Living Proof

No community or demographic is immune to suicide. Its pain and suffering are known to everyone, which is why it is so important to talk openly about it. Keeping suicide in the dark only increases the stigma around it, and can make it difficult for those who are at risk to seek help. But suicide is preventable. Suicide Does Not Discriminate It does not matter your age, race, gender, or social status; there are at-risk people in every demographic. In fact, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention lists suicide as the tenth leading cause of death in the united states. For those 15-34 years of age, suicide jumps to the second leading cause of death. Often, an at-risk person suffers from poor mental health or turns toward substance abuse. They are too close to themselves to see the signs. Unfortunately, this means that it is up to family and friends to recognize the problem and know when to step in. Why Some Turn to Suicide While depression often plays a large role...

Losing someone you love is a major trauma that no matter what, we are never truly prepared for. It’s completely normal to have feelings of severe shock, depression, anger, and hopelessness. Your emotions following a major loss may be unpredictable and you may feel that you are having a hard time controlling them. It’s important to know that you have every right to feel all the elements of extreme grief. It’s equally important to know that these feelings, however strong, will pass. You are not alone and your life is worth more than you can know right now. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, you should immediately talk to someone about them. If you have a close friend, family member, or clergy leader that you trust, call them. It doesn’t matter what time it is – they love you and will be more than happy to talk about your feelings. If you prefer to speak to someone else, dial 1-800-273-8255. This is the number for the  National Suicide Prevention Lifeline . There will always b...

It's been a couple of months since I wrote anything in this blog. I tried going on vacation to clear my head to only come back to the end of the month of June, which is the anniversary of my mama's passing. It's like, good God, will this ever end? But I got through it. Between posting up melancholy Instagram posts and whining on Twitter, I had that Moonstruck moment where I was like, "Snap out of it!" I keep going back and forth with being okay to not being okay, and that's pretty normal when you lose someone so very special in your life. I stopped live broadcasting, writing, yet kept up with my editing and advertising because it didn't require "thinking" -- it just required to get other people's business done. So that's a different aspect of my work. But here, on this blog, and over on Periscope live stream -- it's all me. As you know if you've been reading my blog, I always tell you about my broken heart or ailments to only gi...

As I've been back and forth between a couple of grief support groups, I'm learning a main theme among everyone who has lost someone dear to them: loneliness and abandonment. I'm not even speaking of feeling abandoned by the deceased loved one -- it's abandonment from friends, family, acquaintances, etc. People seem to just leave your life just. like. that. I couldn't believe all of these people felt the same way I did. When I was caregiving for my mother, my friends would either come over, or sometimes we'd meet them for a drink or two -- nothing major, but they were still in my life. After the funeral, and after all of the "condolences" and "I'm here if you need to talk" kind of gestures, it was as if every single person drove off into the sunset to never return again. It's approaching the one year mark since my mother died and I've only spent a handful of times with my own siblings. I seriously thought that it would be the tot...

Stress can be really strange as far as symptoms go. I mean, I can't tell you how many times I've had the 'good ol' panic attack' -- but that's expected sometimes. Other times, it's insomnia and myoclonic jerking before I fall asleep, while in some cases, it's strange heart palpitations from my adrenaline rushing way too fast for my heart to keep up. I've been checked out by a cardiologist to rule out anything serious. But lately, my symptoms have been different. I noticed that I've bene fitting into my old clothes, but with a high cost. I'm not dieting either, trust that. Some days, I can't even get out of the house because I need a bathroom nearby. See where I'm heading with this one?... Of course I can freak out, go to the doctor and wonder if I have some sort of disease --- but it's stress. I remember a few years ago, a friend of mine came over for dinner. She used to be very curvy -- a thicker frame like myself. When she wal...

If you suffer with anxiety or depression and/or experiencing grief and loss, you already know that feeling -- like a sense of impending doom -- or a heavy sense of dread that seems to overtake you. Sometimes, it's all you can do to get out of bed, while other times, you have a little bit of fight left in you. And that's all you need. I got a phone call at 8am the other morning asking for Rosalie...my mother. I'm no longer being super polite, muttering out, "I'm sorry, she's deceased. How can I help you?' These days, I just say two words: "She's dead," just so I can hear the awkward silence on the other end of the phone. I'm just fed up with the amount of calls I get asking for her -- mostly from scammers trying to prey on the elderly. Then there are the calls about our ancestral home, which kind of tugs at my heart a little. I thought we'd be in a better place financially, so that we could pay off the reverse mortgage my father took ...

DISCLAIMER : I am not a doctor, nor play one on the internet. This information is based upon my own experience, as well as intense research on the web. Can't trust everything you read on the web. If you're reading this article and need emergency medical attention, CALL 911 AND GO TO THE ER!!! Please proceed with caution. I'm only someone who suffers with aggravating ailments like anybody else who has found some pretty cool solutions. Cheers! And please let me know if any of these remedies worked for you! A few of my viewers over on Periscope Live had asked me to write an article based on a broadcast I had done a few months ago about my home remedies and experience with medicines. Yes, this is a bit unconventional, but everything I have experienced and researched has saved me---literally. I couldn't believe how many people came in just to hear about what I've experienced. Maybe I'm a bit over-zealous about medication and that it's just my anxiety that m...