Third of a Lifetime

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Special Notice: Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors will be on hiatus throughout the month of December. I’ll be taking the time to rest and recharge, and hopefully complete some lingering projects. I’ll still be available by email or on Twitter. Thanks so much for your support year-round!
 
 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 
I am honored and humbled to have my Twitter feed included in this list of 50 Best Twitter Feeds for Psychology Majors! Go check out the other 49, broken out into these categories: News; Organizations; Patients; and Professionals.
 
 
 

Photo Credit

@Mindful_Living “As we learn to drop down
from the busyness in our minds and into the now,
we can cultivate self-trust and self-reliance.”
~ The Now Effect

Six Standalone Tweets to Ponder

@WisdomalaCarte “I sabotage myself for fear of what my bigness could do.” ~ Alanis Morissette

@DrAthenaStaik “To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” ~ Lao Tzu

@Tamavista “Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist only of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” ~ Amiel

@PsychDigest “Grateful people experience less envy, anger, resentment, regret, and other stress-related feelings. Today, be more grateful.”

@Mindful_Living “When you think about it, there is no other time than now.” ~ The Now Effect

@LillyAnn “Don’t postpone joy until you have learned all of your lessons. Joy is your lesson.” ~ Alan Cohen

Linked Tweets

@HealthyPlace In-depth info on suicide includes US crisis hotlines and answers to many questions about suicide
[SEO: A great resource which ought to be bookmarked. "Comprehensive information about suicide. What to do if you're feeling suicidal, how to help the suicidal person, why people kill themselves and more."]

@thethirdsunrise Depression is Terrifying
[SEO: Written completely in a "you are there" voice, this post chronicles what the day to day experience of depression feels like, and how it alters perspective and perception. After being prescribed a new antidepressant, the description of coming out of depression over a number of weeks rings true. In fact, all of it rings true, and achingly honest. This would be a good post to give to a friend or family member who doesn't get why you can't just snap out of it.]

@LisaKiftTherapy 4 Ways to Build Emotional Resilience
[SEO: "If you don’t feel particularly resilient, know that you can deepen your sense of well-being and begin to build your own emotional resilience toolbox. The more you practice, the more you can literally change the way your brain is wired to facilitate a happier and more peaceful life. It can be developed in anyone."]

@psychcentral 9 Ways to Have a Simpler but More Satisfying Holiday
[SEO: "Keeping things simple this holiday season can help you stave off stress and focus on what counts. Each person may have a different idea of what a simple holiday looks like, depending on your traditions, family life and financial situation. But we can probably all agree that a simple holiday is one with fewer obligations and headaches and more relaxation and joy."]

@SarahEOlson2009 It’s Not the Most Wonderful Time of the Year…
[SEO: "It's [perhaps] not the most wonderful time of the year if your partner has a mental illness. … While it can be challenging, and may mean making sacrifices and disappointing people, being deliberate about how you and your partner with mental illness approach the upcoming holiday season can make the difference between your partner staying stable versus needing serious interventions come January (if not right in the middle of the festivities–no one wants to be in the ER on Christmas, trust me!).”]

@zebraspolkadots When holidays aren’t happy for us…
[SEO: To a lot of people with mental illness, the holidays are more than just extra stressful. They can kick in painful memories, cause one to regress to about age five, and be left with the same empty holes long afterward. This post discusses the reasons why and how of not putting yourself in that position again. You can decide to not go. You can choose to not become enmeshed in old family dysfunction again. It's very empowering once you conquer your fears about not going. From my own experience, it was also quite liberating, even though it meant I chose to be alone.

"I didn't explain myself to them because that gave them power to again question my decisions and tell me something was wrong with me for not wanting to spend the holidays with them. And in the end they did that anyway - but I no longer felt the obligation to apologize and try to fix it."]

@OneLifeTherapy Ever had trouble making decisions? How to stop arguing with yourself and make a decision.
[SEO: This post says making decisions should not be about 'right' and 'wrong' or adversarial thinking, based on Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats (which is fascinating in itself). Six different colored hats represent different aspects of decision making, and the challenge is that you only wear one hat at a time.

"How would it be to consult your inner hat-rack like this? To allow for a full exploration of one aspect of something at a time, and to really hear yourself out before the argumentation kicks-in to silence a thought mid-way? And then to explore another aspect. And another."]

Well, it’s “that” Friday after Thanksgiving, but not all of us are stuck in lines at the Mall. May all of your holidays be sweet, and savory! Here are my favorite tweets collected this week: fun, beautiful, introspective, and even a bit wild. Enjoy!

@Quotes4Writers “Writing is thinking-made-tangible, thinking that can be examined as it’s on the page and not all in the head, invisibly floating around.”

@DrAthenaStaik Beautiful! Northern Lights/Milky Way/meteorite captured by 1 frame
[SEO: Gorgeous photo with an incalculable number of stars as well as Northern Lights, the Milky Way, and a meteor! Scroll down the page to see more.]

@WisdomalaCarte “If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.” ~ Andy Rooney

@mjdub The Mountain Ride Of A Lifetime
[SEO: Ever wonder what it's like to luge, but without the ice? "This wild single-pipe roller coaster built over the Alpines of Mieders, Austria looks like dangerous fun." And you're on it ("with no brakes!") in this great video.]

@natasha_tracy “Give me coffee or give me death.”

@heykim LOVE THIS
[SEO: The easiest way to do outside Christmas lights.]

@800273TALK “One person can make a difference and everybody should try.” ~ John F. Kennedy

@LillyAnn “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” ~ C. S. Lewis

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Special Notice: Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors will be on hiatus throughout the month of December. I’ll be taking the time to regroup and recharge, and hopefully complete some projects that have been whispering in my ear for awhile. I’ll still be around, available by email or on Twitter. Thanks so much for your support year-round!
 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I am honored and humbled to have my Twitter feed included in this list of 50 Best Twitter Feeds for Psychology Majors! Go check out the other 49, broken out into these categories: News; Organizations; Patients; and Professionals.
 
 
 
 

Photo Credit

@soulseedz Nerves and butterflies are fine –
they show you’re ready.
You just have to get the butterflies
to fly in formation. ~ S. Bull

 
 
 
Six Standalone Tweets to Ponder
 

@JoySoldiers “I’m afraid sometimes you’ll play lonely games too, games you can’t win because you’ll play against you.” ~ Dr Seuss

@visityourself “Unpleasant feelings are not the problem. The problem is the belief that having such feelings is not okay.”

@WisdomalaCarte “It’s an inside job to learn about forgiving, it’s an inside job to hang on to the joy of living.” ~ Don Henley

@Crenelation “A life lived by choice is a life of conscious action. A life lived by chance is a life of unconscious reaction.” ~ Neale D Walsch

@Carlolight “Presence — a state of clarity, simplicity of pure beingness — a very deep allowing of this moment to be as it is.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

@Tamavista “Your conscience is your compass; your reason is your map.” ~ Kitamori

Linked Tweets

International Survivors of Suicide Day, November 19, 2011

@NAMIMass 11/19 Sat. ~ 13th Annual Internat’l Survivors of Suicide Day. A Day Healing for Bereavement After Suicide
[SEO: "Survivors of suicide loss gather at hundreds of simultaneous healing conferences around the world every year on International Survivors of Suicide Day to connect with others who have survived the tragedy of suicide loss, and express and understand the powerful emotions they experience. If you don't live near a participating city, or you find it difficult to attend in person, you can watch online and join in a live chat immediately following the program."]

@NAMIMass afsp.org has a great booklet “Coping with Suicide Loss: A Resource and Healing Guide”
[SEO: This is a free .PDF download, or you can email your street address to receive a free paper copy.]

Child Abuse Issues

@pourmecoffee While everyone blah-blah-blahs for a while, child abuse enablers just keep getting away with it.
[SEO: This was a big deal when first announced: "Bishop Robert Finn, the leader of the 134,000-member [Kansas City] diocese, is the highest-ranking Catholic official ever to face U.S. criminal charges in a child sexual abuse case.” The charges stem from his not reporting a priest when he had evidence of abuse. Now he’s essentially made a plea deal for “supervision”.]

@psychcentral Healing Together: The Penn State Scandal: The Complicated Impact on Victims of Child Sexual Abuse
[SEO: "For many [adult survivors of child sexual abuse] the Penn State Scandal is emotionally complicated. Whether they have identified and come forth as victims, embraced the power of healing or live with the memory of abuse on the edges of awareness, they are watching a nation grapple with an unthinkable crime — child sexual abuse, a crime of betrayal and the destruction of innocence — ‘soul murder.’ For them the response to this scandal carries with it the possibility of both positive and negative impact.”

If you’re a survivor of child sexual abuse, this is an excellent article outlining the issues for survivors: bearing witness; cynicism and doubt; retraumatizing vs revisiting; stigmatized vs supported; and the meaning of healing.

There are so many issues about Penn State that could send a survivor into depression, rage, or anxiety. The one that stands out starkly for me is that the grad student who reported the rape to Paterno indicated that the child (and Sandusky) saw him. Then the child (and Sandusky!) saw him walk away and do nothing. (Telling Paterno was equivalent to doing nothing.) Sandusky learned he had nothing to fear by doing this in a very public place. But the level of betrayal and mistrust of adults ratcheted up exponentially for that child in that moment. Don’t be that person.

@DrCarlHindy Child Abuse: Why People So Often Look the Other Way
[SEO: "'Despite stereotypes of creepy-looking men in white vans, child abusers are actually usually the most likeable, gregarious people around,' Issa said. 'They get close to kids not only by charming them, but by charming the people protecting them.'"

It's no doubt true about charming those who are supposed to do the protecting, but I'm beyond fed up with rationalizations that provide cover for people who fail to do the right thing. See the next post about that, in plain language nobody can weasel out of.]

@SarahEOlson2009 Simple Wisdom from Penn State: If You See Child Abuse, Stop It! (by @DocJohnG, owner of @psychcentral)
[SEO: "If you see child sex abuse occurring — PUT AN END TO IT IMMEDIATELY. Don’t freakin’ pass it up the chain of command so that a half dozen aging white men can decide whether to do the right thing or not and report it, or do the wrong thing and temporarily extend their careers and livelihood." ...

"You don’t need to convene a grand jury to stop child sex abuse. You don’t need to have a meeting of the board of directors. You simply need to do the right thing, grow a backbone, step up, and stop the abuse." (All bold in original.)

If you cannot do anything more (like directly intervene) in the moment of discovery, at the very least call the police immediately. If you still need some sort of litmus test to make that decision, the easiest one is: Would you do this for your own child?]

The Rest of the Best

@psychcentral The Empty Chair at the Holiday Table
[SEO: Discusses, poignantly, the first year after the loss of a loved one; how the loss impacts every tradition in which the departed participated; and how with time, the loss softens but is never forgotten. The post provides pointers for the grieving person, and for those who are a family member or friend of that grieving person.]

@natasha_tracy You Don’t Have to Live With Side Effects but You Might Choose to
[SEO: "Today I still suffer with a range of side effects. Nothing quite so debilitating as not being able to wake up, but other things like headaches, cramps, fogginess, fatigue and body temperature dysregulation. But I have chosen these side effects. Which is to say that I prefer the side effects to not being on the medication. But that’s me. ... So yes, meds are a bitch. But bipolar is infinitely worse. I have chosen these side effects on purpose. I have chosen them because they are the best of all bad worlds."]

@OneLifeTherapy Perfectionism, Procrastination, And Preparing A Plan For Your Life
[SEO: "How will you know that you’re ready to start? Once you’ve planned and perfected and plotted all your goals on a graph, like we’re so often encouraged to do. How will you know you’re ready? ... Maybe you can plan to take the perfect step all you like. But the planning isn’t the stepping."]

@NAMIMass What it’s like to have bipolar; how she grew to accept it; and mental health services that keep it in check
[SEO: "The winner of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance’s Facing Us Video Contest, Melanie describes what it’s like to have bipolar I disorder (with especially good descriptions of manic symptoms) and how she grew to accept the diagnosis and mental health services that keep it in check. An authentic and touching portrayal from a personal perspective, it’s a great video for someone new to bipolar." Also check out the runners up and honorable mention videos.]

It’s Friday! Each week I present favorite items gathered from my tweet stream which are funny, awe-inspiring, beautiful, and sometimes odd. Enjoy!

@pourmecoffee “I’m going to be disappointed if the Occupiers all take sweet jobs as ‘Special Liaison to the Poor’ for Goldman Sachs.”

@petapixel Incredible photograph of the Milky Way rising over the sea
[SEO: Be sure to read the photographer's notes below the photograph, which explain how he made this out of a composite of five shots, and discusses certain visible stars.]

@AncientProverbs “An inch of time cannot be bought with an inch of gold.” ~ Chinese Proverb

@PeterSokolowski Great story about mysterious ornate book sculptures left as gifts in library.
[SEO: Kind of a long story, but it's illustrated and delightful!]

@Carlolight “All descriptions of reality are temporary hypothesis.” ~ Buddha

@dangerroom Who are you rooting for, the giant robotic snake or the man-sized spider-bot?
[SEO: These are fascinating, in an icky kind of way. It's hard to get a sense of size till the end of the video, when you see a guy looking kind of small while riding on top of the spider. Ewww ]

@natasha_tracy “When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.” ~ Henry J. Kaiser

@AmazingPics If you haven’t seen it yet, get ready to be amazed: Stunning View of Earth from Space
[SEO: I've previously posted only snippets; I had no idea it was expanded to five minutes elsewhere. And yes, you will be amazed. I especially like -- amongst other things -- viewing lightning strikes from above.]

@Elywyn_AO “If you aren’t confused by quantum physics, then you haven’t really understood it.” ~ Niels Bohr

@BlissCoach1 “Procrastination is a bad habit which is best put off until tomorrow.” ~ Ivan Kelly

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Special Notice: Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors will be on hiatus throughout the month of December. I’ll be taking the time to regroup and recharge, and hopefully complete some projects that have been whispering in my ear for awhile. Thanks so much for your support year-round!

Photo Credit

@wwpinc “Thanks for all the Veterans Day wishes today!
It’s an honor for us to serve America’s veterans!” ~
Wounded Warriors Project

Six Standalone Tweets to Ponder

@Tamavista “Why do so many question kindness but remain silent in the face of evil? One needs no explanation, the other has none.” ~ Kitamori

@Carlolight “The most valuable gift you have to offer another is the gift of your presence.” ~ Leonard Jacobson

@soulseedz “Anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.” ~ D Whyte

@BipolarBatesy “No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.” ~ Taoist Proverb

@PsychDigest “The person you were always meant to become is waiting for you just on the other side of the things you fear.” ~ Tom Wright

@karenkmmonroy “Love. How you define it — defines you.”

Linked Tweets

Suicide Prevention and Aftermath

@800273TALK Print this cheat sheet to keep in your wallet so you’ll know when you (or a friend) need to call the Lifeline (PDF)
[SEO: A wallet-sized foldable aid in case of crisis. Lists 12 signs that someone who experienced trauma needs help, and provides the toll-free lifeline number.]

@NAMIMass 11/19 Sat.-13th Annual Internat’l Survivors of Suicide Day. A Day Healing for Bereavement After Suicide
[SEO: "Survivors of suicide loss gather at hundreds of simultaneous healing conferences around the world every year on International Survivors of Suicide Day to connect with others who have survived the tragedy of suicide loss, and express and understand the powerful emotions they experience. If you don't live near a participating city, or you find it difficult to attend in person, you can watch online and join in a live chat immediately following the program."]

Veterans’ Day

@drcherylarutt Check out this new mobile App “PTSD Coach” to help manage symptoms
[SEO: "Together with professional medical treatment, PTSD Coach provides you dependable resources you can trust. If you have, or think you might have PTSD, this app is for you. Family and friends can also learn from this app. PTSD Coach was created by the VA's National Center for PTSD and the DoD's National Center for Telehealth and Technology." Now available on Android, and a free download from iTunes. (By the way, it's not just for veterans.) Look for PTSD Family Coach coming soon.)]

@psychcentral Healing Together: The Writing of Warriors: Viewing War From the Inside Out
[SEO: "In a project called Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families (Amazon link to updated research edition), they reached out to the 2 million active military and their loved ones and invited them to write about their personal experiences of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while the events were happening."

"The result was a total of 2,000 submissions and over 10,000 pages of diaries, poems, emails, letters, fiction and autobiographies from which a final compilation was chosen and edited as a book by Andrew Carroll. The goal of the final manuscript was to be as faithful as possible to the heart and soul of the writings – 'no matter how jarring or upsetting they be.'" (Warning: The poem included in the post is quite graphic, in a necessary way.)]

@HealingPTSD U.S. Losing the Battle Against Military Suicides
[SEO: "While the report credits the military and the VA for taking a number of steps to stem suicides, it also finds fault with myriad policies and calls for improvements in mental health screening and treatment. It raps the 'prevailing wisdom' in the military that suicides are not linked directly to deployments to war." ...

"The report also finds flaws in the mental-health screening process following deployment, in which troops are asked to fill out a health-assessment form that asks questions about their physical and psychological status. A 2008 study found that when Army soldiers completed an anonymous survey, their reported rates of depression, PTSD, suicidal thoughts and interest in receiving care were two to four times higher than the responses on the official forms. The CNAS researchers said that many returning troops lie -- and are encouraged to lie -- for fear that if they admit to mental health problems, they will not be allowed to go home."]

@HealingPTSD An important read by a recent veteran, a Marine captain: “On War and Redemption”
[SEO: "When I returned from Afghanistan this past spring, a civilian friend asked, 'Is it good to be back?' It was the first time someone had asked, and I answered honestly. But I won’t do that again. We weren’t ready for that conversation. Instead, when people ask, I make it easy for everyone by responding, 'It’s fine.' That’s a lie, though. It’s not fine."]

@heykim Veterans Day: 8 Online Ways to Thank Our Troops (via Mashable)
[SEO: "Today, Veterans Day, we honor those who defend our country. Our service members remind us that there are few things more important than doing what we can to make a difference in the lives of others."]

Child Abuse Prevention

@mjdub Molesters Usually Don’t Look Like Molesters
[SEO: "But true or not, the accusations against Sandusky, spelled out in great detail in a 23-page grand jury report, bring to mind many proven cases in which a molester occupied a position of trust, identified and gravitated to children who were especially vulnerable, made them feel special and was by all outward appearances their champion, which many molesters indeed believe themselves to be. In their own minds these molesters aren’t predators. They’re people whose affinity for children just happens to have a sexual element, the satisfaction of which they’ve convinced themselves isn’t such a big, harmful deal."]

@SarahEOlson2009 How adults justify not reporting child abuse
[SEO: This is so disheartening, as well as infuriating. If doctors don't get it, somebody has to step up on behalf of children. Don't be one of those people -- doctor or otherwise -- who rationalize not reporting child abuse.

"A report out of Boston this week revealed that when doctors were confronted with clear signs of child abuse, they often did not report the injuries to protective services. ... 'They found that reporting was warranted in 13 of the 63 cases doctors chose not to report to authorities. Most of those cases involved leg fractures or bruises to the face or ear, and in six cases the physicians themselves had identified a high likelihood of abuse.' The researchers concluded that the doctors had adequate training in recognizing abuse, but were not as well informed about why they should report it."]

It’s Friday, the day I gather up my favorite items from the Twitterverse, which may be fun, silly, beautiful, odd, or in today’s case, a bit introspective. Today is also Veterans Day in the U.S. — thank a veteran or active duty member for his or her service. Kindness and gratitude go a long way. And now, the TweetStuff! Enjoy!

@Quotes4Writers “Don’t learn the tricks of the trade — learn the trade.” ~ Anonymous

@pourmecoffee Listen to Carl Sagan school you on your comical [and cosmical!] insignificance on his birthday.

@askandimagine “All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients.” ~ Emerson

@paul_steele Fantastic City Lights At Night Photography
[SEO: Especially beautiful when reflected on large bodies of water.]

then compare the city lights with:

@mjdub Stunning Star Trails Photographed from the Australian Outback
[SEO: Wow! Imagine Van Gogh with a really good camera.]

@AncientProverbs “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” ~ Aristotle

@goodthingz Pics ~ Human Aerial Art
[SEO: Human "mosaics" involving a lot of people standing in formations that can be seen from a plane or helicopter.]

@Quotes4Writers “You must be prepared to work always without applause.” ~ Ernest Hemingway

@heykim •This year’s biggest pop hits in 4 minutes

@pourmecoffee “First-ever nationwide Emergency Alert System test coming up at 2. Now is time to tell someone you see a weird UFO in sky.”

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Photo Credit

@DrJennifer “It helps all of us
when we give ourselves permission.
It’s so good to be real…”

Six Standalone Tweets to Ponder

@ariannahuff “Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.”

@PsychDigest “While the old saying is, ‘What we resist, persists,’ in mindfulness it is, ‘What you accept, transforms.’”

@WisdomalaCarte “When one is out of touch with oneself, one cannot touch others.” ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

@Tamavista “Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.” ~ Spencer Johnson

@karenkmmonroy “What holds you to the past? You keep thinking/talking about it. So you keep re-creating it — so you keep talking/thinking ’bout it.”

@DrAthenaStaik “You cannot find peace by avoiding life.” ~ Virginia Woolf

Linked Tweets

@HuffingtonPost Staggering numbers: A veteran dies by suicide every 80 minutes, new study says.
[SEO: "Faced with the stigma of post-traumatic stress disorder, unemployment rates tipping 12 percent and a loss of the military camaraderie, many veterans report feeling purposeless upon returning home. ... The epidemic is raging among those who are currently serving too. From 2005 to 2010, approximately one service member committed suicide every 36 hours, the CNAS study revealed." Every 36 hours! The study makes 'big picture' recommendations which are years overdue.

Meanwhile, as we near Veterans Day (in the U.S. November 11th), think of ways you can support the veterans in your life throughout the year. PTSD doesn't take a holiday.]

@HealthyPlace Accepting Diagnosis of Mental Illness
[SEO: "At some point in our journey to wellness, most of us hear similar words—We Have a Mental Illness. The first reaction might be one of denial and then relief. Nobody wants to have a mental illness that is stigmatized and requires medication and consistent self-care, but if you have been struggling with the pain of untreated mental illness, having a reason for this is a relief. Knowing that treatment is available is scary but opens doors: life can be stable and productive. But it isn’t easy to accept, not yet. The diagnosis is just the first step many of us take in order to find recovery."]

@DorleeM 13 Surprising Ways To Fight Headache Pain
[SEO: Discusses alternative therapies including: biofeedback, accupuncture, massage, stretching, aerobics, meditation, yoga, relaxation exercises, heat and cold, avoiding nitrates and nitrites, botox injections (surprised me, too!), transcranial magnetic stimulation, and electrode implants. You never know what might offer some relief.]

@Mindful_Living If you have 10-Minutes somewhere today, go ahead, give yourself a gift and practice this right now. (YouTube)
[SEO: "This is a 10 minute practice to bring with you anywhere and anytime to begin training your mind to be more present to your life and recognize more clarity, opportunity, possibility and choice." Video by Dr. Elisha Goldstein (@Mindful_Living). I found it very relaxing, and I'm a hard case in that area.]

@HealthyPlace When to Disclose an Anxiety Disorder
[SEO: "Following on from last week’s article on why to disclose an anxiety disorder, I thought I’d say a little about when to disclose an anxiety because it is, perhaps, as important as why." Two excellent posts that provide criteria for the when and why of disclosing any mental health condition.]

@ssanquist 10 Steps to Starting Your Self-Esteem File
[SEO: "Five years ago I walked into my therapist’s office feeling like a Krispy-Kreme doughnut: I had no center. Everything I attempted both professionally and personally flopped. I had no sense of self, no confidence, and no faith in myself. I found nothing of value in my DNA. So she assigned me a project that I have since called “The Self-Esteem File.” Here are 10 steps for starting your own."

Each detailed step provided is a long term project, and can seem overwhelming to someone who needs help with self-esteem. But that's kind of the point. It takes a lot of time and practice of healthy thinking and actions to grow self-esteem. There is no overnight fix. This post provides a very useful road map in getting there.]

@DailyTamara Separating Life Stress from Mental Health Relapse
[SEO: "Part of mental health self-care involves identifying potential triggers and avoiding them or, at the very least, preparing for the impact they may have on your life. Those of us who have a mental illness have a harder time adjusting to life changes: relationships, starting a new job or losing an existing one, changing locations, the loss of a loved one. It is ironic, but positive life changes can also have an adverse influence on mood. It’s hard to find balance among all of the different cards that life deals us, but it’s crucial to be able to distinguish circumstantial stress from signs and symptoms of relapse."]

It’s Friday, and it really could not come soon enough. I’m especially looking forward to our clocks “falling backwards” early Sunday morning, love that extra hour of sleep! But I digress! Each Friday I collect tweets that are funny, beautiful, unusually breathtaking, and this week, a little bizarre. (Think pumpkins.) Enjoy!

@pourmecoffee “A twitter prayer: Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray for no more Kardashian tweets. Amen.”

@heykim OMG ~ AMAZING 1,818.5 lb pumpkin to reveal an incredibly intricate three-dimensional scene
[SEO: Lots of "raw" material to work with!]

@zerohedge “One thing is certain: In the case of the 99% against Jon Corzine, justice will be swerved.”

@OddityCentral Incredibly Realistic Pumpkin-Carved Portraits by Alex Wer
[SEO: I have no idea how he does this. Steve Jobs, Harry Potter, comic book characters, all extremely detailed.]

@HealthyPlace “Some people hear voices.. Some see invisible people.. Others have no imagination whatsoever.”

@mymodernmet Most Expressive Pumpkin Faces Ever!
[SEO: Intricate combined with whimsical. Some are very odd! And some require a human hand prop. ]

@AncientProverbs “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” ~ Aristotle

@SarahEOlson2009 Meow!! BY G.A Rossini
[SEO: This has been making me laugh all week!]

@Carlolight “Words can help to establish a bridge. ~ But once the bridge is crossed. ~ Let the words go.” ~ Leonard Jacobson

@heykim Crazy awesome video – How far would you go for to feel FREE? I Believe I Can Fly
[SEO: Oh. My. God. Two guys show you step by step how they prepare to jump off cliffs with a parachute, and high wire walk across a river gorge without a parachute.]

@WisdomalaCarte “If you fail to go within, you will go without.” ~ Neale Donald Walsch

@TIMECulture Listen to the All-TIME 100 Songs in 180 Seconds

@HealthyPlace “When writing the story of your life, don’t let anyone else hold the pen.”