Revisiting the blue world - support mental health

Over the weekend visited a friend who was interested in the details on my experience I'm choosing to going to a mental hospital and resulting care. For several years my depression and anxiety has been in remission. I could describe what I went through from memory; but I know you are think that way. The blue of depression has long been lifted. Particularly my all too frequent panic attacks I no longer feel.
I in particular read some of the journals from that time period and found them painful to reread. I was glad to put them down. My overall memory of the hospital and later day care treatment was positive. Learning and practicing the therapy immediately brought relief. I would fine-tune my therapy in the years ahead and practice specific techniques that were very helpful when I was sick with the flu or reading the signs of stress early enough to defuse this negative energy.
The medicine I take prevents rumination and allows my brain cells to pass on information. There are Remission is different then healing. Occasionally I feel stress and have to engage a meaningful therapy from my bag of tricks. Once in a blue moon Barb gives me cues that help.  Depression can come back, as insomnia can also. In some form so can panic attacks. But today in these last few years I am not experiencing these things. It is a little harder to recall them and that's good.

Picture of painful thinking

other skills I practice that help sleep. Living your life in a blue world or under the black dog it is completely different when you're illness is in  remission.
We still do not live in a time where we except mental-health and mental illness. Mental illness is more likely to be linked with criminal behavior and weakness we fear and cannot accept.
The majority of people with the mental illness issue are not criminal. Treatment should be accepted without proof a danger to self or others. We should expect like every part of our body problems particularly as we age. Cost for medical care is too high so we have to find ways to make healthcare affordable and here on-topic mental health.
Consider:
At age 63, 25% of us can be described as clinically depressed
CDC reports 20% of people over 55 have some sort of mental illness
WHO reports 15 % 60 or older

Reminder to have compassion on
our political leaders

At 85, 50% of us have dementia. Just recently Justice O'Conner shared her diagnosis
As we age our problems continue. You can see different numbers, but factor in the reality of loneliness in old age and I think the real numbers are higher. I believe we cope with less than perfect health mentally far more than we should.
Most insurances do not cover mental health. With Medicare I had to drop my therapist, I was close to ending therapy anyway. We should not lose rights automatically for entering mental health care voluntarily.
I was very fortunate Barb was a rock during the dark days. It is probably true I be hard to put up with on a good day, let alone a bad day. (For the record I know that is not a true statement, it just sounded funny) Keep walking

When I say we had a cool vacation, I mean cool

Barb and I took a week to do a fall color tour in West Michigan. We stayed in a bed and kitchen place one half block off Channel Lake in Pentwater and a block off Lake Michigan. There at Meers State Park it had about a mile of paved bike and walk trail to take in the wonderful views. Our time there was cold and windy, bundled up the walks were beautiful. Our trees this year are turning late and everyday there was more color.
Each day brought different trips based on the weather. Somedays

we explored Manistee National Forest, found a paved bike trail and some cool places to eat. One day we traveled up to Ludington, Michigan and went to the State Park there, great views. I was surprised by the downtown being really upbeat with several good restaurants. Another surprise was a visit to White Pine Village and reconstructed village from the past. I thought it would be a short visit but in had many things of interest to see.
Every night we continued our virtual Tour of the Holy Land with Wayne Styles, creating a retreat as well as vacation. Caping the night listening to mystery as we fell off to dream land.
We had two clear nights to star gaze. The best part of all was sleeping in and being with Barb. Keep walking