Coping tools

Courage in the Crosshairs

by Bill Brenner January 19, 2010 Courage

The author has been thinking a lot about courage lately. Some have told him it takes courage to write about his OCD battles. He thinks it’s more about being tired of running. Over the weekend, I got this e-mail from an associate in the IT security industry I write about for a living: “I’ve been reading your OCD diaries lately. This is perhaps one of the most courageous blogs on the planet and the work…  [Read More]

The Politics of OCD Management

by Bill Brenner January 18, 2010 Political discourse

The author finds an unlikely tool for OCD management in politics. Specifically, watching liberal and conservative friends fight over the subject. This isn’t a post about the politics of having OCD and getting folks at home and work to accept it. It’s about enjoyment of the political debate as a tool for sanity. Sound odd? Well, it is. But hear me out: I have a lot of friends who are bleeding-heart liberals. I have just…  [Read More]

Sarcasm or Gallows Humor?

by Bill Brenner January 14, 2010 Lighthearted

It’s appropriate to start with Dilbert’s take on the topic at hand: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO1UWmRS7yc&hl=en_US&fs=1&] My wife just read my post on the Power of Sarcasm and decided to go digging for the actual definition. She’s an editor. That’s what she does. Here’s what she found: “Sarcasm” is “a keen or bitter taunt : a cutting gibe or rebuke often delivered in a tone of contempt or disgust” or “the use of caustic or stinging remarks or…  [Read More]

The Power of Sarcasm

by Bill Brenner January 11, 2010 Lighthearted

The author explains why humor wrapped in sarcasm is one of his favorite coping tools — even though the edge of the knife can be too sharp at times. “If you can’t say something good about someone, sit right here by me.” The quote is from Alice Roosevelt Longworth, eldest daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. She was 96 when she died in 1980, and I can’t help but believe that part of her longevity was…  [Read More]

6 Guys I Look To In Times of Trouble

by Bill Brenner January 5, 2010 Coping tools

This is the perfect time to write about why I’m such a history nut. I’m in a rotten mood because my office technology is on the blink, keeping me from getting things done. People with OCD don’t just shrug off such things. We zero in on the problem like the proverbial laser beam, trying anything and everything to fix the problem until, exhausted and bewildered, we realize what we knew in the first place —…  [Read More]

Insanity to Recovery in 8 Songs or less

by Bill Brenner December 29, 2009 Coping tools

The author shares some videos that together make a bitchin’ soundtrack for those who wrestle with mental illness and addiction. The first four cover the darkness. The next four cover the light. I’ve mentioned before that I’m a devoted fan of hard rock and metal music [See How Metal Saved Me]. I’ve found that the music helps me to release whatever negative thoughts I may have at the time. And so I thought I’d share…  [Read More]

Scaring the People in Your Life

by Bill Brenner December 28, 2009 Love

The author is hearing from a lot of old friends shocked to read about his past. Thing is, basket cases are good at hiding their craziness in public. To most of my family, the stories I tell in previous posts aren’t all that surprising. They were there. My in-laws may not have known everything that was going on back in the day, but they saw my quirks. Mood music: [spotify:track:78iMIaSjeVlUoNa7rehPOU] Even at work, my quirks…  [Read More]

Fear Factor

by Bill Brenner December 23, 2009 Children's issues

In this installment, the author describes years of living in a cell built by fear, how he broke free and why there’s no turning back. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” — Franklin Delano Roosevelt This morning I led a meeting of Over-eaters Anonymous, a task that included standing before a room of people for 30 minutes to tell my story of OCD, addiction and recovery. It was my third time…  [Read More]

Humor Is The Best Consolation Prize

by Bill Brenner December 15, 2009 Lighthearted

“I’d rather be funny than happy.” — Henry Rollins In his book, “Lincoln’s Melancholy,” author Joshua Wolf Shenk notes how Abraham Lincoln often kept himself going in the face of blistering mental depression through humor. The President enjoyed telling and hearing a good story, especially a funny story, and often a salty one at that. Mood music: Indeed, it’s no coincidence that some of the funniest people in history suffered from OCD, depression and other…  [Read More]

Why Lincoln’s Melancholy Is A Must Read

by Bill Brenner December 7, 2009 Uncategorized

I’ve always been something of a history nerd and am especially drawn to stories about those who have achieved greatness despite the crippling impact of mental illness. Winston Churchill was a sufferer (he called it his Black Dog). Theodore Roosevelt suffered from bipolar disorder. And Abraham Lincoln’s depression is well documented. I just finished reading an excellent book on the latter: “Lincoln’s Melancholy” by Joshua Wolf Shenk. For anyone who has struggled with mental illness,…  [Read More]

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