Many people are faced with mental health problems on a daily basis. This may sound like a lot, but there is one thing that is easy to forget when we talk about mental health and the challenges people can face – every person and every challenge is unique. There is a sense of community and…
I’ve already written that one of the topics I’ve learned the most about in the four years I’ve written this blog is suicide prevention. At the end of the suicide prevention month, I try to take the time to think about what I’ve learned during that month and how it will help my suicide prevention…
Every year around Labor Day, I start the mental shift into the fall season. I know I’m not alone with this (and I’m not here to talk about how great fall is, I promise), but I think there are important adjustments we’re making this part of the year about that is not always talked about….
Language is one of the most important aspects of mental wellbeing, and the way we talk about mental health can go a long way in reducing the mental health stigma. This recurring feature on the blog looks at different words and phrases I use when talking about my mental health. I know other people use…
After living with anxiety and depression for nearly a decade, I’ve gotten used to the symptoms that come along on my mental health journey, especially since my physical symptoms are showing up fairly prominently. Since my mental health has a significant impact on my physical wellbeing, it is easier to identify and adjust to my…
Earlier this week, I wrote about some of the new anxiety symptoms I’ve been experiencing over the past few months. While learning how to deal with and live with these new symptoms wasn’t fun, it was another opportunity to work on what I like to call my mental health toolkit. Over the years I have…
You know, it’s been less than two months since I wrote about how great Naomi Osaka is for taking care of her mental health, and here we are again. Our hero this time? Simone Biles, the most decorated American gymnast of all time. Aside from the fact that Biles owes us nothing (and has already…
One of the most frustrating aspects of living with depression and anxiety is that my brain can get overwhelmed easily at times. Whether it’s managing negative thoughts or processing what’s going on around me, it doesn’t take much to get my brain going. With so much exercise, however, it’s easy to lose track – a…
I remember when I was a kid I heard the term “bottle it up” often when it came to dealing with life’s problems. It’s been a while since I’ve heard it (thanks to friends and family for not taking this approach too often) but it has stuck with me over the years. One of the…
Sometimes when I write or speak about mental health I can get too weed and fail to properly explain some of the terms or definitions of some of the words I use. Language is extremely important to me when we talk about mental health, and a clear definition of what certain terms mean (as well…
Good Morning! Today at My Brain’s Not Broken we have a guest post from the team at Prairie Health, a company founded to make mental health care more accessible and effective, about some of the ways they believe mental health care can be improved. We discussed some of these things during our last conversation on…
When I think about how I deal with my mental health, I think a lot about tunnel vision. If you’re not that familiar with the concept, tunnel vision is often used as a metaphor when someone is focused solely on a single goal or course of action. Although it is often used as a metaphor,…
It’s midsummer time here in the United States, which means beautiful, sunny weather, sometimes scorching temperatures, and the age-old question of vacation. This would be a good time to write about why vacation is important to wellbeing, but since the logistics of vacation are still quite tricky (worldwide pandemic and everything) I decided to take…
Last June, during Pride Month, I delved into some stats and data on mental health and the LGBTQ + community. As in many other communities, the numbers of LGBTQ + people dealing with mental health problems vary widely, and the numbers speak for it. And while it won’t be news to our siblings in this…
Earlier this week I shared some news about adjusting to the fact that after almost a year I had to stop seeing my therapist. It’s a process I’m used to – in fact, this is the greatest achievement I’ve ever had with a therapist – but there is something familiar in this position. Whether I…