Postcards from the Funny Farm

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There are many physical deterrents to a healthy psychology. Acne for many people is a big one. I ran across a website that is an excellent resource if you suffer from the medical and psychological effects of acne. I recommend this website because it is made up of an ever growing library of information about acne treatment.

If you suffer from acne, you may know the hard truth that it is not curable. However, there is a plethora of pages and links here that can get your acne manageable and completely under control. I like the vision on one page of the importance of a man with acne being able to shave (as an example of management). It is also very important for a woman to get her acne under control so she can feel attractive. If you surfed in here it is probably because you are looking for acne products and/or acne solutions. The theme of this blog is mental health and inspiration so I am extra pleased to be able to offer you this resource to help both!

If you are suffering from the symptoms of acne, check out this very helpful and credible website. It is a lighthouse to guide people through their acne problem.

When you carry too much debt like I used to, life can become a real burden. This is true for individuals and couples but nowhere is it more difficult than when you have kids. Freedom Debt Relief is a place where people in this situation can get comprehensive analysis and help with their debt problems. Their website has a user-friendly menu that takes the consumer through the various options they offer. For example, in the debt reduction section, they offer on average to get your debt down by 50%. Think of that. Say for instance you owe 40K, they will attempt to get that amount down to 20k.

I have used debt reduction and it works. It doesn’t seem possible if you are new to it, but creditors will accept your offer through this company. This is from the website front page:

We can help you save more money than simple Consumer Credit Counseling while protecting you from the harsh impacts of bankruptcy. We think we have the best solution for most consumers with serious debt concerns.

Bankruptcy has serious credit consequences, as well as time, energy, and even mental-well-being ones. Credit counseling can cost you unnecessary money as well so there you stand in the middle. This company meets you there and gets you back in control where you want to be. It’s a great website and if any of this stuff is nagging at you and maybe your family as well, I recommend you go there and start an account. Why wait in agony? I’ve been there and made it out. Don’t be embarrassed. You don’t have to be there, give Freedom Debt Relief a try.

I just read that 460 million vacation days went unused last year by American workers … no wonder we have so many mental problems in our country! To all those people so worried about missing work I say this: “Be responsible, go on vacation!” This post was inspired by a discussion at Loose Suits.

Of course people with jobs that don’t offer sick days, like freelance writers and the like, might not click on this article. Theirs is a different dilemma that I could discuss at length as well. Having said that, we are all faces with the importance of taking vacations. So if we know how important they are, why aren’t we taking them? In my opinion, folks with vacation days would be “sick” not to use them!

Any problems we have at work and at home will get worse if we don’t use our vacation days.

I look at vacation days as a time to regroup. It’s a time to get romantic with your spouse. Vacations are a time to find inspiration in even those “nothing” moments. How many times have I taken a simple walk in a new place and had tomes of inspiration flood into my mind. It can heal what you thought was impossible stress. I have written my best songs while taking vacation time.  It can be really tough to find the flights you desire, that’s why it is helpful to plan way ahead.  If it is a priority and you are willing to wait you will fare better!

Looking for timely new york flights is even harder than looking for cheap flights to germany. However the flights to thailand can be bought at the last minute too. This is true for a number of other flights as well.

I’ve been highly stressed out at work before. (hasn’t everybody?) It can feel like radioactive heat burning you up … it deserves you a day off. After a “mental health day” the heat goes away. I get fresh new ideas that ironically make me more valuable to my employer. What? More valuable by taking time off? Yes. It’s a time to sharpen my axe.

I think the paranoia many have of getting in trouble at work for taking sick days is unwise. People need to get over it and just take those vacation days like clockwork. It just might be the difference between a promotion or being written up for lack of productivity. The article I read on this was truly staggering. The best argument for this is simple: Look at pictures of your loved ones over the past few years. When you do so you will see just how fast this thing called a lifespan is passing by. Is work that important to Americans? Do people think a real man doesn’t call off work ever? Do that many Americans really think they are heroes for not taking a vacation? Getting any getaway locations in mind yet? I am. Here’s a place to buy your travel supplies. Enjoy.

More people were using Prozac in the 1990’s than aspirin. It was the pop drug of choice for millions of mental health caregivers. Was all that prescribing warranted? We found that Prozac caused suicides and a set of other mental health impairments that were just as bad as depression if not worse. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Prozac is a bad drug or even a dangerous drug. What I am saying is that we were abusing it as a society and some might argue it’s even worse now in the 2000’s. You see these cure-alls all over the place and some of them are effective but not much as they say (like for example colon cleanser for weight loss.)

So what about our drug these days? What are we using as a cure-all? The answer is: Xanax. Xanax shows up in my spam box about 100 times a day along with the other spam. We all get them and if you’re like me, delete them in the bulk folder of your email program. So why is Xanax so alluring? Simple … it’s a powerful tranquilizer that knocks you out. If your doctor has prescribed you Xanax, I am sure he/she had good reason but before you start popping pills to chill yourself out, consider the fact that it IS habit forming and you could get addicted. It can be possible to find calm and happiness without medication (though at time meds are the only way).

While I am a proponent of medication to balance ones brain chemicals, I feel strongly these drugs are over prescribed. To protect yourself you need to learn what makes you happy and what you enjoy. Those should be the first line of defense against anxiety. Your doctor should tell you that, but most pdocs do not. Unfortunately you have to do your own research on how to quell your anxiety before you visit the pdoc. It wouldn’t hurt to give them the benefit of the doubt and see them before you explore natural ways of calm, but rest assured, Xanax is only a short term cure for anxiety. When your body builds up a tolerance, then what?

*caveat: J has reminded us that Xanax is likely not addictive when prescribed in the correct way and dosage. I was referring to people who abuse it with or without a prescription. Even pdocs make mistakes so do what is right for you after getting educaated on what you put into your delicate brain chemistry. Thanks J.

Here’s a list of quotes I’ve collected for my rotator. Enjoy.

The first time I ever listened to BlogTalkRadio was when I heard an interview with Matt Mullenwegg, co-creator of WordPress. Since then, when I hear an interesting voice of our times is being featured on there, I click back over and put my headphones on to enjoy a great show.

I’m writing here about a new show being featured on BlogTalkRadio, it’s called Your Mental Health Radio Talk Show. Some readers will assume immediately that mental health is neither interesting nor does it have anything to do with them: bare with me, I beg to differ, it does. Other readers’ ears perk up because they know mental illness. Whether schizophrenia has touched an aunt or bipolar has ravaged a brother, mental illness (and/or health) is too close to home for many many people in the world. The next time you are walking through a swarmed crowd, remember that one in three people are affected by mental illness. It could be a million dollar movie star you adore or an unseen immigrant in the back of a restaurant quietly cleaning dishes in sinks.

An upcoming show will feature Dr. Raymond Moody, MD author of the world-reknown book Life After Life and his new book Life After Loss takes up where Life After Life left off. The esteemed host and more information about this talk radio channel can be cound here: www.authorsden.com/jacquelinesforeman

That’s what is so great about this new Blog Talk Radio service. I’ll be tuning in regularly because psychology has played a huge role in my personal development. Not only have I read Peck’s treatise but many many others. Incidentally, another amazing one is the classic, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson. Books and other media like these can transform your life from simple survival to truly enjoying life. It can be like the sun shining through the clouds of your life. A regular internet radio show like this can be a great tool for your mental health and that of your friends and loved ones.

Don’t you agree the time for such an internet medium has come?

To raise your awareness of mental health issues or just to be entertained, I wholeheartedly endorse listening to Your Mental Health Talk Radio at blogtalkradio.com/yourmentalhealth Tuesday’s and Thursday’s at 6 PM EST.

I was thinking this afternoon about that story “The Gift of the Magi.” I think it’s a work of pure genius. If you don’t recall, it’s the story where the poor couple sells something they value to buy the other something special. The man sells his pocketwatch to buy her combs for her long flowing brown hair. She cuts her hair to sell it and buy her husband a chain for his pocketwatch. Ultimately neither can use their gifts and all their money is spent.

Everyone I’ve been talking to lately, it seems, is in a similar situation. I talked to a woman the other day I work with who needed her brakes done. She paid someone to come over and do them and he skipped town. Sad. She’s a single mom living off an hourly wage. I know people biting their nails because the recession threatens to put them out of work. I look at the gas pump prices every day and get more and more amazed. They are showing nearly $4 a gallon. And that brings to mind Iraq. I found a blog in my travels yesterday that had a spinning ticker showing the cost in Iraq. I think it was in the trillions, it was a LOT of numbers.

So how do we stay sane and happy in this kind of situation? Well, it isn’t easy. Maybe the answer is to accept our insanity instead of denying it. Maybe being insane is a part of being human. Most famous people I look up to were at one time seen as “out there.” Einstein said that being crazy was a normal part of life. At any rate, we can’t assume all this stuff is normal and we can’t assume that it is going to ever change. At the end of my rope, I think about the couple in the Gift of the Magi. What did they do after they discovered their misgivings? The story stops short of telling us. I think that is on purpose. It reveals your character to imagine something next. As for me? I say they cried tears of laughter, hugged each other, made peanut butter and jelly (since that is all they had) and then made love. Hey, why not? Like Guns and Roses said in the late 80’s “Use your illusion.” That’s my story and I am stickin’ to it. Now I am off to laugh, even despite the gas pumps and everything else going down.

Do you know that Simon and Garfunkel tune? You know the one where they say … “Feelin’ Groovy!” That came into my head as I was thinking about what to blog on today. Another psychology topic, that makes two in a row. This one is more specifically about what I call the “Psychology of Perception.”  I have been interested in in psychology for almost two decades now. All throughout my 20’s (the 1990’s) I read books by authors such as M. Scott Peck, Rollo May, Leo Buscgalia, Richard Carlson, and a host of others. I ended up specializing in education but my personal reading interests have always lied in psych. I’m not ashamed to say as well that I have paid for counseling on more than one occasion. It has benefited me greatly and I truly admire all walks of mental health therapists. They have a tough job and if they do it right, they can transform a person’s life for the better.  I think if we’re honest with ourselves, we are all a little kooky, hence the title of this blog.

Today I’m reminded of that song aforementioned. I don’t want to feel stressed about life … that just isn’t me. When I am stressed, I become something different … someone different. Maybe not altogether, but people approach me and say: “Are you okay? Are you sick?” I have one of those demeanors that is inescapably transparent and people around me, including my wife, tell me they can tell when I am stressed or not myself. For example, the other day my wife told me I looked younger because I had shaved very close but when she glanced down further at my neck, she noticed there was still some stubble there. eek. I hate it when I am in a rush and miss that. Ever happen to you? Anyway, she told me I look “older” when I miss that area. It’s like a 5 o’clock shadow at 8am. Well, as I have been saying, do you know why I missed that? Because I was stressed!

I need to feel groovy but how do I get there? Well … I can plan my day based on things I am passionate about. As a teacher I know how to do this. You tie in the lessons to examples that you are interested in and it makes for a much more effective lesson. Yes, it takes more creativity, wit, and candor than just following the rote textbook, but it pays off for your attitud3e and for their achievement results. In other lines of work, or for housewives, you’ll have to plug in your own connection here though I could think of some.

Kicking up the cobblestones of your life and feeling groovy is the way top a great day and that great day multiplies and translates into a great month and then a great year. Try and get a hold of that song if you can. Listen to it and make it your mantra today. Remember the psychology of looking at things from another angle. Don’t fixate on the angle that brings you down. There are always more than one way to perceive a situation.

Be straight with me:  Is there any ailment of the heart or mind that a couple chili dogs and a coke can’t help considerably?  I defy anyone to say otherwise.

In this hectic world of ours I am drawn to people who smile and have a peaceful spirit about them. Being around these people is like an oasis. Since I know this to be true, I myself try to BE one of those people. Having a custom CD of songs I like in my car and in my classroom is one way there.

Music has both a hedonic component and an ethereal effect on the body and mind. When you hear your favorite song come on you body relaxes almost effortlessly. Having a full CD of these can be better than any medicine for fatigue or other mental ailments you might come up against. People in your sphere will be glad you are near them because your heart will be full of song and your posture will reveal someone who is truly involved in life and sensing all that’s around.

My music CDs also help me ward off what I call “bad energy.” Those people who are always negative don’t affect me as much when I am still humming my tunes.

Sometimes when I get to work I don’t know where to begin there are so many projects begging for my attention. Putting on the CD’s first tune, currently Del Amitri’s “Roll to Me,” gets me in that zone where I can laugh and think straight. Get yourself a CD made before you leave the house tomorrow, the whole world will thank you and you will thank me for suggesting it. Make your own peace and well-being a priority.

What are some of your favorite tunes?