One Step Before the Other

Didn't want to get out of bed as depression has fully materialized.  All of my mental illnesses have taken up residence, along with Crohn's Disease. It hurts to live. Reality is sinking in.  Before turning to Jesus, the world took over my thought process. Catastrophic “what if’s” swooping in. I can't do this.

Seeking  comfort from friends by reading Facebook status updates only made things worse. For example, I checked on a friend who's facing the anniversary of her mother's death… oh, she's fine… she's counting down to a luxurious vacation. So many negative thoughts revolve around my mind, I decide to take Jireh for a walk before starting my day.

Remembering God challenges me to bring my grievances to Him as He says in Isaiah 1:18, “Come, let us reason together…” I start by complaining about my financial situation, and feel God remind me, Shelly, why are you doubting me? Don't you remember all the times I took care of you by paying off your car, taking care of your student loans, moving you into a nice apartment when you had nothing and was living out of your car… what about when you quit your counseling job due to having a mental breakdown? How quickly you forget! Trust me, My child. As far as you judging your friend’s trip while mourning her mother's death, aren't you being hypocritical as you get angry when people don't understand why you have unexplainable peace when going through major trials? And about your bitterness that you cannot afford luxurious vacations… I have commanded you to set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. – Colossians 3:2. Fix your eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. -2 Corinthians 4:18. Instead of focusing on temporary things, I want you to finish the work I for which I created you.  As I have said in Colossians 3:23,24 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”.

Of course,  He was right, as always. I watched Jireh spying on squirrels in the magnificent Tallahassee trees, noting God also provided the means for me to relocate to my favorite city. Admiring my neighborhood walk,  I thanked God for my home, then for Jireh being happy and healthy. Now you know why I didn't allow you to get a new puppy… you would have had to give him up. 

He continued by bringing numerous situations to mind, changing my ungrateful,  bratty attitude to showing me tangible ways He is in control. Trust me, Shelly. You are ready for the next step. Now is the time to put into practice all I have taught you. 

I realized I have spent so many years talking and planning how to use God's gifts to me, I haven't followed through until completion. Now is the time. Face it, I don’t have much more time on this earth. I want my life to count.

Holding On

Woke up to resume fight to get Social Security amount back. Found At&t had double charged my account, leaving me with a negative balance again. I am numb. Apathetic. I  don't care.

8:17 a.m. Basically whatever energy I have within is being spent trying not to go insane. Don't think I have the strength . Functioning on God's power inside me. Have fallen past the state of depression. Think God is protecting me with this apathy. Yesterday, I was ready to fight. Now that office hours are open, I've made phone calls, only to find things worsening. I know God has this,  and God has me,

10:03 a.m. Crohn's Disease is officially on attack mode. My health conditions seem to gather together... having a reunion inside me. Taking over my mind, body... but never my soul. 

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. - 2 Corinthians 4:16 

Nothing can touch my soul. Once I accepted Jesus as Savior in 8th grade, God sent His Spirit into my heart.

3:30 p.m. The fog lingers... My external situation is worsening, I watch the clock move, anxious because I know Cathy will stop Facetiming me when she gets off work at 5pm. We haven't talked much, yet having her "with me" is what keeps me from hiding in bed. My Agoraphobia, P.T.S.D. and severe anxiety have all showed up. I am okay with Cathy online with me... but what's going to happen when she has to go take care of her family? 

I will read my Bible and write for the rest of the night. I will be easy on myself as I felt God leading me to redefine my ministry today based on Paul's ministry in 2 Corinthians 3 and 4. That is not much, but it's progress. Between discovering a new ministry and making necessary phone calls, I have accomplished a lot considering my entire life is in a state of uncertainty. The details will be soon forgotten, but my reaction will remain. I have faith. I trust God. I am taking this one hour at a time, wanting nothing more than to glorify God. 

Major Clinical Depression

Understanding Not Understanding

Please hang in there as I transition to my new blog. I need to make it more thorough so please keep checking this blog for new posts until I finish setting it up. 

New Post here 

New YouTube Video

In this video, I discuss the need for a new service dog puppy to train before Jireh retires,  the impact cerebral palsy has on my stamina and other age related topics. Click the link.
https://youtu.be/QVrdhGSObPQ

Aging with Cerebral Palsy

Being a full-time writer has already impacted my health, and I just started a few days ago! There are so many projects on my plate, I have been having chest pain, anxiety, anger outbursts, Crohn’s attacks, and extreme irritability at distractions. I keep a bullet journal recording how I rate in different areas of each day (faith, reading, writing, self-care, etc.) and the numbers are declining.

Aging with Cerebral Palsy is challenging because while the brain damage remains the same, the rest of the body declines faster than individuals without Cerebral Palsy. As quoted in 8 Factors that Affect Life Span in Cerebral Palsy - 

Those with physical impairment can also experience premature aging. Inactivity and lack of exercise can weaken the body and decrease immunity and cognitive function. Some children with Cerebral Palsy will use more energy to move than a child without Cerebral Palsy. The result is excessive wear on internal organs, including the heart.

Cerebral Palsy led to numerous secondary condititions forcing me to shut down my counseling practice. I literally have not had time commitments for 10 years! It's overwhelming. I question my ability to write full time. Cerebral Palsy never goes away. And I am constantly fending off PTSD, Agoraphobia, Major Clinical Depression, Attention Deficit Disorder, Crohn’s Disease, Endometriosis, Drug Addiction or Excoriation.

 I still have bad times that no one knows about. This is so frustrating since Cerebral Palsy didn’t limit me until my middle 30’s. Lately, I have been having chest pain, so much so that I drafted an article about Cerebral Palsy and Costochondritis, wondering if people with Cerebral Palsy are at a higher rate for heart attacks. The night I started the draft, a friend with Cerebral Palsy died from a heart attack.  You can read more about Costochondritis in The Medical Dictionary.com.

You can have a normal childhood with Cerebral Palsy.., yet adulthood becomes more challenging,

There's Hope in Depression

It's going to be alright. The dark abyss may be infinite, yet Jesus takes my hand and leads me out into the light. There may be no speck of light in sight, but Jesus will come for me. And He will fill me with joy and strength to follow Him. He will wipe away all the pain, not just wrapping my wounds, but healing them, and using them to show the world how powerful my God is!
Satan will not win. My God reigns, and He is fighting this battle for me.

I NEVER Learn

BAM! Mother got me AGAIN! I NEVER LEARN! I'm fine. Jireh got me laughing, so I tried calling Cathy, then Jen - who let me vent... and we realized how awesome God's plan is once again. If I didn't have mental illnesses, I never would've went in the psychiatric hospital 3 times right after I got Jireh, and Jen wouldn't have kept Jireh for 3 months when she was a puppy. God used Jen as a vessel to shape Jireh's personality. Also, Jen went on to train her Golden to be a therapy dog after meeting me. She has been working with people with disabilities ever since... Jen and I went our separate ways friendship-wise. We only talk about Jireh. I called today to thank her again for Jireh and told her no matter how bad life gets, I will never take my life AS LONG AS Jireh is alive and well. And I realized our friendship went separate ways because I needed to rely more on God than Jen... Wow.

I'm Human

This blog is about faith, coping through adversity, perseverance. God has rescued me many times from humanly hopeless situations. My life circumstances have been so much worse than it is now. In fact, I am in the best situation of my life when the absolute reality of my life is concerned. I've been homeless, cold, starving, abused, trapped, and on the verge of insanity.

Thank God,I am safe, in my favorite city, writing full-time. I don't have to deal with bosses, don't have to answer to anyone, and love my freedom.

The fact is it has been a hard month. I lost the relationships of two of my closest friends,one of who regularly helped me financially... the other, I feel our lifelong friendship was rocked, and I don't know if it will ever be the same... in fact, I know it won't. After some time, maybe we can be close again. She did not intend to hurt me, and I go by intentions. She was trying to help, yet I can't get past my perceptions. So I am mourning the loss of 3 significant relationships. And it hurts. It angers me. It depresses me. It scares me.

It scares me because I am reconsidering things I thought were defeated. Things messing with my faith. I still have faith, still believe God has a better plan than I can dream of, and He can change my circumstances in the blink of an eye.

But my depression is looming. My agoraphobia is returning. And hopelessness is creeping in.

My dream is to rent an RV when my lease is up so I can get out of this neighborhood and live in a spacious campground. Seems impossible. I'm telling God this is the desire of my heart. But sometimes, God answers our prayers only to face worse consequences. In the Bible, King Hezekiah prayed his life would be extended 15 years. The results was Manasseh became King after Hezekiah, leading to the worship of idols and a completely corrupt nation. This would have never happened if King Hezekiah had followed God's will.

I don't know what is going to happen. All I can pray is God's will be done.

Great Article Describing Depression

I can so relate to being too depressed to leave the house or even shower...
Bipolar Disorder, My Lost Years:

Currently, my anxiety is full blast, leading to Crohn's flare up, leading to Agoraphobia and Depression. I don't feel good AT ALL. Even having chest pains.

I think it stems from my faith is wavering. There is no doubt in my mind God keeps his promises, and I have several verses memorized about His provision, protection and comfort.

Fact is mental illness is real. I can't pray it away.  God says IF YOU BELIEVE, whatever you ask for in prayer, you will receive. However, it must be in accordance with God's plan and we must ask for the right reason.

A week from tomorrow Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) starts. I LOVE, LOVE BSF. I will meet fellow Biblical scholars who know and love the Bible as a  uBSF. We talk for HOURS about the Bible, and are trying to plan a weekend together, alone... with our Bibles.

But I can't "just go" to BSF.  I'm scared. I had an accident in my pants just typing this. My health conditions are overtaking me.

That's why I love this article. Mental illness is paralyzing.  God is powerful and superior. Yet we are human. And just "praying" is not the answer.

Update

Been doing a lot of processing, coming up with new story plots and writing poetry. Definitely in a deep clinical depression, yet there is no one I would want to leave Addy and Jireh to. And so I sleep a lot, read the Bible, and contemplate my place in this world. Sadly, I don't think I have a place in this world,  at least not society.

There's a society in my mind where things are fair, God is revered and people are loving.  Whose to say this 48 year old can't go back to her world of pretend?

To be honest, the world in my head is closer to reality than the world I have been living in! I've seen a few people's true colors this past summer, and they are not who I thought they were. I've been living in the bubble of denial.

Having mental illness is bad enough, but expecting people to understand illnesses that differ from one person to the next is beyond practical. I have work to do... work educating people on mental illnesses. Work explaining depression doesn't impact one's level of faith if they claim to be a Christian.

And a couple other books and articles. I need to be with other writers and people with mental illnesses. Online! Thank goodness, I can do all this online... but I am here, behind my keyboard, making residence in my head.

People Come and Go

Article on Sinead O'Connor here.

I feel for her. I truly do. People don't handle mental illness the way you think they should because they can't read your mind (trust me... you don't want to read my mind!). I tell myself what a burden I am and my relatives are right... I think I lost another close friend. So I decided 2 hours ago to know people are just passing through at this moment and keep everything on the surface. Then, I reached out to 3 local friends, and am making plans for the beach, a literature reading, and writing at Starbucks. They are in my life right now. And if I just have Addy and Jireh for Christmas,  that's okay.

Maybe Tomorrow

Really trying to get back to work. I lost my entire childhood family last week so there is a situational depression going on, along with rediscovering myself without outside influence. I am running the gamut of mental illness from self-injury to addiction relapse. I want to get back into the therapist role as I work on my psychology textbook manuscript, but have been verbally vomiting into my Smashbook. Tomorrow is another day.I am
Take care and love (my new tagline)

Great Article

How Christians Should Treat People With Chronic Illness -

See link here.

Intro from a Couple Years Ago

Since I have decided to get back into full-time writing,  I am reposting my intro. Welcome back!

Yesterday, I made the official commitment to be a writer. I’ve written since I was a child, yet it has always been as a hobby or quick money maker, or an occasional letter venting to a loved recipient. But now, I am taking the plunge, claiming writing as my primary profession. What that means is I spend the majority of my days writing. Not researching, not procrastinating, but writing. Sure, I will still research and procrastinate, but not as much as I write. Getting words on paper is my job, my passion, my calling.

This is not going to be as easy as I am making it sound, I know. I’m going to be discouraged, feel like a phony, believe I am wasting my time, want to watch one more Bravo TV show, take a nap, and so on. People are going to tell me my writing is crap, publishers will throw my manuscripts in the trash without a second glance, and most times I will feel my writing is in vain. But that won’t stop me. Not anymore.

Previously, I debated whether or not to include my faith in my writing. Including faith-based content weeds out nonbelievers, and I want as many readers as I can get! But now, there is something more important than the quantity of readers; and that is the quality of my writing. Since writing is the expression of the heart, I cannot leave out my core… my strength… my peace… my everything, and that is Jesus Christ. I’ll respect readers’ beliefs without sacrificing my own. I am nothing without Christ. Literally, nothing! As you learn my history, you will realize the sincere truth in those words. Four years ago, I stayed in bed 22 hours per day. At one point, I was homeless. That same year, I was hospitalized 2 weeks per month for three months in a row. And the story goes on and on. Now, I am the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been in my 45 years of life. It’s nothing short of a miracle. It is nothing short of my Lord Jesus Christ. So if reading about Him offends you, my writing is not for you. My life purpose is to glorify Him.

If you decide to be my reader, I can assure you of comedy, inspiration, lots of pictures, obsessive discussions about my cat and golden retriever, a tad of Cher preoccupation, passionate and intellectual views on health conditions, especially mental health, struggles and triumphs of addiction, and so much more. Give me a month. Read my blog for a month. I have a feeling you’re gonna like and learn what you read. If you don’t, it’s okay. Tell me I’m a horrible writer. Tell me I have no talent. Bash me, insult me… but you won’t break me. I’m a writer. That is my calling, and I have committed to answer for the rest of my life.

Mental Health Awareness

Education about mental illness is slowly being exposed. Here's a great website about Prince William.

Why Mental Illness Continues

Sad realities of why mental illness in children continues.  Article here

Mental Health Awareness

Article about mental illness of Gillian Anderson.

We NEED Mental Health Funding!

From Orlando Sentinel
From WFSU

Mental Health and the Media

Article on how the media represents mental illness. It's pretty accurate. Go here