individuals
The Daunting Statistics on Depression & Suicide: More Awareness = Less Stigma
According to recent depression statistics, amongst Americans one out of ten claim to be suffering from depression. Nationally, out of all those who suffer only 20 percent actually get treated. In other words, 80 percent of clinically depressed individuals aren’t being treated at all. And the number of depressed individuals increases by 20 percent annually.
Why are so many individuals not receiving treatment for clinical depression? Perhaps the stigma, fear of what family, loved ones, and friends might think or say? Perhaps clinically depressed or the 80 percent that have symptoms of clinical depression are too proud or even embarrassed. Most people do not say that they really enjoy being around someone who is feeling down, especially if the “low days” tend to be often. When depression takes a hold of people susceptible to the illness, it can be situational where the depression is more or less seasonal. Read the rest of this entry »
The Importance of Listening: Tap into the Journalist inside You
I realized that after experiencing both the good and the bad, the one universal desire that everyone has in common— people want to be understood and heard. Every time we open ourselves up to the world, we welcome in criticism, judgment, and every day reality that makes us flawed and human. So, most of us are grateful when we meet nonjudgmental people.
Some people are more introverted than others, but everyone to some degree enjoys having the opportunity to be heard. And unfortunately we’ve all been a little guilty of interrupting others only to insert our own experiences, stories, perspective, and opinion. Extroverted individuals are often guilty of selling themselves a little too much. Personally, I have always experienced social anxiety. Most people wouldn’t know it because I appear quite talkative, energetic, and openly friendly to any stranger I meet. Though, inside, I am aware of nervous energy and social anxiety that have always been with me. Read the rest of this entry »
Are You Quirky? Don’t Fight it. Flaunt it!
According to the Cambridge online dictionary, the English definition of “quirk” noun [C] /kwɜrk/ › is an unusual habit or type of behavior, or something that is strange and unexpected:
a personality quirk
It’s just one of the quirks of living there.
quirky /ˈkwɜr·ki/ adjective [-er/-est only]
› a quirky, offbeat sense of humor
According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary quirky <adjective › means different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion.
While there are many, many ordinary individuals on this planet there are quite a few with idiosyncrasies, and let’s just say these extraordinary individuals might be considered, well, peculiar. Google breaks down idiosyncrasy and its origin best: Early 17th century (originally in the sense ‘physical constitution peculiar to an individual’): from Greek idiosunkrasia, from idios ‘own, private’ + sun ‘with’ + krasis ‘mixture.’ Read the rest of this entry »
If It Can’t Get WORSE, It Can Only Get BETTER!!
You might be currently shaking your head right now saying to yourself, “But… you have no idea what I am going through right now.” And you are absolutely correct about that, no one truly understands all of your extenuating circumstances, the intricacies, and details that might have already led to one big catastrophe. Read the rest of this entry »
Writing With Hope 