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By: Keith O’Neil keithoneil.com Everything was perfect. I had recently retired from the NFL with a Super Bowl ring. I was working in a great industry as a medical device representative. Jill and I had recently settled into our dream home located in a beautiful suburb outside of my hometown of Buffalo, NY. We were back around family and friends on a regular basis for the first time in many years – we were enjoying life! Thoughts of having a family of our own were on the horizon. Life was good, even great.Read More →

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By Elena Peters thebipolarmaniac.com   In many ways, my marriage is no different than anyone else’s marriage. This is the second marriage for both my husband and I. We both have children from previous marriages. We both have ex-spouses that are still involved in our lives on a daily basis. We have extended families with varied backgrounds, sprinkled all around the world. We have jobs and mortgages and commitments that pull us in all sorts of directions. Just like any other marriage, there are things that bug me! My husband leaves the toilet seat up, doesn’t put the cap back on the toothpaste and leavesRead More →

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my depression story Alex

By Alex  Source: lifewellwandered.com Hi, I’m Alex and I have depression. I’m not depressed at the time of this writing. But I do have depression. It sucks. And it likes to strike at the most inopportune moments. Isn’t that how it always is? (note/TW: this is how I have experienced anxiety and depression, and sometimes still do) But first, Anxiety: I’m very open about my experience with anxiety. Mostly because I feel like it’s more accepted. Sure, it might debilitate me, cause my mind to spiral out of control, make me cry, make me sick, make me too afraid to leave my home sometimes. But itRead More →

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by Kurt Cunningham http://www.citizenkurt.net/ I tried to end my life one night after having a wonderful fun-filled evening with friends. It was in November 2012 — I had a plan in place for months. Not one person had any idea what I was planning to do. After a series of life-changing events that began in 2009 and included the closing my once- successful business of nine years, and culminated with the death of my mother in August 2012 life just seemed unbearable to me. My finances were a mess. My health wasn’t great. And I couldn’t make a romantic relationship last more than a fewRead More →

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Being broke and having depression go hand-in-hand. I’m really sick of it. Even if money can’t buy happiness, it can buy basic necessities like food and shelter. It’s pretty hard to be happy without those things. I need more money, but my symptoms of depression make finding a job really difficult. While the average person in their twenties focuses on building a resume, I’ve been focused on surviving my depression. Instead of attending post-secondary school, I’ve been in depression treatment, learning about my own experiences and how to cope in everyday life. Living with depression is a full time job.Read More →

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Silver & Grace guest post author, Jill Green, expands on this with an entire list of advice for loved ones of anxiety sufferers. If you love someone who suffers from severe anxiety or panic attacks, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and frustrated. You know they are in a lot of pain and struggle with aspects of life that you don’t quite understand. You want to help, but maybe you don’t know how to approach the situation. Here are 10 tips to help a loved one with anxiety.Read More →

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I’ve got generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and I’ve also got some serious issues with concentration. As in, my ability to concentrate on almost anything for more than five minutes at a time stinks. There are some days when I can barely string two coherent thoughts together, and I swear my brain is turning into mush.Read More →

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More than 40 landmarks across Canada will be lit up with purple lights across on Oct. 10, World Mental Health Day, including a few in the Tri-Cities. And Carol Todd would like to see many more. The Port Coquitlam teacher, whose daughter committed suicide in 2012, is hoping everyone wears purple or puts up purple lights as part of the Light Up Purple 2014 campaign to spark a conversation on mental health and the need for awareness, support and resources.Read More →

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Antidepressants are commonly used to treat social phobia, but a new report argues that “talk therapy” is the better first option. In a review of 101 clinical trials, researchers found that “cognitive behavioral therapy” often helped people with social phobia — a type of anxiety disorder where people have a deep fear of being judged by others or embarrassed in public. The more common approach to tackling social anxiety — antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — also helped, the review found.Read More →