Tina Szymczak
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January 28, 2016
The words whipped around in my head. Over and over, multiple conversations occurring within my overcrowded mind. I closed my eyes and tried to will quiet in my brain. It didn’t work. The voices in my head mocked me for even trying. I was so desperate to not feel so hollow, so hopeless, so helpless. My hand in my pocket wrapped tighter around the pill bottle. If only, I thought, I was brave enough to end it all. Then the voices would stop and I would no longer feel like I was in the bottom of a very very deep pit. My heart raced at the thought of taking the pills. I tried to fight my way out of the […]
January 22, 2016
I have another post on The Mighty – check it out here I have realized that in my attempt to get my name out there and to share my writing, I have been neglecting the book I am trying to write. Nose to the grindstone from now on.
January 17, 2016
I originally posted this in 2011 but I updated it a little to send to The Mighty for publication. They turned it down but I still think it’s good to share Mental Illness is nothing to be ashamed of. It is not the fault of the person dealing with it. It is hard for all involved. The individual, family, friends . . . Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of How many times have I said that in real life, on Facebook, on my blog? I tell my son this all the time. I tell him that his Bi-Polar and OCD and other illness/disorders are a pesky part of him but they do not define him and they […]
January 13, 2016
Dear Corbin I want you to know that I am a huge fan of yours and I love you completely. I admire how each day is a brand new day for you, you rarely hold a grudge. You are almost always happy and with a little encouragement you are learning to try new things. Having said all of that there is something I need to do. I need to apologize I’m sorry for all the days I spent on the phone and typing emails to people who in the end neither believed in you nor had anything to offer. I’m sorry I spent so much time seeking out therapy and ways to “fix” you instead of using available therapies to […]
January 6, 2016
When I began this blog back in 2006 (yikes!) I wasn’t sure how much I was comfortable sharing about myself and even more importantly about my family. I blogged to feel better about my life, not to become famous – lol. So I didn’t tell anything that would pinpoint where I live and I just used a first initial for the family. I also tried to be careful to not write embarrassing things – instead focusing more on my reactions and feelings about events. But it has always felt stunted – that I couldn’t really be myself on my blog because I was expending so much energy trying to reign in any self identifying information or sharing too much about […]
January 5, 2016
Since I wrote articles for BLOOM and The Mighty I have been thinking a lot about accepting people’s help but even more so HOW do you let people know you need something as you struggle with a disability (mental health, developmental, health)? I mean it’s easy for me to write that I want friends and family to help me at times but how do I let them know when that time is? What do I do for example when a co-worker asks in passing “How are you”? Do I start in on a long story about how my anxiety is really high and my depression medication has just been increased? I mean how weird would that be? Truthfully I don’t know if I […]