Ashley L. Peterson
Bio
Mental health blogger | Former MH nurse | Living with depression | Author of 4 books: A Brief History of Stigma, Managing the Depression Puzzle, Making Sense of Psychiatric Diagnosis, and Psych Meds Made Simple | Proud stigma warrior
Stories (56/0)
The Mental Illness Fear Factor
Sadly, those who are uninformed often fear mental illness. They believe that it's unknown, unpredictable, and potentially dangerous. Those of us living with mental illness fear it too, although for much different reasons. Or perhaps, not so different; we know firsthand how unpredictable the illness can be, and how dangerous we can become to ourselves.
By Ashley L. Peterson5 years ago in Psyche
How Do We Talk About Sex?
When I was growing up, sex was not talked about in my house. I discovered how sex worked by accident. My parents had bought a how-your-body-works kind of book that depicted various aspects of bodily functioning as machines. What they didn't realize was that there was a sex page, with a mommy machine and a daddy machine. Probably unsurprisingly, my reaction was ewww, gross!
By Ashley L. Peterson5 years ago in Filthy
Forgiving but Not Forgetting
You read so often about the benefits of forgiveness, and how it's something that is done for your own benefit, not for theirs. I struggled to wrap my head around that, though, as I dealt with the life-changing after effects of workplace bullying.
By Ashley L. Peterson5 years ago in Humans
Nutrition Myths Debunked
Everywhere you look, it seems like there's a new story about how this food is good for you, this food is bad for you, you need to follow this diet, or you shouldn't eat that. But underlying all the faddishness are some basic truths about what we put into our bodies.
By Ashley L. Peterson5 years ago in Longevity
How to Be a Solo Female Traveller Extraordinaire
While the first time around can be intimidating, travelling alone can be really rewarding. For female solo travellers, there are a few extra precautions that are worth taking, but you can still travel very safely in most areas.
By Ashley L. Peterson5 years ago in Wander
When You Don't Feel What You're Supposed To
There are certain occasions when it is socially expected that someone will feel a certain way. There are also major events that will have a strong impact throughout the world, and may end up forever etched in societal memory and consciousness. We may have flashbulb memories of where we were when we heard about a certain event. For example, many of us (including me) remember where we were and what we were doing when we found out about the 9/11 terror attacks. I remember feeling stunned and horrified.
By Ashley L. Peterson5 years ago in Psyche
Drinking and Depressing
I think that for the most part I have a pretty healthy relationship with alcohol. I grew up in a home where drinking meant a beer or two or a glass of wine here and there. My parents gave me small sips to try, and I couldn't stand the stuff.
By Ashley L. Peterson5 years ago in Proof
My Brain Thinks It's a Mind-Reader
According to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mind-reading is a type of cognitive distortion that involves the belief that we know what others are thinking. This isn't in a psychic, ESP kind of sense, but more along the lines of thinking that we can tell from the situation or their behaviour that person A must be thinking X, and then jumping to the conclusion that it's a fact with 100 percent certainty that person A is thinking X.
By Ashley L. Peterson5 years ago in Humans
How to Grow a Blog
Growing a blog is about a lot more than just followers and other metrics. Especially if you're blogging about particular niche area, engagement with the community in that niche matters. The more engaged you are with others, the more likely you are to grow a core group of followers who are highly engaged with your blog. Don't be surprised if, as your blog grows, a lot of your followers seem to forget your blog exists once they've clicked that follow button. Those people may boost your follower numbers, but they do nothing towards maintaining a lively community on your blog.
By Ashley L. Peterson5 years ago in Journal
Does Social Media Hurt Mental Health?
Social media is playing a seemingly ever-growing role in our lives. But how does it affect our mental health? That's not such an easy answer, because it can be positive or negative, or a little bit of both, depending on how we approach it.
By Ashley L. Peterson5 years ago in Psyche