Depression Saved My Life

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17.5 million Americans suffer from clinical depression. Each year, more than 132,000 people will consider suicide as a way out of depression and over 30,000 of them will succeed. The author became a statistic of the first two categories and was miraculously saved from the third. Ironically, he was reborn to a new reality through the intervention of a terminally ill friend as he wrote his school-aged son a desperate suicide letter. The letter grew longer and longer and eventually changed course and became this book. Something tragic and sad became an inspirational story of survival and perspective. This book is a riveting first hand account of not only depression, but more importantly his journey into and out of depression. The author describes his decent and climb from depression to his son in heartbreaking detail, from his childhood in the tough streets of Philadelphia to his battle with cancer, the deaths of his sister, mother and two best friends, all in a relatively short period of time. What make this book unique are the strategically intertwined positive lessons that were learned while facing these tragic, life-altering events. These lessons, appropriately named "Life Lessons", are heartfelt loving messages from a father to his son illustrating what the author believes to be the truths of life and what is truly important to him today. Desperate to pass on these imperative messages to the most important person in his world, the author expresses his feelings on such subjects as true success, stress and pressure, love, and family.

A riveting look behind the mask of an NHL goalie, The Save of My Life offers understanding and hope to anyone living with mental illness By the time he was twenty-two years old, goaltender Corey Hirsch had realized his childhood dream of playing in the NHL, won an Olympic medal and drunk from the Stanley Cup. While he excelled on the ice, out of the net Hirsch was plagued by persistent dark thoughts and ceaseless anxiety. On days when he could barely get out of bed, he was able to push aside the endless loop of dark thoughts running inside his brain long enough to win a game. But as soon as he got back home, the agonizing cycle started all over again. And it continued, until finally he was able to confide in a team trainer who helped him get the professional treatment he needed. Diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, Hirsch was able to embark on the rocky road to recovery. As one of the first professional athletes to talk openly about mental health, Hirsch wrote about his OCD for the Players’ Tribune. His piece remains one of their most-read articles ever. As Hirsch says, “I am not insane. I am not a bad person. I am not weak. I have an illness, and there is a treatment.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17.5 million Americans suffer from clinical depression. Each year, more than 132,000 people will consider suicide as a way out of depression and over 30,000 of them will succeed. The author became a statistic of the first two categories and was miraculously saved from the third. Ironically, he was reborn to a new reality through the intervention of a terminally ill friend as he wrote his school-aged son a desperate suicide letter. Consequently, the note changed course and became this book. The author describes his decent and climb from depression to his son in heartbreaking detail, from his childhood in the tough streets of Philadelphia to his battle with cancer, the deaths of his sister, mother and two best friends, all in a relatively short period of time. What makes this book unique are the strategically intertwined positive lessons that were learned while facing these tragic, life-altering events. These lessons, appropriately named "Life Lessons", are heartfelt loving messages from a father to his son illustrating what the author believes to be the truths of life and what is truly important to him today.

What does it really mean to be depressed? You know depression as a collection of symptoms-fatigue, listlessness, feelings of worthlessness-and the source of more than a little pain. But depression is also a signal that something in your life is wrong and needs to be healed. Too often, though, we try to cut off or numb our feelings of depression instead of listening carefully to what they are telling us about our lives. Listening to Depression offers insightful ways to reframe depression as a gift that can help you transform your life for the better. Each chapter discusses a different aspect of depression as positive opportunity for growth or change. Depression can be the start of a reorientation in life, a step in the search for meaning, or a chance for letting go of hurtful aspects of the self. It can also be a chance to deal with grief and loss and learn to expand your potential. The book concludes with a section of advice about when it is important to defend against depression and how best to go about it when the need arises.

National Bestseller A Globe and Mail Best Book A National Post Best Book of the Year A passionate ode to baseball, its culture, and its community, which both celebrates and challenges the game – and reminds us why it really matters. For Stacey May Fowles, the game of baseball is one of "long pauses punctuated by tiny miracles." In this entertaining and thoughtful book, Fowles gives us a refreshingly candid and personal perspective on subjects ranging from bat flips to bandwagoners, from the romance of spring training to the politics of booing, from the necessity of taking a hard look at players' injuries and mental health issues to finding solace at the ballpark. Fowles confronts head-on the stereotype that female fans lack real knowledge about the game, and also calls out the "boys will be boys" attitude and its implications both on and off the field. She also shares her reverence for the no-hitter, her memories of going to the ballpark with her dad, and the challenges of falling in love with someone who didn't like baseball. Throughout the book, she offers exhilarating snapshots of the Toronto Blue Jays' 2015 and 2016 seasons, and gathers a selection of inspiring "baseball life advice" quotes from players and others that provide unexpected insight into how we could all live better lives. With remarkable verve, intelligence, and an unabashed enthusiasm, Fowles explores how we can use the lens of baseball to examine who we are. And in this passionate ode to the game, its culture, and its community, she reminds us that although baseball can break your heart, it will always find a way to make it whole again.

'I Had a Black Dog says with wit, insight, economy and complete understanding what other books take 300 pages to say. Brilliant and indispensable.' - Stephen Fry 'Finally, a book about depression that isn't a prescriptive self-help manual. Johnston's deftly expresses how lonely and isolating depression can be for sufferers. Poignant and humorous in equal measure.' Sunday Times There are many different breeds of Black Dog affecting millions of people from all walks of life. The Black Dog is an equal opportunity mongrel. It was Winston Churchill who popularized the phrase Black Dog to describe the bouts of depression he experienced for much of his life. Matthew Johnstone, a sufferer himself, has written and illustrated this moving and uplifting insight into what it is like to have a Black Dog as a companion and how he learned to tame it and bring it to heel.

Many of you who appear to have life under control are simply great actors. Underneath you live with inner tensions, anxiety or panic states, feelings of hopelessness or paranoia, racing thoughts, ongoing anger, bone-weary fatigue. . . . The good news is that all this is fixable. What is the best treatment for ongoing depression, mood swings, exhaustion, and anxiety? Psychotherapy? Prescription drugs? Or is there a natural way that works better and is safer, faster, and cheaper? There is, and now Joan Mathews Larson, Ph.D., the brilliant nutritionist who founded Minnesota's esteemed Health Recovery Center, offers her revolutionary formulas for healing your emotions--biochemically. Twenty years of working with both addicted and nonaddicted patients has shown Larson that unhealthy and unstable moods are the result of the chemistry of our physical brains and are not psychological in origin. When you feed your imbalanced brain what it craves--the key essential fatty acids (EFAs), natural mind-body hormones, and the right amino acids--most mood swings, depressions, anxiety, and other upsets will disappear, even if they have a genetic basis. Through proven all-natural formulas, Seven Weeks to Emotional Healing will help you find the emotional stability and well-being you've been missing your entire life. Inside you'll discover how to - Screen yourself for emotional and behavioral symptoms - Recognize the mental and physical clues that indicate biochemical imbalances - Find an open-minded health practitioner - Eat the right foods for optimal mental fitness Dr. Larson also provides her unique anti-aging formula that restores sexual function, rejuvenates the immune system, elevates mood and energy levels, reduces stress, and expands your life span! Seven Weeks to Emotional Healing is both responsible and effective--and gives you the tools you need to find lasting emotional health and contentment for the first time in your life.

In The Daily Check-In, singer and actress Michelle Williams helps readers process the emotions that cause them to feel overwhelmed and gives them powerful strategies for discovering freedom and wholeness. In her book Checking In, Michelle Williams shared the painful seasons of struggle that left her feeling like she couldn't go on. In the midst of her wrestling, she came to realize her crucial need for connection--with God, herself, and others--and developed strategies for checking in with each. Her life-giving strategies have helped her overcome the thoughts and emotions that once threatened to derail her. Now she shares those strategies with readers who are on their own journeys toward mental wholeness--and who want to discover how to be free to live an abundant life. In this sixty-day guided journal, Williams leads readers through the process of identifying the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that leave them feeling overwhelmed, unfulfilled, and alone. Through her unique blend of tender, sometimes humorous, and often thought-provoking wisdom, Williams shows readers how to overcome difficult circumstances and relationships with life-giving honesty and connection, offering powerful readings about overwhelming emotions and healing from hurt; key scriptures that emphasize the importance of checking in with God, themselves, and others; journaling prompts for personal processing; and short prayers to help readers lean on God for insight, strength, and courage on their journey toward mental wholeness.