growth

  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Haldol

    I can’t express the exhaustion I’ve been dealing with the medication changes from this week and last. It’s been much more debilitating than any other medication change before. I’ve been down for the count since starting the Haldol. And I… Continue reading

    Haldol
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • The Luxury

    I noticed that I’m starting to be aware of the weather again. It’s been sunny. Then rainy. Then sunny. Then rainy. All week. I’ve been noticing the shifts in temperature. And the bright shades of green pouring out of the… Continue reading

    The Luxury
  • Inflammation

    It’s always there. Inflammation is. I feel puffy. Everywhere. And do almost all the time. It’s gotten better since I cut out dairy products. But good lort. It can calm down anytime now. But I know it won’t without medication.… Continue reading

    Inflammation
  • 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
  • Medications: Part Five and a Half

    This isn’t a full entry. More like a quick update. I got a call from my pharmacy today. Just as I got home from therapy. Regarding another prescription. One for all of the breakthrough symptoms I have. Especially toward the… Continue reading

    Medications: Part Five and a Half
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Appointment Reminders

    My mental health clinic texts me appointment reminders. And since they got this service. I have been getting SO many reminder texts. I honestly thought that they had plugged my phone number into a place holder account or something. Because… Continue reading

    Appointment Reminders
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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 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
  • The Water Park Bridge

    Before my diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, I had bipolar 1. It was always “severe”. And the mental health care folks that I was working with, knew something else was going on. They just weren’t sure of what. A few years… Continue reading

    The Water Park Bridge
  • Habits

    I’m trying to reframe things in my mind as the weekend is about to hit again. I’ve just been so frustrated with everything the past few weeks. Everything kind of collapsed. I had to just sit and let the anger… Continue reading

    Habits
  • My Annoying Charm

    I have this charm I put on people. I’m annoying. I’m super annoying. I don’t know how it keeps happening. Or what I’m doing to pull so much frustration out of people. But I feel like everyone is annoyed with… Continue reading

    My Annoying Charm
  • My Needs and Boundaries

    I have been trying very hard lately to set boundaries. It’s tough. Some times are better than others. Especially in regards to follow through. I can set as many as I want. But the follow through is incredibly difficult. I… Continue reading

    My Needs and Boundaries
  • Everything’s Different

    My memory is shot. I feel like my capacity to remember anything has been cut in half since I was in my twenties. And I couldn’t remember anything back then either. It feels like these psychosis symptoms leave holes. They… Continue reading

    Everything’s Different
  • Stupid Arthritis

    I’ve been in a foul mood all week. I don’t talk much about my physical issues on here. But I decided it’s time to do so. My physical pain makes my mind bounce off the walls. It helps my darkness… Continue reading

    Stupid Arthritis
  • Medications: Part Three

    Medications are filled with tons of stigma. Especially antipsychotics. Taking them is admitting that I need help. And I can’t do this life on my own. It’s stressful. It’s packed with shame. Especially when folks who don’t have to take… Continue reading

    Medications: Part Three
  • Homesick

    I’m noticing that my depression is rearing its ugly head. It’s surfacing pretty gradually this go-around. Sometimes it hits like a freight train though. It’s self loathing and doubt. It’s soul crushing shit. With the voices and everything that take… Continue reading

    Homesick
  • DBT and BPD

    I’ve been working on a DBT workbook that I ordered. DBT stands for Dialectical Behavior Therapy. It’s for people who basically, can’t control their emotions. Find out more about DBT here.  I started thinking about DBT again because I am… Continue reading

    DBT and BPD
  • Engage the Rage

    I think the type of anger I have is a little closer to rage. A thick, stifling, deep, dark red rage. It sometimes feels like my blood is literally boiling under my skin. Bubbling up at least. I can feel… Continue reading

    Engage the Rage
  • Mutating Appropriately

    I met with the new-for-me NP at the mental health clinic I go to. The appointment went really well. I felt heard, finally. I was able to take in what was being said. I didn’t have a flood of uncontrollable… Continue reading

    Mutating Appropriately
  • Loaded Questions

    I have been very awkward in public lately. I’m terrified of people talking to me. Or about me. Probably because I always feel like people are talking about me. One harmless side glance starts a wave of paranoid thoughts through… Continue reading

    Loaded Questions
  • Inner Voices

    It’s been long enough that I don’t feel like I’ll ruin it if I bring it up now. My inner voices have been beautifully silent lately. It’s been about three weeks now. These are not the same voices I have… Continue reading

    Inner Voices
  • My Exhaustion

    There are nights where I get plenty of solid sleep and still wake up exhausted. I know that part of this is my depression. But another part of my sleepiness is now from being overwhelmed with the difference of my… Continue reading

    My Exhaustion
  • Retail, Behavior and Social Skills

    I always say that I’m not social anymore because of all of the years of retail I’ve worked. So, so many years of constant human interaction. Bad days, good days, sick days, it doesn’t matter. I have had to interact… Continue reading

    Retail, Behavior and Social Skills
  • Friends

    I have no desire to have friends right now. I can’t tell if I’m telling myself that because I don’t have many at all, or because it’s a real thing. But I really don’t have the capability to be a… Continue reading

    Friends
  • My [in]Ability to Think

    I was approved to see another NP at the clinic I go to. I’m glad it moved so quickly. And I’m glad the clinic I go to let me get a second opinion with another provider. I’m just so unsure… Continue reading

    My [in]Ability to Think
  • My Voices and Forest

    In the recent past, my delusions grew and got loud enough to impact every aspect of my life. I have a tendency to become obsessed with certain topics – mainly people and conversations between us, actually. Especially a specific line… Continue reading

    My Voices and Forest
  • Transition of Thought

    My psychosis episodes warp everything. They pop up out of nowhere and run my entire life until they wear out. Then it can get quiet for a few days. Then it ramps right back up into me. I have been… Continue reading

    Transition of Thought
  • Finding Parts of Myself

    Everyday something new happens. Or at least, I notice something new about myself. Like how dairy and I haven’t coexisted well for quite a few months now. Like how my mind overrides me. Like how I have white hairs on… Continue reading

    Finding Parts of Myself
  • Lactose Intolerance

    For the first time since starting this blog, I haven’t felt like writing this week. I know I will. I mean, I did. Because this is posted right here. So I know I did write. But I seriously don’t feel… Continue reading

    Lactose Intolerance
  • Madness Leaking

    I went from hearing deafening silence for two days to hearing voices again. It’s legit soul crushing shit. I know my symptoms will probably never go away fully. But the two days of silence was very eye opening. It was… Continue reading

    Madness Leaking
  • Silence and Other Senses

    It’s quiet this morning. Like, really quiet. It’s Friday, at 10am. People are out walking and driving and everything. But I don’t hear anything but faint background car noises. It’s as if someone switched a channel in my eardrums. It’s… Continue reading

    Silence and Other Senses
  • Addiction

    For many, many years I have been trying to cover my mental health symptoms with substances. Especially my psychosis. Alcohol, pills, anything that I could get my hands on. I was in rehab about 10 years ago, and I remember… Continue reading

    Addiction
  • Daylio

    Daylio is the name of my mood app. It’s an eye opening tool for me. I can track different moods that I have throughout the day. I can apply whatever “activity” or symptoms within those different moods. Everything is super… Continue reading

    Daylio
  • Core Delusion

    I’ve honestly felt like a shell of myself until the last few months. My mind has thrived in chaos, for so, so long now. But today, right now, I am sincerely doing good. And that’s so much more sincerely said… Continue reading

    Core Delusion
  • Employment Issues

    It may very well seem to someone on the outside that I am pretty “high functioning”, right? Because I’m writing again, and starting to be able to separate myself from my mind.. However, the phrase “high functioning” is very outdated.… Continue reading

    Employment Issues
  • Relationship

    Relationships are so, so difficult for me. I’m talking about all of them. Family, friends, significant others, etc… I’ve said before that I have a very hard time communicating. And that’s a big part of it. Another part is that… Continue reading

    Relationship
  • Medications: Part Two

    I was taken off of my Seroquel due to severe physical side effects and complications. At my psych appointment in August, I was to stop the rest of both my Geodon and Seroquel within about a three day period. Of… Continue reading

    Medications: Part Two
  • Side Note

    I wanted to say something real quick. I am well aware that my entries tend to focus on a lot of negative things. It may seem to someone unfamiliar to mental illness that I am only focusing on the negative.… Continue reading

    Side Note
  • Self Loathing

    I’ve been officially clinically depressed since high school. My very first diagnosis was major depressive disorder. A couple years later, the bipolar 1 came along, with its friends surfacing throughout the following years. My darkness just is. That’s the way… Continue reading

    Self Loathing
  • Shifting Thought and Behavior

    I try to not post twice in one week. But I made that rule up for myself. It’s mainly because I don’t want my writings to be pressured. I want to continue to publish thoughts on topics and not force… Continue reading

    Shifting Thought and Behavior
  • Paranoia, Hallucination and Delusion

    As long as I can remember it’s felt like someone is watching me. I have “heard” friends talking about me since I was fifteen. When I look at the few memories I have, it feels like there was always someone,… Continue reading

    Paranoia, Hallucination and Delusion
  • Sensing Mania

    I’ve been so tired the last couple of weeks – I know it’s from my medication changes. My doctors took me off of my Seroquel and Geodon and put me on Risperidone until I can get in next Wednesday for… Continue reading

    Sensing Mania
  • Changes

    During the past month I’ve been noticing that I have very high blood pressure and quite a bit of chest pains. I didn’t even think about them being from my Seroquel until last Friday. I noticed that overall, I hadn’t… Continue reading

    Changes