Method to madness: mental health

Mental health is quite a delicate thing... it’s walking on thin ice at certain times or a minefield at others. As emotional beings we are susceptible to all we perceive and all that we don’t know we’re perceiving. Our subconscious mind is a reflective sponge that absorbs all it’s exposed to, reflecting things we didn’t even know were there or passed through our perceptual filters.

For years, I’ve contributed to another blog among the millions of pages available in the blogosphere and I credit that blog (and actually all that I write) for helping me stay sane. Some of the most vitriolic, venomous thoughts in my life have been purged thanks to a willing piece of paper or a curious cursor, open to listen to the demons that live in me.

Although I may have an intense personality and like most any person, I have my bad days, quite often I’m very cheery. That’s because although I do tend to dwell on certain topics, when something bothers me, I express it some way. It is a purge and it is something I recommend to a lot of people. It doesn’t need to be writing, or talking, or singing or painting, the thing is that we would all be a lot better off if we found and escape valve.

For me, writing has been my cure: it’s saved me from heart attacks, high blood pressure, depression and probably cancer. You might think it’s an overstatement, but for me, it’s what’s helped me to cope and further understand my feelings and emotions.

I’ve learned to embrace hatred and anger and put them on paper, be it a story, a vent or a blog post about mental health. I’ve done this because when I’ve understood it and seen it on paper, I can see it physically out of my body... I can then burn it, I can crush it, I can slice it up in pieces or I can share it with others to see that I’m not alone... and quite often someone responds. Regardless of what I do... it’s outside of me.

With Only Human, I’m impressed how some people have connected with fictitious characters simply because people either want to be that way or because they understand the character and what they’re going through. The reality is that the character has no idea of what they can do until processed and embraced by a reader. I’m proud people have connected with Daniel and seen he’s more than just a vampire, I’m humbled to hear people would like a friend like Liam and I tear up to hear people pleading for the case of Nathaniel, or Jane, or even Wendy. To you, these may be fictional names, but to me and to some other people, they’re real, and that’s not being delusional, that’s being able to connect.

The sequel to Only Human focuses a lot on mental states... it’s a topic I researched during college during my years in psychology and a topic I research to this day. It is something that fascinates me and I’m also working on long form texts to share what little I’ve learned in life and business. Probably something I’ll release under another name... although something I eventually need to share.

A couple of weeks back I wrote a blog post called Geek is the new sexy, let’s call it my invitation for women to love themselves for who they are and enjoy their own quirks that often lead to unknown inner beauty. I’ve been thanked by a couple of people for that post and I’ve even been told that “if only for a moment, it felt OK to like the woman I am.” That comment humbled me to no end and touched the very fiber of my being, because a simple blog post gave someone some light in a very dark time and I can’t think of many other things that are a better contribution to someone’s life.

Writing has allowed me to connect to people on countless levels and it’s a surprise to me each and every time because I see how powerful words can be. So please, put them out there... share them with the world... don’t keep them to yourself. Connect, understand, express, write, sing, play an instrument, anything... just embrace what is inside you, comprehend it and let it go onto the world.

Peace, love and maki rolls.

JD