Untitled Poem
by Gertie
Life is meant to be a journey;
a journey that is meant to be full of
love and support.
Love and support many people
sadly don’t have.
Some don’t have the
love and support
due to mental health and/or addiction.
That’s where peers come
in;
to give hope
as well as love and support.
Peer Support is key to
ones journey to
recovery.
Choice
Choice is the word I chose to be my inspiration to write about. Choice is a loaded word. For me choice is the reason why I am here today. I made the choice to be in active recovery. I made the choice to continue living in Seattle where I have an awesome job helping others with their recovery journey and an amazing volunteer job where I help cats get their furrever homes.
To me being able to make my own choices helps me keep hope alive in my own self. It helps me keep the hope alive in myself because helps make the decisions or choices to stay in recovery. Staying in recovery is what is important to me. It’s important to me because I want to help others with their recovery. It’s important to me because I want to be here for my cat, Billie. It’s important to me because I want to make sure other cats get their furrever home. So the choice to stay in recovery is what keeps me alive. That’s why I chose the work choice. Life is nothing but choices.
Things I’ve Learned
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!!!
Good Late Evening, World!!! As much as I love my job and the work I do, today was a rough day for me. It was a rough day because two clients I had appointments with today, had experienced someone close to them die by suicide within the last couple of days. It’s never easy dealing with loosing somebody close to you to suicide. I did what I could to help my clients and I personally experienced some secondary trauma from hearing both of my clients experience. Its not easy especially when you have experienced similar traumas as the clients. The best I could do was listen and I personally don’t think that is enough but in these cases is enough.
Something that I did was reach out to my therapist to help me with the dialog I was having in my head about my clients as well as the dialog I am having about quitting wanting quit my meds. I’m not going to stop my meds but wanted my therapist to know. I also have a couple of support friends who are a part of my Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) who know about the meds. I am feeling supported by my friends and therapist and the love they give me.
My cat Billie Dean is of course loving on me as he picks up the stuff I am dealing with. Billie is the sweetest lap cat one can have. I am blessed to have Billie in my life as he loves me and gives me the hope to live just like my friends. Billie is an amazing cat and I love him so much for his unconditional love me.
Another thing that is a part for my WRAP is mindfulness by myself as well as with my clients.. Mindfulness helps me greatly
I don’t have much more say in this particular blog post. I just want to thank you reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you read my blog. Again thank you for reading my block. I hope you have a good night of sleep. Peace OUt, World!!!
I write this blog for many reasons. I started this blog to help those who struggle with mental health challenges that recovery is possible. I also started this blog to educate those who do not struggle with mental health challenges that folks who do can live productive lives however that looks like to the individual. I started this blog to help lessen the stigma around mental health challenges which includes self stigma.
The one thing I did not expect when starting this blog what that it would become a form of self care for me. Little did I know it would help me with my recovery. Realizing that blogging has helped me with my recovery was and is a nice surprise to me. I am grateful that it has helped me with my recovery and continues to help me with my recovery.
As much as writing this blog has helped me with my recovery, I just really hope it has helped others with their recovery. Helping others with their recovery is why I continue to write this blog. I’m not sure how many people my blog is helping with their recovery but if it helps just one person then it has done it’s job.
As you can tell there are many reasons I write this blog and I hope it gives you some form of hope.
Good Evening, World!!! Its late Friday evening and the start of a long weekend for the United States due to Memorial Day. It is a day we remember fallen soldiers who gave their life for this country. For them and all veterans I am grateful for my freedom.
Memorial Day weekend is a three day weekend for the United States however it will be a four day weekend for me. It will be a four day weekend for me because I am taking Tuesday off. I am taking Tuesday off because I am going to Bremerton on Sunday to spend a couple of nights there. I thought it would be good for me as getting away for a few days can be refreshing.
Since I will be gone for two nights, my cat, Billie Dean will be going to my grandpa’s tomorrow (Saturday) to spend a few days. I know I could have my grandpa come to my apartment to take care of my cat once a day or have a neighbor do it but I don’t want Billie to be lonely. Plus, my grandpa and two uncles enjoy having Billie around even if they are too stubborn to admit it. I notice when my family has Billie around that their moods appear to be in a better place.
Speaking of moods, my depression and anxiety have been acting up. I am not exactly sure why but I am hopeful that the symptoms won’t be increasing. I am hopeful because I know what I can do to help myself. One of those ways is getting out of town every once in awhile and I am doing that this weekend.
I do not have much more to discuss 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 read my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my heart. I am beyond grateful that you read my blog. I hope everyone has a great long weekend ahead of them. Peace Out, World!!!
Good Morning, World!!! I realize it has been quite awhile since I last blogged. I can come up with a million excuses. Some of which are legit excuses however I’m not going to use them as I know I can make time to blog. I know I can make time to blog as I have done it before.
Enough of me talking about blogging and making time for it. Time to discuss how I am currently feeling. I am depressed. I am not one hundred percent sure why I am currently depressed but I know I will get through this as I have done it before in the past. Being depressed suck but at least the current weather here in Seattle fits my mood.
The weather in Seattle is a bit on the dreary side. It is grey, slightly sprinkling with a breeze which is a typical Seattle day or at least for this time of year as well as early autumn. As much as I am not a fan of current weather, I am grateful for it because it fits my mood as well as it makes it easier to work from home.
Working from home isn’t all that easy especially when it is nice outside. Working from home has it’s pro’s and con’s. One con is that I get distracted easier which is why I am currently blogging. One of the pro’s to working from home is I get to sleep in. Another pro is I get to spend time with my cat, Billie Dean. Having Billie as a colleague is great for my morale.
Speaking of cats, I am going to be volunteering at PAWS Cat City today after work. I am looking forward to it especially after a tough week at work. I’m not at liberty to say due to HIPAA laws but doing a volunteer shift I typically don’t do will help with the depression and tough week. I love my volunteer job and spending time with cats that will be getting a new home.
Before I end this particular blog post, I was finally assigned a new therapist at the community mental health agency I am a client of. I met with her on Tuesday. She appears to be nice. She has some awesome tattoo’s. I hope she will be good and able to help me. I will have therapy with her every two weeks which is a good thing.
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 appreciative from my end of things that you read my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Happy Friday and Peace Out World!!!
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
The above quote from Eleanor Roosevelt has always given me hope. It has given me hope in many ways especially along my career path. My career path of being a peer support specialist. Knowing that I want to help people with their recovery helps me help myself with my own recovery. Recovery and knowing my dreams helps me know the beauty life has for me.
HOPE
For me hope is a simple yet loaded word. If it wasn’t for hope, I don’t think I would be typing this post much less alive. Hope comes from many sources but most importantly it comes from within. My cat Billie Dean gives me hope. He gives me hope by just being so adorable and choosing me to adopt him. Billie gives me hope in so many ways that I can not explain it. The hope that is within myself helps me be a better person and allows me to be compassionate toward others. Hope is the reason why I am in recovery from a mental health challenge.
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