Written by Hannah Blum, author of The Truth About Broken: The Unfixed Version of Self-Love How to become a mental health advocate? You do not need a degree, a diagnosis or work as a licensed therapist to become a mental health advocate. The general idea behind advocacy is supporting mental health by spreading awareness, reducing stigma and … Continue reading 6 Ways to Become a Mental Health Advocate
One of the best parts of being a mental health advocate is the connections you make to others with a similar passion for life and mental health. I was thrilled when Julie Kraft, author of the incredible book, The Other Side of Me: Memoir Of a Bipolar Mind, agreed to share part of her story with me. She is both beautiful on the outside and on the inside. In this interview, Julie shares her journey with bipolar disorder and opens up about motherhood, love, stigma and how a move from her home in Canada to Germany gave her clarity in a world that made her feel so clouded. Thank you, Julie, for speaking your truth. Continue reading “Beautiful with a Bipolar Mind: An Interview with Author Julie Kraft”
This past May, I was fortunate enough to go to a Mental Health Influencer Summitt in sunny San Diego, California. It gave me the opportunity to meet advocates from all over the US. This is where I met Katie Dale, author of the blog, Bipolar Brave: Power, Love & Sound Mind. Katie is beautiful, and her genuine spirit and open mind make you feel so comfortable around her. Katie is diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder and started her blog to raise awareness about mental health. Katie’s story is very unique, being that she is open about bipolar disorder and her strong faith in God. This is something you do not see often. I reached out to her for an interview and luckily she was gracious enough to answer some of my questions. Continue reading “Keeping Faith and Living with Bipolar: An Interview with ‘Bipolar Brave’ Author Katie Dale”
Treatment plans for mental health care differ from situation to situation. In some cases, it calls for therapy and in other cases medication is needed. When depression or severe emotional behavior begins to affect your daily life, work, and relationships, it is time to seek help. We all want to end up at the same place, but some need to take a different route to the intersection of happy and healthy. There is no shame in that. The following are the statements that I hear made continuously about why people fear taking meds for the head.
Continue reading “5 Reasons Why People Are Afraid to Take Meds for the Head”
I will never forget when my ex would grab the rolls off the table as I would reach for them, and say to the waiter, “She doesn’t need these,” or all the times he asked for a togo box after I took my first three bites of a meal at a restaurant. I am not looking for sympathy by telling you this because I already disposed of that garbage. I am confirming that is type of cruel behavior actually happens, so proceed with caution. Body image issues are heavily present among women. We are surrounded by things that make us question our reflection constantly. The last thing we need is for our guy to do the same. So I am going to help you guys out. Here are 9 rules to follow when it comes to her body that could potentially save your relationship and your life.
Continue reading “Body Image: 9 Rules To Follow When It Comes To Her Body”
Remember the infamous Julia Stiles’s speech at the end of the movie, 10 Things I Hate About You? When she reveals to Heath Ledger the pain he’s caused her, “I hate the way you talk to me and the way you cut your hair…” While reading this post, think about stigma as if I am revealing my feelings in the same way as Stiles. Ledger was a good guy, but stigma not so much.
Continue reading “10 Things I Hate About The Stigma of Mental Illness”
It was six years ago that I had my first major episode with bipolar disorder while in College. I was living with a group of girls who this story is about. In the last month before I withdrew from school, I kept my struggle hidden from others, especially myself. Two days before I left, my parents were called by two of my friends. They told them that I was falling apart. Day by day I was getting worse. They realized they couldn’t help me, and decided not to tell the other girls. I do not like to talk about the pain of the past. However, a few days ago I learned that sometimes it is necessary to walk down memory lane, no matter how dark the road is…
Continue reading “Then & Now: A Story About Friendship and Mental Illness”
The first man who had his heart broken by me was my father. One day the little girl who danced to the beat of her drum was laying in a hospital bed, withering away. My father has always kept me safe, but there was one person he could not shield me from, and that person was me. Continue reading “Dear Dad: A Letter From Your Daughter With Bipolar”
If you are looking for me to say how much I hate my life with bipolar 2 disorder, you will not find it in this post. It does not define me, but it is a significant part of who I am. If you erase bipolar, you erase me as a whole. I am never going to live without it, and I want to give others a taste of my reality. I do not place pressure on myself to be perfect. I am honest. This is my mind; this is my journey. Here is a little bit of what it is like to live in the mind of a woman diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder.
Continue reading “Inside the Mind of a Woman With Bipolar Disorder”
When a violent crime occurs, it is assumed that the perpetrator must have been mentally ill. Has someone with diabetes ever killed someone? Yes, but we do not hear of this in the media. “His blood sugar was low which caused him/her to carry out the mass shooting…” Has a young African-American male shot someone? Yes. Does that mean that all young African-American males are murderers? No! It is natural that we want to blame “others” for negative behaviors, because it refrains us from looking in the mirror and realizing that we are all capable of corruption. Stigma is a barrier that keeps people with a mental illness from progressing in society. Continue reading “6 Stereotypes That Hurt People With Mental Illness”
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