Category Archives

Self-Advocacy

Picture of the author, blurry, dancing

I Deserve Respect

By Kristance Harlow | November 30, 2019 |
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The truth is: You can probably make me feel bad. You can probably succeed in making me cry or have an anxiety attack. I might be incapacitated by it. But I’ll pull through, I always do.

Person hand on their face

Finding Meaning in Tragedy: Addiction, Trauma, and Activism

By Kristance Harlow | November 24, 2019 |
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Turning grief into activism is a powerful way to process and give meaning to the pain of traumas like the death of a loved one who struggled with addiction.

Follow Your Bliss…Differently

By Kristance Harlow | December 12, 2018 |
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Sometimes one thing that frequently makes me happy will be completely joyless and painfully uninteresting on another day. Which is a hindrance for trying to create a life that allows me to follow my bliss in my work.

Yes, You Can Travel for Work With a Mental Illness

By Kristance Harlow | December 5, 2018 |
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The most invisible and stigmatized of all health issues are mental illnesses. It’s fucked up, but disclosing a mental illness while looking for a job can impact your chances of getting hired. It might be illegal (depending on where you live), but so many people in this world are ignorant. Companies may find some other point of contention…

Couple sitting against a wall

Relationship Red Flags: Are You Dating an Abuser?

By Kristance Harlow | August 21, 2018 |
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Trust your intuition, relationship red flags aren’t easy to identify, but there are warning signs. Are you dating an abuser?

Am I depressed or just introverted? The truth about friendships.

By Kristance Harlow | January 1, 2018 |
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Being depressed and an introvert can make it hard to tease apart what these social urges are attributed to. Social contact helps treat depression, but depression causes social isolation. Is it depression or just introversion?

Why I am airing my dirty laundry

By Kristance Harlow | December 17, 2017 |
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There is a lot of value in talking about survival and moving forward in life. It is important to see what the future can hold, but when you feel alone in the thick of sorrow the only thing that you want is to feel less alone.

Man underwater

The Internet Can Help Trauma Survivors— But It Can Harm Them, Too

By Kristance Harlow | November 12, 2017 |
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For many battling depression and other mental illness, social networking sites are the only place they feel understood. The internet keeps the door to the outside world ajar just enough to make it possible for help to sneak through.

Summer - Lignano, Italy - Travel photography

How To Practice Self-Compassion in 6 Steps

By Kristance Harlow | October 24, 2017 |
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Self-compassion protects us from ourselves. Another 2017 study published in School Psychology Quarterly found that self-compassion protects adolescents from inflicting self-harm because “those high on self-compassion may be more likely to use adaptive strategies” for dealing with pain and suffering.

How to Take Care of Your Mental Health While Traveling

By Kristance Harlow | October 24, 2017 |
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No matter how long you’re traveling for, or how you’re getting there, or how far you’re going, you should be taking precautionary measures to protect your health. This is especially critical if you are coping with issues of addiction and mental illness.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number. The numbers listed here are the commonly used numbers for the stated region, the numbers can vary greatly depending on where you live. If you don't know your country's equivalent to 911, this wiki page and The Lifeline Foundation have comprehensive listings.

Americas

911

The Americas

Europe

112

Europe

Africa

112 & 999

Africa

Asia

112, 999, 110

Asia

Oceania

112, 911, 999, 111, & 000

Oceania

Find help for a crisis by texting, calling, or chatting online with these free crisis organizations. Looking for one outside of the USA? Check out our support listings.

Crisis Text Line
Text: “HOME” to 741741

Suicide Lifeline
Text: “ANSWER” to 839863
Call: 1-800-273-8255

Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-7233
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

Child Abuse Hotline
1-800-422-4453

The Trevor Project
Text “START” to 678678
1-866-488-7386

These online and international resources may help you anywhere you are located. Looking for local support outside of the USA? Check out our support listings.

DV Support Abroad
Call toll-free worldwide
1-833-723-3833

I'm Alive Virtual Crisis Center
Live chat with trained volunteers

Crisis Connections
24/7 crisis support with interpretation in 155+ languages