To some degree or another, bloggers compare themselves to other bloggers. Sure, you may have lofty goals when we set out to “explore” new blogging horizons. Checking out other blogs is good for inspiration when kept in check. If you’re like me, you probably have a perfectionist streak to your personality. You might be the type of blogger who checks your stats compulsively. I get it. There was a time when I installed the WordPress app on my phone and got a sudden boost of dopamine at every “like”, “follow” or “comment.” Eventually, you experience a creative funk. It may be a period of inactivi ..read more

“If it wasn’t for the coffee, I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever.” -David Letterman On the rare occasion that I have time to indulge in “retail therapy“, I try to be mindful. That is, I can’t spend too much money, or buy anything useless. I had some extra time and I wanted to soothe myself after enduring several medical tests. Where can I shop that is inexpensive and has stuff I want and need? The Goodwill in the next town has a great selection of self-help books, as well as half-price sales on shirts and jeans. Retail Therapy My shopping excursion was budgeted and I spent only $3 ..read more

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” -Kahlil Gibran Last weekend was quite disastrous. Oddly, I started to feel a cold developing right after plans fell through the cracks. It was nearly lunchtime, so my family and I opted to eat at Wendy’s while discussing how to make the most of the rest of the day. We could’ve have eaten this meal in our own town, but we made the trek to Elyria, Ohio. We were advised on places to check for my children’s missing father, to no avail. So, there we were, eating “comfort” food- burgers, fries ..read more

“That’s the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it’s impossible to ever see the end.” – Elizabeth Wurtzel, Prozac Nation Lately, my depression is making it harder to concentrate on anything. But, today I didn’t have much to worry about, other than getting an echocardiogram. After my appointment, I took advantage of the time off work and bought some stuff at Walmart. I treated myself to some new clothes. Bought some clearance sneakers and some stretchy pants (love th ..read more

People often use food to soothe negative emotions. Our pleasure should never be derived from eating. It’s not the proper response for feelings and emotions. Our emotions should be nurtured in other ways. Emotional eating seems like a quick and easy fix to quell emotional pain. This theory is evidenced in a study conducted by the APA (American Psychological Association). Jordan Troisi, an assistant professor of psychology at Sewanee, The University of The South, and his colleagues conducted a study in 2015. The research analyzed the social aspects of eating. Troisi discovered that securely-atta ..read more

“Real knowledge is to the extent of one’s ignorance.” – Confucius Bipolar disorder has become the latest #hashtag among disorders that are generalized. I learned this from my observations with co-workers and from the media. In tv shows and sitcoms, friends and family joking refer to others as, “bipolar.” The term “bipolar” in popular culture,  is used to describe an unstable mood. The term is thrown around without regard to any other factors. Bipolar Symptoms Basic symptoms of bipolar mania- distraction, overconfidence, irritability, euphoria. Symptoms of bipolar depression include low mood fo ..read more

If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you may know that I’m dissatisfied with many blogging platforms. There are a number of reasons why I feel this way. I dislike many of the features or lack of features. Some blogs overwhelm me with complex coding functions. Still, others offer little more than a text editor. In the past few months, I created and deleted a WordPress.com blog. In the 2 or 3 months it was running I amassed about 115 followers. Most of my traction began in the last month. I became discouraged by how slow the process of gaining followers and views. There was a glimmer a hope ..read more

Writing used to be more fun before I started blogging under a brand. The purpose of creating a brand instead of using my identity was to hide my identity. Some of my content discusses issues at my workplace and within my family that I don’t want to be revealed. In reality, I probably shouldn’t care if my identity is known. Much of the information I share is benign. I think I need to analyze why I opted to create a brand. Brands are for big companies. What am I thinking about this strategy? The writing process was more fun when I wrote cathartic essays to release the inner-toxins of my mind int ..read more

“Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” -Gever Tulley Have you ever wondered why some people can bounce back from adversity, while others stew over the obstacles in their lives? No Nurturing Some people are simply thrust into adverse situations and have few resources to buffer against distress. I was this kind of person. From my earliest memories of my mom scolding other family members to not “baby” me, I started to believe that if I was in need of anybody’s help, then I was weak. It was humiliating for me to experience “need ..read more

“When you are totally depressed, you should try giggling. Just make yourself laugh. Force yourself to laugh.”  -Yoko Ono Oh, how I long to just snap out of my depression. Wouldn’t be great if it was as easy as some people suggest? I’ve heard all the mantras they use to try to motivate me. The problem is that these people are trying to reason with an unreasonable disorder. While it’s true that depression is not something one can easily and quickly change, there are some lifestyle changes that can be applied. With a little bit of discipline, those suffering from depression can ease their symptom ..read more