Take It Easy! by Susan L.

The snow tires are finally on! The oil's been changed and the car put in order for the winter...note to self: pick up washer fluid! Now I can relax about the possibility of snow. The PREFER training this coming Monday and Tuesday is a little intimidating. Not just travelling two days in a row into the city but the subject matter of Crisis and Suicide Prevention is a pretty loaded topic. My own November memories of being in that place of utter despair are as vivid as the moment they took place. It is an extremely traumatizing event to live through. It's taken nearly four years to come to terms with my two hospitalizations: the memories and the gaps of time that vanished when my mind left the building. Yes, I was in a major depression but combining that with the wrong medications...medications that ended up amplifying my symptoms instead of helping me. It was a disaster waiting to happen through no fault of my own. Recovery from these life altering events has come slowly, just as it has taken time to find the right meds. I have spent alot of time exploring my own prejudices in regards to mental illness: gender role, background, the North American culture, Christianity and personal history had created a toxic attitude. When that attitude is aimed at within, well, it gets messy and confusing. Boy, we can be hard on ourselves. "Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge." Prov 22:12