“I Think The Best Partner You Can Have Is Someone Who Makes You Want To Be The Best Form Of Yourself.”

Literally me, right now. https://www.instagram.com/p/BrvCsfMAdcAv0CNG-p3HejTfzSr2pbF9LMMxXc0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jm3q0j9812it

I mean it's pretty accurate.. #findinghumor #wellgetthroughthis https://www.instagram.com/p/CJGj3xlBawwYHCewh_j7k2NDGzTGwTq0Aa_MXI0/?igshid=138gt3s55ndk3

Lots of talk lately about what is and isn't a chrismas movie. Here's my "it's not christmas until" list. https://www.instagram.com/p/CI1lbGJBx4NEgS5jr60Qx-Qvl7tCNyhCDE0mGw0/?igshid=335bp8thot63

Truth here. I also think that you it's ok that you lose some of the battles, so long as you're trying to win the war. #migrainesupport #migrainelife #thistooshallpass Credit to @migraine.relief https://www.instagram.com/p/B25o3RXhlFd/?igshid=rnrxirb7rlm

So it's the end of the year, and as everyone's feeds flood with gratitude and year end or new year resolution posts, my contribution is my 2019 Good Things Jar. I've been filling one of these jars each year for a couple of years now. I'm not as good at tracking all of the good things as I would like to be. But this post and the exercise itself isn't about beating myself up. Exactly the opposite, actually. When I think about something worth noting that happens to me, whether a once in a lifetime occasion or a moment of daily trivia that just hits me, I do my best to write it down and stuff it in the jar. Reading through these little notes is awesome for reflection for me. For helping me get some much needed perspective, when I'm writing the notes, and when I take the time to look back. So I'll keep doing these jars. I would encourage anyone who hasn't done something like this to try it out, or something else like it. It helps. We can all too easily get caught up in the things that stress us, that we consider our failures, our losses, and lose sight of the beauty, the small victories. The things that make it worth it. #perspective #practicinggratitude #jarsformentalhealth #sothatwas2019 https://www.instagram.com/p/B6w1JbbhkSN3DycwpUcxAVqYK4NlkUqtxYWxgs0/?igshid=swg0yactkzkq

I Iove this response. I look at it, from time to time, to remind myself that there is healing to be had, eventually.

How do you get over a broken heart?

You don’t, ever. Not quite. But time can do amazing things. A deep wound scabs over, and the scab becomes a scar, and then one day you look for the scar and it’s barely visible. 

What’s important is not to become the wound. Not to spend your life and your time and your attention on the hurt and the heartbreak. Take it and make art with it, instead, or use it to push yourself forward, into things, not away from them.

Good luck.

Some Avengers memes just in time for tonight. Don't worry, they are spoiler-free. And funny and/or sad. #spoilerfree #assemblealready https://www.instagram.com/p/BwsJx3CB47pAvcNNgp_DQA-mLE3RDukWbFbTtA0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ers9iu769mhb

For some of us, getting through the holiday season is kind of a nightmare, and this year in particular is tough for me. So I'm sticking with strategies that I know help. Rewatching old favourites, finding distractions, stepping back when I need to and not feeling guilty about it. One of my strategies is to binge the Doctor Who Christmas specials. So much fun (for me) to watch, and a great distraction. So, Allons-y!! What do you do to get through the holiday season? #doctorwho #christmasmovies #anxietystrategies #depressionstrategies #mentalhealthdoesnttakeaholiday #anxiety #depression https://www.instagram.com/p/CX39nDcr_iP/?utm_medium=tumblr

We often see what we want to see, and we all have our own inherent bias and pattern recognition. That said, I went in cold turkey to the movie Thunderbolts* when my daughter and I went to see it recently. I didn't watch any trailers, avoided spoilers, etc.

And what I saw was me.

Here's My Short Spoiler-Free Review:

I was not at all expecting the amount of depth the story has

There are some very authentic-feeling portrayals of living with mental illness

It was fucking awesome

And My Slightly Longer And Still Not Very Spoilery Review:

As a person who lives with mental illness, I got to see A LOT of what I feel, have felt, have experienced reflected in a certain character's own experiences. And their journey isn’t just an inclusivity checkmark; it’s the core of the movie. I think a lot of people will see themselves reflected here, and by not explicitly stating this character’s diagnosis, they allow the story to include anyone who lives with mental illness, addictions, trauma.

And all of the thoughtful and nuanced handling of mental health notwithstanding, this is just a great movie all around. You should go see it.

Pants really are overrated.

Pants are overrated