Non-essential businesses are closing. The mall attached to where I work is closed. It is an eerie sight. With gates down, access is limited to the occasional security guard making the rounds. And at first, there were custodians cleaning the floors and seating surfaces. At another local mall, Chick-Fil-A has a tent set up near…
Category: SMART – Self Management And Recovery Training
Five names for my depression
Concealed depression has been my life. I have racked up 43+ years of hiding my depression, even from myself. This has led me to jump through hoops and do all kinds of crazy shenanigans to keep it hidden. From ignoring it to justifying it by using an unhelpful thinking style, I have lived with depression…
There are still doors my keys do not open
The problem is not all or nothing. Although it feels like that when I am stuck, immobile and indecisive. Once the day gets going, I am better equipped to use the tools I have learned to meet and defeat problems as they come my way. Between SMART Recovery, WRAP training, Peer Support at On Our…
Today I’m feeling like “what’s the point?”
My dog has a twenty-foot leash we attached to one of the front porch posts. This gives her access to a wide area of grass as we sit on the porch. And it keeps her from heading out over the mountain (which is where she got shot two years ago). She enjoys her time with…
“If I live through this, I want someone to be able to see that they can survive.”
The country music icon Naomi Judd told ABC News and WebMD contributor, Robin Roberts, that she began to feel what she called “completely debilitating and life-threatening depression” in 2010. Read the entire article. She says she “would come home and not leave the house for 3 weeks and not get outta my pajamas, not practice…
Three things I learned while circling the drain
Most of December and the first two weeks of January were draining as depression was trying it’s best to pull me under. Had I not been through this same process less than a year ago, I am sure the outcome would have been the same. But this time, I had tools and a Wellness Recovery…
My “picker” is not working right now
That was the coolest thing I had heard all day. My “picker” is not working. Someone had to explain it to me, as I was only partially sure I understood what the term meant. It turns out the reference is about “choosing a partner.” In the context of substance abuse or recovery, this partner may…
What a terrible thing to say
I can’t believe those were the first words out of my mouth. The day had really ended well despite taking three hours to drive in the heavy, wet snow to work. It turns out the winter storm tracked east, at about the same speed as I was traveling east. I kept thinking it was going…
Seven reasons I am ready for the New Year
I am sure I will make a New Year’s resolution or two. But I won’t need to go far to find them. My resolutions or plan for the new year is the same today as it was yesterday. And it is encompassed in SMART and WRAP training. Without the tools, ideas and support of these…
New attitude, new focus, new desk location?
Right now, I have moving my desk on my list with a lower priority than scheduling my colonoscopy. But the truth is, each time I move my desk, I get a renewed sense of purpose. The actions of cleaning, organizing, and then actually moving the desk gives me a “fresh start.” And happily, I have…
