Pebble in the Road - Fight the Reaper

For those of you that don’t understand about the experience of depression, I have two websites that might help folks get a grip on it.  

The first is Will O’Neil’s Actual Sunlight. It is a fictional narrative game about the experience of living and trying to exist in a depressive state.  

Another expression of the experience is an old school HTML website called Depression Quest. 

It is an interactive experience about living with depression.

What am I talking about this? 

In this episode, a word or two about Heather Armstrong and a few resources that might help you understand depression a little bit more and a resource or two to help some of you stay on this side of the life fence.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Washington Post article about Heather Armstrong.

The website Live Through This

Will O’Neil’s Actual Sunlight

Old school HTML interactive narrative Depression Quest

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Show 322 - What Is A Health Coach?

Last time, I talked about coaching. How there are different types of coaches and that it is an unlicensed and unregulated practice. There are good and bad coaches, and we need to find ways to figure out who is who.

I tried to chop it down into chunks but this is a big topic. And not a lot of consumer friendly information sources. Many of the resources I found where connected to vendors wanting to either have folks sign up for their telehealth service or to take a class or course on health couching. 

The somewhat neutral sources I've listed below. 

I know this one is wordy. But honestly, I whacked it down from 22 minutes to about 14 minutes.

Probably should have knocked off another seven but you do what you can when you can.

For my overseas folks. I do not know if you have the expression "wham, bam, thank you mam."

It applies to the vending machine approach to obtaining sexual services from an in-demand vendor. 

Going to a doctor or medical office can be a long wait, then you get into the office, say your piece. The doctor takes a look, makes a decision in about two minutes and out you go.

Don't know if it is the same in the UK, India, Australia, Canada or the islands.

Which is why telemedicine is very popular. Most people would like to cut out the waiting and get to the important part of their care. 

In this episode, a look at health coaching.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

S.E. Cupp is a political commentator on CNN program S.E. Cupp Unfiltered. She is also a fellow traveler on the road. May 2023 is Mental Health Awareness Month. This is a short clip from her show talking about her experiences with the condition and why she wants to bring awareness about mental health out of the shadows.

Post on Very Well Health called Does Eating Fried Foods Really Put Us at Risk for Depression and Anxiety?  

Look folks, do the best you can. Eat to support your brain health. If you slip up and eat some fries; try to have a bit of fruit or veggies for your next meal. The goal is clean eating but some of us are going to get dusty along the way. 

Cleveland Clinic page on What Is A health Coach? 

Positive Psychology What is Health Coaching?

Wave Life is an app with information about mental fitness, cognitive support for Gen-Z folks and health coach support. 

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Show 321 What is a Coach?

I’m working my way through the mental health telemedicine providers and I’m coming across the word “coach.” 

I get a little leery about that word because I’ve had some experiences with people using it to wrap themselves in a health wellness cloak of respectability.

I’ve gone to conferences and sat in on sessions that I thought were about how to best provide information to people wanted health information. 

A couple of those sessions went into details about how to lead your audience down a sales funnel by appealing to fears, wants and needs.

And how you can position yourself as an expert to sell $47 a bottle worth of healing.

Yeah, I have a lot of preconceived bias about that word. But are my preconceived bias getting in the way of what is happening in the mental health care space?  Maybe. 

This is the dipping of the toes into the coach space. Just want to define the term and some of the ways people are using it. 

The next episode will be a deeper dive into health coaches and coaching.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Wondermind is a website that is dedicated to educate, support and connect with young adults and adult adjacent people. Talks about mental fitness and mental health issues.

Cleveland Clinic page on What is a Health Coach?

Harvard Health Blog on Health Coaching, is it Effective and Should You Try It?

 

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP Pebble in the Road - Meditative Crafting

This episode is not for everybody. Some of you will be highly dismissive. That is okay. Different strokes for different folks.  

Knitting provides an object of focus for our practice. We can practice focusing our attention and letting go of distractions.

The point is, doing something analog or tactile can help you relax. Or meditate or route you and keep you in the present tense. In this pebble in the Road a quick look at crafting as a gateway to meditation.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Meditation 101 and Mindfulness Exercises Guided Meditations & Mindfulness Talks 

Color Yourself to Mindfulness Book by Melissa Launay published by CICO Press distributed by Simon and Schuster Publishing.

Marshall at Wristwatch Revival on YouTube

Becky at Knit Om on Knitting as Meditation

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Sacramento KXTV ABC 10 Segment on Anxiety Nation

Usually when a local or national news program does a story about anxiety it is a hit it and quit it.

Meaning that they will talk about many things for two minutes and the story is gone.

This is a little different. 

The story is six minutes long. There is an honest attempt at hearing the voices of fellow travelers on the road and medical professionals. And there is a mention that not all treatments work for everybody.

Do I wish it was longer? Yes. 

But I do understand the time and cost constraints of local television. And local television, use well and truly being of service to the community, is necessary. It is reaching people that don't use the internet.

 

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Not Mentioned But Can Be Helpful: 

Helpguide.org A non-profit website that has a lot of information about mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and more. Looks at non-medication treatment possibilities.

Anxiety and Depression Association of America www.adaa.org

National Alliance on Mental Health http://www.nami.org

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Show 320 Graphic Novel Memoires about Anxiety

Long time listeners know that I am a connoisseur of the sequential arts. 

It is truly the theater of the mind because I can co-create with the artist to experience an environment or an adventure.

I bring this up because sometimes healing can come from unexpected places. Like a graphic novel or a comic book. 

Three of the books talk about the experience of having a perpetual negative voice interfering with the quality of their lives. 

Three of the books speak to what they have done to connect with their better selves. 

In this episode a look at five graphic novels memoires about anxiety.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Marie and the Worrywart by Jen Woodall. The cover gives a good example of going from being normal to transition into symptom flare up. It is published by Silver Sprocket Press.

MonsterMind: Dealing with Anxiety and Self-Doubt by Alfonso Casas does not have just one voice but a committee such as Mr. Past Traumas, Mr. Fear, Mr. Social Anxiety, Mr. Impostor Syndrome, Mr. Sadness, Mr. Doubt and there may be more hiding in the rafters.

The Worrier’s Guide to Life by Gemma Correll, world champion over-thinker. What if everything you saw negatively came into being. As if it was an overly to every single thing you laid eyes on.  

For example, you are looking into an ice cream case and see rocky road kill or cookies & clams.

The Last Gay Man on Earth is a photo memoir that has Ype Driessen. All I know is that there is a sentient robot vacuum cleaner involved. The publisher is Street Noise Books. 

Also on the Andrews McMeel website is a book by Debbie Tung, Everything is Ok. But it isn’t because we are talking about anxiety and depression. This is a graphic memoir about how she navigates the highs and lows of her experiences.

Improve: How I Discovered Improv and Conquered Social Anxiety by Alex Graudins. 

What do you do when you have a bad case of social anxiety?  Alex’s decision is to sign up for an improv comedy class. The publisher is First Second but the link is to the Macmillan website book listing page.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Pebble in the Road - Disaster Distress Helpline

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, known as SAMSHA has a page on their website concerning immediate disaster assistance. Usually that means droughts, floods, fires and earthquakes. But it now also includes incidents of mass shooting and violence. 

It brings only sadness when there is a helpline for human generated incidents of mass shootings and mass violence. But here we are. It doesn't matter who gets killed or how many. 

At the time of recording, this there are state legislatures that are making easier to obtain a gun and a weapons originally intended for combat.

And a man who committed murder of a protestor in Texas will probably be pardoned not even a hard week after conviction. 

I want to use the f-word, the m-f word and all permutations I can think of to express how I feel. 

I try to keep it clean. So after the venting is the question.

How can I be of service?

I can help to spread the reach of this resource to more people, including those that need it and don't know that it exist.  

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

SAMSHA Disaster Distress Hotline is 1–800–985–5990 for voice or text calls. 

For those that need American Sign Language interpretation there is a FAQ about the videophone service with a signed explainer video on the page.

SAMSHA page on Incidents of Mass Violence.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.