Mood Disorders

When I went through chemo+radiation for cancer, the after effects I was told could be temporary, are chronic.

I learned #Advocacy

I research my illnesses daily, because learning is constant.

#Bipolar2 #MoodDisorders #BodyDysmorphia #Cancer #SuicidalThoughts #Grief

Hey to all~ I'm Jess. I'm here to find support. I'm Bipolar 2; Hypomanic and I also suffer from C-PTSD. {{C-PTSD is frequently comorbid with bipolar disorder (BD), and this overlap is strongly associated with an increased risk of suicide}}

I look forward to meeting others who can understand what I deal with everyday.##BipolarDisorder #MightyTogether #PTSD #Grief #ADHD #MoodDisorders #SuicidalThoughts #Hypomania

So I met with a new psychiatrist on Friday thinking I would get a diagnosis of ADHD for my continued difficulties with impulsivity and inability to focus. For context, I’ve been in talk therapy or counseling for the last 20 plus years off and on. I’ve gotten diagnosed with a host of disorders but they didn’t seem to cover my issues as I felt they should. Fast forward to Friday, and the therapist keeps asking, harping if you will, on the cyclic nature of my anxiety and depression. I’m fully expecting him to agree with my self confirmed diagnosis only to have my socks knocked off with a bipolar spectrum disorder. He provides me with a link to articles supporting what he said and lo and behold, it looks like me…all wrapped up and neatly packaged. Looks like after all these years I finally may have an answer to what’s going on with me. #Cyclothymic #bipolarity #BipolarAdjacent #Answers #MoodDisorders #BipiolarSpectrumDisorder

Update: parents suggested a second opinion. I did this on Thursday. The doctor reminded me that it had been suggested that I had manic depression. I had shared this several years prior as part of my intake. She also said that some anti depressants can make bipolarity worse and I’d experienced that but myself or the doctor had not put it together. She asked if I had ever had a instance where I wasn’t speaking to a family member because I was angry at them. She asked if I had ever had spells where I didn’t sleep and had lots of anxiety as a result. Then she told me that black and brown women tend to present mania differently than typical. I’m gonna have more extensive testing done to confirm bipolar spectrum. Yet all signs seem to point to yes.

Here's a gentle reminder for the week ahead, that my best friend shared with me this week. I wanted to share with all of you. ❣️

#MentalHealth #MoodDisorders #ADHD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BipolarDisorder #Anxiety #PTSD #Anxiety

Patience - The attitude of understanding that things happen in their own time, including our own experiences.

The importance of patience is also a way to accept the present moment without resistance.

Patience is a form of wisdom.

I would like you to think about where in your life, and in your mental health, that you can apply Patience.

And, as always, to help You even more- Let’s have a convo about this topic by commenting below 👇

Jay Shetty sat down with Alicia Keys on one of the most critical podcasts for us, his (free) podcast called “On Purpose” which is the worlds’ #1 Mental Health podcast.

Side Note: Before he became an award-winning podcast host, Jay Shetty has been a great teacher and guide throughout my journey to mental wellness.

In this conversation/episode called “5 Ways To Overcome Self Doubt & Build Confidence Within, Nov 11, 2024;
Jay Shetty asks Alicia Keys:

“What was the work you had to do in order to go from someone who was anxious, doubtful to become someone who manifested this beautiful, incredible full life?

What was the work in the beginning stages that you had to reorient your mind?”

To this, Alicia Keys says: (who by the way Also lives a life with intention/on purpose with Mindfulness)

“I think one of the things that I had to come to terms with is that pretty much nothing is going to come in the time frame that you think is going to come.”

“And I realized, wait, you know, as hard as I try to push the thing forward, when it's time, it's time. And if it's not time, it doesn’t matter what I do. It doesn't matter how much sleep I don't get.

It's not going to be time until it's time. And so I think that that steadiness of like kind of, you just have to put one foot in front of the other is just as simple as that.”

“And so I discovered that that is how we get where we're going.

Like this increment of small, ***determined*** moments.”

And, she also advises “Have Grace with yourself. It’s alright. You are doing your best and you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Have some grace.
And we can start again and try again and it’s ok.”

Let’s recap the attitudes of our healthiest mental state that I have covered so far in this group: Beginner’s Mind, Acceptance, Non-Judgment, and now too, Patience.

#MentalHealth #Mindfulness #Relationships #FamilyAndFriends #Depression #Anxiety #MajorDepressiveDisorder #PersistentDepressiveDisorder #GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder #SocialAnxiety #ChronicFatigue #ChronicFatigueSyndrome #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #ChronicIllness #BingeEatingDisorder #EatingDisorders #MoodDisorders #MotorDisorders #BipolarDisorder #BipolarDepression #Agoraphobia #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #ChronicPain #AutismSpectrumDisorder #Migraine #Selfcare #Selfharm #Grief #SuicidalIdeation #SuicidalThoughts #SuicideAttemptSurvivors #Suicide #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #PTSD #PostTraumaticStressDisorder #Trauma #Caregiving #IfYouFeelHopeless #Fibromyalgia #AutonomicDysfunction #PosturalOrthostaticTachycardiaSyndrome #CrohnsDisease #CerebralPalsy #Addiction #Disability #ADHD

And then, we will all Keep Doing This VITAL, easy, short practice.

One of the many things I learned from the “Resilience Skills” University online course I took that I keep teaching you about here only in this group is that Resilience Needs Mindfulness.

And, 1 of the first things to learn about Mindfulness is how to practice conscious breathing and why.

Mindfulness conscious breathing exercise to practice daily 3 or 4 times—
In/Out: This is the first practice on Conscious Breathing:

breathe in (a good, deep inhale), and say or think “I know that I am breathing in”,
breathe out (a longer, full exhale), and say or think “I know that I am breathing out”

After a while of practicing this, you can shorten the cue words to saying or thinking simply “In” on the Inhale, and “Out” on the Exhale.

“When we continue to practice like this, something wonderful happens—-we stop the thinking.
This is already a miracle happening because when we think too much, we are not truly ourselves. But this way, our mind and our body becomes aligned/in the same place; instead of our body here but our mind is elsewhere— in the past or in the future.

If we practice breathing in and out with some concentration, we attain what is called the oneness of body and mind.
The body and mind are unified and you begin to be there truly yourself.

When you are not really there, you cannot see things clearly and deeply. You miss everything, everything seems to you not clear, vague.”

Running to the future or going back to the past- you miss life, that is only here in the present moment.

Breathing in and out consciously is how to get back to the present moment.

What you are looking for —joy, inner peace, freedom …is all in the present moment.

If you feel agitated and not solid, vulnerable, breakable — then you practice this in order to get solid again:

Practice sitting in a stable position and practice breathing in and out. Saying “breathing in, I see myself as a mountain, breathing out I feel solid.

From time to time, a very strong emotion overwhelms us. That emotion could be anger or despair or fear. And when we are overwhelmed by a strong emotion we feel very vulnerable, like we may die, But we are more than our emotions. We are more solid than we think. And therefore, practicing being solid like a mountain is very helpful.

Source: Thich Nhat Hahn’s The Art of Mindful Living (read by the great man himself on YouTube — I am always so calmed by his voice even.)

#Mindfulness #MentalHealth #Selfcare #Depression #Anxiety #GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder #MajorDepressiveDisorder #PersistentDepressiveDisorder #MoodDisorders #PTSD #PTSDSupportAndRecovery #Agoraphobia #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #Trauma #BipolarDisorder #BipolarDepression #AnorexiaNervosa #Addiction #EatingDisorders #Selfharm #SuicidalIdeation #SuicidalThoughts #Grief #Suicide #Fibromyalgia #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #CerebralPalsy #Cancer #MultipleSclerosis #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #ADHD #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #PanicAttacks #PanicAttack #ChronicFatigue #ChronicFatigueSyndrome #MyCondition #Relationships #FamilyAndFriends #RareDisease #RheumatoidArthritis #Arthritis #CrohnsDisease #NarcissisticPersonalityDisorder #Caregiving #SocialAnxiety

It's that time of the week! Tell me three things you're thankful for that happened recently. Gratitude is one of the best mental health hacks that exist. Use it today and start a great new habit! 🙃 #PTSD #MentalHealth #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #MoodDisorders #Addiction #Schizophrenia #BipolarDisorder #Anxiety #ChronicFatigueSyndrome

For MORE-

Here’s the direct link to my group:

Resilience and Mindfulness

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Your friend in this hard thing called life (and even in TRD which I am example of it not being a permanent thing 🙌🎉🎊💪💃),

Dawn

P.S.
Don’t forget about coming back in to this group frequently, read through all of the posts, and you can reply to Any of the posts to participate at anytime (it doesn’t just need to be around when I posted it)—

participating- by starting or joining in on a conversation thread in the posts is key to getting me to help You even more directly and is key to Your own growth in your journey, plus, You can also inspire others with your comments and replies.

#PersistentDepressiveDisorder #MajorDepressiveDisorder #Depression #MoodDisorders #Anxiety #MentalHealth #ResilienceInterventions #inspire

For MORE-

Here’s the direct link to my group:

Resilience and Mindfulness

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Your friend in this hard thing called life,

Dawn

P.S.
Don’t forget about coming back in to this group frequently, read through all of the posts, and you can reply to Any of the posts to participate at anytime (it doesn’t just need to be around when I posted it)—

participating- by starting or joining in on a conversation thread in the posts is key to getting me to help You even more directly and is key to Your own growth in your journey, plus, You can also inspire others with your comments and replies.

#Depression #MajorDepressiveDisorder #PersistentDepressiveDisorder #MoodDisorders #MentalHealth #MotivationMonday #inspire #resilience

This is about choosing to look forward with hope and curiosity even when the path ahead feels uncertain.

To embrace the future, you must first accept that change is inevitable.

Life is a series of transitions and every ending, no matter how painful, creates space for a new beginning.

It’s easy to focus on what we have lost; to mourn the life we thought we’d have; or the plans that didn’t work out; but by fixating on what’s gone, we miss the opportunities unfolding before us. The beauty of what’s next lies in its potential; it’s the possibility of discovering something you’ve never experienced —- meeting someone who changes your perspective or stepping into a version of yourself you never imagined.

The future is not something to fear; it’s something to be curious about; what lessons are waiting for you; what dreams are yet to be realized; what joy is just around the corner?

Embracing the future requires a shift in mindset. It’s about reframing uncertainty as an adventure rather than a threat; yes, the unknown can be scary, it can make you feel unsteady and vulnerable; but it can also be exhilarating.

The greatest stories in life often come from stepping into the unknown; from daring to take a leap even when you don’t know where you will land.

Think of a time in your life when something unexpected Led to a positive change.

These moments remind us that life often works in ways we don’t understand in the moment, but they lead us to exactly where we need to be.

To embrace the beauty of what’s next, you also need to cultivate trust of yourself, and trust in the process of life.
Trust that you are resilient enough to handle whatever comes your way. Trust that even if things don’t go as planned, they can still turn out beautifully.
And trust that the challenges that you face are shaping you into someone stronger, wiser, and more capable.

It’s important to remember that moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting the past; the past is part of your story; it’s okay to carry it with you; but don’t let it hold you back; use it as a foundation to build upon, not a weight that keeps you anchored in one place.

Embracing the future also means staying open to possibilities— sometimes the beauty of what’s next doesn’t look like what you expected — it may come in the form of an opportunity you didn’t seek, a path you didn’t plan, or a version of happiness you never considered.

Being open means letting go of rigid expectations and allowing life to surprise you.

And finally, embracing the beauty of what’s next is about living fully in the present.

The future isn’t something that exists out there in the distance; it’s something you create moment by moment.
Each decision you make, each step you take, is part of shaping what’s to come.

Here’s to a Happy New Year 🎆🎊 🎉 Together, we will make it Great!

Your friend in this hard thing called life,
Dawn

#MentalHealth #Anxiety #GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder #MajorDepressiveDisorder #PersistentDepressiveDisorder #MoodDisorders #Depression #ChronicIllness #Disability #BipolarDisorder #BipolarDepression #EatingDisorders #SocialAnxiety #Agoraphobia #Selfcare #Selfharm #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #PTSD #Trauma #Grief #SuicidalIdeation #SuicidalThoughts #SuicideAttemptSurvivors #Suicide #ChronicPain #Mindfulness #resilience #Fibromyalgia #Migraine #POTS #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #ADHD #IfYouFeelHopeless #AutismSpectrumDisorder #CrohnsDisease #Addiction #AnorexiaNervosa #Relationships #Caregiving #FamilyAndFriends