la Belle Indifference: My thoughts of Mental Health Nursing

Mental Health Nursing Is Now Histrionic*

While taking Mental Health Nursing, I had moments where I felt as though I was a schizoid and have discovered that I have selective amnesia and that am a professional at acting like everything is just la belle indifference. It is over. Enough of these different phases of anxiety I have been experiencing! Enough of trying to figure out all of my friend's Axis I diagnoses while being in denial of my own!

Despite the challenges of memorizing psych drugs and studying in the horrifying results of sin, this class was invaluable. Therapuetic communication, crises intervention, and healing the broken hearted are lessons that I am glad to have learned. There is nothing so rewarding as to cry and pray with a patient- be there to listen and help them begin their journey with a new start to life.

*Histrionic Personality Disorder: Colorful, dramatic, extorverted behavior in excitable persons. Clinical Symptoms: Emotions fluctuate, attention-seeking, self-centered, seductive, preoccupied with own appearance, dramatic speech, vague logic, shallow, craves immediate satisfaction, somatic, suicidal gestures, and threats for attention. (in other words: ditzy drama queen)

Goin' Home

I can't wait for this!

grace and faith

Grace is not presumption.

Faith is not assumption.

I AM. YOU ARE.

YOU ARE

the

I AM

i am

because

YOU ARE

YOU ARE

so that

i can be

the

I AM

became

NOTHING

so that

I

can be

something

the

I AM

is

SOMEBODY

SOMETHING

EVERYTHING

i am

no one

nothing

unless

i let

HIM BE

my

I AM

Mom

I didn't realize how much I missed this woman...

...until I spent time with this woman.

Thank you mom for listening and talking- I miss you so much! and Mrs. King for treating me as a daughter, even though I'm not yours. It is appreciated and thoughtful for you to take time to be my friend. It is really nice having an adult parent figure at each step of my life, especially when my parents are across the United States. I am coming home soon, mom!

Cook By Sight And Not By Taste: Memories of a Red Valentines Meal

Although I feel that Valentine's Day is overly commercialized and over done, and although I am single, I still wanted to do something for Valentine's Day.

My goal was to have a red/pink themed meal. Everything red (or pink). So I set to work with my faithful sister Elisa and we came up with the following items:

Potato soup: This looked more like blended up strawberries due to the beets, red cabbage, and red onion.

Cole slaw: I am not sure why they call red cabbage, "red", because it is really purple. This cole slaw was very purple. And very tangy. mmm!

Chip Dip: I tried to get it red, but this actually turned out purple too. I looked like blueberry/blackberry sorbet. It was a pleasant surprise (for those who didin't know) that it tasted like a garlicky bean dip. This was probably one of the funnest to make of all.

Pink Bread: Well, maybe we can call it coral or salmon pink. It was SO good- compliments to Baker Elisa. She has talent.

Pink Popcorn: I bought red popcorn in hopes that it would pop into red or even better, pink fluffy clouds. If you have wondered the same thing, don't wonder any longer: it pops bright and white. Red food coloring helped it to have a pinkish hue, which was kinda fun. :)

It is amazing how the brain works. It was surprisingly difficult for some people to eat the food. You excpect a tomato flavored soup and it tastes just like potato. I don't recommend having this kind of meal for OCD people.

I usually live by the motto:

"Cook by taste and not by sight."

but I had a horrible cold and could only taste the onion and garlic (whenever I blew my nose). On this day I lived by the motto:

"Cook by sight and not by taste."

So much fun! A special thanks to Kody and Allyson for taste testing everything for me:)

I hate politics...

Precisely.

If My Orchid Was My Patient

My orchid is dying.

If it was my patient, I would talk therapeutically and help it to dwell on hope, joy, and loved ones.

If it was my patient, I would turn it at least every two hours and make sure that all the monitors are beeping just right.

If it was my patient, I would think of possible goals to accomplish and ways to reach those goals.

If it was my patient, I would give the right medications to get it up and running again.

If it was my patient, I would know what what to do.

But I don't.

There are 8 living blooms and 9 dead. I think it has a chance of survival:

I will give it hope.
I will turn it's life around.
I will help it reach it's goal.
I will give it water.

Isn't that what Jesus did for me?

Grades of Authority

In Christian Ethics class we have been studying different schools of ethics, one of which being Graded Absolutism. Graded Absolutists have some good ideas, but their are some faults in their train of thought. I prefer Grades of Authority. God is the ultimate authority, and under God are authorities such as the government, parents, etc.

Here is the newest authority figure in my life:

Supervisor Ms. Morgan

Ms. Morgan is my supervisor at my new job in Talge Hall, she is a fun lady who puts up with rowdy guys all day.

Another authority figure, although indirect, gives me a steady reminder to study Nursing notes. My friend Elise gave me a wallet-size photo of this man, which is on the cover of my binder, with the words written in a bubble beside Dr. Bietz' head: "Study hard, Emily!" So I do. I think it is the ethical thing to do.

President Dr. Bietz