behavior

  • I Literally Can’t Control Myself

    When my symptoms pop up, my hallucinations and delusions, I lose control of myself, of my mind and body. Every night it happens and I quickly become paranoid, shake and mutter to myself because I’m hearing the voices. When I… Continue reading

    I Literally Can’t Control Myself
  • An Incomplete Puzzle

    The past couple weeks I’ve gone to a life skills class at my therapist’s office. They have an art room there too folks just hang out in. Sean, my therapist, actually runs the group and suggested I give it a… Continue reading

    An Incomplete Puzzle
  • Milestone Weight Loss

    It’s been an alright week. Pain levels are back to their full and dull roar, and I haven’t had many big hallucinations, just small ones. I also hit a milestone and lost 100lbs this week. Then I treated myself and… Continue reading

    Milestone Weight Loss
  • Suboxone

    I can barely walk again today. This is week three of intense pain levels that show no sign of slowing. I can barely sit up and go to the bathroom. Sitting down on the toilet with bad knees makes it… Continue reading

    Suboxone
  • Therapy and Others

    This week has been extremely, excruciatingly painful. Physically and mentally taxing. My knees ache with shooting pains and a constant drowning burn. My left shoulder, left ankle and left big toe feel like they’ve been hit with a baseball bat… Continue reading

    Therapy and Others
  • Depression Part Two

    This week I’ve still been feeling pretty dark. Not actively, quite subconsciously. Deep, deep, deep down. I’ve struggled with depression since I was around twelve or thirteen years old. I’m trying so hard to not be depressed (like I can).… Continue reading

    Depression Part Two
  • A Sense of Dread

    I showered today. That’s my big news this week. I’ve been feeling very fucking meh to blah this week. Very antsy too, but I’m also not really able to think or write. But I didn’t get antsy enough to start… Continue reading

    A Sense of Dread
  • It’s Not Laziness

    This week has been surprisingly decent in regards to not having many breakthrough symptoms. My symptoms have been significantly dulled since getting used to the oral Invega/Paliperidone. I talked about that in therapy on Thursday this week, and so far,… Continue reading

    It’s Not Laziness
  • Pain and Tardiness

    My body has been hurting so, so bad this week. I’m in the middle of a fucking inflammatory arthritic flare now. My right knee hurts so, so, so bad. And so does the left one, and my left foot, and… Continue reading

    Pain and Tardiness
  • Sleep and Others

    There were more auditory hallucinations over this last weekend. They seemed to have drifted off throughout the week though. They got quieter. It was just a lot of mumbles and feeling like I’m in a crowd, or there’s a group… Continue reading

    Sleep and Others
  • Aging and Others

    I had my appointment with my psych NP, Alex this Tuesday, and he switched me to the oral Invega! Technically it’s the generic, Paliperidone, which is just fine with me. He said the main reason he wanted to talk to… Continue reading

    Aging and Others
  • Frustrated

    This week has been decent I guess. Some family was visiting and I got to hang out for a few hours with them, so that was nice. My symptoms haven’t been too bad but the whispers and voices have been… Continue reading

    Frustrated
  • Adjusting

    I’ve been feeling off since being taken off the Haldol. I feel agitated, restless, there’s more static type noises and whispers this week. The one bonus is that I’m not drooling as much. So that’s one good thing. I got… Continue reading

    Adjusting
  • Simulation and Situation

    It has been a tough couple of weeks. I’m caught up in something I can’t control and it’s driving me up the wall. It’s triggering. And my hallucinations have been louder. The shadows are thick and the little balls dart… Continue reading

    Simulation and Situation
  • Stress

    This week has been much, much better symptom wise for me. I’ve been able to flow smoothly today. Awaiting the ebb, but not holding my breath. My psychotic and depression symptoms have been few the past couple of days. On… Continue reading

    Stress
  • Medication Adjustment

    Well, I’ve been feeling better the past couple of days. Getting out from under the couch blankets to finally walk Bruce around yesterday and today was nice. My cough is still around but the wheezing has let up. I feel… Continue reading

    Medication Adjustment
  • Trusting Myself

    I’ve been having symptoms kick up with my pain levels remaining quite high still. I also have an infection in a tooth of mine and am in need of a horribly helpful root canal. Boo. They’re just so uncomfortable. I… Continue reading

    Trusting Myself
  • Being Too Much

    The radio noises don’t bother me too much, especially the music I hear. It doesn’t frighten me like the voices do. The murmurs that come along with the radio noises are not fun, and it makes me feel overstimulated with… Continue reading

    Being Too Much
  • Medications: Part Eight

    I have been pretty stable with medications lately. I just got my Invega Sustenna injection again this last Tuesday. They had switched up my appointment without telling me but luckily the nurse was available to give it to me really… Continue reading

    Medications: Part Eight
  • Dreams or Thoughts

    I keep having these recurring things in my dreams. I’m always carrying a backpack or bag that’s too way way way too heavy for me. Like, once it’s off my back it takes someone helping me to get it back… Continue reading

    Dreams or Thoughts
  • Imposter

    It’s been feeling like I don’t have much to write about the last few weeks. I’ve been posting still, but I’m back to once a week right now for the most part. I sometimes wonder if the pain that comes… Continue reading

    Imposter
  • Stability

    Stability is not always a given for me. I don’t think it’s a given for a lot of folks out there. I fluctuate back and forth between being lucid and not. And back and forth on my ability to be… Continue reading

    Stability
  • A Weekend to Remember

    I had a wonderful weekend last week. It was full of a wedding and blissful food and amazing, loving people.  It was terrific. I only really had one hour or so of symptoms, hearing the other people that are really… Continue reading

    A Weekend to Remember
  • Pain Levels

    My left knee is killing me today and has been for several days now. It burns, is very stiff, and spazzes and aches terribly every time I get up and walk around. It’s difficult to walk this week. And I… Continue reading

    Pain Levels
  • Suicidal Ideations

    I know this will be hard for a lot of people to read, so consider this a trigger warning that suicidal ideations and thoughts are to heavily follow this sentance. I have been obsessing over this lump that I have… Continue reading

    Suicidal Ideations
  • Fixations and Bruce Wayne

    I have this strange lump on the right side of my neck. I’m hoping it’s just a cyst or something harmless. And I won’t know much about it till Wednesday, when I have a follow up after the ultrasound tomorrow.… Continue reading

    Fixations and Bruce Wayne
  • Complicated Phrasing

    There’s that phrase that says you can’t love anyone until you love yourself. And I think that’s bullshit. I have loved many people while not even knowing how to like myself, let alone love myself. Hell, I just barely started… Continue reading

    Complicated Phrasing
  • The Foot Shuffle and Other Unhelpful Side Effects

    There are several side effects from the Haldol that I’ve been dealing with. They’re pretty frustrating and annoying all at once. I know I’ve talked about the drooling. That’s still happening. It sneaks out of the corners of my mouth… Continue reading

    The Foot Shuffle and Other Unhelpful Side Effects
  • Childless

    Sometimes I regret not having kids. I never wanted any, but I feel like I should’ve over the years. There was a time, a couple of months, where my ex husband and I were thinking about it. He wanted kids.… Continue reading

    Childless
  • Scary Relief

    The voices are still here, in case you were wondering. I have been trying to focus on other things while they’re not as loud, but some days are better than others. And the last couple of days I’ve had some… Continue reading

    Scary Relief
  • Dissociation

    I do think there are parts of me that aren’t connected. I do feel like I bounce back and forth between myself but at different ages. Ages where something happened or was a turning point in my life. When I… Continue reading

    Dissociation
  • Shame

    I think one of the toughest things with mental illness for me is overcoming the shame of not being a “typical” person. Because I don’t like the word “normal” unless I’m dealing with the smell of food. Like does this… Continue reading

    Shame
  • My Journey With Talk Therapy

    I have had a long, tumultuous, relationship with talk therapy. I love it. I hate it. It’s alright. Fuck nah. Just to go back to it’s alright, again. I’ve run randomly through all of these feelings, sometimes lapping over another,… Continue reading

    My Journey With Talk Therapy
  • Negative Symptoms

    Negative symptoms are just as frustrating and scary as  positive symptoms. I know I talk mainly about the positive ones, hallucinations, delusions and such. But negative symptoms are just as pesky and shitty as their counterpart. I’ve talked about it… Continue reading

    Negative Symptoms
  • Self Talk

    I have been starting to do more positive self talk this week. Just to myself, in my head. I’ve been really trying to tell myself that I’m a good person. And I deserve to take care of myself. That I… Continue reading

    Self Talk
  • The Impact

    I’ve been having more good days than bad since getting used to the Haldol. Voices and visual hallucinations have been quiet and few, further between. It’s so fucking refreshing. My hallucinations have been showing up in smaller ways. And my… Continue reading

    The Impact
  • Behavior

    I’m embarrassed about my behavior in the past. I know it’s not good to stare into the past, but I gotta learn my patterns somehow – and reflection is good for that. I was just thinking about all of the… Continue reading

    Behavior
  • Drooling

    It’s really strange to say this, but I’ve been drooling lately. Come to google this here. While I’m thankful for the validation, I’m frustrated that it’s not written about more. There’s not much on it. Some wordy studies here and… Continue reading

    Drooling
  • Depression

    Sometimes I feel like my depression takes a back seat to my other symptoms, especially my hallucinations and delusions. I get so worked up over them that I become blind to my darkness. It gets twisted into everything else. There… Continue reading

    Depression
  • Stability Loading…

    I’m blown away by how stable I feel. Tired. But stable. Surprisingly stable. I was supposed to get my Invega injection on Friday last week, but the nurse left me a voicemail saying they had to reschedule me for after… Continue reading

    Stability Loading…
  • My Capacity

    I haven’t been writing that much the past few weeks. Dealing with this medication change and adjustment has been pretty brutal. Very brutal. I’m starting to come out the other side slowly, but I feel like it’s taking an eternity.… Continue reading

    My Capacity
  • Anything Goes

    Now that I’m getting used to the Haldol, I’ve been able to think again today. And clearer than I’ve been able to yet, which is such a welcomed and very promising feeling. Last week was no good for that, but… Continue reading

    Anything Goes
  • Side Note 3

    I’ve got two things. The first thing is a couple of additions to Nomadic Protection that didn’t come to mind till after it was published. I have moved over twenty two times since 2004. And I have moved cities every… Continue reading

    Side Note 3
  • Nomadic Protection

    I’ve been told that I tend to drop things and want to leave people, places, and things once things get a touch easy. Or hard. Or stangent. Or if I just get straight up bored. I know I’ve thrived in… Continue reading

    Nomadic Protection
  • The Right People

    It’s really hard to wrap my head around things when I don’t remember much. I can’t recall much at all about anything. Why things went sour with someone. What I was thinking. Why this, that, or the other happened. I… Continue reading

    The Right People
  • Blurry Noises

    I’ve been hearing crowd murmurs for the last few days again. They first surfaced when I was 19 years old. I remember the night that I first heard them. I thought It was paranormal, of course. This hallucination sounds like… Continue reading

    Blurry Noises
  • Debbie Downer

    I didn’t go to the gym again yesterday. I didn’t want to. Didn’t feel like it. It’s been a rough week. I did go to my schizophrenia support group online Thursday night though. So that helped a little bit. I… Continue reading

    Debbie Downer
  • It’s Tiring

    So I apologized to my neighbor today about my explosion yesterday and she acted like she had no idea what I was talking about. Maybe I made it all up. Or she was drunk like she gets. But she literally… Continue reading

    It’s Tiring
  • I Confronted the Neighbors

    I went out and asked them if they had just been talking about me. Talking shit, technically. I just blurted it out when I looked up at the third floor balcony. They were both out there. “Were you guys just… Continue reading

    I Confronted the Neighbors
  • This Too Shall Pass

    I noticed a lack of something latey. Music in my head. I used to have music playing constantly in my mind. Tones that I had heard before. Songs that I know. Layered over and through oneanother. Just, really, quite constant… Continue reading

    This Too Shall Pass
  • Defining my Progress

    I’ve been really tired this week. Worn out. Part of it is because I was in an episode last week and weekend. It’s so exhausting to have psychotic symptoms. I’m constantly trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not.… Continue reading

    Defining my Progress
  • Delusions

    It’s all the same. The general idea for my delusions are all pretty much the same base. Someone is after me. Out to get me. Spying on me. Stalking me. Watching me. I call all of these things hallucinations all… Continue reading

    Delusions
  • Stress Turns Into Symptoms

    I know now that stress plays a huge part in my psychotic symptoms. I never realized how big of a role it carries. My symptoms are dying down again after a few days of being pretty heavy and thick. The… Continue reading

    Stress Turns Into Symptoms
  • Random Surfacing

    The voices never really go away. I’ve been having a good week, but they’re still there. As frustrating as that is. They get worse at night. Once it hits the time where the sun starts to go down, it’s like… Continue reading

    Random Surfacing
  • Visual Hallucinations

    I’m having a hard time letting myself just be today. I’m tired. Which probably doesn’t help. I feel like I should be doing more of something. But I don’t know what. And I don’t have the energy right now, anyway.… Continue reading

    Visual Hallucinations
  • Medications: Part Six

    I was just sitting here thinking and realized that my having a better mood is directly coinciding with the rate at which my immunosuppressants for my arthritis have been working. It’s been about eight weeks of the weekly methotrexate and… Continue reading

    Medications: Part Six
  • My Relationship With Food

    I’ve always used food to cover up my feelings. As a coping mechanism. A way to forget what I was so miserable about. I used to tell myself that I don’t use it that way. That food wasn’t an escape.… Continue reading

    My Relationship With Food
  • Reframing

    I’ve been feeling good the past week. So good I’m on edge waiting for my symptoms to take hold again. It makes me antsy when I have several decent days in a row like I have been this week. Wait,… Continue reading

    Reframing
  • Self Care

    I’m still struggling with the emptiness. It’s so abundant. My symptoms of hallucinations and delusions have been very quiet the past several days. It’s odd because it’s not that I miss them when they’re gone. It’s just that, from everywhere,… Continue reading

    Self Care
  • Empty

    I’ve been feeling very empty lately. Like, unable to see or feel much joy. I’ve been watching shows like Reno911! and News Radio to keep it light and non thinky. Everything’s been too much. And that’s frustrating because everything is… Continue reading

    Empty
  • I Have to Balance

    I was wondering about my symptoms that broke through last week. Once they started to quiet a little, I could think again. I’ve been thinking about it a lot since it happened actually. And I’m pretty sure that the recent… Continue reading

    I Have to Balance
  • The Wash and Fade

    I’ve been feeling very, very blah this week. My Invega injection makes me so tired now that I don’t know what to do. I was resting most of this week because i couldn’t do anything else. And that feeling gets… Continue reading

    The Wash and Fade
  • Bouncing Between Delusions (and Hallucinations)

    I got my Invega injection today. And I honestly couldn’t wait for it. I’ve been having some breakthrough symptoms this last weekend. And last week. It felt like all the peace I had with the six or so day run… Continue reading

    Bouncing Between Delusions (and Hallucinations)
  • Chatty

    I used to be so chatty. I worked retail most all my life, so being paid to be a social butterfly was a good fit for me. But that’s all changed now. And since, I’ve noticed a change in myself… Continue reading

    Chatty
  • Thoughts vs Auditory Hallucinations

    I know it may be a bit hard to imagine what auditory hallucinations sound like. Believe me, I wish that no one would ever experience them. Ever. I wish it wasn’t even an option. But unfortunately it is. And I’d… Continue reading

    Thoughts vs Auditory Hallucinations
  • Negativity

    It may seem as though I’m extremely negative while reading through my writings. That’s because I am. I’ll own it. I’ve grown into the negativity over the years. It’s been doomy in my head for decades now. In my experience,… Continue reading

    Negativity
  • “Anosognosia” and Delusions

    I’m forty years old. And I didn’t understand that the voices I hear are actually hallucinations, until I was thirty eight. I thought they were my thoughts. My internal system. The paranormal. The voices are a nonstop discourse of layered… Continue reading

    “Anosognosia” and Delusions
  • Holding Friends Hostage

    Sometimes the people in our life try their best to understand mental illness. And it still falls short. Sometimes the people in our life won’t understand. And it’s not productive to hold that against them. There have been a lot… Continue reading

    Holding Friends Hostage
  • Avolition and Pain Levels

    I’ve been begging myself to have motivation this month. This week has been more terrible than the week before in that regard. I haven’t done much the past two weeks. Rather, I couldn’t do much. I’m pretty sure I’m dealing… Continue reading

    Avolition and Pain Levels
  • Symptoms and Behavior

    There’s a huge difference between symptoms and behavior. They do overlap. Quite often. And quite detrimentally at times. But they are very different parts of me. I thought they were kinda one in the same until this week. Behavior is… Continue reading

    Symptoms and Behavior
  • Blank

    I’ve known for quite a long time that something was off with me. That I don’t think. Or act like a typical person. My explosive emotions repel most people. They repel me most times. It’s overwhelming to have big feelings… Continue reading

    Blank
  • Internally

    I got in some good decompression last week. I can’t help but notice. That I’ve had a few days without symptoms now. It’s refreshing to not hear the voices constantly. Even though I don’t expect it to last long. Ever.… Continue reading

    Internally
  • A Situation

    This week was awesome. I had a dear friend visit for most of it. I got to see the beauty. And the power of the ocean. And friendship. It was a great week. I did have symptoms during it. At… Continue reading

    A Situation
  • Mascara

    I put on mascara the other day. For the first time in months. I didn’t even go anywhere. I haven’t been looking that great lately. Physically. Not saying I look terrible. Just saying that I have been putting in zero… Continue reading

    Mascara
  • Navigating My Mental Healthcare

    I feel like I’ve been busy this week. But really I’ve been preoccupied. I had an arthritis medication that the doctor’s office just simply wasn’t doing anything about.  I called each day this week. Because I had put in my… Continue reading

    Navigating My Mental Healthcare
  • The Blockage

    It’s been three weeks. Only. And already. Three weeks since I started the daily Risperidone tablets. And only about one week since starting it twice a day. My goodness! How quickly my mood. And ability to think. Changed. In that… Continue reading

    The Blockage
  • The Birds

    Things have been really quiet this weekend again. Which is surprising. I get my injection on Tuesday. And I’m kinda thrilled for it. Normally by now the radio noise would’ve merged into voices. And they would’ve been incessant. But today… Continue reading

    The Birds
  • Medication Adjustments

    This is my 70th entry. This one right here. I never thought I’d continue to follow through with this blog. It’s rewarding. Therapeutic. Satisfying. And I’m getting quite proud of my continued growth. I was looking at some of my… Continue reading

    Medication Adjustments
  • 2020

    I’ve been pretty reflective the past couple days. I’m glad to be able to be today. It’s not always an option for me. I was thinking about my divorce. It was finalized three years ago last month. I was thinking… Continue reading

    2020
  • A Sense of Myself

    I have had a significant decrease in symptoms this week. Like, night and day difference. That Risperidone that was added a few weeks ago. Is amazing. In combination with the Invega. Flooring. I’m shook by how much better I feel.… Continue reading

    A Sense of Myself
  • When My Anger Shows

    I get so frustrated with myself. I’m still mad at myself. About raising my voice at the dentist’s office the other day. I hate that I do that shit. It’s super unhealthy. I don’t know why I do it. I… Continue reading

    When My Anger Shows
  • Disconnections

    I realized I had a tooth ache on Sunday. I say that because I knew something was off. I knew my cheek had been sore. The past week or two. I’ve noticed some chewing issues. But it didn’t click. It… Continue reading

    Disconnections
  • Medications: Part Five

    After my Invega injections I feel much, much, much more like myself. Whoever that is anymore. I got one this last Friday. And I feel a night and day difference. My anger dissipates. I’m calmer. I’m reserved. Reflective. Pensive. Even… Continue reading

    Medications: Part Five
  • Randomly Consistent

    I have a hard time remembering what I was just going to say. It’s like my brain just stops. Or backtracks. And I go completely blank. A lot of times it never comes back to me. But sometimes I can… Continue reading

    Randomly Consistent
  • Fading Into

    The slight amount of happiness I was feeling. From having a glimpse of contentedness. Has faded into a state of semi-darkness. It’s not full blown. And I have had to remind myself I’m in the middle of another fucking med… Continue reading

    Fading Into
  • Being Social

    I haven’t posted back to back entries in a while. I wanted to tell y’all what I did. After sifting through myself. My attempt at adding logic to it. And debating what was the issue at hand. I got back… Continue reading

    Being Social
  • Emotional Eating

    I always denied being an emotional eater. But I eat all the time. I’m usually not even hungry when I do. I’m also sad all the time. And angry. And anxious. So it can all blend together. But honestly, I… Continue reading

    Emotional Eating
  • Patterns of Good and Bad

    Now that I don’t eat cheese. I see tons of commercials for it. Every style. Every type. Pizza commercials are the worst. It’s torture. I just get so uncomfortable. And it’s apparent directly after eating it. So much so that… Continue reading

    Patterns of Good and Bad
  • Dreams and Nightmares

    Some days I just wait to go to sleep. All day long. All week long. All month long. All year long. I usually wake up at the same time everyday. And I try to go to sleep around the same… Continue reading

    Dreams and Nightmares
  • An Empty Parking Lot

    I feel as though I’ve helped destroy my life. Well, let me rephrase that. I feel as though mental illness has helped destroy my life. My symptoms. My lack of decent behaviors. My shit coping mechanisms. My complete lack of… Continue reading

    An Empty Parking Lot
  • The Bigger Picture

    I feel like there are so many things I haven’t been able to comprehend. Especially over the span of my lifetime. I know I’ve said things like this in past entries too. And it’s tough to describe. But not many… Continue reading

    The Bigger Picture
  • Climbing Out of an Episode

    Everything was really rough for around ten to twelve days. I finally started snapping out of it on Thursday. My therapist is convinced that my neighbor accusing me triggered me into an episode. I agree with her. Honestly, things had… Continue reading

    Climbing Out of an Episode
  • Radical Acceptance

    I had a ton of breakthrough symptoms this last week. I was severely triggered by a neighbor. I don’t want to go into detail. So to sum it up, she accused me of something I didn’t do. And believe you… Continue reading

    Radical Acceptance
  • Some Things Are Clicking

    I was watching Modern Family today and heard a line that really struck me. A coworker of one of the main characters said “I eat garbage because I am garbage”. And that is exactly why I struggle with my weight.… Continue reading

    Some Things Are Clicking
  • Word Usage

    The overuse of certain mental illness words or symptoms is out of control. I’m sure it used to be much, much worse than it is now. But the stigma is still here. “Oh, they’re acting so manic.” “Oh, she’s crazy.”… Continue reading

    Word Usage
  • Audio Hallucinations

    I have been thinking about documenting the voices like this for a while now. I did it a few times (that I can find) in my journal from this time last year. Reading my writings from a full psychosis episode… Continue reading

    Audio Hallucinations
  • Friends: Part Two

    I used to get so frustrated with some of my friends. I mean, almost enraged at times. And I was never afraid to show it. With actions or words. Or tone of voice. I never said I wasn’t toxic before… Continue reading

    Friends: Part Two
  • The Neighbor Hallucination

    It’s an on going thing for me. Hallucinations are. I hear the neighbors talk about me. Every fucking day. Sometimes I can ignore it. But it’s incessant. It’s been happening for many years now. The last few years they have… Continue reading

    The Neighbor Hallucination
  • The Physical Effects of Antipsychotics

    Antipsychotics make me feel like a different person. In the best way possible. Bet you weren’t expecting that one! Or maybe you were. I have never had good side effects from a medication. They always cause me intense weight gain.… Continue reading

    The Physical Effects of Antipsychotics
  • Group Therapy

    I tried to do a group meeting this week. It was on Tuesday night. It was hosted through NAMI. I let my paranoia get the best of me though. I was late for the meeting. My laptop was being frustrating… Continue reading

    Group Therapy