Slacktivism via social media has been a hot topic for a while now. There is always a ridiculous chain message going around that tells you to post something as your status in order to raise awareness for a cause. These messages are spread either through private message or via a ‘please repost’ status update. The worst part of these updates? Most people don’t seem to even check the details before hitting share.
Bullet Journals seem to be all the rage at the moment. Or at least in my news feed. I looked into them because I am a lover of lists. Plus any excuse to buy a new notebook is good in my opinion. However Bullet Journals didn’t seem to be my style. One of the things that I have learned over the last few years is that recovery is about creating and filling a toolbox. There isn’t just one way to get well. Sometimes it is about taking bits and pieces from different therapies to fill your toolbox. Sometimes it is about creating your own techniques that work with your life. That is where Ta-Da Journalling comes in!
The online world of parenting has firmly shifted into the realm of being ‘real’. The more raw you are, the better. Where there used to be a martyr rivalry, there is now a competition for who can appear the most neglectful without actually harming your children.Women are applauded for admitting that they can’t do it all. On the surface this isn’t a bad thing. No one is perfect, and the belief that it is can be detrimental. Most of us are able to look at those who are being raw and say ‘that’s nice, but not for me.’ What about the women who are struggling? Does this movement really help them?
*The following post contains descriptions of self harm. Please ensure you are in a safe place before reading*BANG! BANG! BANG!
“Hands where I can see them inmate.”
She woke with a start, disorientated in the bright fluorescent lights that lined the inside of her cell. She looked towards the small window in her door and saw the sneering face of the guard who had woken her.
A few weeks ago a discussion started on a friend’s status update about the stupid things that crisis line workers had suggested when we were in crisis. It was the catalyst for a rant to Paul about the unfairness of relying on other people to help you when you were feeling vulnerable. It spilled into conversations with my psychologist about how I now use having to deal with crisis lines as a deterrent for self harm.It was through these conversations that it hit me just how unbalanced the power is when it comes to a person with a mental illness. This imbalance spills into other parts of their life as well. Their physical needs are often written off as symptoms of a mental illness. Chest pain is a panic attack, stomach pain is anxiety, an allergic reaction is depression (this one happened to someone I know!).