Mental Note Vol. 23
By: Ryan Fan
Tags: Neuroscience, Health, Self, Psychology, Mental Health

Photo by Noah Silliman on Unsplash

Happy Thursday, everyone!

As we get closer to the holidays, we just want to say how thankful and grateful for all of our writers and readers here at Invisible Illness. Thank you for sharing your great stories and expertise to join us in fighting mental health stigma.

Without further ado, here are 10 curated pieces from last week that really stuck out!

“Playing it safe creates a starting point, but to give, as writers do, is to put oneself at risk. Yet, it’s the only way to get the best rewards, the real rewards that matter. Conversely, being reckless isn’t good because you’ve got no place to land once you’ve tried to fly. So, give yourself a landing zone, then take off.”

“I can’t imagine doing any other work than that which I do now in mental health care. I am now aware that I have an active duty to care for myself better whilst working in it though. To the helpers out there, I hope you can dig deep and find it in yourself to be as kind to that mind and body of yours as you are to others.”

“When we fail to get a jolt from the 10,000 foot Christmas tree, or the fifth necktie we’ve unwrapped, or the beaming, singing faces, or the outright lying fantasy of it all, we can imagine that narrative. It can’t really be cleaned up. Mary and Joseph just walked through it all the best they could. And if it was good enough for them, isn’t it all we can ask for ourselves?”

“A silver lining is remembering the good things that happened too. Lemonade takes work, time, and sugar. I have had to reconsider how I think of these cultural phrases because healing has not worked for me by covering up or replacing traumatic events with joyful events. It has not worked by finding a way to excuse bad past behavior because I can say it all worked out in the end anyway. It has not worked through complacency and living up to a social ideal. When there are dark clouds, like some really ominous Shakespeare type clouds, and when there are some big-ass-nasty lemons falling on your head, those who have struggled through these feelings have found places where there was light and people with sugar to bring meaning alongside struggle and joy alongside hardship.”

“‘Wow, are you about to start your period?’

For being a friendly, empathetic human, I cringe when my irritability shows up to the scene. Being asked this single question would send me into a personal crisis about my character and ability to self-regulate. Oops, my humanity is showing.”

“With the music washing over me, and the rhythmic bumps and swaying of the subway lulling me half-asleep, I enjoy a peaceful moment — a moment that would otherwise have been wasted worrying and wondering about something never worth worrying and wondering about in the first place.

That’s the power of ‘care less’”

“While struggling to accept my anxiety, I first turned to quick fixes. I tried to power my way through it, but pep-talks didn’t work. If anything, they made me feel a lot worse. I didn’t resort to counseling until things got really bad, and I started having physical symptoms: muscle tension, lousy sleep, and loss of appetite.

There’s no cure for GAD, and the best way to manage it is through therapy and medication. I’ve been free of panic attacks for over a year, and while I have my bad days, my anxiety is manageable now.”

“The way you include these activities in your day is entirely up to you. I recommend listening to yourself and going with the flow. After all, that is exactly the point of having a day like this: reconnecting with your inner self and listen to what your body and mind are trying to tell you.”

“I often wonder about all the lost voices shouting in every quiet room in every mental hospital around the world. Anyone who’s ever been inside one has left a part of him or herself behind. I believe these walls remember. And if they could tell us what they’ve learned, we could all be wiser.

The quiet room is a place for torment. It is a place to forget yourself. To leave behind the agony because nowhere else is it accepted. The quiet room is a place to leave the darkest part of your soul.”

“Identifying cognitive distortions can be quite tough. These are patterns of thinking which are automatic, like a reflex. When you accidentally place your hand on a hot plate, you immediately retract it. You don’t wait and think whether you’re doing the right thing or not.”

— Meredith, Marie, Juliette, and Ryan!