Be Kind. Book Of K.

#day7 #12daysofxmaspuns #12daysofxmasjokes #mentalhealthawareness #lookafteryourselfovertheholidays https://www.instagram.com/p/B6S0WeNh16lE5RTNSmUbM-3Yr3PX_rMfzfKy0M0/?igshid=1wajjou73b5fy

#Truth

Having (more than one) invisible illness can just be so f**king draining at times. Today is one of those times. I keep a folder of motivational images handy that I make myself look at to try to help. Sometimes they do. Sometimes not. Thought some were worth sharing. #invisibleillnessawareness #migrainessuck #depressionsucks #mentalhealthmatters #selfcare https://www.instagram.com/p/CC_g-CAh-W8/?igshid=73rhu8jqmusj

Couldn't be me either. 🙂‍↔️

Literally me, right now. https://www.instagram.com/p/BrvCsfMAdcAv0CNG-p3HejTfzSr2pbF9LMMxXc0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jm3q0j9812it

Random diner dinner in TO tonight. Braised beef eggs benny and a chocolate shake. Ridiculously good. #Frans And, what's playing on the speakers during dinner? Rick Astley. I can't go anywhere without getting rickrolled anymore.

Truth here. I also think that you it's ok that you lose some of the battles, so long as you're trying to win the war. #migrainesupport #migrainelife #thistooshallpass Credit to @migraine.relief https://www.instagram.com/p/B25o3RXhlFd/?igshid=rnrxirb7rlm

We often see what we want to see, and we all have our own inherent bias and pattern recognition. That said, I went in cold turkey to the movie Thunderbolts* when my daughter and I went to see it recently. I didn't watch any trailers, avoided spoilers, etc.

And what I saw was me.

Here's My Short Spoiler-Free Review:

I was not at all expecting the amount of depth the story has

There are some very authentic-feeling portrayals of living with mental illness

It was fucking awesome

And My Slightly Longer And Still Not Very Spoilery Review:

As a person who lives with mental illness, I got to see A LOT of what I feel, have felt, have experienced reflected in a certain character's own experiences. And their journey isn’t just an inclusivity checkmark; it’s the core of the movie. I think a lot of people will see themselves reflected here, and by not explicitly stating this character’s diagnosis, they allow the story to include anyone who lives with mental illness, addictions, trauma.

And all of the thoughtful and nuanced handling of mental health notwithstanding, this is just a great movie all around. You should go see it.

So it's the end of the year, and as everyone's feeds flood with gratitude and year end or new year resolution posts, my contribution is my 2019 Good Things Jar. I've been filling one of these jars each year for a couple of years now. I'm not as good at tracking all of the good things as I would like to be. But this post and the exercise itself isn't about beating myself up. Exactly the opposite, actually. When I think about something worth noting that happens to me, whether a once in a lifetime occasion or a moment of daily trivia that just hits me, I do my best to write it down and stuff it in the jar. Reading through these little notes is awesome for reflection for me. For helping me get some much needed perspective, when I'm writing the notes, and when I take the time to look back. So I'll keep doing these jars. I would encourage anyone who hasn't done something like this to try it out, or something else like it. It helps. We can all too easily get caught up in the things that stress us, that we consider our failures, our losses, and lose sight of the beauty, the small victories. The things that make it worth it. #perspective #practicinggratitude #jarsformentalhealth #sothatwas2019 https://www.instagram.com/p/B6w1JbbhkSN3DycwpUcxAVqYK4NlkUqtxYWxgs0/?igshid=swg0yactkzkq

Having people that get how migraines impact my life is such a blessing. And for those people I know who don't get it... Sometimes I just want to be Batman. #migrainessuck #migrainehumour #laughteristhebestmedicine #orsomething https://www.instagram.com/p/B4hnsu0hITspWcM46oBBKDuTTaO-rmU2PbGS000/?igshid=e5vunmd12fg