Insta Monday

If you read my blog regularly, you are in the know how much I believe in positivity.  I'm not always successful radiating it from myself but I try to always surround myself with it via friends, social media, work, family and church.  Instagram has become one of my favorite mediums for positivity, especially on a Monday morning.  My two favorites from this morning are below.  Once again, a true example of how we never know what we put out there is affecting others.  Dusty Takle and Jennifer Meyer affected me this morning.  Hey, maybe Jen will send me some jewelry for the mention (a girl can always hope!)

Depression is a bastard

It's been a while... I have immersed myself into my job, successfully spent a week in NYC for market and am beyond thrilled for my favorite season of the year to arrive.  College football is up and running at Bethany Bend on the back porch!  Therapy, support groups, football, Nashville and Scandal are all on the docket for the next few weeks.  

I have struggled to explain depression to people.  A rather long article was in the Huffington Post not too long ago and it touched me beyond belief.  Such an accurate description.  I wanted to share a few parts which I found to be profound.  Happy first week of Fall to all!  

The media portrays depression as sadness. It doesn't portray the screaming and self-harm and trips to the hospital at 3 a.m. It doesn't portray the entire truth. It's hard to watch the people you love the most sit at the bottom of a very large dark hole and remain helpless and on the edge looking down with no safety rope to pull them out.

Depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar, eating disorders -- if you look around right now I bet half of the people surrounding you are fighting one of these silent battles. They are soldiers, and like anyone fighting a disease they deserve compassion and recognition. People with mental illness are sick and engaged in a battle every day with life.

Depression is a bastard. It crawls inside of you and debilitates every dream and aspiration you've ever had. It incapacitates your basic function and controls every aspect of who you are. You can't hide from it when you want to, and you can't explain it to anyone else. It's not even just sadness, it's physical pain and passiveness. The world around you keeps moving and you are there, remaining still and lethargic. That's the thing about depression -- it's silent, and it doesn't care if you are black or white, male or female, rich or poor. You can be standing on a train next to someone reading a book and that person could be screaming inside, clinging on to their last hope of life. 

Something needs to change. Something has to change. It's hard to live in a society that has sadness for cancer and shame for suicide.

Alaina Baker - Huffington Post

Surround yourself with happy

If there's one thing I can "double confirm" since March 7th, I exist best in a positive environment - positive things, positive people are best for me.  

I've also learned to surround myself with things to make me smile when I'm feeling blue.  I'm encouraging you to do the same.  A few nutty examples are below of things I have on my phone and right beside my desk to make me smile through tears.  

Apparently Kid

Support

Sparing the personal details, it was a tiring day in our family Tuesday.  After a long work day, the last thing we wanted to do was drive through 400 traffic to an hour and a half support group in Dunwoody.  I've often thought that some of my favorite times in life are when I didn't want to do something but end up having fun when I least expect to.  While I wouldn't call a support group necessarily "fun", it was a powerful group and night.  

I'll share at random a few things I learned.  I'm sharing these things to encourage anyone who may be reading this who is in fear of going to a support group alone to hopefully push you in the direction of attending.  Whether it be AA, NA, Al-anon, divorce, grief, weight loss, etc., there is power in numbers of people who share your illness.  You are not alone.  


1.  It is empowering to help others with my experience.

2.  It is okay to ask for help.  

3.  I can cry and break down and not feel judged.  

4.  Reward system -  I showered today -- gold star!  I made a to do list - gold star!  Rewarding ourselves for the little things and big things in life.   

5.  Meds, Food, Spirituality, Sleep, Exercise - 5 important items to focus on.  

6.  Mood disorder caregivers need an outlet too.  

7.  Hedonic treadmill - yes, the term exists.  Google it.  

8.  Support from others is vital to wellness.  

9.  It is courageous to walk into a room of strangers.  

10.  DBSA is a nonjudgmental, supportive atmosphere which I am grateful my husband found.   Links are below for DBSA and for the Atlanta & Johns Creek chapters.  

Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance

Atlanta DBSA

DBSA Johns Creek

  

Battles