These posts are from the 2014 Write 31 Days challenge in October of that year. It was my first year to embark on the challenge, so of course, I chose what is probably the most challenging thing for me to write about -- my personal experience with depression. I also wrote it while still in the midst of the depressive episode that is chronicled in the series. You may notice as you read, that it sort of began in one way, but eventually developed into a sort of personal narrative. It stumbled along, but in the end, it wound up being something that was personally helpful for me to write and that convinced me that one of the things God has called me to do with my life is educate others about mental illness and advocate for better mental health care in our society.
I invite you to read this series and pray that you will find something in it which gives you a better understanding of mental illness, how it affects those who struggle with it and their families, and the state of mental health care in our country.
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Note: The entries with asterisks in front of them are extra content and have been labelled as such.
Day Two: The Beginning
****Day Two (extra content): A Little Plug for a Fellow Blogger
Day Three: Fighting Back and Falling
****Day Three (extra content) -- Five Minute Friday: New
Day Four: Symptomatic
Day Five: No Tears
Day Six: After These Messages, We'll Be Right Back...(a little break)
Day Seven: Of Water, Wine, and Siren Songs (part 1)
****Day Seven (extra content): A Mindful Drive Home
Day Eight: Of Water, Wine, and Siren Songs (part 2)
Day Nine: Of Water, Wine, and Siren Songs (part 3a)
(part 3b)
(part 3c)
Day Ten: Just Breathe
****Day Ten (extra content) -- Five Minute Friday: Care
Day Eleven: Breaking the Dam
Day Twelve: Barbecue, Holy Oils, and Big Books...Oh My!
Day Thirteen (part 1): Torn
(part 2): A Leap of Faith
Day Fourteen: Down the Rabbit Hole
Day Fifteen: Poetry, Music, and Yummies!
Day Sixteen: Flood
Day Seventeen (part 1): Early Morning Blurred Lines
(part 2): Rules and A Visit
****Day Seventeen (extra content) -- Five Minute Friday: Long
Day Eighteen: Playing the Game
Day Nineteen: Dearest Gray
Day Twenty: Home Again
Day Twenty-one: Owning My Anger
Day Twenty-two: Old Face, New Place, Same Old Struggle
Day Twenty-three (a bit late): Rating My Depression
Day Twenty-four (a bit late): Patterns and a Fever Induced Delirium
**** Day Twenty-four (extra content) -- Five Minute Friday: Dare
Day Twenty-five: A Cord of Three Strands
Day Twenty-six: Poetic Musings on Depression
Day Twenty-seven: Fighting to Leave and Stay
Day Twenty-eight: Adrenaline
Day Twenty-nine: Night of Silence
Day Thirty (part 1): Swingin' and Swayin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas and part 2
Day Thirty-one: We've Done the Impossible...
****Day Thirty-one (extra content) -- Five Minute Friday: Leave
