I like to think I'm a pro at being depressed. Some of my earliest memories as a kid, looking back, suggest to me that I've had severe depressive episodes all the way back to elementary school. One particular experience I had in middle school, now that I think about it, had to have been an … Continue reading Depressional Confessional
Tag: self-reflection
(Personal) Thoughts From a 38 Year Old
Today is my birthday. It is also the anniversary of the first time atomic weapons were ever used in war, when Hiroshima was bombed on this date in 1945. I'm fascinated by this face, and I like to tell people whenever I talk about my birthday. I used to think I did this because it … Continue reading (Personal) Thoughts From a 38 Year Old
(Personal) Tharn
It's been a rough summer for me, anxiety-wise. The news is full of terrible stories from the current president's administration in the United States, and it's coming so fast the scandals just bleed together. Saying the President or his Cabinet has done something awful that threatens the fabric of democracy is like saying water is … Continue reading (Personal) Tharn
(Self-Improvement) In Praise of Mistakes
Mistakes are a fundamental part of the human condition -- almost as much as our fear of making them. Because of the way we're designed and the reality we live in, we're imperfect creatures limited by our experience, perspective and the momentum of habit. It's natural that these things would push us to do something … Continue reading (Self-Improvement) In Praise of Mistakes
(Personal) A Writer’s Almanac: July 2018
We're in the second half of the year, and now would be an excellent time to review my progress on my New Year's Resolutions. I'm not going to do that, though; I know I've done a terrible job with what I aimed to do in 2018 and I know why. So July is going to … Continue reading (Personal) A Writer’s Almanac: July 2018
(Mental Health) My Depression
Back when I was 14 or 15, my sister ran away from home for a month and it straight-up wrecked me. We had no idea where she was or if I would ever see her again, and it was the first time we had been apart for that length of time. Growing up, we were … Continue reading (Mental Health) My Depression
(Personal) Hello, April
Floating in a sensory deprivation tank for an hour was long enough for me to realize that a great deal of my problem is overstimulation. It's tough for someone sensitive to sensory input to live in a world like this, geared towards making sure something is grabbing your attention all the time. We live at … Continue reading (Personal) Hello, April
(Personal) Goodbye, March
The crisis point hit right in the middle of the month. We were coming out of a big Services meeting when my manager scheduled a one-on-one meeting right afterward. I had assumed it would be the follow-up on our annual reviews and talk about merit increases; in a way, I was right. The management structure … Continue reading (Personal) Goodbye, March
(Personal) Goodbye, February
The last time I spoke to my mother on the phone, she sounded lonely. But in typical Mom fashion, mostly she complained about the people with her at the in-patient rehab center. The white woman who had roomed with her was a racist. The nurses checking in on her were stealing her clothes. She just … Continue reading (Personal) Goodbye, February
(Personal) Perpetual Tharn
We're three weeks in to 2018 -- just long enough to settle into the new year and whatever new habits or goals we've set for ourselves. I wanted to push myself towards more mindful behavior this year, doing my best to really dive into right speech, action, and livelihood. While last year was definitely stressful, … Continue reading (Personal) Perpetual Tharn