By Andrea Watson, February 13, 2021 We’ve all heard the word “psychotic” used in everyday language before. It’s a word that doesn’t get tossed around too often, but often enough that it is misunderstood. To be fair, many things in the world of psychology are misunderstood. Psychosis is a symptom of an underlying disorder. TheContinue reading “Psychosis”
Tag Archives: mental health
What is OCD?
Why saying “I’m a little OCD” is 100% wrong You may not like me after this. I’m going to get a little bit rough here. Have you ever been with someone and suddenly they reach over and “fix” something and then they look at you and say “Sorry, I’m just a little OCD about it.”?Continue reading “What is OCD?”
Beyond the Edge
If you read my blog then you know I have a mental illness. My twenties were the roughest part of my life. I went through a divorce, losing my children, psychosis, giving up babies for adoption, and the emergence of a serious mental illness. It was hell. I attempted suicide several times. This is the story of the last time I ever tried to kill myself, and the road I had to take to come back from it. This is not a cry for help. This is not a plea for sympathy. This is not an attempt to seek recognition or attention of any kind other than to move the reader into an awareness of what types of things might go through the mind of a suicidal individual. It is an attempt to connect with those who suffer, and hopefully guide them away from the edge. This is not my normal sort of blog post. This is a stand-alone work that speaks for itself. It does not represent who I am or where I’m at today, only what I have endured in the past-truly a different life. I have moved on.
Freedom in Honesty
I was sixteen years old when I stopped lying to my father. I decided one day that we were not close enough for me to care too much about what he thought or what he might do to me. My honesty initiated a cascade of events that led to some pretty tough situations for me, but I have never regretted my decision to tell the truth. There is freedom in honesty. It is a freedom of spirit and freedom of conscience; sweet and complete. I do not remember the circumstances that led me to make my decision but I do recall the circumstances that surrounded my taking the first step. Here is the story and what I learned from it.
Caregiver Burnout
Caregiver work is rewarding and fulfilling. Often the people who hold these types of jobs love the work and the people passionately. I know I did. I worked as a supervisor at a house where we cared for two young adult ladies who were severely disabled to the point of not being able to dress, feed, or toilet themselves. There is a dire need for people to fill these types of positions. Other caregiver roles include such things as working in day programs for the developmentally disabled, nursing, geriatric care, hospice, or CNA work. There is also a dire need for these types of positions to be filled as well. These jobs include a wide range of duties and require an array of certifications depending upon what the position is. Some of these jobs pay very little. For example, as a supervisor in my care giving job, I only made $13.50 per hour. Some positions, like nursing, pay more.
Mommy, Father, Son
“My dad left when I was in fourth grade, but I don’t even remember the time when he was there, really. We never spent time together. He was a raging alcoholic. I partially grew up with my grandpa. We did everything together. He took me hunting, fishing, and other stuff. I knew him as a father figure. He taught me a lot of stuff. He taught me everything a dad should teach his son. I have definitely let him down and it hurts me when I do. I don’t want to let him down.”
Men and Body Image
Women are under constant pressure to fit a certain body type; to be the best possible specimen of woman, one who is desirable for mating. It’s true. It’s evolutionary psychology. This pressure usually is presented through the media or even through other women going through the same struggle. But did you know that men deal with body image issues just as much as women do? Or that eating disorders plague men as well as women? This is true as well. The only thing is, men’s issues aren’t discussed or even presented to the world to the degree that women’s issues are. Why is that? Likely because men are taught to be stoic and silent, and that any problems they have must be kept secret.
Let’s Hear it for the Boys!
by Andrea Watson | December 22, 2020 First off, I do not claim to know anything about men. I am not a man and I grew up with three sisters and no brothers. But I know that men face their own issues, just like women do. And I appreciate and love men, so this oneContinue reading “Let’s Hear it for the Boys!”
I Can’t Sleep. I know…Let’s Write About Religious Trauma!
Yesterday my sister and I were talking about my last blog post, Please Pass the Yule. We talk about our blog posts a lot. And we often read each other’s stuff over the phone because we want feedback immediately. She kinda did a little flip-out maneuver when she read the part that said I was “a little jaded” that the Christians stole and bastardized Yule from the pagans and turned it into Christmas. She ranted for a minute about religious trauma and what it has done to her and I thought (and said) yes, but I’m a little more “movey-onny” than you. But was that true? WAS IT? I want to know.
Don’t Even Go There
So I just spent several hours on Quora.com answering a buttload of questions and I came across one that asked” How can I diagnose myself with depression and anxiety?” I had to answer this one. I had to say “Whoa buddy. Stop right there and back away from the Prozac!” What a stupid question…maybe. Is it? Do people really want to do this? I guess so. But it seems so damn foolish. Why? Read on.
Life All Day 