I put a lot of pressure on my writing. Sometimes writing about mental health is a release. It helps me express things I can’t say, and put into words a feeling or emotion I’ve had trouble explaining. But it’s also difficult, in many ways, to write when experiencing anxiety. In those moments, it feels like every word has to be perfect or flow naturally. But perfection is the enemy of good (I’m trying hard to learn this lesson), so I want to share a little of how I’m feeling at the moment.
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The Value of Feeling
Several times a day, I’m reminded of how important it is to feel. I don’t mean to be happy or sad, nervous or stressed out. But I mean to feel, really feel, an emotion coming over me or an action that I’m taking. This might sound a little out there, or even simplistic, so I hope you can stick with me for this post. But today, I want to share how valuable it is to actually, really, truly feel your feelings.
Continue readingForming Healthy Habits Amidst Setbacks
Living with mental illness can make people feel like they’re failing all the time. Moments of progress can feel impossible to recapture after a misstep. We can be very harsh on our failures, and our reactions can exacerbate those failures. Mental health setbacks happen to everyone, but they can be hard to deal with. Despite our failures, we should still strive to build healthy habits and goals to work toward. So, how can we form healthy habits when we feel like we have constant setbacks?
Continue readingClosing Thoughts During Suicide Prevention Month 2022
Every year when I reach the end of Suicide Prevention Month, I take time to reflect on what I’ve learned this month and how that helps my work in suicide prevention going forward. Some years I learn more than others but either way, September is a valuable month of awareness and reflection. While there’s so much that’s being done in the way of suicide prevention, this month is also a reminder that there’s more work to do.
Continue readingAmbition And Depression
They gon’ love me for my ambition… – Wale
I’ve always had an interesting relationship with the word ambition. As long as I can remember, I’ve been told ambition is something you need. It’s hard to meet and necessary for success. Without ambition, we’re all floating around without a care in the world. I’ve always thought myself to be an ambitious person. I have dreams of what I want to do, what I want my life to look like. But some things get in the way of ambition and today, I want to share about one of those things.
Continue readingHaving Conversations About Suicide Prevention
After working on this blog for nearly five years, I understand how difficult conversations about mental health can be. There’s a level of nuance that must be applied to these conversations. Everyone is unique, which means that the way we handle certain issues and problems is also unique. That’s why, even though they can be difficult, conversations about suicide prevention are important – and each one of us can help.
Continue readingHelpful Resources During Suicide Prevention Month 2022
CW: This post discusses suicide and suicide awareness.
Last week was the beginning of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. This month is extremely important because it’s a chance to have honest, open discussions about suicide and suicide prevention. More so, it’s a good time to share resources for those who may need them, as well as people who are looking for information to distribute this month. These are resources that I’ve found in recent years, and I’m re-upping them to give people as many resources as possible.
Continue readingFive Ways To Cope With Limitations
As I wrote about earlier this week, it’s been a very interesting road to coming to terms with some of my limitations. Identifying my limitations (whether they’re physical, mental, emotional, etc.) is an important part of growth I’m coming to terms with. But the next step is more challenging: how do I cope with these limitations? How do I manage my feelings around them so they don’t make me upset, annoyed or depressed? I found five things I’m going to start trying in an effort to cope with some of my limitations, and I hope these offer some help to anyone looking to do the same!
Continue readingA Look at Mental Health in the LGBTQIA+ Community During Pride Month 2022
For the past few years, I’ve done research surrounding mental health and the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month. I think it’s important to understand what mental health challenges exist for unique communities and groups of people, and these statistics help paint that picture. There is a lot to unpack here, but one thing is clear – there are many, many LGBTQIA+ people, both youth and adults, who are unable to get the mental health care they need and deserve.
Continue readingIntroducing My New Project: Negative Thoughts, Positive Person!
Happy Thursday! Earlier this week, I mentioned I’m cooking up a few new projects as part of my attempt to grow into more of a mental health advocate and activist. One of the biggest reasons I want to get into a different type of space (don’t worry, MBNB isn’t going anywhere!) is that in the years I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve come to understand the power of conversation. The ability to share my story and my experience has been profoundly important to my mental health, and without that space to learn and grow, I wouldn’t be where I am today. That’s why I’m excited to announce that starting next month, I’m going to be sharing some of my broader thoughts and reflections in a new form – an email newsletter I’m calling Negative Thoughts, Positive Person.
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My Brain's Not Broken 