Mental Health Issues vs. Learned Behaviors?

At some point in our lives, all of us are subject to mental illness.  Believe it or not, it's an underlying condition for any one of us which can be triggered by stressful circumstances.  This can sometimes lead to being professionally diagnosed.  The operative words are  "professionally diagnosed!"  So many use the term "depression" without knowing the true meaning.  Having a short term period of the blues is NOT depression.  Please read the excerpt from WebMD which describes the signs/symptoms of clinical depression:

Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions

Fatigue and decreased energy

Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness

Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism

Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping

Irritability, restlessness

Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex

Overeating or appetite loss

Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with     treatment

Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings

Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts

This blog post is referring to what I call learned behavior.  It's best described as attention-seeking conduct.  There are so many who fail to follow through on what they should do; often times replacing their wants with their needs.  Often times, the results of living by poor choices result in said person feeling what they construe as being depressed.  They are often moody, lash out at others for their sense of inadequacy, and isolate themselves from those who care about them.  They refuse to take accountability for their own action/inaction, and blame others for the precarious positions for which they may find themselves.  By saying they're depressed, they mask what's truly going on:  An inability or unwillingness to management their personal affairs.

Proper life management can be an essential element to avoiding the use of mind-altering psychotropics and/or mental health counseling.  Knowing the things we can or cannot change, and making appropriate life decisions may be paramount in maintaining good mental health.  Not saying that ALL mental illnesses are "curable" by these means alone.  But with those of us who are not mentally unstable due to natural chemical imbalances CAN control the onset of mental illness by making decisions which are healthful ones.

Take control of the direction your life is headed.  If need be, seek the advice of a life management counselor who can assist you in addressing the concerns which make you feel inadequate.  And definitely don't blame others for your circumstance.  You have more control than you think!

rainwriter jones

Playing with Fire(Works)

My husband and I watched the fireworks from across the street at the postage stamp-sized tribal property.  The parking lot was filled with those who bought fireworks to light off, and employees of the smoke shop/bar and grill.  There were some lovely displays of colors shot into the cloudy nighttime skies, with an orderly crowd of spectators who reside inside and outside of our neighborhood.

While sitting in our lawns chairs wrapped in blankets and sipping on rum and Cokes, something really odd occurred to me.  The Native Americans can sell and shoot off fireworks, but no one else in our city can.  Because they are a nation separate and apart from the United States, they are allowed to write their own laws which govern their community.  And seeing as though Native Americans were the first oppressed race in America that are now celebrating the way we used to celebrate felt kind of surreal.   We will be cited if we're spotted setting off any type of firework.  With us being only feet from reservation land, it's really, really weird. 

Don't get me wrong as I'm not saying that as a nation the Native Americans shouldn't be able to celebrate July 4th, but it's somewhat disconcerting that no one else in our city can celebrate the way we used to:  With fireworks!  Yes, I know they can be dangerous, but we were perfectly fine losing a finger or two at the cost of a truly spectacular pyrotechnic display.  (LOL)

Sometimes the powers-that-be can over-emphasize safety over tradition.  I remember when my Father would buy the BIGGEST box of fireworks in the neighborhood, and then shoot them off for everyone to see.  Nothing burned down, no one was hurt.  Maybe we were lucky?  Nonetheless, it was an important part of our July 4th celebration.  Our own city didn't put on a fireworks display.  What the hell's going on?  Yet again, another example of the Graying of America.

Hopefully our officials will let up on some of the restrictions which limit our use of fireworks (i.e., reduce the height of aerial displays, allow ground displays, etc.).  We can't lose EVERYTHING which makes us "us."  Our customs are being lost to practicality.  Can you be reasonable and still enjoy life to its fullest?

I shouldn't have to be live vicariously from my lawn chair.

rainwriter jones

Urban M.I.A.s (where are the bongo boys)...

As of late, it's been awfully quiet.  No migraine-inducing ultra-bass-playing mofos to be found ANYWHERE!  I wonder where they all went? 

I think that funds have ran low; baby's mamas have finally decided not to finance the foolery; their own moms have put them out of the basement; they're incarcerated; aliens took them?  (LOL)  It's been bliss to not be awakened whenever one of these idiots think it's time for the slumbering neighborhood to be startled awake to a barrage of n____ this or n_____ that.

My husband and I had a chuckle at some young lad that thought he was jammin'.  We pulled up to the stoplight next to this dude, and then what he construed as music started.  Huh???  No bass???  Well, I glanced over to my left to see he had a laptop riding shotgun in the passenger seat.  The fool was playing rap music from a laptop!  N_____ this and n_____ that all muted and sh*t!  He's just bobbin' his head in time like:  "I'm bad...I'm bad!!!"  (LMBAOOO)  At least he spared us all from that hideous noise which he calls music.

I haven't even heard The Bongo Boys roll past my building.  Summer usually brings out the worst in these young wannabe gangstas, but...nothing.  Hmmmm...where did they all go?  Not missing them:  Just asking.


rainwriter jones

80s Club Kids

ROCK, ROCK, PLANET ROCK!!!



First thing this morning, I thought about my clubbing days, and where my ex-club buddies were.  I don't know why at this particular point in my life I would think about them besides the fact I'm 51 years old, and they've got to be close to my age (or older, in some cases).  I'm married, have children, AND grandchildren.  Do they?

I worked with one of my clubbers in dietary at the local university hospital.  I distinctly remember her fair skinned self trying to tan herself into looking darker.  It was obvious she had a lack of confidence in her mixed heritage as she would only date dark skinned Black men, and wouldn't even consider dating White men (even though she was half white).  She was in school to become an x-ray technician, and I doubt if she made it through the program.  She partied WAY too much, and continually failed her exams.

Another partier was quite tall.  She towered over me, and was somewhat intimidating with her size.  She was younger than I, and had fake identification.  Funny as hell as one night we tried to enter the club, and the dummy had a dark-skinned woman's ID.  With her being extremely fair-skinned, I seriously doubted she would gain entrance.  The doorman laughed in her face AND took her ID, too!  She was man hungry, and wanted to go to the NCO Club that was on the military base.  I didn't want to go because these dudes were thirsty and starved.  I wasn't given up my stuff to just anyone!  (LMBAOOO)

Then there was another dude-ish looking chick I partied with very briefly.  I didn't hang out with her that long because she enjoyed being high.  She'd drop pills and drink alcohol.  I wasn't into the "high" thing.  That's a very dumb practice when you're out clubbing.  You'll wake up in a back alley with no clothes nor wallet.

And then there was John.  He started partying with the aforementioned chick until they had a falling out.  Strange thing being is that I don't remember his last night, but I do recall it was German.  He, too, enjoyed a variety of inebriates which included pills and alcohol.  Often times, he licked postage stamps of speed, and would go off on a tangent all willy-nilly like.  Though he was fun when we partied, he was a real bitch when we weren't.  I think he was mentally unstable, and I never felt comfortable outside of the club with him.

I stopped clubbing when I met my husband.  He wasn't into partying at clubs, and I guess that was all well and good.  I pulled it together, got my nurses' degree, created a business, married, had children, grandchildren, blah, blah, blah.  I wonder if my buddies had the same successes?  Good question.  They were hot messes that didn't seem to fit in any other environment other than the club scene.  Maybe I should look them up?

And maybe not.  Some things are better left alone!

rainwriter jones