Where is my Christmas Spirit?

Christmas is my favorite holiday, it always has been. I look forward to the holiday season all year long. It’s always the highlight of my year. But now, I can’t seem to get into the Christmas mood. I’m doing all of the things I normally do to enjoy the holiday season except they aren’t making…

Happy Healthy Holidays

Lots of wishes float around this time of year. Lists are jam packed with material goods, gadgets and toys people covet. Well wishes also abound as folks entreat each other to celebrate all of the holidays that fall in December. In that spirit, I want to wish all of us in this community a Healthy…

I’m the Other James

You may not have realized we had more than one James posting on this blog. James Edgar Skye started this blog and I am not him. I am James Pack. The other James. I changed my author tag to J. Pack to help eliminate confusion. Had you all noticed? It felt fitting to write this…

When Family Makes You Feel Alone During the Holidays

I know I’m not alone when I say I don’t like the holidays. Everyone has their reasons. Family gatherings always reminded me of or created more bad memories.

Surviving the Holiday Season

As I am back in my hometown to be with my family during this holiday season, there is so much laughter, joy but also unwanted questions coming towards my way. The number one question I was asked “You are taking the LOWEST possible dosage of your SSRI right?” The answer is, no. My psychiatrist suggested…

Stay Safe This Holiday Season – A Mental Health Advisory Post

Between now and the end of the year is a fantastic time. We see family and friends, meet for coffee, eat some amazing food, and shop for those special people in our lives. This is also a time where people with mental illness struggle the most to be normal. The fact is this time of…

Cutting and Self-harm, My Story​

\*disclaimer\* I am not advocating that cutting is right or wrong. For some people, like myself for a good portion of my life, it is just a way that you have to live with when emotional pain becomes unbearable. This is a reblog in a sense, but really this is an expanded version of a…

Holidays and Kids

This week has been a long week for me. I’ve really been in a lot of pain due to constant weather changes. I’m getting migraines from the same. It was just Valentine’s Day which is a holiday I don’t understand. It only promotes hurt as far as I can tell. Shouldn’t we be showing our…

Finding Happiness with a Mental Illness

I had an interesting conversation the other day with a very close family member. They basically told me they are just living life, doing what they have to until they die. This hurt me on so many levels. I am really close to this family member and what he said resonated in my life because…

Going Through the Motions of Life

Life with a mental illness is a funny thing, and sometimes you just keep going through the motions of life. When I am engaged in life, things are good. My writing flows, I get everything on my daily list done, and my focus is on point. I wish every day is good, but the reality…