Mental health

Welcome to the Outcast Club

by Bill Brenner September 24, 2010 Communication Skills

An old friend is reminding me of the outcast I used to be and how like-minded people tend to stick together — even when they shouldn’t. I was actually quite a prick to Stevie Hemeon. I used to punch him in the Theodore Roosevelt School yard because he was one of the few kids I was strong enough to hit. He never deserved it. Yet he still hung with me, kind of how high school…  [Read More]

‘Mental Illness’ Must Die

by Bill Brenner September 22, 2010 Mental disorders

I’ve used the term mental illness in this blog a lot. Doing so has made perfect sense, since Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a form of mental illness that has sparked plenty of depressive episodes in my life. But I’m thinking it’s time to stop packaging my struggle this way. In fact, from here on out, I’m using the word “struggle” where I would normally use “mental illness.” I’m starting to realize a couple things: One…  [Read More]

Happily Ever After Is Bullshit & That’s OK

by Bill Brenner September 21, 2010 Addiction

Often, when depression slaps me upside the head, it’s on the heels of a prolonged period of good feelings and positive energy. Especially this time of year, when the daylight recedes early and returns late. These setbacks can be discouraging, but you can survive them with the right perspective. Mood music: It’s easy for people who fight mental illness and addictive behavior to go on an endless, futile search for the happily ever after, where…  [Read More]

The Positive Man’s Mask

by Bill Brenner September 20, 2010 Depression

My boss and good friend John Gallant once told me I’m one of the most positive people he knows. I was keeping a sunny disposition despite the Internet being down or something like that. I’m definitely a sunnier person than I used to be. To be truthful, though, sometimes it’s just an act. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukHqzqZOe7g&fs=1&hl=en_US] What brings me to that line of thinking is the crime wave of depression that hit me this weekend….  [Read More]

Mental Hangover

by Bill Brenner September 17, 2010 Depression

This morning I wrote about the one-two punch I got yesterday from the good and evil sides of OCD. Right now I’m experiencing a hangover as a result. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Iho1V–8G4&fs=1&hl=en_US] This hangover has nothing to do with binging or drinking. I did neither, though I did think seriously about it. I lingered in the wine section of the grocery store for a few minutes, wondering if I should buy a couple of those little…  [Read More]

The OCD Curse Meets the OCD Blessing

by Bill Brenner September 17, 2010 Gratitude

Something interesting happened yesterday. The OCD was running hot all afternoon and kicking my ass. Then, when I wasn’t expecting it, it gave me a second wind that worked out for everyone. Mood music: [spotify:track:4AAwBktkUB8LXGy5xNW3Rc] I was running around trying to get things done before going to a National Information Security Group (NAISG) meeting and the kids were in their usual state of after-school chaos. Duncan was sitting over his homework, not really getting anything…  [Read More]

Run Out of Town (Or Off Facebook, Twitter)

by Bill Brenner September 16, 2010 Communication Skills

One of my security friends thinks she needs to delete her social network accounts because she lacks social skills. She tends to offend people sometimes, you see, and she wants to go away until she can learn to behave. Though admirable, it’s a bad idea for lots of reasons. At the height of my mental illness and addictive behavior, social skills were alien to me. Isolating myself from the rest of the world was the…  [Read More]

The C Group of Paul Revere

by Bill Brenner September 14, 2010 Children's issues

Two things can doom a kid to a future of depression and addiction: Overprotective parents and clueless school districts. This is a post about both. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9dW8_qOjzQ&fs=1&hl=en_US] Neither case is one of evil. It’s about good intentions gone wrong. I think of the old saying, “The path to hell is paved with good intentions.” In the case of overbearing parents, this was only partly true for me. My father was all about pushing me…  [Read More]

Alone vs. Isolation

by Bill Brenner September 13, 2010 Coping tools

One of the big things I’ve struggled with over the years is when it’s OK to be alone and when it’s not. I spent a lot of years in isolation. I’m slowly realizing isolation and alone aren’t necessarily the same thing. Isolation never amounts to anything positive for me. Alone does — when I let it. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk7jVsiWb3o&fs=1&hl=en_US] I spent a lot of years in isolation when I was sickest with the OCD and…  [Read More]

Walking Toward Sanity

by Bill Brenner September 12, 2010 Coping tools

As a kid living on Revere Beach, long walks were my lifeline to sanity. At least once a day, I walked the entire length of the crescent-shaped coastline, from the edge of Revere Beach Boulevard to the city’s border with Winthrop. In more recent years, I haven’t walked much. But recent events are rekindling my love for it. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwKEdFoUB0o&fs=1&hl=en_US] I spent a lot of time walking around New York City this morning. I’m…  [Read More]

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →