The Mental Health Digest - Ghosting/DAREBEE/Depression Description

I remember watching some of Scott Ste Marie’s YouTube videos years ago on his channel, Depression to Expression (Now named Scott Ste Marie). There's a reason it has 305,000 subscribers.

I remember Scott being extremely goofy but also extremely insightful when it came to mental health issues, especially dealing with depression. It was a lovely surprise when I saw that he has a podcast now, and my experiences with depression made me want to check out this particular episode, which I’m sharing here in video format. Scott’s description of depression is so spot on. 

A few minutes in, he describes depression as waking up day after day, only to receive a phone call at the start of the day with someone on the other line telling you that everyone you know has died and that you are now alone. 

Wow. The disconnection I’ve felt while experiencing depressive episodes truly is like that. Scott still has his great, quirky personality, but it seems like he’s mellowed like a fine wine since I last watched his videos years ago. He’s still insightful as ever, though.

I’ve had this article on my list to share for a while, and I thought against it. But then I said, “You know what? Ghosting hurts. I’m going to share this.” 

Because someone ghosted me about two months ago. 

It was someone I was working with briefly, and I actually really liked him. We had several great phone conversations and had made plans to try to work together. Out of nowhere, he just stopped talking to me. 

I sent two follow-up texts to see how he was doing, and nothing. It filled my head with doubts for a while about what I could have possibly done or not done. In the end, what people do is their own decision. We can’t control it. We can only choose how we respond. 

I know I’ve ghosted people when I was a lot younger, and this article helped me connect with the feelings and thoughts that people have when they get ghosted. I vow to be uncomfortable and share my truth rather than ghost others going forward.

My college self never would have imagined that I would choose to read this book. It’s funny how time and life change you. This is by New York Times conservative commentator, David Brooks. 

The Second Mountain: The Quest For a Moral Life is another one of those books that found me at exactly the right time. I don’t even remember adding this to my Goodreads list a month or so ago, but I apparently did. When I was at the library and wanted to find something to read, I pulled up my list and my eyes immediately went to this. It’s exactly what I needed to deal with feeling adrift and lacking purpose in my life. 

Brooks writes about how making commitments is the key to living a meaningful life. He goes through the four major types of commitments people make in their life, and he weaves in his own story as well. I’ve become more spiritual as I’ve gotten older, and this book had several great sections that encouraged me to lean more into the unknown and to surrender to and accept negative emotions rather than try to battle them.

I’m all about making mental health accessible with The Mental Health Update. It’s my mission with what I create and share. 

So it was a nice surprise to come across a free resource that is doing the same thing for physical health. 

DAREBEE is a site that has tons of workout guides, exercise descriptions, meal plans, and more. There are lots of easy-to-read charts and downloadable PDFs. I’m not a fan of going to the gym, so I walk daily and do simple exercises, like sit-ups and push-ups, from the comfort of my own home. 

If I’m struggling to get an exercise habit to stick, I simplify it until it becomes so easy that I feel compelled to do it. This site gave me a lot of great ideas for exercises I can do at home.

This cool little gem of crowd-sourced wisdom was featured in a couple of newsletters I subscribe to and made the rounds in some of my circles a couple of weeks ago. I hope you a) haven’t seen this yet or b) forgot about it and are now excited to see it pop up again. 

This is a site I have returned to for inspiration because new tips are always being added and voted on.

What percolates to the top all seem so obvious after I read them, but then again, the best advice is usually that way. If you’re struggling to make progress with something in your life, this site has plenty of great ideas to get you motivated and taking action.

It’s back-to-school time across the United States. Kids are just starting to go back to school here in Montana. I’ve worked in school-based mental health and loved it. Education has the potential to be a great equalizer. 

But it’s also the place where mental health challenges are often first noticed in a public setting. These days, our youth have more challenges than ever. Social media is a constant presence. The pressure to be certain ways is never-ending.

And transitioning from the summer months to a highly structured school schedule can be really difficult for parents and students. Both of my parents were teachers, and I don’t know how they helped my sister and me get ready for school while also getting their classrooms ready. I know it’s not easy, but they made it seem that way. 

The best kinds of education systems I’ve come across teach to the whole child and they meet students where they are. You're sure to find something helpful to read or share in these varied lists of resources.

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