In a recent poll,fifty percent of Americans said that the pandemic has negatively affected their mental health. My guess is the percentage is much higher because, you know, denial. “I’m fine!” is our trained response to “How are you?” even when, or perhaps especially when, we ask ourselves. I’ve been thinking about what it means … Continue reading Care in the Time of COVID
Category: Mental Health
Emotional Transportation
My sister texted me last night to say she was on the struggle bus. I wrote back saying I was on the vacant train. I can’t think my way out of a bag this week, and I can’t retain the plot of a movie or TV show without referring to IMDb. To help shake these … Continue reading Emotional Transportation
Nesting Interrupted
We thought the snakes would work, but they only scared the tufted titmouse, who was back this year to make a nest on top of a spotlight bolted to a rafter on our back porch. I was sitting at my desk last week when she arrived, and from my window, I watched her fly around … Continue reading Nesting Interrupted
The Worrying Worrier and the Worries of Worry
Never in my life have I dreamed about toilet paper…until Sunday night. I woke up in a panic at 1 a.m. wondering what would happen if we ran out, and you know how everything is 20 times worse in the middle of the night, right? It wasn’t a Xanax-worthy panic attack, but it took me … Continue reading The Worrying Worrier and the Worries of Worry
Searching for Normal
Normally on Saturdays, Jim and I go on a breakfast adventure. We either try a restaurant we’ve not been to or try something new in the places we have. Jim is always on the lookout for the perfect sausage gravy or creamed chipped beef over home fries. I look for fresh brewed iced tea, non-instant oatmeal, … Continue reading Searching for Normal
“Hope”ful New Year!
I woke to a poem in my inbox this morning, January 1, a day of hope and possibility. At least that’s how it’s marketed. I’m optimistically cautious by nature, and I don’t believe in much, especially fate, destiny or divine intervention. Each of us has the potential to act in accord with our innate goodness. … Continue reading “Hope”ful New Year!
Laid Bare By a Questionnaire
Talking to a stranger about ourselves can (sometimes) be fun at a party or on a first date; cathartic when the stranger is receptive or being paid to listen; marginally OK/not OK standing in line at the grocery store; and downright disconcerting when the inquiry is particularly personal and your life kinda sorta depends on … Continue reading Laid Bare By a Questionnaire
There Is Always an Otherwise
It’s early afternoon, and I write this propped up in my bed, listening to it rain…again…with my little dog Zuzu curled up at my side. Next to her is my tablet, in case I want to read or watch a show; my latest journal, which has some angry entries of late; my phone; and the … Continue reading There Is Always an Otherwise
A Wake-Up (Scam) Call
It was the week that nothing I planned got done, and instead, I earned a degree in Phone Scams 101. Since Tuesday, I’ve been on the phone with bankers and doctors and computer experts and a plethora of other people to help get back the $9,500 phone scammers stole from my brother, a vulnerable adult … Continue reading A Wake-Up (Scam) Call
Lynn Haraldson, Author and Writing Mentor 