Bipolar blog Archives - Page 13 of 82 - Natasha Tracy Bipolar Expert

Black Mental Health Matters — Race, Racism and Mental Health

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jun 4, 2020

I decided to take a look at race and racism’s effects on mental health because as the title says, black mental health matters (and this goes for all skin tones, of course). But what I realized is that I’m not the best person for this. Just as I believe the voices of people with bipolar disorder need to be in discussions about bipolar disorder, I believe people of color need to be in discussions about race and racism’s effect on mental health.

Luckily for me, I happen to know Mike Veny — an African American, a preeminent mental health speaker and author of Transforming Stigma: How to Become a Mental Wellness Superhero. You might remember Mike from his well-received guest post here, “Improving Men’s Mental Health Before It Becomes a Crisis.” And while no one can speak for an entire group, so many of Mike’s words ring true and clear.

Mike and I sat down this morning to talk about race and mental health and how uncomfortable conversations about race and mental health are the ones we desperately need to have.

What to Do If a Person with Mental Illness Stops Talking to You

Posted by Natasha Tracy | May 27, 2020

Today I’m talking about what to do if a person with mental illness stops talking to you. I’m talking about this today because it’s a question I get from people all the time. After all, it’s very difficult to know what to do with a wall of silence. It’s loved ones who ask this question, and I think they deserve to know ideas about what to do if a person with mental illness stops talking to them.

Want to See Natasha Tracy Speak? Mental Health Webinar Now Available

Posted by Natasha Tracy | May 18, 2020

I’ve spoken at many mental health conferences and corporate events. This has been great for me and I’ve met some of my readers at those locations. Unfortunately, the vast majority of my readers haven’t been able to attend those events due to location, cost or simply because they were private events. So, after many requests, I’ve decided to start offering live, online mental health webinars. You can see the new Speaking Events heading on the upper menu. Under that, you’ll be able to find all the upcoming mental health speaking events.

I’m in Too Much Pain — Chronic Pain Implications

Posted by Natasha Tracy | May 6, 2020

My brain repeats the refrain, “I’m in too much pain.” It does it over and over and over so many days of my life. This type of mental repetition seems to be a chronic pain implication. It irritates me because the word “pain” describes nothing because there is such a myriad of chronic pains I experience. I am in too much pain. Too much pain for what?

People Care About Your Mental Health During The Pandemic — Don’t Give Up

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Apr 25, 2020

I’m reaching out today to tell everyone this: people do care about your mental health — especially right now, during the pandemic. I am one of these people. I have written a few posts on the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health now (listed below) and it’s because I’m hoping they will help the mental health of people dealing with pandemic challenges (which is basically everyone). But it’s not just me. Other people care about your mental health during this pandemic. I want to make this clear. I want to make it clear so that you know that while it’s hard, please don’t give up. People want to be there for you.

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Is Affecting My Mental Health

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Apr 17, 2020

I’ve been talking about how the pandemic is affecting my mental health on social media quite a bit. I suppose many of us are. It’s a very hard-to-escape reality. Information (mostly depressing information) about the coronavirus pandemic is everywhere. But even when you avoid it, I find the pandemic affects mental health anyway. Here’s what the coronavirus pandemic is doing to my mental health and what I’m trying to do to counter it.

How to Sleep with Bipolar — Good Sleep Hygiene and Sleep Tips

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Apr 8, 2020

Sleeping with bipolar disorder is very hard so this article is devoted to talking about how to sleep with bipolar disorder, what sleep hygiene is and additional sleep tips. I’ve talked about some of these things before, but this post will bring together all the techniques I have previously discussed. Using all these sleep tips, I have been able to better regulate my sleep even with bipolar disorder, and I can tell you when I falter and don’t do these things, my sleep almost always suffers. Learning how to sleep with bipolar disorder has been hard, but good sleep hygiene and other positive sleep habits help.

You Don’t Need Bad Times to Appreciate the Good

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Apr 1, 2020

I hate it when people say you need bad times to appreciate the good times. You need darkness to appreciate the light. You need the pain to appreciate the pleasure. This is such nonsense. I have had more bad, dark and painful times than anyone I know and believe me, I don’t feel the need for them — not now and not in the future. I appreciate good things. I am grateful for the light. I yearn for pleasure. But all the bad times didn’t make me appreciate the good times, I’m quite capable of doing that on my own.

Reduce Anxiety by Feeling More In-Control in Spite of COVID-19

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Mar 20, 2020

I know everything feels out-of-control right now and this increases anxiety. Watch this video for ideas on how to regain your feelings of control to reduce your anxiety