Category Archives: Uncategorized

Everyday Inspiration; Day 2: Write a List

Posted on by Gertie

Things I’ve Learned

  • I learned coping skills to deal with the symptoms of my mental health diagnoses
  • I learned Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) skill which helped save my life
  • I learned the meaning of recovery and how to be in recovery with the help of others
  • I learned how to be resilient
  • I learned how to hope for better things in my life
  • I learned how to play the flute
  • I am learning to play the harmonica
  • I am learning about philosophy by listening to a podcast about philosophy

Intro to Poetry, Day 1: Water

Posted on by Gertie

The Peace of a Brook

by Gertie

Listening to a

peaceful stream known as a brook,

brings peace to one’s soul

Everyday Inspiration; Day 1: I Write Because…

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! It is Christmas Eve in my corner of the world and am spending with my dad’s side of the family at the moment. I am doing some WordPress courses to help keep you the readers interested in continuing to follow and/or read my blog.

I started writing my blog for a couple of things. The first reason is to educate people who don’t struggle with a mental health challenge that those of us who do struggle with one that we can be productive members of society. It may not look the same to those who don’t struggle. So, I hope I am able to educate those without a mental health challenge that people like me can prove you that we are productive members of society and hope to lessen the stigma that goes with having a mental health challenge. I also write to give hope to those who struggle with mental health challenges that there is hope and recovery is possible.

Thank you for reading my blog and hope you all continue to ready my blog. I will blog again tomorrow so I will see you tomorrow. Peace out, world!!!

No, Going Back to Sleep for Me

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Holidays, World!!! It is 6:03am in the blasted morning and I was finally getting back to sleep after Billie Dean, my cat woke me up. I was almost a sleep and Billie was asleep snoring when the building fire alarm went of. One of my neighbors decided to put the fire alarm pull station again because another neighbor wasn’t not wearing mask. This isn’t the first time this neighbor has pulled the fire alarm pull station when neighbors haven’t been wearing mask. The neighbor who does this pulls it because he wants the fire department to talk with the neighbors who don’t wear mask because of Covid-19. The only thing it is doing is making all the neighbors and the firefighters angry at this particular neighbor. I understand wanting others to wear mask due to the global pandemic but it’s common sense that you don’t pull the fire alarm for someone is not wearing a mask.

The thing is the fire alarm causes my anxiety and my PTSD symptoms to increase. It causes my anxiety to increase because I have to make sure I get my cat, Billie in his carrier and put on my shoes and jacket as well as remembering my keys and wallet as a blaring fire alarm with a strobe light going off. The alarm going off increases my PTSD because, I have been in three fires in my life; two as a child and one as an adult. It’s no fun dealing with PTSD of any kind but it takes me a while to finally get back to an okay place after the building fire alarm goes off.

Well, I do not have much more to say in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it wasn’t for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. I appreciate all of you. Happy Holidays and Peace Out, World!!!

Second Day of Vacation

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Holidays, World!!! It 5:04am in the blessed morning here in Seattle. Billie Dean decided he needed to wake me up at 4:14am in the morning. He woke me up by howling which is unusual. Turns out he was constipated. Thankfully he was able to poop. Then he got his after pooping zoomies for what felt like an eternity. Then Billie decided he wanted to play so I obliged him and played with him. Now he is being extra cuddly so lets hope that I can get a few more hours of sleep so I am not a cranky bucket when I celebrate Christmas today with my dads side of the family. Despite Billie waking me up before the butt crack of dawn I am grateful for the love I have for him and am even more grateful for his unconditional love to me. Now, I am going back to be to see if I can get few more hours of sleep.

I do not have much more to discuss in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it wasn’t for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Happy Holidays and Peace Out World!!!

Doing Self Care to Prepare Myself for Holidays with Family

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Holidays, World!!! It is still December 23rd in my corner of the world know as Seattle. I will be spending Christmas Eve with my dads side of the family about an hour north of where I live. After spending time with my dad’s side of the family on Christmas Eve, I will travel to Olympia, Washington later in the evening on Christmas Eve. I will be spending time with mom’s of the family on Christmas Day.

My self care regarding dealing with self care with family is making sure I have a self care in plan. One of the ways, I will deal is by reading two volumes of Christmas with Superhero’s as well as doing art work by color holiday coloring sheets. Another way I will be doing self care is listening to music. Specifically, Christmas music.

As far as my cat, Billie Dean, he will be taken care of by my grandpa at my grandpa’s place when I go visit my mom in Olympia, Washington which is the state capitol. I’m happy that I have family willing to take care of my cat when I a out of town.

I do not have much more to say in this particular post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog as if you the reader weren’t reading my blog, I wouldn’t be writing my blog. It is very appreciative that you the reading my blog because if it was not for you reading, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Happy Holidays and Peace Out, World!!!

First Day of Vacation

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Holidays, World!!! Today is my first day of vacation. I have today and the next ten days off from work. I love my job with a passion. I just need a break especially since I have a challenging time during the holiday season.

Today, is just a day to relax and enjoy being home with my cat, Billie Dean. I have packed to go to my mom’s tomorrow (Christmas Eve) evening after celebrating Christmas with my dad’s side of the family. Only thing left to pack up is Billie’s stuff as he will be staying at my grandpa’s when I am visiting my mom in Olympia. I will wait till tomorrow to do it as it is mainly his food and dishes as he already has the other stuff at my grandpa’s. I plan on watching movies and television the rest of the day.

I don’t have much more to say in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Happy Holidays and Peace Out, World!!!

A Day Off for Self Care

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! I took today off as a mental health day. I just needed to do it for the sake of both my mental health and physical health. I spent a great deal of the day of self care. It was the perfect day to do inside self care stuff as the weather in Seattle has be unpredictable today;

So, I spent part of the listening to music and the other part of the day listening to a podcast about philosophy. The specific music I was listening to was Christmas music and the philosophy podcast that I was listening to was “Philosophize This.”

As I listened to Christmas music or “Philosophize This” I did a multitude of things. The obvious thing I did was give my cat, Billie Dean, plenty of attention. Of course Billie loves all the attention I give him. Other things that I did was art work. Specifically, I colored. I colored various types of mandala’s. Another thing I did was put some jigsaw puzzles together. The puzzle isn’t complete put it is starting to look like what it’s suppose to look like. So that is what I did for my self care mental health day off.

I do not have much more to say in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader do read my blog. If it was not for you the reader reading my blog, I wouldn’t be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. I hope everyone has a great Monday evening. Happy Holidays, and Peace Out, World!!!

Mr. Sandman Forgot to Stop by my Place so I Could Not Sleep

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning World!!! It is 2:34 in morning here in my neck of the woods known as Seattle. My neck of the woods happens to be nothing but concrete buildings and the not the natural woods. It would nice to be some time in nature instead of a concrete forest known as a city. In my cast it would the concrete city of Seattle.

I will be taking a mental health day from work later today. I am grateful that my work is so understanding with needing to take time off. My job is really extremely supportive and I appreciate it. They are big into doing good self care.

I know eventually, I will bet some sleep at some point today but I do have plans to do some good self care stuff. I am planning on listening to Christmas music while I do some art work by coloring color pages that are Christmas pictures. I also plan on listening to Christmas music while putting Christmas/wintery puzzles together.

I most likely will be doing other self care stuff but right now I just want to sleep as Mr. Sandman forgot my place for me to sleep. I just want to sleep. Of course my cat, Billie Dean will be apart of my self care which will be sleeping. He will be playing later when I am not so tired. I think he is okay with not playing right now.

I do not know have much more to say in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is really appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, does read my blog. If it wasn’t for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Happy Holidays and Peace Out, World!!!!

Taking A Mental Health Day Off on Monday

Posted on by Gertie

Good Sunday Evening, World!!! Or at least it is still Sunday evening in my corner of the world known as Seattle. I have decided that I will be taking tomorrow, Monday, off from work for a mental health day. My depression and PTSD are sadly acting up so I am taking tomorrow (Monday) off.

I am grateful that I work in the mental health field at a mental health agency that supports taking mental health days off. I feel bad because I’m taking it off in the middle of the holiday season when I know I will be on vacation in a few days. I feel bad because a handful of my clients are not doing so well mental health wise. I know they will be okay as I know they have the resources but I feel like I am letting my clients down as well as my colleagues down.

On that note, I need to take care of myself to be able to help both my clients and my colleagues. So, what I am planning on doing rest of this evening (Sunday) is to listen to a podcast about philosophy while my cat Billie Dean lays on my lap. The philosophy podcast my cat, Billie and myself will be listening to is “Philosophize This.” I really enjoy this podcast and it appears that Billie chills out listening to the podcast as the podcaster, Steven West has a calming voice.

As far as self care tomorrow, I am not sure what I am going to do for self care. I know I will be spending much needed time with my cat, Billie. Billie is helping me through the holiday season and I have had a great deal of trauma as child around Christmas time. So, Billie will be helping me tomorrow. I will be doing other self care stuff but not sure what at the moment.

I do not have much more to say in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader do read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. I hope everyone has a great rest of their Sunday evening. Happy Holidays and Peace Out, World!!!