Tag Archives: Mental Illness

Mr. Sandman, Where Are You?

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! I am wondering where Mr. Sandman is as I am having another sleepless night here in Seattle. As much as I wish it wasn’t another sleepless night for me, it has been a productive night for me. Even though insomnia sucks, I am grateful for nights that I am able to be productive when the insomnia acts up.

One of the ways that this sleepless night has been productive is me working on my continuing education class on stress management. I am honestly and pleasantly surprised that I am learning so much from the stress management class. I wish I could explain what I am learning but it is challenging for me at times to share what I have learned. I really do like the stress management class I am taking.

Another thing that I have done to keep myself busy tonight due to the lack of sleep is attending twelve-step meetings on Zoom. Attending the twelve-step meeting appear to be of major help to me the last nine days. I am glad to have found out about the particular twelve-step program I have been attending.

After attending three meetings tonight I ended up journaling about them right after each meeting. I am finding out, that journaling about the meeting I just attended right after the meeting quite helpful. I am beyond grateful that with the combination of the twelve-step meetings and journaling have been helpful for me.

I do know have much more to say in this particular blog post. I do want to thank 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 blog. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday ahead of you. Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Check-In

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! This past week has been another good week. I am beyond grateful that most area’s in my life are exceeding expectations. Yes, I realize some areas in my live needs improving upon and working on them however my life is going well at the moment.

I am still loving my new job. From what I am told from my supervisor, the clinical director and my colleagues, I am doing “an amazing job especially with folks who are in crisis.” I’m not sure if what I am doing is “amazing” as I am just doing my job. It is not the challenging to deal with people in crisis especially if you have been in crisis yourself way too many times to count. I am so grateful for my new job.

I think I mentioned it before that I am taking a continuing education class on stress management. I am learning so much about stress as well what happens to the body due to stress. I am glad to be blown away with what I am learning as it has me thinking how it effects not just me but others. I also like the idea that it will help me be better at my job.

Something that has been helping me with my own stress is attending a twelve step meeting I didn’t realize existed till last week. Not only does the twelve step meeting have the twelve step principles but it has peer principles as well. I don’t think people in this twelve step program that there is peer principles and that is okay.

Of course my cat, Billie Dean is doing well. He has some kidney issues and is on a special kidney diet. It is nothing to worry about as it was caught early enough that the special diet should help his kidney’s for him to live a good long life. His special diet food is expensive as hell but I’m just grateful that Billie is doing well.

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. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. I hope everyone has a great rest of your weekend and that you take time to enjoy what life has given you. Peace Out, World!!!

Self-Care Saturday

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! Today has been a day of self care and I dubbed today as Self-Care Saturday. I didn’t realize I was actually to a couple of friends over a Zoom call and the let informed me that I was doing self-care. We discussed that doing self-care is a very good thing even when we are doing well. As my two friends and I discussed self-care I realized that doing self-care when I am well like I am now will help do good self-care when I am not doing so well.

One of the ways, I have done self-care today is attended three twelve-step meetings over Zoom. One of the meetings is based here in the Seattle area while another is based in London, England and the other is based in Sydney, Australia. So, I have been attending twelve-step meetings all of the world today. The twelve-step program I am in is awesome and has both twelve-step principles and peer recovery principles. I think the reason why I love this particular twelve-step program is because it feels more like a peer recovery program than a twelve-step program.

Another way I have been doing self-care today is doing artwork. Specifically the type of artwork I have been doing is coloring. Coloring has been a great way for me to do self-care. It is a way for me do mindfulness and in a way a meditation. I have always enjoyed coloring and love to do it. It brings me joy and connects me with my inner-child. An inner-child that needs to be healed and is being healed with all the work I am doing in my recovery.

As I colored, I listened to music. Music that brings me so much joy. Today, as I colored I listened to my “Childhood Memories” playlist that is over sixteen hours long. I don’t remember how many song on my “Childhood Memories” playlist at the moment. I’m grateful that I chose my “Childhood Memories” playlist along with the coloring helped with the healing process of healing my inner-child.

Of course part of my self-care is my cat Billie Dean. Billie is such a help to me. He knows exactly know when I need attention from him. I also can’t imagine what my life would be like without him. I love having Billie lay in my lap as I type this blog post. I think he is needing some connection right now and I am grateful that he is such a lap cat.

Something Billie likes is when I eat chicken for a meal and I ordered a big bucket meal from Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). The big bucket meal will feed me for five meals including breakfast. Of course when I eat the chicken I will share it with my cat, Billie.

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 read my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. I hope everyone has a great rest of your Saturday as well as your weekend. Peace Out, World!!!

Good Morning & Happy Friday

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! I am just writing this particular blog post to say good morning. My cat, Billie Dean, woke me up this morning wanting attention. Usually, Billie wakes me up for food but I am happy to give him the attention he wants even though I wish I could have slept the extra fifteen minutes till my alarm when off.

Anyway, I am sitting here blogging as I wait for my food to be delivered. I ordered breakfast. I ordered a California egg scramble. I have had it before and looking forward to eating it.

Not only am I looking forward to eating my breakfast but going to work even though I am currently working from home. I really love my new job. I feel like I am meant to be working for my current employer as a peer specialist.

I don’t have much more to say in the 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 blog. I hope everyone has great Friday and enjoys their weekend. Peace Out, World!!!

It’s Been A Good Day

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! I have had a good day today. Work went better than I thought today as I didn’t get very much sleep last night. I really love my new job and I feel like I am excelling at it. My supervisor is highly “impressed” with my de-escalation skills with clients. I don’t think it’s nothing to be impressed by as I think what I am doing is something everyone can do. Anyway, I am glad I “impressed” my supervisor without even trying.

After work, I decided to turn on a podcast about philosophy. The podcast I listen to about philosophy is “Philosophize This.” I enjoy listening to “Philosophize This” immensely and suggest to you, to listen to it. I realize philosophy isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The podcaster doing this podcast has a way of drawing me in and I appreciate that.

As I listened to “Philosophize This” I did some artwork. The type of art I did was color. I love to color. Coloring is a type of mindfulness for me as well as a type of meditation. I know it sounds weird that coloring is a mindfulness meditation for me but for some reason it is.

Of course, another form of mindfulness for me is spending time with my cat, Billie Dean. Billie is always a comfort and has a way of bringing me back to reality in a gentle way. I love my cat so very much and don’t know what life would be like without him. Cats are such amazing creatures.

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 read my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

A Sleepless in Seattle Type of Night

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It’s been very much a sleepless type of night here in Seattle for me. I am not exactly sure why I am unable to sleep especially after taking my sleep meds. Usually, on nights I can’t figure out why I can sleep, I contribute it to my insomnia. Having insomnia sucks shit.

As sucky as not being able to sleep is, it allows me to do things I enjoy and usually have schedule into my day. One of those things is artwork. Tonight the type of artwork I did was coloring. Coloring is very therapeutic and meditative for me.

As I colored, I listened to a podcast about philosophy. The philosophy podcast I am listening to is “Philosophize This.” “Philosophize This” is a really good podcast and am grateful that I found it on Spotify. I am learning a great deal and am hope to discuss my knowledge with other people.

Something else is that my cat Billie Dean has been by my side and/or on my lap the entire night. Billie even attempted to steal a couple of my colored pencils. Billie is really a good cat and I love him so very much.

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 do read my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. It means a great deal to me that you read my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Monday Evening Rambling

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! Today has been an overall great day with some sadness. Sadness because I found out today while having an appointment with my psychiatric nurse practitioner is leaving in a month and today was my last appointment. I am grateful that she informed me yet sad that she is leaving.

Not only was today my last session with my psychiatric nurse practitioner, it was also my last session with my therapist. I did know that he was leaving. I am quite sad that my therapist is leaving and wish he wasn’t.

One of the things that has been helping me is my cat, Billie Dean. I think Billie senses that I have been dealing with sadness off and on all day, today. I don’t think people realize how comforting cats can be and I love my cat, Billie so very much.

Now on to a different topic. The topic of twelve step meetings. A friend of mine and I were talking over Zoom about our families and how dysfunctional they were and are. This friend let me know of a great twelve step organization that has a twelve step focus with a lot of recovery principals to the group. I attended my first meeting of this particular twelve step meeting last Friday over Zoom and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it enough that I ordered the proper literature which came today and attended my second meeting over Zoom today. I will be continuing to attend as I find it quite helpful.

I don’t have much more to say in this particular blog post. I do what 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 blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Sunday Afternoon, Ramblings

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! So far today has been a great day and it is 12:39pm. It being 12:39pm means the day is technically half over. Anyway as I state so far today has been a great day.

I started off the day with a mindfulness meditation from the Calm app. After that I then worked on The Mindfulness Workbook for about forty-five minutes before going to volunteer at PAWS Cat City. I love volunteering so much as I am giving back to a community I love. The animal welfare community is small like the mental health community.

I forgot to tell you a couple of things yesterday evening in my weekly check-in. The first thing is that I am learning Spanish through Duolingo. I’m having fun with it as well as finding challenging enough for me to continue to do it. I’m even practicing with people I know who speak Spanish even though it is very limited on my part.

The second thing I forgot to mention was that I opened a savings account to save money to do things I want and want to do. I haven’t had a savings account in years and am happy that I am able to have one. Yes, I have had a checking account but not savings account. While, I was at the bank yesterday opening a savings account, I found out what my credit score was and was told by the banker that “its a really good score.” I was happily shocked by my credit score. Anyway, I am glad opened a savings account to save money.

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 read my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Do laundry
  • Sunday dinner with friends over Zoom
  • Continuing education class on Stress Management

Monday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Appointment with psychiatric nurse practitioner
  • Last appointment with current therapist
  • Work

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Continuing education class on Stress Management
  • Work

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Work
  • Continuing education class on Stress Management.

Thursday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Work
  • Continuing education class on Stress Management

Friday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Work
  • Movie with friends over Zoom

Saturday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Continuing education class on Stress Management
  • Clean apartment
  • Work on mindfulness workbook

Weekly Check-In

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! I know it has been a while since I have done a weekly check-in and am going to keep doing it even if I miss a few weeks. This week has been an okay week and considering some worrying news, I am not freaking out about it.

Let’s just start off with worrying news I received. Long story short got blood work done for my cat, Billie Dean and his kidney numbers are not where they need to be. Billie’s vet, Dr. B, informed me by telling me: “Yes, it is concerning however we caught it in time. Nothing to worry about but if I weren’t a vet, I would be worried as well. You are being a great cat parent as many people wait to do bloodwork till the vet requires it. Billie is doing great and is still a lovebug.” Billie is now on a special diet for his kidney’s. I’m glad I decided to get blood work done for him when he got his teeth cleaned and followed up with a second round of bloodwork. Catching it early helps ease my mind as I know Billie is now getting the proper treatment and as stressful as it is, I am not freaking out about it.

Speaking of stress, I am taking a continuing education class in stress management. I’m not only taking to learn more about stress management to handle stress but help with my career as a peer specialist. I am learning so much in this stress management class and it is already benefitting me at work and helping me help the clients I serve.

Speaking of work, I am loving my job. I am now on the training committee and I have only been at my new job for two months. Apparently, I am doing something right even though it feel like I am not half of the time. I have also been informed that I “impressed” the clinical supervisors because of being able to use crisis de-escalation skills. I wasn’t trying to impress anyone and just being myself with getting clients out of crisis.

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 read my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace, Out, World!!!