#I know I interact with folk with a variety of mental illnesses - from general anxiety to OCD to psychosis and more

[tesria]

Just saw a "reblog this or you're cursed" type post going around, which I know can cause anxiety for some people. So, for anyone who needs to hear it for any reason:

It's ok to ignore posts like this. If you need permission not to reblog them, you have it. It's ok to step away from Tumblr for a bit if you need to.

[pamphletstoinspire]

Suicidal Ideation in Church and State

With the terrible events of this past weekend, which witnessed mass shootings in both Dayton and El Paso, the media-consuming public is being subjected to any number of diagnoses from activists, journalists, social scientists, and others, especially Democratic candidates for the presidency.

What I wish to propose in this Ad Rem is that the true etiology underlying many of these mass shootings is very similar to the etiology of current civil and especially ecclesiastical illnesses.

Prescinding from these most recent massacres, about which too little is presently known, there is evidence that connects certain pharmaceuticals (psychotropic drugs) with homicidal ideation. This will probably get some but not enough attention in the next few days and weeks. Other causes are at work, to be sure (mostly spiritual), but anyone who is familiar with the iatrogenic nightmares of the opioid crisis and the benzodiazepine crisis will find what I’m saying here credible. As one who has experienced both of these crises up close in the debilitating effects they have had on my parents, I have no trust in the system that fostered them.

Big Pharma is the tail that wags the dog of the “healthcare” industry in America. And yes, the power quotes were deliberate. As is the case with other things our modern parlance couples with the word industry (e.g., food, music, entertainment), healthcare has suffered immeasurably from being industrialized, capitalized, and governmentalized.

But to bring us closer to our point, there is another harmful effect of certain widely used pharmaceuticals: suicidal ideation. I refer to the known association between suicide and some classes of drugs, such as opioids, SSRIs, and benzodiazepines. For example, there is a correlation between the alarming rate of military suicides we keep hearing about and the pharmaceuticals military personnel are given to treat PTSD and other problems.

When psychotropic drugs are prescribed for people diagnosed with psychopathologies by the failed mental health system, what is happening? Supposedly sick people are given drugs that we know make people sick — and included in that latter sickness is violent ideation, of both the suicidal and homicidal varieties. This is not healthcare, but societal suicide that enriches the drug companies and their co-conspirators. Dr. G.C. Dilsaver summarized it this way in a recent interview (around the 2:04:00 mark): “In short, the mental health system, the psychopharmacological companies, and the insurance agencies get away with murder.”

These terrible phenomena of drug-induced mass shootings and rising military suicide rates may be compared to the current crisis in the Catholic Church with very clarifying results.

The three-part pattern is quite similar: (1) A genuine problem exists, (2) to which is applied an unhealthy remedy, (3) with disastrous results. Here is a concrete application in the mental health profession, where a patient might: (1) experience some sort of anxiety or depression, diagnosed by a “mental health professional” using his handy-dandy, unscientific DSM, (2) at which point he is treated by psychotropics, producing the result of (3) iatrogenic sickness, including possibly suicide and/or homicide.

Let us apply this pattern to one current “Catholic problem,” church closings: (1) There is the problem of low Church attendance resulting in financial hardship for parishes. (2) The “remedy” is to close parish churches by combining two existing parishes into one and selling off the property of the church building no longer needed, possibly demolishing the building so that it does not become desecrated by its new owners. (3) Among the known results of such an action is that a definite number of parishioners will leave not only the parish, but the Catholic Church, for good. One estimate has that number at forty percent. According to Philip Gray, who runs the Saint Joseph Foundation, the percentage of Catholics who leave due to church closings varies based on how well the bishop handles the situation: if well, it goes down to around twenty percent; if badly, it goes up to about sixty percent. So the best-case scenario in church closings is that one in five parishioners is lost to the Catholic Church! Therefore, closing churches is a losing proposition for the Church, a gun to the ecclesiastical head.

What would a real remedy look like? Here is a missionary solution: Send priests, upper-class seminarians, and religious out into the streets to invite people — Catholics and non-Catholics — to come to Church, getting the Roman collar, the cassock, and the religious habit in plain view and making your new diocesan missionaries vulnerable to a hostile or indifferent populace. They will be targets, but that’s OK, so were the Apostles. Once they have people’s attention, they must invite them, challenge them, engage them, hear their grievances compassionately, and answer their questions with thoroughly orthodox and uncompromising replies. Put on special classes and some cultural events for the people you have so invited. Make them feel welcome, not by some big PR splurge that you’ve paid too much for on TV and radio, but by having genuine human interaction that has as its sole purpose the glory of God and the salvation of souls. In short, save the parish; don’t shut it down, and save souls in the process: a net gain for the Church.

It is probable that there are some shakers and movers in the parish, capable and energetic lay folk who want to do something good for the Church. Instead of clericalizing these zealous individuals by making them Eucharistic ministers, lectors, “song leaders,” and other unnecessary add-ons to the clerics and male acolytes in the sanctuary, have them help with these truly missionary efforts. They could actually be working to save souls.

Note that the proposed solution is missionary. In other words, it involves the Church doing something integral to the divine constitution of the Church and therefore traditional. Traditional remedies are the best!

Another example: Instead of merging a Catholic hospital system with a pro-abortion secular institution in order to “save” it — which is institutionally suicidal as well as homicidal to bodies and souls — try expanding the reach of authentic Catholic healthcare by partnering with medical schools that enthusiastically assent to the Church’s moral magisterium, and establishing guilds of Catholic physicians, nurses, and support staff who take professional oaths to be pro-actively pro-life and pro-family. No, it won’t be easy, but partnering with the medical culture of death is taking a Glock to the head!

Other examples:

Youth programs designed to “keep the young people,” or draw them back to the Church: Instead of trying to make them “relevant” by employing the worst of pop-culture and therefore giving them nothing particularly Catholic to grab hold of, have family-based activities that bring youth, parents, and clergy together. Emphasize holiness by offering retreats, wholesome camping and/or scouting activities, and events that promote genuine culture. Focus the events around the liturgical year, the sacraments, and big anniversaries, e.g., of the parish, to give them that sense of belonging to a community that they need.

Seminary formation: Instead of welcoming effeminate men into the seminary, as has been common in the last decades (even still!), make a very public statement that you only want masculine men who want to sacrifice themselves in the seminary (think vintage 1985 Marines), and that you will keep the homosexuals out; challenge young men to be “man enough” to embrace the Cross of the Catholic priesthood, and then introduce traditional clerical asceticism into the seminary environment and formation programs. Teach them what spiritual fatherhood is. No, this is not an attempt at recruiting “dumb jocks” to the priesthood; strong academics and exposure to genuine Catholic culture must also be present in the formation.

Altar Servers: Make it an exclusive male-only brotherhood, emphasizing virtue as well as knowledge of how to serve.

Some of what is true of Church demographics also applies to civil societies in former Christendom. Institutionally, most European nations are displaying suicidal ideation, too. Declining birthrates are compensated by profligate immigration from Muslim countries. That is a gun to the national head if ever there was one. But what can be done about it? Consider Hungary, where strict immigration laws prevent Muslim invasion and financial incentives are available to married couples who have at least three children. No wonder the liberal globalist elites hate Viktor Orbán!

In the Church, bishops could do things to incentivize higher birthrates by imitating the impressive incentive of Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II, who offered personally to baptize every third child and over born to a married couple. He actually caused a demographic uptick in his country, a former Soviet republic. It should be mentioned that for the Church to accomplish this, her ministers must fearlessly preach the truth about marriage and parenthood to the faithful, including the mortally sinful nature of birth control as well as abortion. Priests and bishops who do that are still, sadly, rare birds.

In general, churchmen seem to favor expensive bureaucratic solutions to the problems caused by modernity when the answer is a return to tradition, even if that return to tradition will require some modern methods (such as electronic media). It’s bad enough to be ineffective, but, as we have seen, churchmen become institutionally suicidal whenever they do something contrary to the nature of the Church — her divine constitution, her faith or morals — such as partnering with an expensive pro-abortion PR firm, as at least one archdiocese in the US actually does!

As far as the lowly faithful are concerned, we cannot institute these changes, but we can teach people the truth about the problems and authentic solutions that flow from a well-formed sensus Catholicus. And the laity can also use the power of the purse string by supporting only apostolates that actually advance the mission of the Church rather than picking up someone else’s suicide tab.

When many of the old nominally Catholic institutions have killed themselves off, those few who have reformed themselves in fidelity to tradition will join the new ones that will inevitably crop up to foster a genuine renaissance of Catholicity. Then the Church will have the resources to provide authentically Catholic remedies to all those horrible social problems about which there is so much clueless pontificating today.

BY: BROTHER ANDRÉ MARIE

From: www.pamphletstoinspire.com

[veronicasanders]

Mental Health Resources

Hey everyone! This is a reminder that your mental health is incredibly important, and if you are going through something or suffering from a mental illness, seeking out help is an incredibly brave, responsible move and the best way possible to love yourself.

Please remember that there is always help to be had. Take care of yourselves. You are worth it. (And feel free to add to the list or send in suggestions!)

The Trevor Project - crisis intervention and suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth. The Trevor Project has a phone number to call, [866-488-7386] or a feature where you can text them from your phone, and even a chat system that works best from a computer. For the texting and chat features, click here.

More resources after the jump. (Please keep in mind that the majority of these services are U.S. based. If you’re outside the U.S. and know of other resources, please feel free to add to the list. Also, we encourage you to do more research and ask questions if you are feeling lost.)

Love, Veronica and Cunt

CC: @theofficialcunt

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Hotlines - This link has many hotlines for a range of crisis issues, along with chat services.

Warmlines - these are numbers to call if you are not in crisis, but just need someone to talk to. They are mostly peer-run services staffed by people in recovery for whatever they specialize in, whether that be mental illness, substance abuse, etc. Master List by state.

Depression Checklist - If you are planning to seek out formal therapy and counseling - which we would always recommend if you think something might be wrong, but you feel a little lost about where to begin, one of the things you could start with is a depression checklist. This is meant to help you and your therapist assess whether you are depressed, and how severe it is - and what other physical or emotional factors are involved. It also can help give you an idea of some symptoms that they check for which might not be related to depression in your mind. (Thing like forgetfulness, restlessness, impatience, etc.) There is a great interactive one at BeyondBlue.org.au - which is an Australian website that can also give you local resources if you are in Australia, and there’s another checklist at YourLifeCounts.org that describes symptoms health care providers will be looking for.

General Depression Info - More information about depression and some additional hotlines.

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Paid Services/Apps:

·       Brightside: app/website that connects you to a therapist or psychiatrist remotely. This is pretty reputable but not terribly cheap.

·       Talkspace: On-demand therapy (and couples’ therapy) sessions via video chat or text within 24 hours, as cheap as $25/session.

·       BetterHelp: There are a variety of plans starting from $35 a week, but the idea is that you have a virtual “room” where you record your thoughts and then the licensed counselor checks into the room to give you feedback, insight, and ask questions.

·       Huddle: Basically online group therapy - a safe space to talk to peers going through the same issues as you. I believe it’s free once you pay for the app.

·       Moodnotes: This app uses the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), using actions to help correct the faulty or negative thinking patterns that lead to negative behavioral patterns. It is sort of a cross between therapy and journaling. It’s less than $5 so it’s a great way to cheaply dip your toe in the waters without breaking the bank - and the bonus is that you can do it as much as you like.

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LGBTQI+ Resources

·       Pride Counseling: Online counseling specifically for all members of the LGBTQI+ community. 1000+ licensed therapists include many LGBT individuals and others who specialize in helping individuals work through questions of gender, sexuality and identity. (From the makers of BetterHelp)

·       7 Cups: FREE. A friendly and supportive online LGBTQ community that is free and easy to access. Talk to someone in a 1-1 chat, or join our LGBT chat room to chat with others who understand what you're going through. You can get support with exploring your sexuality, gender identity or coming out. They have many people across the LGBTQ spectrum. Do you identify with any of the following labels? Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, transgender, pansexual, gender neutral, queer, asexual, or any others. Offers free, 24/7 support today.

·       Verena: The app helps users locate police stations, hospitals, shelters, and other safe havens during emergencies and times of need. Users can also designate a list of contacts for Verena to alert in an emergency. As a developer and LGBTQ ally, Southworth is conscious that some members of the LGBT community aren’t out or open about their identity. To accommodate people who desire privacy, Verena contains clever UI/UX features which users can engage to conceal Verena’s real purpose from intolerant and/or nosy friends or family members.

·       GLBT National Help Center: A great resource for folks identifying across all ends of the LGBTQ spectrum, the GLBT National Help Center includes information on everything from mental health support resources to educational materials and community organizing. One of the center’s best resources is its online volunteer-run chat room. All chats are confidential (read: no transcripts or recordings are saved).

·       QSPACES: QSPACES, helps to connect people to LGBTQ-friendly healthcare providers. Founders Nic Anthony and Catherine Hofman started the company after discovering that many of their friends and community members were predominantly using social media outlets to share details about LGBTQ-friendly healthcare providers. On QSPACES, users can find, rate, and review healthcare providers on their level of LGBTQ-friendliness, competency, and overall care. If you’re looking for an affordable LGBT-friendly mental health resource, the platform will help you find a nearby licensed psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist, or other mental health professional.

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Free Apps/Resources

·       Vent: Vent helps you connect to a supportive, positive, and understanding community, making it easy to share your feelings with people around the world.

·       Podcasts by Lavendaire: These podcasts cover a variety of subjects such as: healing from depression, how to stop feeling like shit, understanding and balancing your mind, and even some self guided meditation.

·       Lavendaire on Youtube: Same girl from the podcasts, she has a plethora of self guided videos on vision boards, finding your ideal career path, organization, how to be more positive and much more.

·       Pacifica: An app that provides tools for managing depressed moods, anxiety and stress that are built upon principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, relaxation and health as well as mood tracking.

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Other Apps/Tools:

·       Pause: A guided meditation that feels more like a game, drawing upon “ancient Tai Chi and mindfulness practices.” It’s under $5 - Veronica uses it and says that it’s awesome.

·       Breathing Zone: Guided breathing exercises for when you are having anxiety.

·       Panic Attack Apps: this article rates 5 apps designed to help you cope with panic attacks

·       Ways to Cope With Stress: We all have stress in our lives, and this article gives some ideas for things we can do to manage ourselves and feel more control.

·       Pema Chödrön: What To Do When the Going Gets Rough: This Buddhist nun has written several books and many articles. Here’s an intro.

[idonotknowhowtoo-blog]

How To Prevent A Long Hauliday

People can dread the holiday for a variety of both simple and complex reasons. If it's loss. You may have had losses or trials in your life that overwhelm any attempts to commemorate; you keep in mind previous holiday with tears in your eyes. You're uncertain how you

're going to get to January and simply wish you could sleep til then. If

it's perfectionism ... You might put numerous excessively high demands on yourself, purchasing gifts, cooking elegant food, embellishing your home so that it's completely Pinterest-worthy. The pressure you place on yourself is immense. You have a million details on your mind. Aunt Molly is now gluten-free and eating Keto. Kid Joey, an animal rights advocate and fairly new vegan, won't touch the duck, the turkey or the sausage-laced stuffing. And Uncle Simon will get a little tipsy if dinner isn't served on time. You take it on yourself to make certain all are happy.

If it's family conflict ...

You could have strained relationships with your family, so the thought of seeing them might vary anywhere from difficult to irritating to uncomfortable. You're currently tired, answering the regular concerns-- "Are you getting together with family this year?" You might have stated you 'd go however the fear you have is palpable. Or you may be estranged from family which can bring relief or sadness, or both.

If it's depression and tension ...

There may be things going on in your life or your kids's that you 'd choose not to discuss or have individuals figure out. Even if those individuals love you and imply well, often you can be having a hard time with such pity or despair that it's hard to be vulnerable. You're not in a proud or protected emotional area, and you might feel as if all you wish to do is conceal. You may be experiencing another episode of anxiety or wave of panic. You may simply have been diagnosed with bipolar illness and be experimenting with a new medication.

If it's Seasonal Affective Disorder ...

To toss more fuel on the fire, numerous people, as the sun decreases faster and cold dismal weather condition comes our method, experience Seasonal depression. SAD is generally a mild or moderate despondency throughout the colder months that can be difficult to deal with.

If Your Vacation Appears More Like a "Hauliday"...

Here are some ideas to help.

Accept who you are and where you remain in life.

Accept your weak points, your household scenario, and where you are mentally. If you don't cook a lot, then your meal might not all come out at the very same time. No issue. Rolls make an excellent dessert and easy tastes just as great as made complex.

Offer yourself the present of taking a smaller role in any celebrations you might seem like participating in. Honor grief by going to a "Blue Christmas" church service, or whatever your particular faith might provide. Plan a personal routine of some kind to recognize how you are feeling. You might believe avoidance will help. However what is probably more valuable is honoring your sorrow while also staying as connected with those who like you as you can.

Delegate tasks to lighten your own load and keep your visitors inhabited.

If you are fretted that people may not get along or if you're stressed out about that many individuals remaining in your house, keeping people hectic assists keep order in your home. Ask your sis to baste the turkey and make the gravy, have Uncle Jack take the kids to the community park, demand for volunteers to set the table or established the buffet.

I always needed to pass out napkins at my grandmother's, a task that I felt demeaned my real talents. It most likely kept me out of the kitchen and my grandmother's hair, as I had to count them, fold them, and so on

. Recite a mantra every day. Remind yourself of what's most essential to you.

"It's only three hours. I can get through 3 hours."

"I will get done today all that I am expected to."

"He would desire me to enjoy what he liked a lot. It's all right if I cry."

Keep this as you go through your days as a tip that what you're experiencing is momentary, and that you can survive it. Since you will.

Plan ahead of time how you will address an unwanted question.

Consider the interaction variation of a bait and switch method; you nibble the bait, however then change your answer to finest serve your own convenience zone. You respond to without actually answering.

"Thanks so much for inquiring about Jenny-- I'll let her understand you did."

"It's sort of you to inquire about my task search, however today I 'd love to simply to concentrate on this yummy food!"

"I in fact do not miss out on being with my family on this holiday; I much prefer to be with the household I have actually built with my pals."

"I have actually had better times, but I'm here to enjoy myself today."

Do not feel obligated to provide requested information; even if you know they're asking out of authentic issue and not gossipy interest. You're enabled to retain whatever privacy makes you comfortable.

Bear In Mind That Contrast Robs You of Happiness.

Recognize that some people will put on a terrific show and everything will appear perfect. "Seem" is the important word there, since no one's life is best. Some folks need for others to believe it is, which could reflect that the reverse is really the truth.

I hope your Thanksgiving will not be the start of a long haul, however a day where you can breathe. Eat great food. Enjoy what you are able and be grateful for the important things that you can.

May you have a significant and satisfying Thanksgiving.

You can now listen to Dr. Margaret as she speaks about Completely Covert Depression and numerous other subjects on her brand-new podcast, SelfWork with Dr. Margaret Rutherford. Click here! You can also subscribe to her site, and sign up with the over 4000 readers who enjoy getting her weekly posts via e-mail! For signing up with, you'll get a complimentary copy of her ebook, "Seven Commandments of Excellent Treatment," a guide to assessing a therapist.

This was originallyreleased on November 22, 2015 and was upgraded on November 17, 2018.