HUMAN2HUMAN

FOR-PROFIT AND DIVIDENDS "Those who do not hate their own selfishness and regard themselves as more important than the rest of the world are blind because the truth lies elsewhere" ~ Blaise Pascal I was recently diagnosed as having Type 2 Diabetes. I went to the Dr. for a regular check-up to get a physical. Pretty routine stuff. He scheduled me to get labs done. I hadn't seen him in a couple years. So it made sense. Saved time so he had the baseline numbers PSA etc.. to work with. Turns out my blood sugar was through the roof - 15 when 5-6.5 A1C is an acceptable number. He said we would treat it with meds first then pursue getting the number done with diet. I thought ok. It was all new to me. I did not even realize that I was looking at diabetes until I asked him what was going on. Later after doing some research, I realized that the Dr. did not even mention exercise or what foods I should eat or other options as far as medication. I did n...

A TREATISE ON THE ART AND SCIENCE OF PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION. Bipolar I Depressive. In my early thirties that was my current situation. Finally, a name for my pain. “It’s like diabetes.” They said. “You can treat it with medication and talk therapy.” They said. “It is manageable.” They said. “You will have it for Life.” They said. They also said that I had a 1 in 5 chance of ending my own life. That is a 20% likelihood that on any given day, I will pull my own plug. That shed a lot of light, on an infinite amount of darkness. I am here, to tell you that if you are mentally ill, struggle with depression, anxiety, or addiction – if you do not – Adapt, Evolve, you will die before your time and before you know what hit you. Furthermore, if you deem yourself a stable genius the same applies. Depression will pull you down. Anxiety pushes you down. Addiction will burn you alive. Bipolar I Depressive will pull you apart, burn you alive, push you down, pull you down drown you,...

YOUR FIRST PRINCIPLE. When I feel my life is bereft of meaning or purpose I have no feeling. I feel empty. My guiding principle is to be kind, caring and compassionate.  I must be engaged with others to do better, or why bother? But, sometimes I find myself alone. The mission is to stay healthy and to be positive. Which means turning off the cable news and social media and being present. I do my best to be a good single-parent, son, brother and friend, employee, boss, or co-worker. There are a lot of challenges to deal with and balance. There are times I need to be alone to charge my batteries and other times I need to be helping someone.  “I am here to help “is my mantra. It is true – if you want to feel better, help somebody. I always do or try. However, there are times I forget to take care of myself. That North Star leads me astray and I find myself lost in the wilderness of self-doubt and I am overwhelmed by the big picture. Big dreams and big expectation...

The other day I was listening to a podcast and they were discussing mental health. The question at hand was - if mental health, or a brain disorder, is caused strictly due to a chemical imbalance? The eventually landed on the idea that it is a combination of chemical imbalance and a person's emotional state. Of course, one's emotional state has a lot of different contributing factors. If a person's emotional state is not steady or stable it tends to fluctuate. Depending on the individual or one's state may cycle rapidly i.e. a person who is Bipolar may go up and down like a roller coaster. A person who is not Neuro-divergent and who is relatively healthy - mentally wise may only have a blip or a mild disappearance throughout their day. Come what may - it is similar to the chicken and the egg paradox. If someone has troubling thoughts, that may cause them to get emotionally upset. Which inturns stirs the cauldron of neurochemistry causing one to enter a state that...

Let’s be clear about that! Seek your own council - Be your own hero, savior, knight in shining armor. Change begins within. Like the proverbial light bulb, you have to want to change. You could want to for all the right reasons. You don’t feel well, lose weight, your second wife left you for the third time, what have you. Change is good. It clears out the cobwebs. Novelty, or new stuff, is instructive. It attracts new interest. It inspires inquisitiveness. It makes the gray matter in your brain to wake up and take notice.  If anything it could prevent boredom. The Status quo is static and quite frankly - the same old same old - is death. Try something new even if it is wrong.  You don’t have to wait until you have everything you think you need or have to go out and buy all the gear and the best new bike to start riding a bike. Hell, go buy one at a yard sale, get your fat ass on the seat and ride. Seriously, when I see someone riding a bike, I can usually tell...

Sometimes through no fault of their own, some people become Mystics. From a life-altering event, a disease, a struggle beyond imagining, a death, an insight, or a dream. Whatever the case - a change happens. The determining factor is suffering. To experience and live in a state of bliss, first, you have to spend some time in hell. It either destroys you or tempers you into a strong yet flexible weapon of truth and righteousness. Those of us that are wired a little different from the rest are challenged with the rough terrain of every day due to a chemical imbalance not taking our meds, not eating or sleeping right, let alone self-medicating - life can be a real challenge. If not life-threatening. My name is Jeff Turnbull. I am a Survivor. I have battled demons and monsters all my life. It was not until later in life that I could name them - Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder- I. I did a lot of work on myself. I am here to share with you what I have learned. I do my best to...