When social-distancing first started, I figured, besides my anxiety about the virus itself, my life wouldn’t change a huge amount and the transition would probably be easy for me. My work is already remote, my financial situation is stable, and my partner and I are pretty used to co-existing in our apartment for long periods of time. Almost immediately, I found that if I didn’t work hard to use my systems and tools meant to …Read More
Tag: brain chemistry
Why I Stopped Taking Anti-Depressants
CN: gaslighting, abuse, money, in-depth discussion of the symptoms and treatment of borderline personality disorder, medication, and mental illness; mention of suicide. As I discussed recently, the use of medication to treat mental illness is the target of a lot of undeserved societal stigma; however, it’s a tool that comes with many challenges in managing side effects, finding the right balance of brain chemistry for you, and for some people, it simply doesn’t work. In …Read More
Let’s End the Stigma Against Anti-Depressants
Content Note: in depth discussion of mental illness and medication use, extensive ableism around mental illness and medication use, implied references to suicide, mention of chronic pain, weight loss, self harm, violence towards PoC, and abuse. My very first distinct memory of depression is from when I was 17 years old, walking into school one morning, feeling awful. Trying to find something to look forward to, I ran through my day in my head. I …Read More
An Atheist Witch Discusses the Intersection of Spirituality and Skepticism
Today’s guest post covers a topic that I have contemplated many times: the idea that valuing elements of spirituality and valuing evidence based information are not in conflict with each other. Vi La Bianca, creator of the blog “Author of Confusion,” lays out a really fascinating argument that both defines spirituality and illustrates the physical manifestation of it. CN: theoretical discussion of God and religion When I tell people I am an atheist witch, the …Read More