The trouble is that I said, ‘Above all I will write authentically.’ I will not be afraid to admit I am broken or lost or failing, because then others will know its okay to admit their failings too. Only, when I said that, I was feeling pretty together. I was surveying my failures from a…
Tag: depression
Mamas, Beer and Bears
Real Camping On from my last post…I feel like such a dumbass for suggesting I’d be prowling around the fire with my cougar panties on. In fact, I played the smiling frump in my full-coverage one piece (with a cool picture of a sunset forest, if that counts for anything.) Besides our family and my…
The rush of knowing you’re not (that) Crazy anymore
One of the coolest benefits of mental health is that remembering yourself crazy can give you quick hit of endorphins, a kind of hindsight superpower. What I mean is that nowadays, no matter what is going on or wrong, I can easily call up a memory from Before – i.e. before I found the medication,…
Saying ‘So what?’ to flaws
(Halfway through our 9-hour flight home. Looking tired, but still smiling) One reason I keep comparing this recent family holiday to England with the one four years ago is because the similar circumstances let me compare the real-world effects of my work to deal with depression and anxiety. The first trip I was just about…
Travelling Crazy – a two-, four-, six-year study
It’s easier to travel while sane than crazy. As evidence I produce my two nearly identical holiday circumstances: 3 weeks with in-laws 8 time zones away, plus toddler(s). The first trip, four years ago, resulted in my decision to take anti-depressants for the rest of my life. The second, last month, with double the preschoolers, resulted…
Where does the body feel Unbelonging?
I’m taking a 5-week course called Trauma-sensitive Yoga for Depression and Anxiety at my favourite Vancouver studio, Ocean and Crow. This is a weekly record of my unraveling … and hopefully my knitting back together. In our first class, we learn that every emotion has a corresponding sensation in the body. Conversely, every bodily sensation…
Teacher training
Since graduating from yoga teacher training at Langara College and trying to find yoga work, I struggle regularly with my “right” to teach yoga. What makes me any better than the zillions of other yoga teachers in Vancouver? I can’t even do a headstand or an arm balance, or even a full forward fold. (Damn…
Wendy's House 