Understanding the Coping Mechanisms of Victims of Abuse

Making the decision to leave an abusive relationship is exceedingly difficult, and actually doing it is harder still since doing so safely often takes time and strategic planning. Christina takes an empathetic look at some common coping mechanisms of victims of abuse, some of which are used to keep them safe until they can leave, others that actually keep them in the relationship longer, but all of which are rooted in reasons that are significant to them.

Why I Stopped Taking Anti-Depressants

In today’s guest post, Sandra Jones looks at how even though medication increased her tendency towards positive feelings, it was still more detrimental to her in the long run to continue using it as a treatment, and she encountered a lot of resistance from the medical world in reaching that conclusion.

How to Lend a Hand in a Mental Health Crisis Part 5: Seeking Solutions

The fifth part of Lucy Merriman’s guide to offering support during a mental health crisis is possibly the most universally helpful of all the parts. It includes useful problem solving techniques, basic guidelines to finding the info you need, and an amazing list of mental health related media.

Open Me: How a Kid’s Kind Holiday Gesture Turned My World Upside Down

Clarity’s guest post today looks at how racism is so insidious, it creeps into situations and actions that a white person would never think twice about, and provokes a sense of life-consuming threat, regardless how kind or innocent the intention of the original gesture was.

Advice on Cancer from an Actual Real Cancer Having Person

Those of us who have dealt with a chronic illness understand the value of using humor to face the difficulty and often indignity involved in our daily life. We also use humor to connect with others, particularly those who have gone through the same trials that we have. Liz Winship’s advice on cancer is specific to her condition, but her advice rings true for anyone with chronic illness. 

How to Lend a Hand in a Mental Health Crisis Part 4: Educate, Normalize, & Comfort

This week’s guest post is Part 4 in a five-part series that looks at how to fill the gaps in our current mental health care system on an individual basis. Lucy Merriman has been guiding us through information about mental health crisis hotlines, basic skills needed to offer support to a person in crisis, and in-depth information about how to guide someone to the other side of whatever they are going through.

How to Lend a Hand in a Mental Health Crisis Part 3: The Process of Processing

This article includes a lot of really valuable information about how to help someone work through an emotionally upsetting time. Whether your friend is in a full-blown mental health crisis, or they’re just having a bad day, these tools are excellent for anyone who wants to be a better source of support.

How to Lend a Hand in a Mental Health Crisis Part 2: Mindset, Limit Setting, and Safety Assessment

Today’s post covers the preparation needed to skillfully offer support to a friend if you don’t have the resources to become a trained crisis worker but still want tools to help your friend when in a mental health crisis.