Depression is more than feeling sad or going through a difficult time. It’s a debilitating clinical condition that requires medical care. If not treated, depression can cause significant problems — or death. Here are five questions everyone should be asking about depression. What exactly is depression? Depression can present differently depending on the person, but […]
For fiction writers: 4 steps to writing your way out of depression
“I believe that words are strong, that they can overwhelm when what we fear seems more awful than life is good.” –Andrew Solomon, The Noonday Demon Writing as a weapon Depression is an evil companion. It challenges us with a duel to the death but takes away the very weapons we need to fight back: […]
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Ways to deal with PTSD triggers
We all come across things that trigger difficult memories, but for people with PTSD, these memories jumpstart a cascade of internal events that washes on panic, horror, or rage. Then there are the triggered thoughts. Sometimes they’re clear and distressing (“it’s happening all over again” or “I deserve this”), at other times a jumbled […]
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11 ways to overcome all adversity
“It is what it is. Isn’t that how these things always go? They are what they are. We just get to cope.” — Mira Grant, Feed Okay, give me a minute. Today I want to get up on my soap box and say “Yay!” to overcoming all adversity, finding the perfect life, and always knowing […]
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What You Need to Know About Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, also called manic depressive disorder, is a mental illness that produces unusual extremes of emotion. These mood states are severe enough to cause problems in the sufferer’s life. Read on for more information. Does having mood swings mean you have bipolar disorder? Not necessarily. We all have natural fluctuations in our mood. There’ll […]
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PTSD: conquering nightmares
People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often suffer from debilitating nightmares. The dreams can be so terrifying the person is afraid to sleep. If this sounds familiar, here are six nightmare-busting methods that might help you conquer those bad dreams. (1) Talk about the nightmares. Share your dreams with someone you trust, ideally a therapist […]
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Journal like your life depends on it
The pen is mightier than the sword, and considerably easier to write with.–Marty Feltman. Mental health providers encourage their patients to keep journals. Sometimes it’s almost obsessive. We journal! Everyone should journal! Write like you’re fighting for your life! But why do we write? I guess it’s because the empty page is a place to […]
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What you need to know about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is about obsessions and compulsions, but what exactly do these words mean? Here’s a little information about this illness. Obsessions. Obsessions are unwanted, repetitive thoughts or mental images that make a person miserable, usually resulting in a decision to avoid the thought altogether. But have you ever tried to not think about […]
