I sometimes introduce myself as YodaNinja. "Yoda on the outside, Ninja on the inside." Outside, I seem calm and composed. When I speak (or write), what I say can be profound, perplexing... or both. But my inner world is another story. Deep inside of me is a Ninja battleground where thoughts, emotions, ideas, and utter randomness all fight for my attention. Every once in a while, they actually cooperate and I have to say, I'm deadly. But then they go at it again... and "Everybody is Kung Fu fighting." I'm a dad, a husband and a guy whose mind has a mind of it's own. My recovery from my addiction to numbing myself (with pretty much anything I can get my hands on) is a lifelong journey. I live with depression, anxiety and adhd... and sometimes they don't get along very well with my family, or with the rest of my life. Professionaly, I make my living as a Counselling Therapist in Edmonton, Canada. I teach on addiction and psychopathology at City University, and I have a small counselling practice where I use superheroes and other geeky stuff to help people make peace with their own personal YodaNinja. This blog is part of my healing and writing keeps me grounded. I hope that something I have written may add a little bit to your journey. Keep it Real
In 2000, I was diagnosed with an adjustment disorder. I wondered if it was something that I should talk to my Chiropractor about. I had never heard about it before, nor did anyone I knew. Even today, 18 years later, it is still a disorder that we rarely talk about. In 2000, I was diagnosed … More Adjustment Disorder: The Unnoticed Mental Illness
For more of the article, “6 Activities That are Like Vitamins for Your Mind,” click on the photo.
The goal of this blog, Getting High on Recovery, is to share about our recovery experiences. Most of what we talk about on this blog is about four disorders: addiction, depression, anxiety and trauma. The article below is excerpted from a longer article by Sarah Schuster, on The Mighty. Click this link to go to … More 10 Mental Illnesses that We Don’t Like to Talk About
How often do you brush your teeth? For most of us, it’s twice daily. We brush, floss and use breath freshener to do what we can to keep our teeth as healthy as we can. And why do we do this? Because our teeth are important and taking care of them is part taking care … More What if We Treated Our Mental Health Like We Treat Our Dental Health?
I’ve done it. My step-dad does it (tools), my dad did it (birds, yes… birds) and so does my 18 yr son (gaming ‘skins’ and noise-cancelling headphones). And you do it too: Retail Therapy. If you want to know what makes the world go around, what drives the economy, and what “The Force” really means? Look … More What Happens When Men Try a Little Retail Therapy?
What might have been and what has been Point to one end, which is always present. Footfalls echo in the memory Down the passage which we did not take Towards the door we never opened. T. S. Eliot, “Burn Norton” Does slowing down make you feel anxious? You are not alone. Read the article, “If … More The Courage to Notice Your Self
For the rest of the article, “The Doctor and His Quiet Depression,” click on photo.
Reblogged from NewsThump A woman on a strict health regime has successfully reduced her carbs and happiness by almost 100% in the last month, according to friends. Simone Williams, 35, has successfully lost almost 7 pounds and the will to live in under five weeks. By cutting out anything which brought a moment of pleasure … More Woman on a health kick goes entire month without alcohol, dairy, red meat or happiness
Myth #2: Mental health is about brain chemistry For the rest of the article, “The 6 Myths that can Rob Us of Our Mental Health,” click on photo. Keep it Real Photo by Andrew Officer
The moment I saw myself, I would not trade that for anything ___ “Think about New Year’s resolutions. Anecdotally it’s safe to say that a significant majority of those desired behavioral shifts fall by the wayside fairly quickly. The gyms are full in January; February, not so much. One missing ingredient is self-observation. For illustrative … More If You Slow Down for a Moment, What Are You Afraid to See?
Getting High on Recovery 