Mental Health Tings:
Documenting Experiences
with Mental Illness
& Neuro-Divergence
Distress Tolerance in the Age of Social Distancing
In case somebody is reading this blog post, years into the future; in March 2020 we are currently experiencing the global pandemic of Covid-19 aka the Coronavirus and as Cardi B put it, in a video that went viral recently, (pardon my/her french) “Shit is real! Shit is getting real!” Not only is this virus risking the health and safety of everyone in densely populated areas, but it is also having some severe economic impacts as we are nearing a country-wide mandated shut-in. The unpleasant emotions are very difficult for all of us to navigate, so here are some of my tried and true, most favorite methods of tolerating distress, based on the emotions I’m feeling.
March 2019: When It Poured
When I think about it, there are so many ways in which my life would still be stuck if I hadn't gone through March 2019. While it rained, it definitely poured, but last year the March showers led to April flowers that led to an entire garden.
Giving Up The Fight
The idea of having to fight my mental illness every day until the day I die is one of the things that triggered my suicidal ideation the most often. What good is living life if you don’t even get to enjoy it because you have to fight to survive?
Accepting My Diagnosis As My Disability
God literally designed my brain to work exactly the way it does. ‘Mentally ill,’ ‘Bipolar’ and ‘Borderline’ are not arbitrary labels I have accepted; they’re not mindsets that I’ve adopted. Bipolar Disorder is a physical disability, comparable to dementia. Yes, it’s happening primarily in my mind but it’s very real. “The brain is an organ that can malfunction like any other.“
My Borderline Personality and Me
Borderline Personality Disorder, like most mental illnesses, falls on a spectrum and an individual can struggle with all of these symptoms, or just a few of these symptoms. The intensity of which an individual experiences them can also vary. So here’s a little bit more about my borderline journey, and the symptoms that resonate most strongly with me.
Renewing My Mind
Renewing your mind is a whole process that’s made up of moment by moments choosing to value truth over your own feelings.