It is clear to those around me that something was on my mind. I’ve never been very good at hiding things, even though that was one of the main tasks that depression wanted me to focus on. Secrets were and are one of depression’s tools that kept me listening to it and it alone. I…
Category: The cost of success
“I know that’s going to leave a mark”
The last year of this decade was overly complicated, frightening and dramatic. It started off in January of 2019 with waking up not being able to breath. It wasn’t that there was no air, it was as if someone had taken the life-giving oxygen out of the air that I was breathing in. I would…
Surviving Depression and thriving as I write my 200th blog post
I’m still alive and able to make choices about my life! Approaching my 200th blog post, I went back and read some of my earlier posts. Boy, I was really a mess. In some ways I still am. Here’s part of what I wrote on my 100th blog post: That first morning, I was told…
All I need is a couple of days off
The final cost of my trip to Chicago is almost paid. Today is the 7th day in a row of work before I have a day off. My days off for the SMART Conference wrapped around last week’s schedule and so I have worked straight through since last Wednesday. That’s 9 hours+ of actual work,…
Celebrities are admitting they have depression. I am not alone!
I subscribe to some pretty awesome blogs. I have learned a lot about depression and mental illness in general from these talented writers. Their new blog posts appear in my in box daily. Yesterday, my jaw dropped as I read the headline for a new blog post by Chelsea Owens. Celebrities with Mental Health Issues:…
With your encouragement, I have written 100 blog posts
That translates into over 83,000 words about my journey with depression. And the journey is just getting started. Journaling has been one of my self-care activities. Writing about what I am feeling and thinking has been a way for me to work through my depression and “get in touch with my feelings.” This is still…
The heater was emitting Carbon Monoxide and we were dying.
I was reminded today that when I was 5 years old, I saved the family from asphyxiation. We had moved from New Jersey to Mobile Alabama in 1960. My father was an engineer and he had a chance to go to work for this new government startup called NASA. They had facilities in Mobile. So…
How I Prepare for a Therapy Appointment
Is normalcy my new normal?
I don’t want to jinx it. As I build my life with the depression, I know the path is not straight. Yet for most of this past week, I have felt human. I have felt almost in control. I have felt a lot like me. That is exciting and frightening at the same time. I…
Stick a fork in me, I’m done
I am worn out tired. Presenting five workshops in three days meant expending a huge amount of positive energy. And my support system was not traveling with me. I got home late this afternoon, ready to relax and re-charge. But that was not in the cards, at least not yet. There are follow-up emails from…
