More Reflections
What I Want People to Understand About my Non-verbal Son
ByCherylRyland is currently 19 years old and is non-verbal. No words whatsoever. It’s easy to think non-verbal people are not so smart or do not have personalities that they can display. Spend any amount of time with Ry and you will soon come to know that those things are completely untrue. While we are trying…
10 Ways to Fight the Funk
ByCherylThe past few weeks have been hard. My meds have quit working, as I discussed in an earlier post (When the Meds Stop Working). I’m happy to report though that my psychiatrist has upped the dosage and I should be feeling better very soon. Thank God!! As I’ve said before, every day is a struggle…
A Lesson in Empathy
ByCherylPeople with mental health issues are all around you and you may never really know it. It’s hard to know what others are going through if you don’t know them that well – or at all. How many times have you been running errands and had a run in with someone having a bad day? …
Anger and PTSD
ByCherylAnger and PTSD are very commonly connected. Trauma can lead to anger as part of “survival mode.” In fact, anger falls under the category of Hyper-arousal under PTSD symptoms. Anger is a fight or flight reaction when one is faced with a traumatic situation and some can’t seem to shut it off. This is not…
4 Steps to Self-Care
ByCherylA term that we hear quite often, especially in mental health and special needs circles is ‘self-care’ but what does it really mean and why is it so important? Self-care is the deliberate act of taking care of one’s personal physical, emotional and mental health. In short, it is taking care of ourselves! Being good…
Saying ‘No’ to Alcohol
ByCherylI don’t drink. Not anymore. Haven’t for a while now and I’ll tell you why – it’s a depressant and for a person who suffers from Major Depressive Disorder it should be a no-brainer to stay away. For a long time though I didn’t realize that and put myself through hell figuring it out. My…