A Way Out: A Memoir of Conquering Depression and Social Anxiety
Author: Michelle Balge
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Publication Date: February 27, 2018
Pages: 202 Pages
About the Author
Michelle Balge is a mental health advocate, web designer and animal lover. She holds an Honors BA in Sociology with a concentration in Critical Animal Studies, and will receive a Web Design Graduate Certificate in June, 2018.
Mental Illness Is Real
Michelle Balge provides a raw, unfiltered look into the world of mental illness.
She shares the thoughts that almost destroyed her. Suicidal thoughts invaded her mind and cast a dark shadow over her existence. They threatened to steal her future.
Michelle is a fighter. She will not surrender to the illness and let it control her life.
Here are some resources and techniques that helped the author battle her mental illness;
- See a doctor/therapist.
- Medication.
- Healthy eating.
- Exercise.
- Breathing techniques.
- Have a good support system.
- Volunteering or joining something that interests you where you can meet people.
- Meditation and mindfulness.
- Group therapy.
- Maintain a regular sleep schedule.
Michelle Balge learned that her mental illness can be treated and she has hope for the future.
My Thoughts
This book was difficult to read. The author's goal was to be completely transparent and share her experiences in a way that would make a difference.
Ms. Balge displayed persistence, courage and determination in her fight with depression and social anxiety during her childhood and into young adulthood. She would not allow fear to win. She set out to educate herself and find the professional help she needed to overcome and conquer the demons in her mind.
This is a very timely story in the aftermath of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. We can no longer afford to bury our heads in the sand and ignore the problem of mental illness in our society.
Ms. Balge demonstrates a tremendous amount of insight into her illness at a very young age. She will conquer her depression and social anxiety and succeed in helping herself and others.
MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5
FYI ~ I received a free digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair review.
Thank you for visiting my blog and reading this review. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or tweet me @JanetteFuller.
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Nest
Author: Esther Ehrlich
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Date: September 9, 2014
Length: 338 Pages
About the Author
Amy Ehrlich is the author of more than thirty books for young readers and is also a winner of The Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award for her novel Joyride, which was also chosen Booklist Choice Best Book of the Decade. She lives on a farm in Northern Vermont with her husband and a great many domestic and agricultural animals.
A Coming Of Age Story
Eleven-year-old Naomi Orenstein is nicknamed “Chirp” because of her love of birds and bird-watching. Her sister Rachel and her father are close, and Chirp enjoys a special bond with her mother, a former dancer. The story is set in 1972 on Cape Cod.
Chirp's mother is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (M.S.) and is severely depressed as a result of her illness. Chirp copes with her mother's illness by spending time alone with her beloved birds and befriending a neighbor boy named Joey.
This is a story about a family dealing with severe hardships. Chirp is a survivor and learns the true meaning of friendship and family.
My Thoughts
This was a very emotional book. It was written for middle school students and it deals with problems that many youngsters have probably been sheltered from. These issues included terminal illness of a parent, child abuse, running away from home and suicide.
I believe the author presented this story in a realistic and sensitive manner. This book will make readers understand and appreciate the meaning of the love and devotion of family and friends.
Chirp learned that bad things happen to good people but life goes on. The story illustrates the grieving process and the emotions that are felt by each of the family members. Love never dies.
Highly recommended for middle school students through adults.
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley.
Sally Grablick tells the heart-wrenching story of her son's suicide in "The Reason; Help and Hope for Those Who Grieve". Ms. Grablick shares the feelings she experienced in the days, months and years following her son's death. This is a story of lessons learned, tools used and insights gained while navigating the way through grief to hope.
"When it comes to grief, the real 'expert' is the one who has experienced it firsthand, and then lived to tell the tale. In this case, that would be me. (Sally Grablick)
Each person must find their own path that leads from grief to acceptance. This book is a memoir of one mother's journey.
Experiencing A Tragedy
Ryan Wecker was 19-years-old when he shot himself...in his room, in his parent's home, with a rifle. Sally Grablick tells how she went from walking five miles, five days a weeks, to sitting on her deck smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. The experience of losing her son left Ms. Grablick paralyzed both physically and emotionally.
The author has done extensive research on the subject of overcoming grief and surviving the suicide of a close family member. She is very open and honest about her experiences. She wanted to know; "Where did he go, and is he alright?"
The author believes that one tool for dealing with grief is to cultivate an openness to the presence of their loved one's spirit. She has found closure and peace by recognizing signs that her son is near her and finding ways to communicate with him.
My Thoughts
This book is a very engaging and touching read. The author is very direct in describing the heartache and pain that comes with losing a child by suicide. Ms. Grablick makes it clear that the road to recovery is very long and very hard for the entire family.
I really liked the way the author shared the "tools" that she used to deal with this tragedy. She admitted that she took antidepressant medications, sought the help of an experienced therapist and depended on friends and family for emotional support. She also shared her experiences with getting readings from psychics and fortunetellers.
I admire her determination to explore every available avenue to find closure. You might not agree with all of her methods, but you will rejoice with this mother as she finds acceptance and peace.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary digital copy of this book to read and review from the author's publicist.
Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.
On Wall Street they tell the story of a man who lost a fortune in the 1929 crash; he was reduced to his last $5,000. Panicked by what he regarded as his ill fortune, he jumped from the roof of a very high building.
In that same year, a man who had never had any money beyond the barest necessities of life won $5,000 in a lottery. He was wildly elated, and regarded himself as the luckiest of men. And he was—because he thought he was.
Each man had the same amount of money. To one, it spelled such bitter misfortune that he gave up all hope of the future. To the other, it spelled good luck in capital letters.
Most of us won't go to such extremes as the man who leaped from the roof. Nevertheless, we make our own luck— good or bad—by our mental attitudes. Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
