It’s been barely an hour, and I’m already in the throes of withdrawal. My body’s tense, my muscles jumpy. My heart is racing, and I’m finding it hard to catch my breath. I’m feeling wired, with an unaccustomed energy that threatens to morph into a panic attack. What’s the addiction I’m fighting? Is it booze,… [Read More]
Summer was a bummer, but I’m back
It’s the first full day of autumn, an auspicious day for new beginnings, and for better or worse, I’m back on my blog, after a leave of absence that lasted virtually all summer. I’ve been mired in a deep depression that stole over me last May, robbing me of my motivation and self-confidence, convincing me… [Read More]
Depression – forecast cloudy, cool and drizzly?
Weather report from the dreary Northeast: cloudy, cool and gray with intermittent drizzles – a lot like the weather inside my head the past few days. Outside, they’re predicting a positive change, and tomorrow’s forecast promises a perfect spring day, sunny with temps in the seventies. I wish my mental state would brighten too, but… [Read More]
Happiness is the right drug – or so I said in church yesterday
I was Sunday service leader for our Unitarian Universalist congregation yesterday. The sermon topic was “Psychology of Happiness,” and since I’ve lived relatively happily with bipolar disorder for many years now, it’s a subject on which I consider myself an expert. Here was the Reverend Sam Trumbore’s preview of the service as it appeared in… [Read More]
UU – A spiritual home for the holidays
Last Sunday, as Service Leader at my Unitarian Universalist congregation, I started the service with a mini-testimonial. I joined my first UU congregation at a particularly dark, stressful period in my life. I’d say it’s been a Godsend, but like most UU’s, I’m not comfortable using the G word. In this darkest time of the… [Read More]
Depressed? Today is National Depression Screening Day
Did you know that this is National Depression Screening Day? No? Neither did I, until I checked my Inbox this morning and found the following story. I believe it’s important enough to reprint in full. Economic Downturn Taking Toll on Americans’ Mental Health New National Survey Finds Jobless Individuals Four Times as Likely to… [Read More]