“Out Of Suffering Have Emerged The Strongest Souls; The Most Massive Characters Are Seared With Scars.”

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https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq9YZZNAhZ6/

This is not my gif but I found it to be super helpful

huge film rec list

films about teenagers and coming of age: ghost world, a bronx tale, the breakfast club, girl interrupted, perks of being a wallflower, blue is the warmest color, rushmore, the last picture show, the virgin suicides, submarine, stand by me.

films about running away from home to find yourself: frances ha, spirited away, moonrise kingdom, 127 hours.

films about transgression, nihilism, and altering reality: fight club, american psycho, donnie darko, naked, the matrix, the piano teacher, martyrs.

films about finding your passion: kiki’s delivery service, american beauty, reality bites, school of rock, harold and maude.

films about drugs and existentialism: requiem for a dream, enter the void, trainspotting, spun, fear and loathing in las vegas, the trip, christiane f. 

films about deconstructing the manic pixie dream girl trope: scott pilgrim vs. the world, amelie, fucking amal, paper towns, shame, annie hall.,  500 days of summer.

films about punk rock: sid and nancy, we are the best!, jubilee, rock n roll high school, suburbia, the runaways, rocky horror picture show, ladies and gentlemen the fabulous stains. 

films about lesbians: fucking amal, bound, saving face, blue is the warmest color, heavenly creatures, the kids are all right, high art

films about unconventional love: eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, adventureland, silver linings playbook, amelie, lars and the real girl, when harry met sally, lost in translation.

films about art & artists: the antics roadshow, ai weiwei: never sorry, fame high, just like being there, woodmans, who the fuck Is jackson pollock, jean-michel basquiat: the radiant child, my kid could paint that, mona lisa smile

films about girl best friends: thelma & louise, spring breakers, thirteen, pitch perfect, dreamgirls, mystic pizza, the last days of disco, frances ha

message me for any requests!

Understanding Depression.

Please do not remove author credits from this article. This article was written to raise awareness of depression and how to help and support yourself and others who are struggling with this illness. Amber

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Depression is a very common mental health problem, it affects 1 in 10 people in the USA, 1 in 4 people in the UK, and approximately 121 million people around the world.

(Depression Statistics , Mental Health Statistics).

However, it is rarely understood in every day life, and only the most serious cases are addressed by the media, by schools, universities and society. Over 80% of people suffering with clinical depression are not receiving any specific treatment in the US.

(Depression Statistics).

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM IV) contains a list of diagnostic criteria for depression as listed here:

Depressed mood or a loss of interest in daily activities for more than 2 weeks

The mood shown is different to the usual mood or personality

impaired social, occupational and/or educational function

For a diagnosis, a person usually has to show a minimum of 5 of the following 9 criteria present almost every day:

Depressed mood, or irritability most of the day

Decreased interest or pleasure in most activities

Significant weight change (5% gain or loss) or changes in appetite

Changes in sleep, either insomnia (unable to sleep) or hypersomnia (sleeping too much)

Change in activity, either psychomotor agitation (inability to stop moving) or retardation (inability to move, feeling lethargic and slow)

Fatigue or loss of enegry

Guilt or worthlessness

Inability to concentrate or indecisiveness

Suicidality, thoughts of death or suicide.

There are many mental disorders that are co-morbid, or combined, with depression. These can include anxiety, mania, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia and many others.

However, the environmental issues surrounding the individual suffering these symptoms must be taken into account. For example, if the individual is grieving, suffering from addiction, or substance abuse, or has a medical issue that may affect their mood, the diagnosis of depression may not be accurate. (DSM IV Criteria)

There are many treatments easily available for Depression, also known as  Major Depressive Disorder or Clinical Depression.

These can include the following:

Talking therapy, which includes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or counseling therapy. These talking therapies come under the umbrella term of “psychotherapy” which means that they are therapies specifically aimed to treat mental disorders. This type of treatment is usually used to treat mild or moderate depression.

Antidepressants are also used to treat depression. There are many, many different types of anti depressants, some work better for some people than others do. These are usually prescribed for moderate to severe depression. The types of tablets can range from Fluoxetine (marketed as Prozac and other names), to Sertraline (marketed as Zoloft and other names)

Combination Therapy is the most effective therapy for moderate to severe depression and involves combining medication and talking therapy.

Mental Health Teams are used when a person is suffering from severe depression, and are made up of psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and therapists. They often provide intensive talking therapy combined with medication.

There are some self-help treatments that are supposed to be effective, but it’s best to talk to a doctor before trying these.

St John’s Wort is a herbal treatment used for depression, available from pharmacies and health food shops. However, it’s not recommended by doctors as you cannot be sure of the effect it will have on you. It also can interact and cause complications with other medications such as antidepressants, anticonvulsants and contraceptive medication.

Exercise is meant to release endorphins that can help to combat mild depression, but be sure that you exercise safely and carefully.

(NHS)

If you know someone that is suffering from depression, and wish to support them, there are some tips that may be useful.

Talk to them, get them to share how they feel and listen to them. You don’t need to offer advice, or to fix them, you just need to listen.Show them that you care, and that they can trust you, but don’t pressure them into talking.

Encourage social activities. Try to distract the person with activities that they enjoy, especially ones that involve interacting with others. It has been shown that being around people can help to reduce the feelings of depression.

Encourage support groups. Showing them that they are not alone in feeling this way can go a long way into helping a person suffering from depression. They can share their experiences and their own tips on coping, and receive support and advice from others too.

Try not to judge or criticize them. Statements like “You just need to get up and do something you’d see things better.” Depression can make small things seem like insurmountable objects and make everything seem so much harder. Tough-love is more likely to cause more harm than good.

Try to learn as much as you can about depression. The more you understand, the easier it will be to support the person through the more difficult times.

Be patient. Depression doesn’t just vanish over night. It can take time before a person begins to feel as though they are recovering. In some cases, depression never entirely  leaves, but it can be managed and controlled, so that it’s effect is barely noticeable on every day life.

(Helpguide  , Psychcentral)

If you, or someone you know is struggling with depression, please speak to a doctor or professional to help you. We all deserve help, and we all deserve to be cared about.

Amber @ Lightthe-dark.tumblr.com - A support blog for teenagers and young adults.

BBC's List of 100 Books To Read

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

Middlemarch by George Eliot

A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Dune by Frank Herbert

Emma by Jane Austen

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery

Watership Down by Richard Adams

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

Animal Farm by George Orwell

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

The Stand by Stephen King

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCollough

Mort by Terry Pratchett

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

The Magus by John Fowles

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Perfume by Patrick Suskind

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell

Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Ulysses by James Joyce

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Double Act by Jacqueline Wilson

The Twits by Roald Dahl

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

Holes by Louis Sachar

Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Vicky Angel by Jacqueline Wilson

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

Magician by Raymond E Feist

On The Road by Jack Kerouac

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M Auel

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Katherine by Anya Seton

Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Girls in Love by Jacqueline Wilson

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

turns out I’ve read a few of these 

“Me levanto de mi cama todos los dias. Primero porque no realicé todos mis sueños, segundo, porque esta noche, soñé nuevas cosas”

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Found Object Sculptures by Peter McFarlane

Peter McFarlane is a conceptually based sculptor and installation artist who received a BFA from York University in 1982. He has exhibited widely in both commercial and public galleries over the last two decades and his work is in many private collections.

To me, waste is just lack of imagination. This belief carries beyond the boundaries of my art production and permeates most aspects of my life. Most of my home and studio, and much of everything in them, is recycled. 

I’ve always had an epic imagination along with a driving desire to make things. Thus, used objects have pared my options down to a workable, manageable level. No object is beyond artistic merit, meaning and metaphor. So why throw it out? 

The materials of my work are connected intrinsically to my ideas, be they tailored beyond recognition or left as found. Each piece I make resurrects an object as an idea specific to the material and the meaning inherent in its use. The history of the object from the manufacture to the dumpster embellishes its contexts and the possibilities I have to manipulate them. I have often made a connection with the objects that I’ve used in my everyday life or work experience: that which I know.

Peter lives and works on Salt Spring. You can visit Peter’s Saatchi Art profile for more. 

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posted by Margaret

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