OCD

This is Your Brain on Restlessness

by Bill Brenner April 27, 2010 Addiction

The author has hit a wall with his recovery. But it’s not what you think. Mood music for this post: “Don’t Cry” by Guns N Roses: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRIbf6JqkNc&hl=en_US&fs=1&] I’ve moved past yesterday’s tiredness to a state of restlessness. By brain is at war with itself. One side wants to buckle down and tackle the editing and administrative tasks on the table. The other side wants to write a few more articles first. I have leftover material…  [Read More]

Somewhat Damaged

by Bill Brenner April 26, 2010 Mental disorders

Sometimes the author lives in overdrive. The result is pain. Mood music for this post: “Somewhat Damaged” by Nine Inch Nails: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY0NEQd3_co&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Some of you might have read my post from yesterday about enjoying life in the parental and professional fast lane. Well, this morning I’m paying for it. My back aches. My head is numb and coffee isn’t doing much about that. I got a dull knifing sensation in the gut. And I’m ready…  [Read More]

How to Freak Out a Mouse with OCD!

by Bill Brenner April 23, 2010 Lighthearted

Brilliant find from my cousin Andy: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeXTMzP7ijk&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

Newsroom Nightmare: A Sequel

by Bill Brenner April 23, 2010 Mental disorders

Another Facebook flashback strikes the author on his dirty newsroom side of the brain. Mood music for this post: “Mean Street” from Van Halen: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2R2KXNQR1M&hl=en_US&fs=1&] I thought I was done writing about my newsroom experiences with “The Crazy-Ass Guy in the Newsroom.” But Facebook has put me back in touch with another blast from my past, so here I go again. Meet Steve Lambert, editor of The Eagle-Tribune a decade ago. He hired me as…  [Read More]

Happy and Productive in the Debris Field

by Bill Brenner April 20, 2010 Children's issues

The author used to come unglued around chaos. Now it floats past him. Mood music for this post: “Sons and Daughters” by The Decemberists: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5H8DwJI0uA&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Looking at the week ahead, it’s amazing I’m not hiding in a foxhole right now. I’m working from home the first part of the week while the kids are on vacation. Call it half a vacation, though I’m tackling a full plate of work each day. Sean’s birthday is this…  [Read More]

Windmill Hands

by Bill Brenner April 18, 2010 Mental disorders

Ever wondered what that weird thing is the author does with his hands? Wonder no more. Those who know me well have seen it at one time or another, usually when I’m sitting at a desk engaged in a project. My face gets slightly contorted and I start shaking my hands around like they’re on fire. I call it my Windmill Hand Syndrome. When I’m doing it, I don’t realize it, though I just noticed…  [Read More]

Skeptic Slang and Charles Manson: Six Degrees of Separation

by Bill Brenner April 17, 2010 Communication Skills

Skeptic Slang and a glimpse at mental illness in the making. Mood music for this post: “My Monkey” by Marylin Manson: A note about the music: Marilyn Manson put this on his “Portrait of an American Family” album, which was recorded in the Sharon Tate murder house. The title and chorus were taken from a Charles Manson song called “Mechanical Man.” Bits of Manson interviews are sprinkled throughout. It just seemed appropriate for some reason……  [Read More]

Meet My Demon

by Bill Brenner April 13, 2010 Addiction

Why the author treats his demon like an imaginary friend, and how it helps. It won’t give up It wants me dead God damn that noise inside my head From today’s mood music, “The Becoming,” by Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDfyR22u_gI&hl=en_US&fs=1&] At last night’s OA meeting, I saw quite a few people with heavy weights pressing on their minds. I won’t share details, because these meetings are all about anonymity. But it got me…  [Read More]

SLOB

by Bill Brenner April 2, 2010 Mental disorders

Erin pointed something out to me earlier: Ever since I got a handle on my OCD, I’ve been a slob. Sure, I shower daily and clean my clothes, but when my mind was off the rails, I was a cleanliness freak. Everything had to be put away just so. Coming home to find a couch pillow on the floor would send me into a tizzy. Now I’m apparently leaving a lot of things lying around:…  [Read More]

Things Don’t Go As Planned

by Bill Brenner April 1, 2010 Mental disorders

A day that doesn’t meet expectations can take you to a pretty dark place when your head isn’t screwed on just right. Mood music for this post: “Psycho Therapy” by The Ramones: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34wASuHRuRo&hl=en_US&fs=1&] This day hasn’t gone as planned. That can be frustrating when your brain works the way it’s supposed to. When the traffic in your skull doesn’t flow properly — which is usually the case when you have OCD — a day that…  [Read More]

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