Bill Brenner

You Don’t Need Rage to Be a Badass

by Bill Brenner October 2, 2012 Communication Skills

When I was in my teens and early 20s, I let my rage flow freely in public. I’d drop f-bombs, flip people off and deliberately cut people off in traffic. That I couldn’t control myself was only part of it. In my young and stupid mind, I thought these attributes made me cool. Mood music: [spotify:track:3xMZrNrfyKUUqQVtoR13ml] Funny thing about having a chip on your shoulder: It obstructs the flow of sanity and common sense to…  [Read More]

The White Stripe of Dissapointment

by Bill Brenner October 1, 2012 Music therapy

An old friend from Revere went to NYC to see Jack White perform at Radio City Music Hall this past weekend and walked away crushed. She waited an hour and a half to meet him, but he blew past everyone and hopped into a waiting van. No hellos. No autographs. “What a disappointment. Just waited an hour and a half for him to just dash out and jump in his van,” she said on her…  [Read More]

Did George Takei’s OCD Humor Fall Flat?

by Bill Brenner September 27, 2012 OCD

The Facebook page of George Takei — Mr. Sulu from the original Star Trek series and subsequent movies — has become one of my favorites. The actor has made a second career for himself on there, plastering his page with some of the funniest photos/memes I’ve seen. Today, I noticed one such meme that pokes fun at OCD: I didn’t think much of it at first. I see all kinds of OCD-based humor on the Internet…  [Read More]

Out of My Head

by Bill Brenner September 27, 2012 Mental disorders

Like anyone with a mental disorder like OCD, I spend a lot of time locked in my head. My thoughts will be on what I’m doing the next day or a year out. Or they’re in the past, replaying scenes from long ago. Last night I began the mission to get out of there. Mood music: [spotify:track:7yqO8vYeyf8ahnLj9vOZ4G] It was the first night of my Stress Reduction and Mindfulness class. The instructor is my therapist, though…  [Read More]

I’m Stressed About My Stress-Reduction Class

by Bill Brenner September 26, 2012 Mental health

Tonight is the first of eight weekly stress-reduction and mindfulness classes I’m taking. I have to admit the whole thing stresses me out a bit. It’s not that the description is bad. In fact, it sounds delightful. I’m going to learn how to use yoga and other techniques to keep my thoughts in the present, where they belong. Here’s a little background from the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction website: Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn developed the Mindfulness Based…  [Read More]

Which Is Worse? You Decide.

by Bill Brenner September 25, 2012 Mental health

I woke up pissed at the world yesterday. Part of it is that people in my life are acting like idiots, and part of it is my realization that thinking this way makes me a Grade-A hypocrite. Mood music: [spotify:track:1GnCH2KszUkpUjXuDP2G3N] I’m sick of all the ass-hat political posts friends and relatives are putting on Facebook lately. Rather than sticking with issues like our economic well-being and the best way to achieve national security, people are…  [Read More]

Putting a Face on Suicide

by Bill Brenner September 24, 2012 Depression

There’s a page on Facebook everyone should check out called Putting a Face on Suicide. It’s powerful stuff. Mood music: [spotify:track:14YR9VCoseu7zq2dx9Qr6w] Having lost a close friend to suicide, this page hits me where I live. We hear about suicide statistics all the time. We know of the famous suicides, like Ernest Hemingway and Kurt Cobain. But regular people die by their own hand every day, and their faces are easily forgotten. That’s what makes this…  [Read More]

Reefer Madness: Vote Yes on Question 3

by Bill Brenner September 20, 2012 Addiction

When Massachusetts residents go to the polls this November 6, they’ll have the opportunity to vote on the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Initiative, also known as Question 3. If voters approve the initiative, medical marijuana will be decriminalized in my home state. I’m in favor of this for a variety of reasons. Mood music: [spotify:track:5p4T4XOoXQXPpGVPCEGUzE] For my fellow Massachusetts residents, here’s how the question will appear on the ballot: A YES VOTE would enact the proposed law eliminating…  [Read More]

All You Wanted Was a Pepsi. Instead You Got Drugs

by Bill Brenner September 19, 2012 Medicine

A friend of mine likes to refer to antidepressants as “brain candy.” I hate when he does, because it oversimplifies the very complicated science of mental medication. It’s not about seeing flowers and sunshine where neither exist. Mood music: There is this notion that taking antidepressants is a sign of weakness. I come across a lot of people who see the medicine as something to take out of desperation and to get off of as…  [Read More]

Sex Change Outrage: Should We Pay for Convict’s Operation?

by Bill Brenner September 18, 2012 Crime and punishment

There are a lot of good people out there who deal with brutal medical situations that make them outcasts. There’s the depression I’ve covered extensively here. And there are things like being transgender. But if you’re behind bars for murder, should taxpayers be paying for your treatment? Mood music: [spotify:track:44XvCIXl5rqHGAWcAS2I2i] Depression is a simpler example. If antidepressants can make a convict well enough to better serve the prison community where he or she is doing time,…  [Read More]

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