A Surprisingly Sane Blog

Prompt: Teach a class. What’s something that you’re uniquely great at and could teach a class on? Write the tutorial in a blog post. Bonus points for images, links to resources, and video.

I could cheat and post one of my videos reviewing one of my latest dance classes, but my feet hurt and I don’t want to think about dancing right now.

So, ladies and gentleman, this is how you act like a civil human being on the internet (to go back to Day 11’s prompt).

Scenario: You see someone post something you don’t like. Your first impression is- wow, what a jerk! WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?!

1. Take a deep breath. Don’t forget to exhale. Your face doesn’t look pretty in purple.
2. Remove your fingers from the keyboard. I’ve learned when they’re hovering over the keys, they have an uncanny knack for vomiting stupid shit onto the screen when you’re feeling a little hot and bothered.
3. Leave your computer. Drink some peppermint tea, and consider getting yourself off and releasing some of that tension before you pollute the internet with your foul nastiness.
4. After you’ve lived some non-computer-related LIFE for a good 15 minutes and feel calm, return to your computer.
5. Close the tab holding the offending poster.
6. Surf Amazon for cute, pink bunnies.
7. Check Craigslist for job postings.
8. Ponder Zen, World Peace, and Nuclear Physics.
9. Take a few bites of chocolate, and let it melt its wholesome goodness into your soul.
10. Get back online.
11. If the rude post is still offending your screen and you simply cannot ignore it, which is the BEST thing to do, repeat after me: “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”
12. Take a deep breath.
13. Gloss over the thing the person wrote, and address it calmly. Keep it incredibly brief, and end with, “moving forward…”
14. Remember, there is probably a nasty, miserable person behind the screen begging for attention. Don’t humor them.
15. Be diplomatic in your ONE, SINGLE RESPONSE to that person, and then let it go.
16. No really, let it go. It’s not worth your time, and you DON’T need to be the bigger asshole.

Good job. Give yourself a pat on the back.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Current Mood: Alarmed

Prompt: If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. What is working well in your community, healthcare, blogs, social media, or your work in particular? What do you like about it?

My favorite social media of any sort is actually Facebook groups. Yeah, really. I find when you have a group of women or a cross of genders on there, it’s a much more respectful and helpful crowd than a lot of other public forums. I was a part of one mom forum for awhile- a very popular one at that- and I was pretty horrified by the way people spoke to one another.

Since when is it okay to come out and tell someone you DON’T EVEN KNOW, “You are a bitch,” or, “You sound like a bitch,” or you’re such a asshole!”

Really? Civilized people, women nonetheless, speak to each other that way online and it’s acceptable? I am mystified why ANYONE would think that’s appropiate behavior. Do you walk up to some women in a supermarket at tell her she’s being a bitch, loud and clear, where everyone can hear? OF COURSE NOT! Some behavior is rude and unacceptable and completely uncalled for, however I see it pop up on public forums (and my own personal blog, for that matter) all the time.

Back to Facebook. I have found that in general, the groups I have been a part of are FAR more civilized than any other ones I’ve dabbled in. I have to wonder if it’s because it’s not an anonymous forum. Generally speaking, you see at least a photo and a name, and it’s easy to network and find out who that are. Perhaps anonymity is where the problem lies, but I am still in disbelief when I see nastiness upon other people in action.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

In case you were wondering, the LIE from prompt eight was #2. Yes, I have 7 piercings. One of ‘em is where the sun never shines. Yes, I’m a naughty girl. My nips would be all kinds of pierced if everyone close to me who got those done hadn’t had to remove them because of pain or problems or general discomfort. I’m just too sensitive there to deal with that kind of pain with two little kids crawling on me.

I hate the smell of vanilla and pretty much anything else sickeningly sweet that falls into the vanilla category! I know, it’s weird. Everyone looks at me like I just vomited a lizard from my eye socket when I tell them that. I am REALLY finicky about scents. I have the olfactory senses of a bloodhound. Not kidding. I can smell cocaine on a person sitting in front of me on a bus. It’s so freaking annoying!

Most perfumes I’m not a fan of, and many candles and bath gels make me wish I’d just snorted salt and shoved my head in a freezing bucket of water. I’m not down with scents. The only sweet one that I can think of that I actually like is jasmine, in small doses. The scents that don’t offend my nostrils are generally the more fresh and natural ones- pine needles, saltwater breeze, fresh cut grass, campfire, etc., and I also like some of of the spicier scents like cinnamon and this one candle I got from Bath and Body Works called “Hot Apple Toddy.”

However vanilla? Unless it’s in the form of cooking vanilla, it just needs to die.

Current Mood: Cool

Prompt: The future of online activism. Our favorite social media sites are constantly undergoing renovations to become quicker to navigate, easier to interact with, all encompassing, mobile, and everywhere. Imagine the same thing about your community – how will they evolve, improve, and grow?

I love the internet. With it has come invaluable resources and quick knowledge, and my two favorite things about it are social networking and the ability to learn just about anything right at my fingertips. I am a huge education activist, and I believe that the world of the internet has allowed the possibility for millions- even billions- of people to learn whatever they need to know about mental and other health.

My hope is that with self-education, there with be more understanding, and eventually, more compassion and wisdom regarding differences in people. We all have our quirks. Just because one doesn’t share a mental disorder doesn’t mean they don’t have a physical health problem or even a difficult personality trait that needs patience and compassion. I know folks with the most whiny, babyish, manipulative personalities imaginable, and probably none of them are actual head cases, but they’re even more difficult to deal with than me at my worst. What has the internet done? It’s helped me learn to deal with them kindly, effectively, and find ways to avoid getting sucked into their manipulation. Without the internet, I don’t know if I ever could have continued a positive acquaintance with some of these people.

I’m hoping that more people will eventually think to look up illnesses such as “Bipolar Disorder,” learn a thing or two about it, and be much less quick to judge. We’re not freaks. We’re actually probably more normal than most… we have an excuse for most of our poor behavior!

Prompt: My personal brand. As a Health Activist, you are a front-facing leader. What do you imagine you look like to your readers? What qualities do you possess. It’s ok to toot your own horn today – you have full permission to indulge. And don’t hold back.

Er… honestly? I am just clueless. The only think I’m good at when it comes down to health activism is putting the facts down in clear and plain English, then stepping back and letting people decide for themselves. I don’t sugarcoat anything. So many illness- particularly mental ones- are horribly misunderstood (like many things in this world). People think they can treat someone with Major Depression or Asperger’s or Bipolar Disorder like that can treat anyone- and they can to an extent. Until they start hitting triggers. And unless you’re a complete moron, you’ll see the sudden change. A 180 degree shift in responses and demeanor.

In my experience, some assholes just LOVE to just torment those of us with a mental disorder. They’ll argue with us just for the sake of arguing, call us nasty names when they don’t know SHIT about what actually going on, and they think and say, “Why can’t you just act normal! I know you can.”

Simply put? We can’t. We are ill. We need medication and kind words like a diabetic needs their insulin and understanding.

We don’t possess the ability to react they way you want us to once those triggers are hit. We may be perfectly rational, intelligent beings, and most of us are, but once we’re pushed over the edge, we crumble. We react differently. Some of us break down, some shut down, some get irrationally angry or weepy or say biting, nasty words just to make you feel the hurt we know on the inside. The thing that I wish others understood is that there’s no need to stoop low when you’re dealing with one of us people with mental issues. Unfortunately, there is a SERIOUS lack of compassion and respect for people as a whole, and sadly, it affects those dealing with a mental disorder a little harder than the rest. And that sucks.

See? I don’t have answers to this prompt. But I can tell you that perhaps education for all those nasty assholes out there who pick on people with mental disorders would make *my* world a little easier to deal with.

Current Mood: Alarmed