self care
For a healthy mind, body, and soul.
Dear Tummy;
I wish we had a better relationship. I have been trying since I was a teenager to feel better about you but our negative relationship still haunts me every single day. I have tried everything to hide you. Extreme corsets, tummy-slimming undies, control top pantyhose, baggy shirts, those horribly uncomfortable tummy-tucking Lycra shorts thingies that just end up rolling down and creating a weird lump under my clothing... you name it, I've tried it. And still, there you are like a creepy stalker following me everywhere I go.
By Sarah Sparks9 years ago in Longevity
Self-Mutilation
This entry is going to stray into some very personal and fairly painful material for me. I am going to come out publicly as a self-mutilator in an attempt to make other people understand what it means. Self-mutilators are pretty darn misunderstood.
By Sarah Sparks9 years ago in Longevity
The Silent Killer: Quiet BPD
From a young age I knew something was odd about me. I could never quite deal with emotions or distinguish one from another. They all always felt like too much for me to handle. I never expressed this issue and as I got older, I started to notice that I would take everything out on myself. Whenever things go wrong or become too much I slip away in my mind. To an outsider, I'm zoning out but on the inside, I'm picking on every little aspect of myself and cutting myself down more and more. A few years ago I finally spoke up, however that just resulted in tests and misdiagnoses over and over until finally it was figured out. I am living life with borderline personality disorder but mine is just quiet. As opposed to the way BPD typically presents itself, I lash in and not out, making my symptoms harder to detect and treat.
By Katlynn landry9 years ago in Longevity
Nine Years
When I was around 12 years old, I began experiencing some back pain. Nothing serious, but deep aches and soreness that would hang around for a few hours before disappearing. Always in my lower back, but never on the same side. I told my mom about this, and she told me it was probably nothing and to just deal with it.
By J.C. Marie9 years ago in Longevity
Just Keep Swimming
For years I have struggled with an unnamed illness that just didn't seem to have a cause. My test results would come back clear. There was no diabetes, Lupus, STDs or arthritis. I'd been diagnosed with interstitial cystitis, IBS, gastro-reflux, severe sleep apnea, depression, and anxiety. Even with treatment for all these other conditions, I still felt constantly sick, achy and fatigued to the extreme. Finally, after a barrage of not so great doctors (who treated me like I was stupid, lying or didn't know my own body), I found an amazing clinic with doctor's who would actually listen to me. I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
By Sarah Sparks9 years ago in Longevity
Open Letter to My Generation
I'm writing this letter with hopes that those who suffer alone or are deemed lesser can get a bit of piece of mind! My point is that many of us are lost, within many degrees of lost, many of us suffer from demons that get ignored and go unchecked, sometimes because we can't handle them alone, most times because we don't reach out.
By Tomás Brandão9 years ago in Longevity
How I Loved My Depression
It was a comfortable retreat: the familiar sadness, the open arms of melancholia that was constantly there for me. I knew I could always turn to It. I knew that no matter what, I always had It. It. The dark entity that embraced me whenever I needed It.
By Stephanie Davidian9 years ago in Longevity
Why We Need To Stop Looking At Medication Negatively
I have suffered from mental health issues my entire life. In fact, I am certain I suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) even in public school. Unfortunately, in Canada, one cannot receive a mental health diagnosis until after the age of 18 so I was not diagnosed until after reaching adulthood.
By Beth Gibbons9 years ago in Longevity
Expectations
Expectations... We all have them. They're those ideas that float around our mind before being sewn into the soil of our conscious selves. They grow as weeds from this mental earth, strangling our garden of values and beliefs. Even worse, like weeds, they spread rapidly until our emotions and identities have been altered to suit their needs. Expectations... We all have them, but what can we do about it?
By Justin Gignac9 years ago in Longevity
