Speak Out Against...bullying and

 self-harm

1 in 4 kids are bullied. Bullying can lead to depression. Depression can lead to self-harm and suicide. It is said that 1 in 20 teens self-harm. Over 630,000 visits to the ER every year is due to self-injury.

Give love to The Butterfly Project, a blog style, open forum that deals specifically with bullying, self-harm, and suicide and has given cutters and those that self-harm a way to change themselves and the world.

The Butterfly Project

THE RULES: 1. when you feel like you want to cut, take a marker or pen and draw a butterfly on wherever the self-harm occurs.
2. name the butterfly after a loved one, or someone that really wants you to get better.
3. NO scrubbing the butterfly off.
4. if you cut before the butterfly is gone, it dies. if you don't cut, it lives.
5. if you have more than one, cutting kills them all.
6. another person may draw them on you. these butterflies are extra special. take good care of them.
7. even if you don’t cut, feel free to draw a butterfly anyways, to show your support. if you do this, name it after someone you know that is suffering right now, and tell them. it could help.

The butterfly project on facebook. 


Supporting The Butterfly Project is a way to spread awareness and create change. Join me and draw a  butterfly on your wrist for those who are bullied, who self-harm, who debate suicide. Stand up, speak out.

And the tour continues...as Linda Jackson

Speaks Out Against...bullying

The Speak Out Against...Book Tour continues over at Linda Jackson's blog Writers Do Laundry, Too. Join her as she shares with us her experiences with bullying. Thank you, Linda for hosting us today!


Linda Jackson is the author of the middle grade novels The Lie That Binds and When Lambs Cry, the sequel to The Lie That Binds. In addition to her own books, she published What's The Matter, Mr. Giraffe? (2003) by Gloria Menifield, There Are No Blankets On The Moon (2004) by Angela Gill and Blynda Kellner, Keys (2004) by Jennifer Goodwin, and Field Trip Around the World (2009) by Chloe Jackson and Blynda Kellner. She is a frequent contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul, with stories in Just for Teenagers, Here Comes the Bride, and The Power of Positive. She has worked as an independent contractor, developing stories for reading assessment for educational publishers.

Knowing Your Fears...Living Your Dreams

I believe I can use my fears to reach my dreams. Without my fears, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I wouldn't have the strive to succeed, the desire to work harder, the want to push farther. I use my fears to drive myself forward.

My fears are not me; they do not define me, but they do shape me.  They increase my passions: they build my dreams.

Fear is universal. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to the threat of danger. Fear becomes disabling however, when it occurs without any certain or immediate threat.

Fear: letting fear destroy my dreams
Dream: overcoming fear

Fear: A life of worry
Dream: A life without worry

Fear: Rejection
Dream: To be accepted

Fear: Being Stuck
Dream: Staying Free

Fear: Illness
Dream: Heath


What are your fears?
What are your dreams?

Inspired by

In the News...Depression, Suicide, and Seau

Nothing...
by RGG

She was there

And what a place to be

The world so great

So perfect, no flaws

Except her

She feels like a crazed freak

Her parents hate her

She has lost all her friends

And her boyfriend just said goodbye

She doesn’t belong there anymore

The world is too good for her

Things are spinning around her

Her mind is so cluttered

She doesn’t know what to do anymore

She’s not sure she feels anything

She feels like there’s nothing

Nothing

No one cares

She’s not even sure why she cares anymore

She doesn’t think she wants to die

She just isn’t sure she wants to live anymore

-RGG

A person dies from suicide every 15 minutes in the U.S., and an attempt is estimated to be made every 40 seconds. (That’s almost 100 deaths a day due to suicide.) Over 90% of those who have died from suicide had at least one psychiatric illness that was diagnosable and treatable at the time. The most common is depression. Sadly, the rate of suicide is increasing. (American Foundation on Suicide Prevention www.afsp.org)

We are reminded today of how prevalent suicide is in our community by the news of former NFL player Junior Seau’s recent death. Reports state that he was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. He is the third NFL player to have committed suicide in the last year. Reports are saying he more than likely suffered from depression due to an imbalance of brain chemicals.

Suicide is a desperate attempt to get rid of all the pain and suffering. Isolation, despair, and helplessness are over consuming. Death feels like the only way out. They don’t want to die- they just want all the pain to end…

Suicide is hard to talk about. Even as I write this, I find myself struggling for the correct words to say, how to explain the feelings, what to even bring up. Fearful to talk about such a tough topic is normal- but talking about it may stop someone from taking their own life. Just because a suicidal person doesn’t ask for help doesn’t mean that they don’t want it. Please learn and understand the signs and symptoms, and if someone you know is showing signs of depression and suicide, please help them get help. Remember over 90% of those who committed suicide suffered from a diagnosable psychiatric disorder.

Depression is treatable.

For more information- www.afsp.org

A great article shared by the afsp-  http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/02/seau-suicide-raises-question-why/

I'm Taking a Walk

The worst part about writing is staring at an empty page with the cursor blinking back at you. The words swimming around in your head, making little sense at all. Nothing stringing together to make even one coherent sentence. 

Nothing but blankness...empty...void of words.

So, what to do?

 

I say- go for a walk!

A walk- not a run, not a bike ride- a walk! 

Walking is known to increase circulation and provide more oxygen and glucose to our brains. Running, biking, and other aerobic exercise tends to take all that oxygen and glucose to the other muscles.  

A long walk and increased circulation to the cerebral hemisphere can improve concentration, creativity, the list goes on…

Walking is also known to decrease depression and anxiety. According to the Mayo Clinic, walking releases “feel-good” chemicals, reduces the immune system chemicals that worsen how one feels, and increases temperature. 

Walking gives you a sense of self-worth, power, and control and promotes feeling of happiness.

Overall- walking is just plain good for everything! 

A walk typically helps me solve my latest plot hole, increases ideas for the story and all my characters. I think if I just keep on walking, I might be able to finish the whole novel- problem is? I can’t walk and type at the same time. At some point, I have to return home and write all the thoughts that are filling up my brain.

So if you’re stuck, feeling down, angry, confused- whatever- get up and go for a walk! I'll join you!!!