The Journey: Until the moment I stepped into the Psychiatric Emergency Department at our local hospital, I had no idea the speed of my son’s breakdown. I was totally and completely floored. It wasn’t as though I didn’t know he was depressed; he’d been in counseling for years. I knew he disliked school and I had […]
Caring for the Caregiver
Caring for the needs of a loved one is often incredibly rewarding. Knowing that the best care decisions are being made and that the paperwork, insurance claims and many other day-to-day needs of the loved one are being addressed, should help caregivers sleep better at night. But are they sleeping? One of the most challenging […]
A Caregivers Path
A few months ago, I was asked to share my story with a local Caregivers organization. As I was reading it over the weekend, I realized that many of my readers may not know the story of how I became a Caregiver. If you are a Parent/Caregiver, welcome! I am glad to have you along on […]
This Week: Mental Illness in the News
Imagine for a minute that you are all settled in for a cross-country flight and suddenly you become aware of some commotion in the back of the plane. You might not think anything of it; maybe you intentionally turn your music or movie up so that it is not disturbing you. However, you then notice […]
Caregivers Guest Post: Who is the Caregiver?
I am excited to share today’s Caregivers in the Spotlight guest post written by a parent/caregiver who would like to remain anonymous*. I met this author through social media and we very quickly realized that we had many similarities in our stories and experiences. By remaining anonymous, this author can share her story and light with […]
Caregivers Guest Post: Promises Not Worth Keeping
I am excited to share today’s Caregivers in the Spotlight guest post written by Annie Slease. Annie and I met each other on twitter just over two years ago when I first launched this blog. I felt incredibly lucky to meet Annie and was grateful that she was willing to talk about her journey as a caregiver. […]
Mental Illness in the News
As a caregiver and mental health advocate, I keep my eyes and ears open for news and discussions related to mental illness and stigma. There seems to be an influx of news stories recently, and the good news is that these stories are not being circulated on the heels of a tragic event or situation […]
Ghosts of Christmas Past
Christmas time, as the song goes, is a time of joy and cheer. For me, it serves as a reminder of a specific Christmas season four years ago; the year that everything changed. It was a major fork in the road for me, and as Yogi Berra says, “When you come to the fork in the road, take it” and take it I did.
Speaking Up
The following post was originally published on the Childhood Bipolar Project site on June 28, 2014. As you read, think about this… how often do we ignore that voice inside us that says something is not right, this doesn’t feel right to me or this doesn’t honor my needs? And why do we ignore? Food […]
Shattering the Stigma
Today, Far From Paradise’s latest post is being featured over at OldSchoolNewSchoolMom.com as part of their Stigma Fighters series – You can read it in full here. ****Head on over and show some love! Stigma Fighters is a blog series where real people with mental health issues are sharing their stories in order to combat societal stigma. Human beings […]
