Ashley L. Peterson Pt 1 of 2: Let’s Talk Suicide + Podcast Ver.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1S72ltFNIr2okYXK5KfDgd?si=0d60018d18f443c2

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Mental health nurse/author Ashley L. Peterson of MentalHealthAtHome.org blogged out of Vancouver, Canada, and wrote from both a personal perspective as well as that of a medical professional. She was adamant that it’s time we remove the stigma around mental health issues, and that it’s imperative we speak openly. It’s been a year since she passed away from suicide. Here’s part 2 of this tribute to her. She posted candidly about her struggles.

If there’s even the remotest chance that you or anyone you know might be considering suicide, check out Ashley’s site. In addition, googling “suicide prevention” offers many valuable tools.

When it came to self-publishing, she found it wise to stay flexible with her listings at Amazon. On a daily basis, she experimented with keywords, especially in terms of how they worked with setting bids per clicks on ads at the amounts suggested by Amazon.

Here’s why she called herself, “a proud crazy guinea pig lady”…

“Thank Goodness For My Thera-Piggies,” by Ashley L. Peterson of MentalHealthAtHome.org

I am a crazy guinea pig lady. Crazy in more ways than one.

The most obvious, perhaps, is that I have 5 guinea pigs (3 girls and 2 boys), and I treat them like my children.

What may be less obvious is that I’m crazy in a mentally ill sense. I have depression that only partially responds to treatment, so I deal with effects of the illness every single day.

I take medication and do various other things to manage my illness, but my guinea pigs are an important part of my overall wellness.

I live alone, and my illness has made it difficult to be around other people, so I’m on my own a lot of the time – at least in terms of human contact. But I’m never actually alone when I’m at home because I have 5 very active, very vocal munchkins to keep me company.

Routine helps me manage each day, and the piggies thrive on routine. I have a rather odd sleep schedule, which they’ve adapted to quite happily. They know that when I wake up, they get fed, so as soon as they hear me start rustling around in bed, they start wheeking (an onomatopoeic word for their “feed me” noise). It’s a pretty good motivator to get my butt out of bed.

I prefer to practice mindfulness focused outwardly rather than inwardly, and my piggies are a perfect target for that. I can just gaze at them in fascination as my mind just shuts off.

More than anything, though, they need me. They’re very good at making their needs known, and they know that I can be counted on to meet them, no matter how lousy I’m feeling. Because of that, I mean the world to them. It’s definitely mutual.

Each of us is precious. Let’s talk mental health.