top of page
LAA Queenie_edited.jpg

LAURA ADDERLEY

Home: Welcome

Mental illness doesn't define who you are but it certainly makes you work at creating YOU.

I've been on a journey for mental health my whole life. I've gotten knocked down and then back up. I've done the work. I have good days and bad. The journey continues - thanks for coming along with me!

Home: Text
Search

Broken Relationships

I can recall the first real fight I had with my childhood best friend – not what it was over, but the horrible pit-of-your-stomach...

Accepting and Embracing Reality

It’s ok to see a positive future. But it’s not ok to dream far and beyond one’s potential. By that, I mean it’s great to have goals, but...

Regrets

Do you have regrets? If you’re human and not a raving narcissist, I can’t imagine you don’t. So, what does it mean to have regrets? Does...

Do Things That Make You Uncomfortable

Doing things that make you uncomfortable is the name of the game. Now, I'm not talking about doing something of questionable repute or...

Who’s In Your Corner

Ok, I’m getting on the bandwagon of having people in your corner again. Why? Because I cannot overemphasize the importance of a support...

Battling familiar fears

What's your go-to when fear arises? Do you shrink and pray for invisibility or rise up and meet your fears head-on? I'd venture to guess...

Connections matter

Connections – it’s almost always about connections. Connections that bind us, free us and help us find our True North. (I believe I’ve...

The Mind-Body Connection

The mind-body connection is a real thing. The impact of the physical on the emotional (and vice versa) is real. It might sound hokey or...

The Power of Distraction

Distraction. Good tactic or bad? (Spoiler alert: I think distraction can be an excellent coping mechanism when not overdone.) Distraction...

Are All School Shooters Mentally Ill?

OK, on this topic, I will get on my soapbox. NO. The answer is NO. Here is where assumptions and presumptions come up fantastically...

Physical Pain & Mental Wellness

There is an inextricable link between physical pain and compromised mental health. I am intimately familiar with this link, having had...

Boundaries: What We Need, You and I

Is it wrong to express our needs? No more than it’s wrong to feel our feelings (more on this in my next blog post). It can be tricky —...

Mental Self Defense (aka Coping Skills)

So you’re suicidal. What next? Here is where I will dig deep for the skills I have learned to cope with suicidality (I’m digging deep...

The whys of suicide

There's a particular curiosity about suicide - people always want to know why. Why would someone want to take their own life? I don't...

But they "had everything."

Stephen "tWitch" Boss's death by suicide has captivated the American public. The comments have ranged from compassionate to utterly...

It’s the holidays – again.

So, it’s that time of the year again. This year, I won’t let Aunt Edna bother me when she asks why I’m not remarried. I won’t put up with...

Forgiveness Part Two: Forgiving the Self

So, what do I mean by forgiving the self? Am I saying that you need to forgive yourself when I just posted a blog post that says you do...

Forgiveness

Arguably my least favorite topic: the whole subject of forgiveness is a thorny quagmire for me. “They,” say that one must forgive – that...

Stigma: Part 2

So, I get asked from time to time if I feel stigmatized for having a mental illness. (Well, DUH.) Note: I said "for having a mental...

Stigma: The Deafening Sound of Silence

Journeys aren't sprints; they're marathons. Managing the Beast that is suicidality is not for the faint of heart. Instead, it is a...

Home: Blog2

ABOUT ME

So, most people start an “About the Author” by dutifully reciting their education credentials. If you're curious about said details, I have an undergraduate degree in English and history as well as a Juris Doctorate, both from the University of Michigan, both in the ’90s.


But the nitty-gritty, important – and dare I say relevant – stats are 100 and 200, 15 and 2.


What??


Let me explain. This blog is (mostly) about suicide resilience, and those numbers mean something to me; they stand for my struggles, my efforts to improve (or at times to salvage) my mental health.

100: The number of times I have been hospitalized.

200: The number of different psychotropic medications I have been prescribed.

15: The number of times I have undergone electroconvulsive therapy sessions (not including the dozens of Transcranial Magnetic Therapy treatments).

2: The number of times I attempted to end my life.


I am no expert in anything but my own experience, and it is my hope that you gain something by reading about my struggles, my failures, and, yes, my successes. Because the Beast that is suicidality must be beaten back, put in its cage – only then can you really start to live.

LAA Bits leaves_edited.jpg
Home: About

SAY HELLO!

Need support on your journey or just want to say, "Hello?"
Let's keep in touch!

Thanks for submitting!

Home: Contact
bottom of page