I look in the mirror and all I think about is how much of a failure I am. Am I broken? Is this my fate? Do I have some miswired fuse in my head that makes me this way? I have suffered from depression through different phases in my life, but the latest one was the most dysfunctional. Continue reading The Other Side
By: Delightfullyunlucky When you over-think, you can only ever go either one of two ways…You can either be too hopeful, or you can create problems that aren’t there. Over-thinking can never lead anyone in the right direction. This is probably the main cause of unnecessary fights and break-ups. Not just in relationships between couples, but between friends too. I am guilty of doing this; it’s … Continue reading Obsessive Over-thinker
For a long time, I felt it was something I wasn’t ready to talk about. I wasn’t ashamed, but I felt as though my confidence was still too low to put that out there. For me, it wasn’t the stigma that was attached to mental health that made me worry about speaking out – I was very open with people who knew me. It was because I still feared the person who made me feel that way (especially as they still make comments about me today!), despite no longer having to work with them. Continue reading The Great Escape
It was in 2014, following a second drink-driving charge and a six-month suspension from USA Swimming, that Michael Phelps started to talk. It wasn’t easy at first. The 23-time Olympic gold medalist had suffered a downward spiral that had got so bad he confined himself to one room for five days. But talking has helped and Phelps — the most decorated Olympian of all time … Continue reading Michael Phelps – I Didn’t Want to be Alive
In my point of view, writing has always been a relationship rather than an action verb and every relationship has routine characteristics to employ success. In this case, members of the relationship are myself, the topic I am writing about and the circumstances I write under. Over time, this love triangle has made me realize that there are rituals that I participate in during every … Continue reading A Writer’s Love Triangle
Dear Mai, Every step you take in life will have consequence, this includes the good and the bad. Therefore, think before taking any actions. In other words, don’t make promises when happy and don’t take decisions when you’re sad. And mind you, there will be many instances for the latter because you will be hurt by the closest people to you and that includes your family. You … Continue reading A Letter to My Younger Self
Written by M.E. When ordinary words failed to describe the break up I had to go through, I decided to put it in rhymes. Feet soaked in muddy rain Running down cold roads to drown the pain Wicked smiles signal the storm What’s abnormal and what’s the norm? Behind the sincere silence, I choke on every word Trying to express emotions that got slurred So … Continue reading Can’t Lose the Race
Written by C.D.Z. How do I sum up 31 years with mental illness? I don’t. I can’t. What I can do is say that I’m not big on labels. I have a few of them. Paranoid schizophrenic. Bipolar. PTSD. OCD. Generalized anxiety disorder. Bulimia (non-purging). Breast cancer (caused by medication). Crohns. Homeless. I could go on but like I said: I’m not big on labels. … Continue reading Labels Are For The Lazy
Written by Mai Elsayed “If we could look into each other’s hearts and understand the unique challenges each of us face, I think we would treat each other more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.” Said Marvin J. Ashton Since I was a little girl, my mind would comprehend things quiet differently than the people in my community. I would observe scenes and … Continue reading Mental Illness Feels Like: Creative reflection
Written by: Kelley McElreath, The Survivor Coach http://www.thesurvivorcoach.com Looking back on my life prior to my attempted suicide, I now see the spiral so clearly. I was so, so sad. I knew something was wrong with me but I really and truly thought it was just what happens to a person after finishing their treatment for cancer. I mean, that is what all the doctor’s said would … Continue reading The Bridge, The Bullet & The Overdose
The Human Side 