Living with a mental health diagnosis can put you at risk of getting tangled in a maze of social media apps. Persistent and practically addictive features such as “likes,” impressions, and notifications have defined the last two decades of online media. If you feel empty amidst all of this, you are certainly not alone. While …
Category: Mental Health
The Rewards of Returning to School as an Adult
Returning to school as an adult posed a serious threat to my mental health. Balancing a full-time career, full-time university, and full-time recovery was a significant challenge. For five years, I focused primarily on surviving the process of obtaining my master’s degree. Late nights, lack of sleep, and excessive procrastination all made the road to …
The Skill of Vacation: Reclaiming Relaxation in Recovery
Taking a vacation should be easy. Many Americans struggle to truly get time away. A 2022 study by Qualtrics uncovered that nearly half of Americans polled still worked one hour a day while on vacation.1 That doesn’t sound like a real holiday. In fact, some Americans seem to avoid taking vacation in fear of falling …
Lessons Learnt From My Mental Health Struggles
I am Stan Popovich and I struggled with fear and anxiety for over 20 years. During these times, my anxieties and fears were so powerful that I had trouble getting through the week and there were times I felt like giving up. I learned numerous lessons from my struggles, which I will share in this …
Ask the Expert: Patti Miller of Midwest Center for EMDR Training
We feature an expert in the mental health and substance use disorder field to answer questions. This issue we talk to Patti Miller, MA, Co-Owner & Director, Midwest Center for EMDR Training about Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). Please share about your background and what led you to work with people who experienced trauma and …
First Person: Becoming Bipolar
I didn’t just wake up with bipolar disorder type one. My mental health condition slowly revealed itself over the course of nine years. It is hard to pinpoint when the symptoms began; however, I am certain I noticed something lurking beneath the surface as a teenager. It was obvious to many who loved and cared …
Ask the Expert: Rochelle Gredvig of Nystrom and Associates
We feature an expert in the mental health and substance use disorder field to answer questions. This issue we talk to Dr. Rochelle Gredvig of Nystrom and Associates about dissociative disorders. What is your current role at Nystrom & Associates? What inspired you to do the work that you’re doing? I’m a clinical diagnostician and …
Ken Barlow’s Story: I Have a Mental Illness (Making It Public)
Sometimes you just have to blurt out the truth. That’s what happened in 2012 to Ken Barlow, chief meteorologist at KSTP-TV. He was standing before thousands of walkers gathered in support of the Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Barlow had agreed to host this annual benefit walk, and as he …
Tricks of the Trade: Practical Remedies That Lessen Depression and Anxiety
Facing and resolving the major impediments in our life will bring us to a better lot in our life, one that surpasses having no impediments at all. Assuredly what doesn’t destroy us will only make us stronger. That’s the point of all suffering. —Anonymous Numbers of depression and anxiety are skyrocketing. If you are someone …
Ask the Expert: Dr. Derrick Stowell and Horticultural Therapy
We feature an expert in the mental health and substance use disorder field to answer questions. This issue we talk to Dr. Derrick Stowell of University of Tennessee Gardens about horticultural therapy and it’s benefits for those with substance use disorder, mental health issues and traumatic brain injuries. Q: How would you describe the people-plant relationship? …