I have a friend

I have a friend .....,. I have a friend Loyal until the very end Through all of the good stuff & sometimes the bad They've proven to be the bestest friend I ever had Through all of the laughter & all the tears With each passing season & over the years Together we've shared all of our hopes, dreams & fears United, together we face adversity when it rears Through thick & thin At times when we lost & the times we did win My friend is my constant, remains by my side Provides me with tissues, to mop up all the tears that I've cried Petty squabbles, arguments, a temporary divide Feelings of anger, upset are quick to subside This poem is for YOU, my way of saying thanks This poem is for my friend, _______ YOU fill in the blanks :) xxx (Written by Kristie Ledwith Townsend 2007) #myjourneythroughmadness Kristie Townsend Kristie Townsend #repost

Progress!

https://myjourneythroughmadnessuk.tumblr.com/post/635668924236775424/so-i-have-been-trying-out-a-new-coping-methodi

Conduct disorders, depression and personality disorders (Developmental Science and Disorders - University of Manchester)

Conduct disorders, depression and personality disorders (Developmental Science and Disorders - University of Manchester)

My Playlist #musicheals

My Playlist

Run the dishwasher twice!

A friend shared this and I really liked the lesson, and have been actively working on this very thing! #thestruggleisreal

❤️ 🙏🙏MY NEAREST AND DEAREST, WILL TRULY APPRECIATE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROCESS❤️🙏🙏

 *still looking for original poster (Kate Scott 2018)*

❤️ #myjourneythroughmadness

#recovery #healing #hopeforthefuture

#wedorecover 

RUN THE DISHWASHER TWICE. 

When I was at one of my lowest (mental) points in life, I couldn’t get out of bed some days. I had no energy or motivation and was barely getting by.

I had therapy once per week, and on this particular week I didn’t have much to ‘bring’ to the session. He asked how my week was and I really had nothing to say.

“What are you struggling with?” he asked.

I gestured around me and said “I dunno man. Life.”

Not satisfied with my answer, he said “No, what exactly are you worried about right now? What feels overwhelming? When you go home after this session, what issue will be staring at you?”

I knew the answer, but it was so ridiculous that I didn’t want to say it.

I wanted to have something more substantial.

Something more profound.

But I didn’t.

So I told him, “Honestly? The dishes. It’s stupid, I know, but the more I look at them the more I CAN’T do them because I’ll have to scrub them before I put them in the dishwasher, because the dishwasher sucks, and I just can’t stand and scrub the dishes.”

I felt like an idiot even saying it.

What kind of grown ass woman is undone by a stack of dishes? There are people out there with *actual* problems, and I’m whining to my therapist about dishes?

But my therapist nodded in understanding and then said:

“RUN THE DISHWASHER TWICE.”

I began to tell him that you’re not supposed to, but he stopped me.

“Why the hell aren’t you supposed to? If you don’t want to scrub the dishes and your dishwasher sucks, run it twice. Run it three times, who cares?! Rules do not exist, so stop giving yourself rules.”

It blew my mind in a way that I don’t think I can properly express.

That day, I went home and tossed my smelly dishes haphazardly into the dishwasher and ran it three times.

I felt like I had conquered a dragon.

The next day, I took a shower lying down.

A few days later. I folded my laundry and put them wherever the fuck they fit.

There were no longer arbitrary rules I had to follow, and it gave me the freedom to make accomplishments again.

Now that I’m in a healthier place, I rinse off my dishes and put them in the dishwasher properly. I shower standing up. I sort my laundry.

But at a time when living was a struggle instead of a blessing, I learned an incredibly important lesson:

THERE ARE NO RULES.

RUN THE DISHWASHER TWICE!!!

❤️ My Brother

A snap taken by Clare, who is in the process of making a short film about overdose loss, addiction and suicide. In Memory of Robin Lcfc Ali ❤️ 

My Whole Self: a poem for Mental Health Awareness Week

My Whole Self: a poem for Mental Health Awareness Week: Claire Brody, Manager, Diversity & Inclusion, EMEA, at the Walt Disney Company, shares her poem written for Mental Health Awareness Week. Claire influences content, talent, and culture by managing the implementation of the D&I strategy in all lines of business and functions across the region. The poem is a celebration of the psychological safety she feels in her workplace, and the positive impact feeling her 'whole self' has had on her mental health and wellbeing.

The True Face of Addiction

#someonesbrother

#addiction

#myjourneythroughmadness #addictiondoesnotdiscriminate