I discovered an interesting comment thread the other day, and by interesting I mean deeply concerning. It was saying that individuals with a history of mental illness have significantly decreased life expectancy, in some cases by as much as 30 years. At first, I thought the rate of suicide within the mentally ill population explained […]
I was listening to a story from NPR’s 1A the other day that included an in-depth discussion of school shooting prevention and the psychological impact on schoolchildren who now have to participate in things like “active shooter drills.” One of the big takeaways is that these drills, especially if not done right, may cause more […]
This past holiday season I had lots of time with family. And while there were times that the noise and festive gatherings were a bit much for my social anxiety, it truly was a blessing. It was a blessing because family are terrific at challenging the lies of mental illness that tell you that you […]
We’ve had a couple of significant cold snaps here in the Chicagoland area. In fact, we are coming out of one right now. In light of this fact, the CTA, which operates the city’s public transit system, has heat lamps at many of their outdoor ”L” stops (for those not familiar with Chicago, the ”L” […]
Yesterday, there was a body hidden in my basement. It was me. I was the body that was hidden. I should probably explain. Yesterday, I took a sick day because my anxiety and depression were particularly bad. I just couldn’t bring myself to deal with people. However, there was a problem with my plan. The […]
These past few days have featured a lot of travel. That travel has taken me to familiar places and unfamiliar places, places I probably wouldn’t have gone if left to my own devices. Who am I kidding, if left to my own devices my social anxiety would keep me in the house. My brain is […]
You may have noticed some people on social media posting photos of themselves from 2009 and 2019. I’ve commented on this before, but these 10-year challenges are an excellent chance to reflect. As such, here are my photos. Maybe it isn’t visible to anyone else, but behind those smiles I see very different stories. […]
