joy

My Brain’s Not Broken Song of the Month – Don’t Matter Now

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I love music. I love listening to it, having it on in the background, seeing it live, popping on a record. I love the way music can make me feel any and every emotion there is, sometimes without even trying. Most importantly, I love music because of the way it impacts my mental health.

That’s why, each month on My Brain’s Not Broken, I’m going to share a song with you. It might be a song I can’t stop listening to at the moment, or a song I have a history with. It could be a song I don’t know much about, or I’ve listened to a thousand times. Regardless of the reason, these songs have inspired me and my mental health, and I want to share them with you. Whether you’ve heard of them or not, I hope these songs give you more insight into my world and my approach to mental health.

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Time for an Appreciation Post!

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A few months ago marked four years of My Brain’s Not Broken and I will be honest – I did a terrible job of marking this milestone. Like many other people, 2021 has felt like a whirlwind of a year, and it’s felt almost impossible to keep up with everything. Every day brings tasks to accomplish and challenges to overcome, and if you don’t stop and look at the bigger picture, you miss some things. So I thought it was about time I got back around to sharing an appreciation post – for the many wonderful people who read this blog, and the amazing things I’ve experienced from sharing my mental health journey for the last four-plus years.

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A Little Bit of Joy Goes A Long Way

Nathan Smith2 Comments

The inspiration for today’s post comes from my blogging friend Mio who runs Mentally Ill in America, a space where he shares his lived experiences in a clear and present way that I love. I enjoyed one of his latest posts, “Why I Keep Getting Back in the Ring,” which was about what makes you get back in the ‘ring’ of living with mental illness (I hope I got that right, Mio!). I left a comment saying that one of the things that gets me out of the ring is that there’s a possibility of happiness and joy every morning, and it’s one of my main motivations every day. After further reflection, I’d like to expand a little more on the important role that joy plays in my life – even though I rarely experience it.

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Halloween and Bringing Joy to Others

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Happy Halloween everybody! I could have used it being on a weekend, but I guess I’ll have to settle for waiting for next year. Spoilers on this post: Halloween is not actually my favorite holiday (heartbreaking, I know). But instead of explaining why I’m not all that into Halloween, I’d instead like to explain why it makes me happy to see all the people who are into Halloween.

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