I've not written in a couple of months and I don't feel like I have the brain power to write anything particularly conceptual or structured. So this is just a life update, I guess. Since I last wrote, the madness of Covid-19 swept the world - throughout which I was working full-time in pharmacy. I … Continue reading Life Update
Meaningful Interactions + Surges Of Joy
One day, one of my colleagues in the pharmacy brought up the perceived quandary of whether or not to wish a person accessing the needle exchange service a nice day after giving them their works. I suppose the implication was that either it's impossible to have a nice day if you're injecting heroin or that … Continue reading Meaningful Interactions + Surges Of Joy
Working Backwards: CPTSD
Chronic emotional abandonment devastates a child. It naturally makes her feel and appear deadened and depressed. Functional parents respond to a child's depression with concern and comfort. Abandoning parents respond to the child with anger, disgust and/or further abandonment, which in turn exacerbate the fear, shame and despair that become the abandonment mélange. Overreaction to … Continue reading Working Backwards: CPTSD
“They Live Chaotic Lives”
I wake up with dread and a sense of defeatism - as is fairly common with me these days. As if my eyes have been gouged out at the lid. Sleep deprivation is cumulative and, like a scar being ripped open repeatedly, it's not something which is ever rectified after one day of abstinence from … Continue reading “They Live Chaotic Lives”
Desire Is Not Respect: Attraction + Trauma Bonding
Something that's changed for me significantly in the past few years is the way I approach attraction and romantic interest. This is quite encouraging for me because experiencing frequent bouts of depression sometimes makes me feel that everything is stagnant and that there's no point to anything; so it's really nice to feel like despite … Continue reading Desire Is Not Respect: Attraction + Trauma Bonding
A Visit Home, Emotional Separation + Maintaining Boundaries
This time last week, I was back in Shetland for the first time in 1½ years. Prior to this, I'd found myself growing unusually homesick. Seeing people on social media doing the regular, banal things like frequenting the dingy local bars and taking coastal walks was sending pangs of nostalgia through me. So I figured … Continue reading A Visit Home, Emotional Separation + Maintaining Boundaries
Thoughts On…The Scrutiny Of Women
* * * "Your legs are are getting astronomically long!" my Dad exclaimed one day, surveying my body. "In fact, your thighs are about 4 inches longer than what they should be." I laughed, taking this as a compliment. This was the usual - if it was a joke, then I couldn't rightfully be hurt … Continue reading Thoughts On…The Scrutiny Of Women
The Muddy Waters Of Covert Anxiety
I didn't think I'd see myself writing another post about anxiety - at least not in the context of my current experience. I wrote one particular post a while ago going in depth about my experiences with diagnosed anxiety and agoraphobia; and how receiving cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) dramatically improved my symptoms. Something I've been … Continue reading The Muddy Waters Of Covert Anxiety
The Nuance of Depression + Recovery
In my last post, I discussed briefly the role of free will in the context of mental illness. It's such a colossal subject with so much scope to cover that of course I only scratched the surface. Today, I want to go into slightly more depth with this as my prompt: In the comment section … Continue reading The Nuance of Depression + Recovery
Mental Illness + Free Will
I wrote a post about free will as it pertains to abuse a little while ago. The concept of free will interests me on a philosophical and psychological level because I think it's so nuanced. The main question it boils down to are the statements: you can't help it or you can help it. You can't help sleeping all … Continue reading Mental Illness + Free Will