Showing posts with label ani difranco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ani difranco. Show all posts

Friday, May 4, 2012

Advice from Ani

 I often use music as something to heal myself, or at least relate to during times of depression. One of my FAVORITE "angry chick" music (as my ex called it) comes from Ani Defranco. Lately, I have been needing some extra strength in dealing with my family, and out of nowhere Joyful Girl popped into my head. So I thought I'd share, via my blog, some Ani songs that are speaking to me right now.

Joyful Girl

"Joyful Girl"

i do it for the joy it brings
because i'm a joyful girl
because the world owes me nothing
and we owe each other the world
i do it because it's the least i can do
i do it because i learned it from you
i do it just because i want to
because I want to

everything i do is judged
and they mostly get it wrong
but oh well
'cuz the bathroom mirror has not budged
and the woman who lives there can tell
the truth from the stuff that they say
and she looks me in the eye
and says would you prefer the easy way?
no, well o.k. then
don't cry

and i wonder if everything i do
i do instead
of something i want to do more
the question fills my head
i know that there's no grand plan here
this is just the way it goes
and when everything else seems unclear
i guess at least i know

i do it for the joy it brings...

Present Infant

"Present/Infant"
Lately I've been glaring into mirrors picking myself apart
You'd think at my age I'd thought of something better to do
Than making insecurity into a full time job
Making insecurity into an art

And I fear my life will be over
And I will have never lived in unfettered
Always glaring into mirrors
Mad, I don't look better

But now here is this tiny baby
And they say she looks just like me
And she is smiling at me with that present infant glee
Yes, and I would defend to the ends of the earth
Her perfect right to be, be, be, be

So I'm beginning to see some problems
With the ongoing work of my mind
And I've got myself a new mantra
It says don't forget to have a good time
Don't let the sellers of stuff power enough to rob you of your grace

Love is all over the place
There's nothing wrong with your face
Love is all over the place
There's nothing wrong with your face
 
 
"Angry Anymore"
growing up it was just me and my mom
against the world
and all my sympathies were with her
when i was a little girl
but now i've seen both my parents
play out the hands they were dealt
and as each year goes by
i know more about how my father must have felt

i just want you to understand
that i know what all the fighting was for
and i just want you to understand
that i'm not angry anymore
i'm not angry anymore

she taught me how to wage a cold war
with quiet charm
but i just want to walk
through my life unarmed
to accept and just get by
like my father learned to do
but without all the acceptance and getting by
that got my father through

night falls like people into love
we generate our own light
to compensate
for the lack of light from above
every time we fight
a cold wind blows our way

but we learn like the trees
how to bend
how to sway and say

i, i think i understand
what all this fighting is for
and baby, i just want you to understand
that i'm not angry anymore
no, i'm not angry anymore

Monday, September 5, 2011

I am OK With My Elepant



Ok this one is shaping up to be a long one, but I feel like there are some important things things to talk about here. I hope I am able to pull it all thogether and have it make sense (especially since my head is a little fuzzy and I have a dog in my lap and a kid hanging on me and several texts from Chuck, all as I try too&amp;nbsp; write.)&lt;/p&gt;<br>
&lt;p&gt;Lately, I have been thinking a lot about mental health labels and public awareness&amp;nbsp; campains and how they affect empowerment. As a modern society we have come a long way in recognizing mental illness, diagnosing, and treating it. People are more in formed, more aware, and have more access to information on all subjects than ever before, but is all that information helping or hurting us? Below are two lists of symptoms of depression I found from credible sources online.&lt;/p&gt;<br>
&lt;p&gt;Symptoms of depression as reported be WebMD.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, symptoms of depression may include the following: &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions fatigue and decreased energy feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping irritability, &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
restlessness loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
overeating or appetite loss persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Symptoms of depression as reported by The Mayo Clinc.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Depression symptoms include: &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Feelings of sadness or unhappiness &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Irritability or frustration, even over small matters&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Reduced sex drive &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Insomnia or excessive sleeping &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Changes in appetite &amp;amp;#8212;depression often causes decreased appetite and weight loss, but in some people it causes increased cravings for food and weight gain &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Agitation or restlessness &amp;amp;#8212;for example, pacing, hand-wringing or an inability to sit still &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Indecisiveness, distractibility and decreased concentration &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Fatigue, tiredness and loss of energy &amp;amp;#8212;even small tasks may seem to require a lot of effort &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself when things aren't going right &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Frequent thoughts of death, dying or suicide &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Crying spells for no apparent reason &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;<br>
&lt;p&gt;And here is a tidbit about how clinical depression, as an illness, affects the work place. 213 million lost work days due to clinical depression, accourding to this articles that quotes a 1994 study.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br&gt;<br>
&amp;lt;a href="http://http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/A-Ar/Absenteeism.html"&amp;gt;http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/A-Ar/Absenteeism.html&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;<br>
&lt;p&gt;While I recognize the need for the public to know and understand this information, I can't help but wonder if it isn't all just promoting the stereotype that depression makes you lazy, unreliable, disabled in some way. As though people who suffer from depression or other mental illness just put an extra burden on the work place, on society as a whole. Instead of helping people to understand how serious and real mental illness is, are people inturpreting it all as the mentally ill are just less capable? &lt;/p&gt;<br>
&lt;p&gt;Some times I'll ask Chuck things like, "Are we earthy crunchy parents?" "Do you think we are the weird liberal neighbors?" He always responds with "I reject all labels." Ok, well, that's great but what if your label is an actual diagnosis? No employer would look at some one with...say...high blood pressure and decide that made them unfit for their job, unless of course it is a job requiring top physical health for safety, but even then if it is controled by meds... However, if an employer was looking at two equal resumes, and (yes I know its illegal but I am trying to make a point) one applicant has high blood pressure and the other is biopolar...most people would assume the person with high blood pressure is more stable, more capable of doing a job under high stress, more reliable. </p>
<p>Often just getting a diagnosis of being mentally ill can make one feel less empowered. I know many times I have though of myself as "crazy" and Chuck hides his ADD from most people because he feels like they will judge him. Yet we are both fully capable of functioning. We are responsible parents, workers, pet owners and friends. We have a "normal" life, where frankly most people who know us do not know we both have a major mental health diagnosis, let alone more than one condition. We take our meds, go to therapy, go to our psych doc, and live our lives. It seems that those arround us are more affected by knowing our diagnosis than we are. My parents seems to think I need to be taken care of, watched over. They are constantly worried that Chuck has too much baggage to "take care of me and my daughter" but I am not asking him to take care of us. I am taking care of us. My sister is constantly reminding me of how capable I am, and how I shouldn't let anyone tell me I am thisa thing or that thing. But what if I am THAT THING? I do suffer from depression. I accept that. Does that make me any less capable? HELL no! If anything it has made me stronger, more educated, more resourceful. I have a special admiration for Ani Difranco because I find strength in her lyrics. You will find I quote her often, but one of my favorites is "I don't need anyone to hold me I can hold my own" and I believe it is true, and I have been told it is true by many people (Chuck included). </p>
<p>Empowerment is an important thing. Writing this blog has made me feel empowered and validated. Music makes me feel empowered, and yoga, and meditation, and hearing other's storied of their own empowerment. In that spirt here is list of people how had a mental illness who made major contributions to our world:
Abraham Lincoln had severe deppression & suicidal thoughts.
Virginia Wolf- drark drastic mood swings
Lionel Aldridge-was schizophrenic
Eugene O'Neil a famous playwright- clinical depression
Beethoven-bipolar
VanGogh, Isaac Newton, Hemmingway, Tennessee Williams, Winston Churchill, Sylvia Plath all had mental health conditions yet all contributed to society in different, amazing ways. (The link below links to the NAMI article I got the list from) no matter what they did, clearly they are capable people, just like me.
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Helpline1&amp;amp;template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&amp;amp;ContentID=4858"&amp;gt;http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Helpline1&amp;amp;amp;template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&amp;amp;amp;ContentID=4858&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</p>