Author: Katie
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The Elephant in the Sanctuary
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I facilitated a panel discussion at my home church in Kingsville, MO last month between pastors and mental health professionals. The insights shared and answers we learned were AMAZING. I would encourage you to check out the YouTube videos of the recordings of the sections of the discussion.
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Your Spiritual Address: Moving Into a Peaceful Mindset
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Following the concept of the last post on “A Fixer-Upper Mind Renovation,” I want to talk about finding true peace of mind as a Christian. I opened up my Bible App this morning and returned to an Oswald Chambers devotional about peace. The verse it referenced was 1 John 1:6-7…
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Renovating a Fixer-Upper Mind
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There’s this popular Facebook group military wives are into these days. It’s where they post pictures of their amazing farmhouse and contemporary decorated homes. It’s called White Walls. I go there for inspiration and to rest my eyes on some aesthetically pleasing décor. I get jealous of the magazine-like photos…
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Pregnancy & Parenting Thoughts
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Among the busy-ness of life, I’m burned out. Not to mention…pregnant! For someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you may be wondering how safe it would be to get pregnant with a Severe Mental Illness. I consulted with my last psychiatrist and current psychiatrist and maternal prenatal doctor, and based on…
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Books to Read to Understand Mental Illness
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Memoirs I recommend that were excellent for understanding mental illness from first-person perspective. All descriptions are taken from Amazon: Running with Scissors Running with Scissors is the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of Anne Sexton) gave him away to be raised by her unorthodox psychiatrist…
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Why Psych Treatment Should Be Community Based
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The Hospital Setting Psychiatric hospitals are notorious for lack of funding and quality treatment of the patients. I spent time at both a juvenile and adult ward, and they aren’t any fun, especially when you’re in the frame of mind you’re in. Just in the nature of their structure, putting…
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What to Expect from Psych Meds
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This Med or That? I notice people posting in forums wanting feedback from others on the effectiveness of certain psychiatric medications. However, it should be well known that with psych meds, the effects and success of the dosages vary significantly from person to person. It’s by no means “one size…
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How Maintenance Keeps Me Sane
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I am by no means a “high maintenance” girl. I prefer my shoes flat, my nails untouched, and my hair usually ‘come as you are’. T-shirts and jeans, sneakers, and minimal makeup. What Maintenance Means To Me I have to be real: hygiene is still important to my maintenance of…
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Working with a Mental Illness
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Having a job has always been helpful to give me a sense of purpose and keep me focused. Since my husband is military and we move every few years, this has been a challenge I’ve risen to each time. From my first part time gig as a barista, to my…
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How Church Keeps Me Sane
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Sundays are Special When I recognized that Sundays were the days we attended church, I also keyed into the weather and found the sun had a way of shining brighter on those days. So it seemed. Maybe it was that it was the Lord’s day, and on those days I…