Posted in Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Mental Health, Reflection

BayArt Article: What I want Others to Understand about Depression

The Issues with Depression

Depression can be difficult to talk about and even more difficult to explain. Depression is different for everyone and challenging to deal with especially when the symptoms conflict with completing everyday tasks. It can be debilitating and paralyzing, prohibiting you from doing what you usually do on a daily basis.

Understanding depression can be frustrating for both the person who struggles with it and those around them. It takes patience, kindness, love, empathy, and compassion to be able to deal with that person as they understand themselves in their mental hardships.

Understanding Depression: An Amplification of a Negative Self-Image

Depression makes negative emotions extreme. If you feel down, depression will maximize your thoughts in ways that will remind you a million more reasons why you’re not good enough or why you can’t do something. Feeling lonely? Depression will tell you that no one cares. If you feel hopeless, or angry, or anxious, depression will amplify those feelings and convince you that you deserve to feel that way. It makes everything your fault. Depression, however, is what’s wrong, not you. If you’re in a state of any type of depression, understand that amplification of negative self-talk.

While depression is different for everyone depending on their circumstances and triggers, a low sense of self-does not allow them to heal or recover quickly. It takes time and constant self-work to not fall under the assumptions and hopelessness of depressive thoughts, but you have power.

To the One who Struggles: Lean Toward Recovery and Self-Care

Tell yourself, and show yourself that those amplified horrible assumptions are not you. You are good enough, strong enough, and brave enough to say no to the depression. Train your mind to see the opposite of those false thoughts. Be active in your healing. Talk sense to your strength in order to wage war on your depressive thoughts. Don’t fall in the slums of your mental struggle. When you feel yourself sinking, allow yourself to float. Just let go. Your tense response to depression is making you sink, rise above it. Rise above your thoughts with all of your power. You can fight back. You are brave.

To the Loved ones of People who Struggle with Depression: Listen to them

Depression can be difficult to talk about especially when the depression itself is telling you that no one cares. If you notice or see depressive symptoms in someone you know or love, talk to them and let them know that they are noticed and loved. Allow for them to be honest, if that’s what they want to do, and if they talk negatively about themselves reassure them that they are good enough, strong enough and that you care about them. How they might respond depends on how they are feeling, but being unconditionally loving and present allows them the space to reach out if they want to talk or ask for help.

Although it depends on the person and whether they want help or not, little gestures of compassion and caring will go a long way. Know who they are and what they like. Be present and aware. Be conscious and awake. Try your best. There is also suggesting professional help or therapy for them as well.

Since depression is so ambiguous and diverse depending on the person who has it, it’s all up to understanding the person and who they are. Healing for them is individual and you can be a part of that healing.

Find article in link below:

What I want Others to Understand about Depression

Posted in Declarations, Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Self-Talk

#Writeitdown Declarations to Live by and Internalize: Persevere

Be persistent even when you try and your results aren’t what you were thinking will happen.

Keep trying and modify your tactics if necessary. Know that you can get your desired results. Also, be open to opportunites as they come. Open your mind to different avenues of success.

I will be who I want to be even if I can’t see it happening right now.

Posted in Bulletins, Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Power, Self-Talk

Bulletin: Stressed?

When you feel stressed, know that you are in power and will always be in power. Break down your tasks and next steps in order to give yourself a reasonable work load. Leave some things for another day. If stress is coming from a difficult circumstance, know that you can change your mood and gain control of your outlook of it.

Stress is not what is controlling you but a reaction when you feel things are getting too overwhelming.

When I’m stressed I think about what prompted me to begin my task or make a certain decision in the first place. Thinking about this helps me to keep going and centers my motivation. I can reevaluate my passions and focus on getting what I want out of what I’m doing. I can make further decisions when I can feel the joy of finishing or making someone else’s life better or mine.

When you feel yourself becoming stressed, stop and think. Why am I doing this?

Don’t forget to take my class and learn to be a creative and expressive writer: I can Use “I” in my Writing: First Steps in Creative and Expressive Writing

Posted in Creative Writing, Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Self-Care, Self-Talk

I’m a Teacher on Skillshare!

In the past month I’ve been working hard on my first Skillshare class on becoming a creative and expressive writer!

The link below will take you to my class! You can also access this class and my future classes on the tab at the top of this blog.

Link: The Power of “l”: Learn to Write your Life, Instantly Find your Voice, and Creatively Express your Mind Daily

Posted in Creative Writing

Behind the Dark Side of a Selfie

The thing about selfies is you can get the right angel. Put the right face. Send the story you want to tell.
The thing about selfies is you can hide your pain and insecurities. You can filter out what you don’t want to see. You can convince yourself that what you hate about yourself can be taken out.
The thing about selfies is you create what you want to see. You craft the image you want others to see. You unsee the flaws and the suffering.
The thing about selfies is the life is taken out of the snapshot. Just one moment. One instance of stillness.
Selfies are our way of capturing the best light of ourselves. The selves we get excited for we capture in an instant.
When we turn the wrong direction we hate it. We delete it. We don’t want to see it. We speak I’ll of our image.
And that is who we are.
We can’t look at ourselves for long moments in the mirror, in our lives in motion, instead we would rather take a selfie.
A selfie stops time to capture the one moment we see ourselves as beautiful because otherwise that’s not who we see at all.

Posted in Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Mental Health, Potential and Worth, Quotes, Self-Care, Self-Talk

Living with Anxiety: My Life and my Struggles are Valid

Living with anxiety is not always easy to explain. Some days “feel” okay, while others are filled with worry and nervousness. I try my best to be “positive” in the lowest sense of the term in my low days, and try to keep productive in my high days. One of the most difficult times when living with anxiety, however, is trying to explain it to others.

You understand that sometimes what makes you nervous or anxious shouldn’t make you so but it does. Or maybe it should be easy to calm yourself when you feel overwhelmed, but it’s not.

Realize that you are not crazy and what you have you are more than. You are brave, strong, and powerful even when you feel like you’re not. Your feelings are valid. Never let anyone take your power to validate your struggle away.

Some days are difficult, especially those days your pain spills out in panic, but remember that you have purpose.

See your purpose outside of your pain and trauma. See your purpose outside of your anxiety. Your life will always and forever have worth.

Posted in Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Potential and Worth, Power, Self-Talk

Twitter Vibes: Stopping at a Step doesn’t Break the Staircase Down

People stop at minor setbacks, freeze at tiresome moments, and quit under stressful conditions. At times they may forget that that one moment isn’t the end.

Don’t allow minor challenges to determine your overall outlook on life. You’ve gotten past past moments because you’ve worked and succeeded. This current challenge may feel more difficult but remember that your stairway of successful past and future moments still hold even if you feel stuck on one step.

Posted in Declarations, Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Potential and Worth

#Writeitdown Declarations to Live by and Internalize: I Have to Believe

The first step in achieving anything is believing that you can do it. Think about what you want to do then continue on in the initial thought that inspired you. That initial what will drive you to do the work and do it well.

Be persistent in what you believe you can do. Don’t loose motivation or hope in that initial what. Know that you will make the difference you want if you keep pushing yourself to work.