Five Things That Overwhelm Me

by Bill Brenner on May 23, 2013

Though I got rid of the fear-based anxiety that kept me indoors and afraid of everything, I still have moments when I get overwhelmed. Mood music:  PatienceGuns N’ RosesG N’ R Lies Call it sensory overload or severe impatience, if you will. Or perhaps the latter two are mere byproducts of the first. Here are [...]

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Is It Better That They Died?

by Bill Brenner on May 22, 2013

A conversation with friends last night about Ray Manzarek’s death led to talk about Jim Morrison and other musicians who died young. The question we asked aloud was what would Morrison, Kurt Cobain and others have done with their music had they been afforded longer lives? Mood music:  Five To OneThe DoorsWaiting For The Sun [...]

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Thanks And Godspeed, Ray Manzarek

May 21, 2013 Music therapy

I was shocked yesterday to hear that Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of The Doors, passed away at 74 following a long bout with cancer. The importance of his music on me can’t be overstated. Mood music:  The EndThe DoorsThe Doors Jim Morrison always gets much of the credit as a member of this band, [...]

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Punch-Drunk Love

May 20, 2013 Love

In one of those bizarre flashbacks triggered by someone’s bad singing, I remembered something amusing about my maternal grandparents yesterday. During a Cub Scout overnight on the U.S.S. Salem, someone in our group started singing the jingle for The Clapper. You might remember the commercial with old people clapping their hands to turn lights on [...]

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I’m Not a Hero

May 16, 2013 Mental health

In the three-plus years I’ve been writing this blog, I frequently get messages from people telling me I’m a hero for opening up about my mental health experiences. It always makes me wince. Mood music:  No More HeroesSlashApocalyptic Love – feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators A new wave of hero labeling hit after a [...]

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What Arline Corthell Left Behind

May 15, 2013 Love

Erin’s paternal grandmother passed away yesterday. Although she’s gone, she leaves behind memories to treasure and influences to carry on. Mood music:  LunaThe Smashing PumpkinsSiamese Dream – 2011 – Remaster Memories Grammie had a gift for focusing on one person at a time and engaging them in deep conversation. She did most of the talking, [...]

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I Was Interviewed Again

May 14, 2013 Mental disorders

This time, I was interviewed for a story about how mental illness can actually make people stronger in their jobs. Check it out on Forbes.com.  

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Together We Fill Gaps

May 14, 2013 Love

I did some more thinking after writing yesterday’s “Burden of Being Upright” post, and I think I have a better perspective. I was frustrated all day knowing that I need frequent wake-up calls. I want to be so good all the time that I’ll never need them. Truth is, I’m always going to need it. [...]

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The Burden of Being Upright

May 13, 2013 Compulsive behaviors

A couple facts about the last few months: I made it through the winter more mentally intact than I have in a long time. I also went through a lot of uncertainty over the future of my career, which exhausted me enough to behave in spring as I normally do in winter: scattered, aloof and [...]

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Yeah, This Is EXACTLY What Depression Is Like

May 10, 2013 Depression

I’ve long been a fan of the blog Hyperbole and a Half, in which the author expresses herself through a combination of words and art. After a long hiatus, she returned this week with a post called “Depression Part 2.” Having experienced more than my fair share of depression along the way, I can tell [...]

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