Today sucks...

My day has been rotten thing after another with only one bit of good news.  I'm feeling negative, I'm feeling irritable, I have a head ache, I hate everyone and every thing....

What do we do in this situation?  Practice Positivity!  Normally I would punch anyone in the face for saying this to me.  But I've found it works slightly.  If I just go back and find the little things that were good, then I can get through the rest of the day.  Ready?  Here goes...

• Luke got me a whole slew of chocolate pudding cups.
• It's my sister's birthday and the kids' message in her voicemail of them singing "Happy Birthday" made her smile.
• My mom is coming back from Florida today.  Somehow her being back in Michigan makes everything better.
• Someone asked me about the "LOVE" on my wrist today so I got the opportunity to tell them about TWLOHA.
• I just got $8 added to my PayPal account from a client.
• I got permission to use the local orchard for a family photo shoot next week.
• Ernie is giving me puppy dog eyes.
• I heard a song on the radio that I really liked.
• My new computer mouse came in the mail today and it glows.
• Julie (the therapist) told me she was proud of me even though I felt like a complete failure last week.
• How I Met Your Mother is on tonight, plus Two Broke Girls which I am strangely enjoying quite a bit.
• I booked a senior picture shoot, a newborn shoot, and a family shoot today.
• I have a Kit Kat on my desk right now staring at me.

Did it help?  Yes, my chest doesn't feel so tight, I'm not grinding my teeth, my eyes aren't squinty anymore, and I feel like I can get through the next 7ish hours of the day before I crash in my nice warm bed.

Wanna do it too?  Join me...  All you have to do is look back on your current situation and find the little things that are positive.  It should pull you up out of the negative the slightest bit to help you get through your day.  Add the button below (just copy and paste the code into the html part of your post) so that others join in too!  Feel free to post a link to your page here and view others' so we can all support each other. :-)

<center><a href="http://thepeartattoo.blogspot.com/search/label/practice%20positivity"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhO_ywJo41iwCumgw0Z62GuCQu3rLjQN1h9Fs4vDgrMyvrUQmYjnTynhAtczhu9_9Cf-YXNkVgDdYGgbG2aXeSP8U3x0nmw53F8HHattMgL6fhGE7Bklcpqb7IA7Nzpjn_KPSDFjkbsA/s1600/practice+positivity.jpg"/></a></center>

Write "LOVE" on your arm...

Many of you have already seen me mention this on Facebook at least 3 times this morning, but it means a lot to me.  Today is To Write Love On Her Arms day.  What does that mean?

• 121 million people worldwide suffer from depression.  (World Health Organization)
• 2/3 of those suffering from depression never seek treatment.
• Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers. (NIMH)
• Depression is NOT discriminate among age, race, gender or class.
• Untreated depression can sometimes lead to self-injury.  Self-injury is also termed self-mutilation, self-harm, or self-abuse.  It can be defined as the deliberate, repetitive, impulsive, non-lethal harming of one's self.
• About 4% of the population has struggled with self-injury.
• The World Health Organizations (WHO) estimates that each year approximately one million people die from suicide, which represents a global mortality rate of 16 people per 100,000 or one death every 40 seconds.
• Mental health disorders are associated with 90% of all cases of suicide.
• Overall, suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in the US, and the third leading cause of death among young people ages 15-24

Show your support and love to those with mental illness.  If you are reading this, you do, in fact, know and love someone with a mental illness!  (ME!)  Write the word "LOVE" on your arm today (and any other day you choose) to symbolically show your support of those in need.

Prevention is possible!  Help those in need seek treatment, show love and support, erase stigma, DO SOMETHING!