray;
- Your brain is sawed in half;
- Your brain is asleep;
- Stressed;
- Feel wrong making any decision or no decision;
- Overwhelmed;
- A heavy weight on you;
- Cannot function;
- Distracted;
- Annoyed; and
- Emotional.
How to overcome indicisions
- Make a list – When I need to make a big decision, I get out a piece of paper and fill that paper with pros and cons. This exercise will help you see positive and negative parts of the decision.
- Sleep on it – You probably heard someone say to “sleep on it”. This means before making a decision, you sleep on the possible answers. When you wake up the next day, you should have a clearer picture of the decision.
- Take your time – Some decisions can take a couple minutes, hours or days to make. If you have the time, take every second. Make your list, sleep on it. It will help you make a clearer choice.
- Talk it out – Find someone in your life whom you trust and has a history of making good decisions. Go talk to them. Take your pros and cons list. Remember, their answer does not have to agree with yours in the end. You concern is with the process.
Call to Action
Share this information with a friend or family member who you know needs help making decisions.
making decisions
Comments
Tell me how you make your decisions in the comments below. Or you may email me at [email protected].
References
Going Further
https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/02/03/do-you-have-difficulty-making-decisions/
http://www.heysigmund.com/anxiety-interferes-decision-making-stop-intruding/
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The post Twelve bipolar GIF’s appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>Step out when you are ready to encourage others with your story. Reach out to safe places such as the local chapter of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance in your hometown or state. There you can share your journey with mental illness.
12 Bipolar GIF’s
- My moods cannot be controlled as if scheduling them on a calendar.
Oh, how I wish I could control my moods that way! I will never be depressed in the morning or the afternoon or evening. Or when it is raining. Or when my husband goes to work. My racing thoughts would shut up when I go to bed, get a massage or get a shower or bubble bath. I will have just the right amount of mania to help me tackle the cleaning. Or to have it when I am at the grocery store so I can get out of there fast.
You get what you get. Manic, hypomanic or depressed.
Bipolar is a brain disorder, too. I am incapable of stopping or starting the bipolar roller coaster that is going on inside my head. The chemicals in my brain fire or do not fire due to bipolar. I take medicine to help push or pull my brain in the right direction so I can function.
2. This is a pretty good illustration of my bipolar moods every day. 
It is rare that I would go a day without my moods shifting in any direction. As you see in the cell phone GIF, this represents just how quickly my moods can change.
Just recently, I spoke with a woman who has bipolar, too. She was explaining how long she goes between episodes. “Wow! Good for her!” I thought. For me,I have ultradian cycling most of the day or mixed episodes. This basically means my moods change a bunch.
3. This is what it looks like in my mind during a manic episode. I am 
constantly thinking and talking to myself. The ideas are coming in like a meteor shower. I feel alive. Excited. I can climb Mt. Everest by myself. I am signing up for all kinds of opportunities without any time to dedicate to them. Buying all kinds of shoes and purses. And talking to people who I have been avoiding for months.
4. Sometimes, I act out at the grocery store when I am manic-y with rage. It does’t take much. I may be standing in a mile-long line, the person in front of me is not going fast enough, the item I want to purchase is not available or the aisle I want to enter has a shopping cart jam. Sometimes words actually come out. In the state of mood I am in, I do not care it I am heard. And sometimes they are all trapped in my mind, unable to scream out due to prayer. Yes! Prayer. Needless to say, I do a lot of praying while at the grocery. .
5. This is me when my thoughts flow easily and are also coherent and organized when I am writing. They basically make sense, I am creative with boundless energy. I can stay up all night writing. I feel young again. I am a writing scholar. Dreams and delusions flood my mind about the present and the future. 
6. This describes the sum of the various parts of my mind and body when I am in an ultradian cycle. I tend to flip-flop between each pole. The frequency of which the moods change could happen in months, years, weeks, days or hours. I have managed to switch from depression to mania in mere seconds multiple times. Tears falling from my eyes,staining my cheeks. At the same time, I am laughing like I’m mad. It scared the shit out of my husband. Now that says a lot, because he is a real tough guy.
7. This is when I cannot write PERIOD. I cannot form sentences, paragraphs – not to mention thoughts or ideas! This is happening a great deal lately. I started drafts of about six or more blog posts from the beginning of February up until now. NONE of the drafts have been completed and published. Today, I was depressed most of the day and it has taken me all day long to work on a post. It still will not be finished in time to publish. The depression always stunts the growth of the creativity. 
8. When I have a bipolar road rage moment, I sound my horn, loudly and proudly. That is really as far as it goes in the real world. Now I might drive more aggressively to my destination, let the incident stew in my head and even tell my husband with grandeur what happened once he gets home from work. I’m so glad brains are private and horns are loud. 
9. This is me when I am in a mixed episode. During a mixed episode, you experience both mania and depression at the same time. Whenever I am mixed, I cannot make up my mind what I want to do because both poles are tugging at me What I usually do in a mixed state is just sit there and stare into nothing. 
10. This is my psychotic brain everyday. Hallucinations in all five senses. 
Delusions that never go away. Paranoid in my own house and outside my house. I do not like going to bed for fear of what will be done to me. And I had a psychotic break.
11. GIF’s of people who have bipolar. They look just like all the other people around them. They are moms, dads, brothers, sisters, painters, teachers, doctors, chefs, actresses, pastors, secretaries, judges, counselors, you name it.
Carrie Fisher
Bradley Cooper
Delonte West
Ernest Hemmingway
Amy Winehouse
Catherine Zeta-Jones
References
https://giphy.com/explore/bipolar-happiness
https://giphy.com/search/bipolar-road-rage
https://giphy.com/search/bipolar-laptop-rage
https://giphy.com/search/bipolar-psychotic
https://giphy.com/explore/carrie-fisher
https://giphy.com/search/bipolar
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Unmotivated bipolar – what it looks like
It never fails, I get excited about a little project I want to accomplish, then somebody or something throws the brake release and I come to a dead stop. You need to realize that people with this symptom feel horrible. I mean dirt off a tin can in the sewer horrible. The body is encased in concrete from head to toe. It hurts to move. Actually they can’t move in most situations. All I ever want to do is stare at a wall or out the window for hours unending. I want to cry. I want to cut myself. I want to cuss somebody out. I want to hit a punching bag.
Decisions
At this juncture, I can either pick myself off the floor and fight tooth and nail against unmotivated bipolar. Or I can just sit back like the beagle seen here. Chillin’ out and waiting for the sun to rise on the horizon. This too shall pass. I have made both decisions. I had my reasons. But I have chosen to get on the couch and stare more times then I care to admit.
How can you help?
Yes, you can help. I challenge you to be a proactive friend. If your mentally ill co-worker is having motivation issues at work, then try out the following.
- Be a listening ear. The last thing they want is someone yammering in their ear about kids, work, finances, blah-blah-blah. Now I do not mean to paint bipolars as self-centered friends. The truth of the matter, the majority of this world does not know how to talk to an unmotivated bipolar, or to someone with depression, or PTSD, or AD/HD, bipolar, schizophrenia. You catch my drift?
- Do not draw attention to your friend. They are already hurting enough. If they want to do something, go to a quiet dinner or coffee shop or bookstore and enjoy each others company.
- Do not kid with them or scold them for not being productive. Listen, we really do want to be productive. Honestly. The chemicals in our brain are working against us.
- Get a bead on your friend whether or not they want encouragement. Usually, I just want to be left alone.
- Snoopy is correct when he says he is the victim. When your brain chemistry is f*cked up like ours, It is like somebody has come in and flooded my brain with radiator fluid. Just be a friend.
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The post You Tube video on 10 Common Warning Signs of Mental Health in Teens and Young Adults appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>The warning signs of mental health are everywhere. A teenager who sleeps all evening every evening behind a closed door. A father who does not want to go home, stops by the local pub every night after work A young college waitress risking it all to pick up every guy she meets on the job. A high school athlete hides his fear of not being able to play because he is so anxious that he has panic attacks. A mom pops pain pills all day thinking that it will stop the pain she feels deep down inside.
I hope you enjoy this You Tube video. You never know, with your knowledge of the warning signs of mental health, you could one day save someone’s life.
Help is here
Going Further
About Amy Pierce Romine
I am an award-winning blogger, freelance writer, speaker and social media consultant on topics regarding mental health. The symptoms of my bipolar 1 with psychotic features, rapid cycling and mixed episodes remained unnoticed from my early childhood days through high school where I grew up in an alcoholic home. I went completely manic in my twenties and did not have my first diagnosis and treatment until 2007. My blog, Life Conquering is an award winning blog. You may find me at https://blog.feedspot.com/bipolar_disorder_blogs/.
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mental illness blog
About Amy Pierce Romine
I am a freelance writer, award-winning blogger, speaker, copy editor and social media consultant. My blog, Life Conquering was chosen to be one of the “Top 100 Bipolar Blogs”. Please visit my award-winning blog at the address below.
https://blog.feedspot.com/bipolar_disorder_blogs/.
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life’s ups and downs
Life’s ups and down
You never know when life or people or situations will throw you a curve ball. I had a big curve ball that initiated an up and down that left me wondering the uncertainties of my life. Someone or something like a car, house, job or marriage can be there one minute and another minute get swallowed up from the fallout from life’s ups and downs.
I turned the new diagnosis of diabetes of Jake, my Dachshund/Beagle mix up and down into a learning opportunity. I have always been scared of needles since they used to make me very woozy. When I was taught to give Jake his insulin shots, I shocked myself right out of my socks! I had no problem giving him his insulin. At the beginning of his diagnosis, I was of the mindset that James, my husband, needed to learn how to give the shots to Jake, too. Then, I could easily get out of the responsibility.
Subsequently, when Jake got so sick that we thought we were going to lose him twice, I worried I had failed at my attempts to carry out the doctor’s orders. My heart was aching for my little buddy. I was frightened when I saw him lose muscle control in his back legs, fall down and shake almost like having a seizure. I wanted to freak out! At the same time, I wanted to be strong for my Jake. Changing my focus from failure to strength, even in tears, helped me think more clearer in the situation. Jake is getting better with an increase in his insulin. Now we are learning to deal with all the tiny pieces of this canine diabetic puzzle.
mental illness ups and downs
Mental illness ups and downs
Another puzzle I am still attempting to figure out, is my mental health. In the past, I have spoken about the roller coaster rides I have been on concerning my own mental illness. Sometimes, I was not very victorious because I tended to focus on the negative. Hence I rolled over and took a nap on my couch or called James up crying. At the moment, that seemed like the appropriate things to do. While under the pressures of the past two to three weeks, I decided to choose different tactics instead o sleeping and crying. I looked at the situations I was going through square in the face, pulled up my big girl panties, said a prayer and dove in.
One of my changes/promises for this year was to not to give up so easily. When I would give up, I would make all kinds of excuses for myself. I was pathetic. I hated the person I had become. You see, this promise to leave my excuses behind has been extremely difficult. No matter if it were an up or a down I made excuses for everything I did or did not do.
It is easy to make excuses with my bipolar 1 with psychotic features, rapid cycling and mixed episodes because it is challenging to live with. Now, I did fight through a few things and left the the excuses at home. With most things I didn’t even attempt to fight.
I have read in memoirs, on the internet as well as have seen for myself in support groups just how strong a bipolar person like me can be through the ups and downs of my mental health and life. It is a lot of work fighting, yet it is worth every second of it.
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The post Mental health blog expanding its resources appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>I have added onto Life Conquering’s resources that it offers. All of these resources are in line with the organization’s mission statement. The mission statement of this mental health blog is to encourage those people who have a mental illness and to educate those who do not thereby tearing down the walls of stigma.
Below I have included the names of the tabs which correspond to the services that we offer. You will need to go to https://lifeconquering.org/ and look at the top of the landing page for the red tabs.
Mental Health Resources
This tab has information for people who are in a mental health crisis and need to talk with somebody over the phone for help. There are toll-free phone numbers listed as well as links to websites.
About Amy Romine
If you want to see a picture of the mental heath blogger, this is the tab to look in. I give a brief statement on Life Conquering as well as a bit of short history on me. If you have been to the About page in the past, it is different now.
Mission Statement
I have the organization’s mission statement here in this tab. If you have any questions about our mission statement, email me at [email protected].
mental health blog
Freelance Writer and Blogger
As you may know, I not only write for Life Conquering but also for print and digital magazines as well as other blogs. I mention the topics I am most familiar with in this tab as well as the bottom range of my fees.
Social Media Consultant
In this tab you will get a sense of my expertise and what I can offer you for your blog and/or website. I may already have my first customer!!
Mental Health Speaker
I have experience speaking about mental health and being a mental health blogger. My focus is always the mission statement – encourage and educate If you would like for someone to come to your workplace, church, civic organization, police department, school or wherever else you see the need for mental health encouragement and education. I am also able to speak on topics such as social media, how to get started as a writer or on WordPress.
Contact Information
Email me at [email protected] to set up a Facebook Messaging conference or over the phone.
About Amy Pierce Romine
I am a freelance writer, blogger along with speaker and social media consultant on topics regarding mental health. My bipolar 1 with psychotic features, rapid cycling and mixed episodes remained unnoticed from my early childhood days through high school where I grew up in an alcoholic home. I went completely manic in my twenties and did not have my first diagnosis and treatment until 2007.
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