January is a hard month for me. (As it is for MOST of us, I imagine.) The end of the year is full of so much joy. I look at the next year as a clean slate, waiting for me to put my mark on it. I wake up on New Year’s Day and letContinue reading “January exhaustion”
Author Archives: loribarett
Goodbye, 2021. Hello, 2022.
Happy New Year. Welcome to 2022. Every year, on December 31st, I take my time to sit down and think. It’s my way of celebrating my successes and accepting what needs working on or working toward. The past year, as a whole, has been extremely difficult. The pandemic. Politics. Climate. Stupid people. I just hadContinue reading “Goodbye, 2021. Hello, 2022.”
Med management only
As it turns out, the mental health care clinic I go to for my therapist and psych has a policy I was unaware of or had long forgotten about. In order to continue seeing my doctor (the writer of my psych med prescriptions) I *must* be seeing a therapist within that clinic. So what amContinue reading “Med management only”
Tick, tick, Boom?
I used to think that by the age of 40 I would have my life figured out. That wasn’t me comparing myself to other people. It wasn’t me saying I *should* have my life figured out by age 40. It just made sense to me. It felt like the natural progression of how my lifeContinue reading “Tick, tick, Boom?”
Thanksgiving – AKA one of my least favorite days of the year
Nearly everyone I know has been gearing up for the big American holiday coming up this Thursday. A day of feasting, family, friends, and feelings of gratitude. Thanksgiving for me, though, is a day that causes sadness, loneliness, anxiety, and reminders of everything I don’t believe I have in my life. This does sound likeContinue reading “Thanksgiving – AKA one of my least favorite days of the year”
Stability. What to do next?
Off and on, I’ve been thinking about something big for a while. I am doing really fucking well with my mental health stability (even the ups or downs I’ve had have been minor and quickly dealt with). I’m not the only person who has noticed this, either. So it’s not just in my own mind.Continue reading “Stability. What to do next?”
Lessons from a therapist for ADD
I’ve known for quite some time that I had some form of ADD/ADHD. My long-time therapist pinged it right away, as well. However, my psych insisted we were wrong and that was the end of that! The symptoms were just my bipolar and anxiety, said he. (BAH!) So I didn’t get the “official” diagnosis untilContinue reading “Lessons from a therapist for ADD”
Routine
Routine keeps me grounded. It helps keep my anxiety at bay. It helps keep me focused. Routine is essential to me. My routine got all kinds of messed up this week! And I’m not coping. First: My therapist switched the time of our monthly sessions on me with no advance notice. (Advance notice being atContinue reading “Routine”
Ooops
I gave myself a grade 2 calf strain yesterday. … By getting off a bus. I am in so much stupid amounts of pain! And frustration. And anger. And depression. I’m so tired of my body falling apart on me, at just 41 years old. A friend (one I’m in awe of, to be honest!)Continue reading “Ooops”
Love. Joy. Happiness.
As we enter October, which is always one of my toughest months, I want to start off by saying something simple, but positive. I love. I experience joy. I seek happiness. There is nothing that keeps me going more than reminding myself of those three things. “Joy comes from the heart. It is not relativeContinue reading “Love. Joy. Happiness.”
Celebrity voices
We are surrounded by public figures acting (or being pushed into the role) as role-models for their fans. Actors, singers, athletes… celebrities have a platform that we don’t. And when they use their platforms to bring things into the open, it helps everyone see “we aren’t alone.” Here are some of the celebrities I couldContinue reading “Celebrity voices”
A mental health disorder is not the end
When I got my bipolar diagnosis at 21 years old I thought, “that’s it.” The only people I knew back then who had bipolar struggled through life. Most of them couldn’t keep a job. They had to be on disability benefits. They couldn’t live independently. They struggled with relationships. I had three friends who hadContinue reading “A mental health disorder is not the end”
Suicide Prevention
September is recognized annually as National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Suicidal ideation refers to thinking about, considering, or planning suicide. A suicide attempt is a non-fatal, self-directed, potentially injurious behavior with intent to die as a result of the behavior. A suicide attempt might not result in injury. Suicide is defined as death caused byContinue reading “Suicide Prevention”
National Suicide Prevention Week
September 5-11, 2021https://afsp.org/national-suicide-prevention-week I will have a lot more to talk about on this topic later this week. But I want to say this today. Suicide is hard to talk about, but I do want to always make people aware that it is not and should not be a taboo subject. We are currently withinContinue reading “National Suicide Prevention Week”
Three months in
From the creation of this website I stated that writing a blog is hard. Particularly when the subject matter grows more intensely personal as time passes. But I’m doing it. It’s getting easier, week by week, to let go of my fears and open up about aspects of living with a mental illness that IContinue reading “Three months in”
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