How can you tell?

"The day I came out of my depression..." "My depression cycle has ended..." "I don't feel depressed anymore..." I keep seeing stuff like this across multiple blogs. I don't understand it. How can you decipher the moment that your depression has lifted? Is there a particular feeling in your gut or thought in your head? …

A new psychiatrist with a new plan for my future

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." -Socrates A couple of weeks ago, I shared about having to change psychiatrists and my concern for what that would entail. It wasn't as terrible as I thought it'd be. Actually, it was quite …

Patient Abandonment?

Patient abandonment... I just stumbled across this term yesterday, but never really knew that this was such a thing. It can even have legal consequences and malpractice lawsuits. Like many others, I had a therapist and a psychiatrist who worked together to discuss what was best for my mental health treatment. My therapist, who is …

Taking FULL Responsibility

I emphasize full because we often don't take absolute responsibility for our decisions and/or actions.Okay, something happens to you which was out of your control, like a car accident. I mean, maybe it was your fault for being on your phone while driving, but that isn't the actual point. The point is that regardless of …

The [Sometimes] Unbearable Wait to See a Psychologist

Personally, I was aware of this issue for a while. After visiting a psychologist on a regular basis for 10 years, it wasn't news to me that there was an enormous demand for psychologists. But, I only started to feel the scarcity of available appointments during the past couple of weeks. Lets take a peek …

Reshaping your thoughts

I was not in a good place yesterday, mentally. I called to try and get into my therapist as soon as possible, but that was useless. The first available appointment is after Christmas. That's the thing with Kaiser Permanente...there seems to be a lack of therapists and social workers compared to the amount of patients …

Creating a routine & staying consistent

Some people do best with spontaneity, I do best with organization, routine, and consistency. Lately, I've deviated from that and my mind is just about as hazy as the sky in the areas of the California fires. In order to get my head on straight, I need to get organized...and quite frankly, clean my room …

Core Values

I came across this article today on Psychology Today and, as I read it, I realized that I didn't actually know what my specific core values were. So I did an activity! First, I took a HUGE list of core values and italicized the ones that fit me. Then, out of the italicized list, I …

Sometimes, I Miss Being Severely Underweight

I'll be honest...I've been struggling on this topic lately. Like many girls in high school, I struggled with how I perceived myself. Coupled with depression and anxiety, this was just something else to battle. I watched America's Next Top Model religiously and wanted to receive the same attention as those on the show. That's where …

National Recovery Month

I've been quite silent and on the down-low lately. Sadly, I missed Suicide Prevention Week and wasn't able to post anything regarding the subject. But it's still National Recovery Month, which goes hand in hand with mental health. Recovery is an ongoing process, whether it be from prescribed medications, eating disorders, PTSD, depression, anxiety, alcohol, …