Did you know that distraction is a great way to calm yourself in order to deal with stress?  Whenever I feel overwhelming stress, one of the first things I do is take a break and distract myself.  Usually this means putting in my earbuds and going for a walk.  

The music changes my mood, and the exercise relieves the tension from my body.  By the time I finish, my mind is able to refocus and I feel more capable of dealing with whatever the issue was that stressed me out. 

If you're feeling stressed, try to unwind for a while and see if it helps.  Take a break and do something you like (jogging, sketching, shooting baskets).  Turn on some great music - music that gives you hope and pumps you up, and then give your body time to calm down. Teens Finding Hope has added a station to Spotify if you are looking for some tunes.  (See Link Below.)  

Once you feel thoroughly distracted and refreshed, go back and see how you deal with things. You should find that calming yourself increases your ability to think and cope. If you're still felling stressed, then maybe it's time to reach out for advice. Remember, it's a sign of weakness to reach for help when facing large problems.  It's a sign of being resilient.  

Stay strong, friends.  Here is the link to our Spotify playlist, for those of you who have an account:

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Seems all I do is wait anymore. Wait for test results that could shake my world.  Wait for financial provision.  Wait for paperwork.  Wait for the day I can live a "normal life" again - whatever that means. Waiting is hard. And through all of this waiting I cry out as many of you do.  When will this end?  What will happen if...?  How will I make it?

When these thoughts get too overwhelming, I go to a quiet place. There, away from the world, I give myself a pep talk. My anxious mind doesn't want to listen, but I tell it the truth I don't always feel in my heart. "It's normal to feel upset and anxious. Times are hard, but these times won't last forever.  I've been through trauma before, and I know that after each event there came a time of peace and happiness. I can do this.  I am strong."

I'd love to be able to tell you that this little time out makes me feel instantly at peace, but I can't.  It's just a step in the right direction. It helps me take my thoughts captive so they don't run amok. That's the first step.  I also set boundaries, have a little fun each day, reach out for connection, exercise, and do something kind for others. All of these things help my emotional health.

But the one thing that helps me the most is prayer. It brings me the most peace, and it's something I can't explain to you adequately. If you want to stop reading now, you may. But if you're curious, I pray the same thing I'll pray over you now:

God give them all they need to get through the day — the strength to endure, a wisdom to make sound decisions,  the ability to discover joy in the chaos. Give them an overwhelming sense of peace, one that comforts them to the very depths of their being.  I pray today that as they read this, they will feel your presence in a tangible way and will discover the incredible love you have for them, a love so deep it can get them through their loneliest hours.  Today I pray hope over them, God, as they wait. As we all wait.  Together.

     Do you ever feel like pain is your enemy? You wake up in the morning and try your best, but somehow pain always finds a way to slice through your happiness. And you wonder...will you ever be able to escape it?

     If you feel this way, I'm sorry for the hurt you are experiencing.  I understand where you're coming from; I really do. I've experienced both physical and mental pain that have left me begging for mercy.

      I'd love to take all of that pain away from you, but I know, deep down,  it would be one of the worst things I could do.

     You may be surprised by that statement, but it's true.  You see, pain is not our enemy.  It is simply a warning to us that something is amiss— something's not right.  

    Without pain, we wouldn't know anything was wrong; and that, my friend, could be detrimental. After all, some of the most dangerous types of diseases are those where we feel no pain until it's too late for healing.  

     I'm not saying pain is good, but what I am saying is that pain often triggers us to search for the help we need. It causes us to find new solutions... make supportive connections...repair important relationships.  It causes us to fight with the determination of a warrior, knowing healing is right around the corner.

     Pain doesn't have to be a stumbling block.  It can be a stepping stone—a way out of your faltering strength and into a transformative wholeness.   Don't stop fighting.  Reach out.  Connect.  Search for healing.  It won't be long until you find it.
     

There are times when you think you are going to be riding into the sunset and your illness is in your rear view mirror. Then your illness hits you.


There are moments in life I have felt invincible from my illness. These past couple years I have been promoted multiple times, I have moved multiple times. I had my up and downs but not extreme. That is a lot of stress I got through. I was thinking, "I am a rock star. Maybe I have out grown my illness. Maybe my tools I have built are working and I'm over it."


Then when I thought I have found a future stepping stone that would be great for my future I took it. I switched jobs, I moved towards more family, my schedule is great,I have been on vacations, my life style was supposed to sky rocket. I had the worst episode I have had in years. I could not find enjoyment when it was right in front of me. I was thinking what is wrong with me? I can see that I am suppose to be happy. I know this is what I wanted. Why Can't I be??

This episode I was in lasted for months and during it I could not figure out how to get out of it.  I felt like all my tools I have built up were useless. All I kept thinking was fight harder, fight harder. Life can be happy and sad on the outside but my illness is on the inside. Even when you think you are invincible then you are reminded even the strongest need help sometimes. It is ok to ask for it. God knows I needed it. I had to redo a lot of my meds, try everything I had to figure out sleep, figure out how to live outside of my battles in my mind. It felt impossible at times and I have been dealing with this for close to 20 years. I cry sometimes knowing I have to deal with this my entire life.

​ Now I am on the back end of my episode and thank God everyday for that. It is so hard when you are doing great to remind yourself of these times when you just can't. I know I can get better with every episode and try my hardest fighting the good fight because I am strong enough to fight through. Even though I might need help and am reminded of that every time. 

Sometimes the battles in our lives are ones that rage within us.  Deep within our brain's gray folds, a war of words can take place:

You're not doing well.  
What a loser!
Everything is falling apart.
Are you going to eat that?

Unhealthy voices can strike with a vengeance, leaving us cowering and unable to hear the healthy voices within.

Battling these vicious thoughts can be a daily struggle for some of us, but that doesn't mean we are powerless to combat them.   The key to surviving these attacks is finding a way to amplify the healthy voices within us.

One way to key into our healthy voice is to share our experiences with a therapist or support group. With proper counsel, we can learn skills for dealing with the negative, as well as skills for developing positive reactions.

Surrounding ourselves with positive people is another way to combat these unhealthy thoughts.  Many times the negative thoughts we are having are reflective of our feelings and not reflective of the true situation.

​The truth is, with a little hard work and a lot of endurance, we can come through the struggle as victors. It all comes down to finding a way to support ourselves.  If we have a hard time keying into our positive self-talk, we need to find a strategy to help us do it.

Depression is an awful life changing illness. I know first hand because my brother is bi-polar, and I have been there through the rough patches.  It can flip your life upside down and leave you asking so many questions. What people don't understand is that it's not something that you can just wish away or take a pill and you'll be happy. Depression is a nasty mental illness that can take a lot to overcome. Friends, family and activities can help, but deep down it's you who can make the choice to get the help to make things better. I can't imagine a world without my brother today and thanks to some help and better relationships, I won't ever have to.

Josh Barth

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Hi,

I'm a teen and I struggle with multiple mental illnesses, mostly because of my past. I have PTSD very bad from my dad and a sexual assault. I also have bipolar disorder. It's not like everyone says, it's very annoying, and hard to manage.

I have had very negative thoughts out of the blue. I, later in life, have realized there was always a underlying cause it seemed. I have been "diagnosed" with many things because I wasn't honest about things that had happened or what I was thinking. I was put on strong medication that has had long term affects with my brain. But I'm doing good now, because I was honest about things going on.

Now just because I'm doing good doesn't mean I don't have my bad days. That's what I want everyone to understand to not get upset because you had a bad day it's all about one step at a time. You fall and you come back up.

I remember when I was younger, I had no money, messed up family and everyone told me I couldn't make it. I got weird stares and rude comments. I failed in life numerous times. I tried to commient suicide twice and almost died twice. But for some reason I'm still alive. I'm now learning what my destiny will be.

I struggled for 4 years with everything you can think of: PTSD, mental illness, abuse, depression, addiction, and self harm. I lost a girlfriend to suicide in January. But, no, it hasn't stopped me yet. I'm not planning to be a police officer, but I want to help others. What I'm trying to explain is, you can come from nothing and still make it.  You can have horrible days but there is still always that chance of an amazing future and most of the time that is up to you!

Stay strong and remember :

Suicide is a permanent answer to a temporary problem!

Think about that, really think about what could happen if you try!

If no one else said they loved you today, I do, mainly because if you're reading this you're probably looking for help and that is the best step. Also, I know you're strong if you can relate to anything I've said.

Dear Teen,
Thank you for sharing your story and giving us words of hope.  It always touches my heart to see people reaching out and helping one another.  I'm sure many teens will be inspired to hear how you've persevered through tough situations and found yourself stronger. Well done, my friend, well done. 

I was having such a good time with an amazing group of fun and intelligent people until they said:

“I can’t believe people who want to commit suicide would do it in such a public way by jumping in front of a train.  What a messy way to die and think of all the people behind that have to clean it up.  What are they thinking?”
 
You see, I might have just as easily laughed this off, except my son attempted suicide 3 times. 

My family and I were there to pick up the pieces of his life and try to move on.  I was thankful that I wasn’t one of the statistics where he did jump in front of a train and was instantly gone. (28 young people a week die of suicide, 4 per day) I was lucky.  My son Lived!!  Although sitting in a psych ward multiple times until we got his life back together was very messy. 

Living, waiting for the other shoe to drop is frightening. 

Trying to find prescribing doctors, therapists and affordable medication and insurance is a struggle.  This illness is a life long battle that we are forced to face with no hope for a cure.  Most Cancers have a 90% cure rate.  My son has an 18% chance of dying from this illness.  Yes, I’m lucky, but it’s not an easy road being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. 

People think my son has a choice to live. 

When you are in the throws of a deep depression the person can only think of the pain.  It is an intense pain, unlike any most of us will ever know.  It is easier to rip out your toenails—which my son did, than live with the debilitating pain that this illness causes. 
 
So what can I and do I do in situations like these?

​I try to share a different perspective.  One that uses my experience with mental illness to educate and share that people that make these choices, at the time they do—don’t feel like there is another option.   The pain becomes too intense, too much to bear and all they are thinking is that now they can be free—no pain, no hurt, no worries and I won’t be a burden to my family anymore.
 
I want to say--
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“Don’t Leave Forever!  Hang in there.  You are so much more than your illness.  There is HOPE and you are a valuable human being.  Get Hope, get Help, tomorrow can be a better day and You are worth it!”