mental health Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Natasha Tracy Bipolar Expert

Compare Yourself to Others, and You Lose

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 23, 2022

Recently, I wrote on Instagram about how when you compare yourself to others, you lose. I quoted Theodore Roosevelt, who said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” I consider this to be true, but it doesn’t mean I don’t fall into the trap of comparing myself to others. Comparison is a natural human instinct, but that doesn’t mean it’s always helpful to us. So, let’s talk about comparing ourselves to others, how that leads to unhappiness, and how we can stop doing it.

Finding the Right Mental Health App for You

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 8, 2022

Finding the right mental health app in a sea of 10,000 estimated health and wellness apps available (yes, there are really that many) can bring its own challenges. Moreover, in my opinion, it’s the Wild West out there for freely available online apps. This is because anyone can create an app and say it’s good for mental wellness with limited proof to support that claim. So, how do you find the right mental health app for you? At a recent BlogHer Health panel sponsored by Otsuka, we got the 411 on some things to consider.

Self-Harm Myth: People Who Self-Harm Like Pain

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 13, 2022

It sounds true, but it’s actually a myth that people who self-harm like pain. I’ve done it; I should know. That’s right — I’ve purposefully caused pain, and yet, I hate pain. Believe me, you can want to self-injure and hate pain — both of those things can be true at the same time. Read on to learn about the myth that those who self-mutilate like pain.

The Problem with Mental Health Apps in 2022

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jun 8, 2022

There are major problems with mental health apps. I hate to be a Negative Nancy about it, but there are. According to a webcast, I watched recently called BlogHer, there are more than 10,000 mental health apps in the app store right now. This must be a good thing, right? Well, I would argue that quality is much more important than quantity in the mental health space. We are talking about your health here. It would be nice to put that in the hands of people who know what they’re doing. But I would argue that 10,000 mental health apps certainly can’t claim that.

Emotional Permanence Problems and Anxiety

Posted by Natasha Tracy | May 23, 2022

Emotional permanence is a term I recently heard for the first time. It has to do with believing in emotions even when they can’t be seen. This concept is taken from object permanence which is the understanding that objects exist even when they can’t be seen. When I read the term, I realized that I have problems with emotional permanence. I also realized that not having a consistent sense of emotional permanence was a major cause of anxiety.

Manifest Anything You Want! — Bad Self-Help Advice

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Apr 19, 2022

I hate bad self-help advice. I hate overly-simplified pop psychology. I (by and large) hate self-help gurus. The idea that you can manifest anything you want or attract anything you want into your life is bullshit. Life is more complicated, more difficult, and not to mention far less fair, than that. And while you might think some of this is obvious, often this bad self-help advice is wrapped up in such a pretty bow that you can’t see just how bad it is. Because make no mistakes about it, bad self-help advice hurts people and it can hurt you too.

I Don’t Trigger People — Taking Responsibility for Triggers

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Feb 10, 2022

I have been told that I trigger people with my writing and speaking. And let’s make something clear: that is never my intent. I never stand up in front of people or sit behind the keyboard and think about how to trigger someone. In fact, I soften my language quite frequently so people aren’t triggered. Nonetheless, people say I trigger them. Well, this is incorrect. They’re placing blame on me for their triggers. I didn’t trigger you, your brain and trauma did. It’s not my fault you were triggered.

Why Can’t I Get Over Fatphobia?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Feb 2, 2022

Lately, I’ve been wondering why I can’t get over fatphobia. I’ve gotten over so much bad programming in my life, I would have thought I could have gotten over that toxic set of ideas as well, but it seems I just can’t. Ideas of fatphobia just seem to own my brain. Skinny is good; fat is bad. Skinny is lovable; fat is unlovable. Skinny is beautiful; fat is ugly. And so on and so on. My own fatphobia is shocking to me. But if I realize I don’t want to be this way, why can’t I get over fatphobia?

Recent Mental Health Podcast Interviews

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jul 12, 2021

As you may know, I take part in mental health podcasts quite frequently. Recently, I’ve discussed issues such as mental illness as a disability, what people with and without mental illness need to know about suicide and one of my pet peeves when people try to look for the “bright side” of mental illness. Three mental health podcasts I’ve done were released quite recently and I want to share them with you.