by Cheryl Roper | Sep 19, 2019 | Mental Health, Stories
I remember telling my husband, Blake, that I’d finally accepted that he and the kids would not be better off dealing with the trauma of my death than living with my depression. I was trying to hold on despite nearly constant suicidal thoughts. I was in so much...
by Cheryl Roper | Nov 28, 2018 | Blog, Mental Health
Do you know how it feels to leave your 7-year old in the pediatric behavioral unit at a neuropsychiatric institute? I do. A Family in Crisis The day had started out typical enough. We were going through yet another rough patch with our son, but it wasn’t until dinner...
by Cheryl Roper | Sep 13, 2018 | Blog, Mental Health
My husband and I are training for a half Ironman distance triathlon. While I could list several ways that this really hard training parallels facing and enduring life’s trials, I just want to share one simple analogy for depression that I came up with the other...
by Cheryl Roper | Dec 18, 2017 | Blog, Mental Health
October is my nemesis My worst crashes and crises begin in October. My insightful husband pointed this out a few years ago. I reviewed my history and realized he was right. I’m stubborn, so I tried hard to prove him wrong going forward. But I didn’t succeed. Even this...
by Cheryl Roper | Sep 11, 2017 | Blog, Mental Health
I want to live That was a startling realization I had a few weeks ago. I want to live. I’ve spent the majority of the last 14 years battling bipolar depression. It is exhausting and demoralizing. There were ups and downs, but a few years in I realized that even...
