A different path

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After taking the last week to think through ideas of what I would write about, I realized that the purpose of my blog was off target. Although I do value learning and intelligence, I struggle more on a day to day basis with my mental health, specifically depression. I could talk about exercise and a healthy diet in regards to mental sharpness and other brain capabilities. However, it would be much more relevant to share my experiences in diet and exercise and how they relate to depression. I realize that everyone experiences life a little differently and so my struggles with depression might not be exactly like someone else’s. But I am hoping that a couple of topics in which I write about will be relatable and that someone may feel a little better by trying out an idea or two.

I am by no means a psychologist or doctor. Although I have my Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science, I graduated 10 years ago. A lot of that knowledge is outdated and forgotten. Most of my ideas come from reading books, online articles and from my own personal experiences. I have been struggling with depression for the last 7 to 8 years and have tried many different things to help me feel better all with varying degrees of success. I’d like to share some of the tips that helped me the most and also share some ideas to avoid.

In a way, my ‘Bright Habits’ name is still relevant but from a different perspective. Instead of bright referring to intelligence, I will be referring to bright as lively. In my search to help myself feel better, I am also searching for how to best live my life. How do we make the most of the time we have and how do we keep ourselves motivated to live life to it’s fullest? These are some of the questions I spend way too much time dwelling over. Although everyone struggles with these all too human questions, I hope to bring some ideas with my unique perspectives. For those struggling with depression, the question sometimes is not how to live life to the fullest but why get out of bed in the morning?

I feel as though I found my most authentic voice talking about mental health and all the different factors that effect it. And since this is a blog, I am hoping to get some type of catharsis from writing through my experiences whether anyone reads these or not. If read though, I hope that some of you find useful ideas or references that help you in your path to wellness.

Introduction

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Hi! Welcome to my blog, bright habits. My goal is to help you learn a little more about what you can do to keep your brain healthy and sharp for as many years as possible. Taking care of your mind is one of the best ways to stay lively, intelligent and radiant.

For now my goal is to publish one of three different types of posts weekly. The first type will be purely advice and tips on why you should do certain things or have certain habits to keep you sharp. I’ll use references as much as possible so you can check out some of the books I learn from if you’d like to learn more about a specific topic or dive deeper.

My second type of post will be more personal. How have I implemented some of my own advice into my life? What has worked or hasn’t worked for me? This might branch out to all portions of wellness to include diet, exercise, and philosophy. Ironically I am not very good at staying disciplined in doing something daily and long enough for it to become a habit. So in one sense, my goal is to persuade you to incorporate some of these actions into your life. If it doesn’t become a habit that’s OK. As long as you are taking small steps forward you’ll be keeping your brain sharp and moving in a positive direction.

My last type of post will actually be my first piece of advice for this weekend. Learn something new! I love learning and I think curiosity is vital to a smart mind and the foundation of this entire blog to begin with. Without curiosity you wouldn’t be here learning new things online. Some of my posts will be about something fun or interesting that I learned that I’d like to share. I read a lot and listen to podcasts so there’s always an array of interesting topics to choose from. One of the few habits that I am actually good at doing daily is reading. I like to read fiction but more recently have been reading a lot more non-fiction. I’ve also read an inordinate amount of self-help books. I try to solve all of my problems through books and since life isn’t exactly solvable, I’ll be reading self-help books for a long time!

I know that time is precious so I will do my best to keep my tips and advice succinct and to the point. Thank you for visiting my site and I hope that you find something helpful or learn something new.

“Curiosity is one of the great secrets of happiness.”

Bryant H. McGill