Sunday

So I finished reading "Mary Boleyn" by Alison Weir then read "The Children of Henry VIII" by John Guy and I am ready to start another book so I will need to chose one from my wish list on Amazon. I have succeeded the amount of books I can buy under my book club therefore the last four books I purchased outright and since I have to wait another week for the book list credit I will be purchasing another book today. I think I have gone above and beyond using my love of reading history as a coping mechanism. Reading keeps me out of my head therefore allows me to manage daily life even though the anticipation of April 13th draws closer.

Again, it is better than taking pills. If I learned anything over the last four years it is how to cope in a positive way without resorting to chemicals psychiatrist love to prescribe and yes I am in the mental health field and realize some folks need medication in order to function however I stick by my beliefs that no one needs to resort to benzodiazepines in order to cope. Benzodiazepines are "Band-Aid" drugs that do not address the reason behind the symptoms of anxiety but doctors will prescribe them for anyone who presents in their office complaining of "stress or anxiety". Talk Therapy works for symptoms of "stress and Anxiety" because it addresses the underlying issues. Learning how to cope in positive ways such as tapping into your strengths (reading, journaling, exercising, ect) takes the "edge off". No one has died having a "panic attack nor insomnia". It is so important to tell yourself to "roll with it" and you will be surprised how better you will feel in the long run. I think the major problem folks have is the inability to feel uncomfortable therefore they need instant gratification instead of being able to sit with uncomfortable emotions. Life is having good and bad days. We are not suppose to feel good everyday. Everywhere around me I hear people saying they need to take an "Ativan" or "Valium" or "Xanax". Bullshit.

Apparently, I have some opinions today. If people knew how "bad" they will feel coming off those "drugs" they would more likely not start taking them to begin with and actually get  into Talk Therapy. Again. I am not referring to folks taking other types of psychotropic medications for Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia. Medication compliance is very important if someone needs to take antidepressants such as Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, ect. or a mood stabilizers such as Lithium, Seroquel, Depakote or antipsychotics such as Risperdal even Haldol for Hallucinations and Delusions associated with Schizophrenia. Folks with these disorders need medication in order to function in daily living. Actually, it is a blessing that these medications exit since it keeps people out of psychiatric hospitals and institutions. One hundred years ago, folks with mental illness ended up in jails, and institutions because they were symptomatic.