Nick's Nightly Notions

Silence Is No Longer an Option A little over a year from the first time my Dad ever opened up to me about his struggles with mental health was the morning I received the call my Dad would never open up to me again. This opportunity was one my two brothers never had the chance to experience. It took me to my breaking point before I ever had the opportunity to get my Dad to open up. It took two phone calls filled with inaudible sobbing over school, anxiety and lack of self-worth for me to get my Dad to open up to me about something he had dealt with throughout his life that could plague me for the rest of mine.  When I asked my Dad why he never opened up about these issues until that point in October of last year, his response was "I hoped none of you would have to deal with the problems I have had to deal with. It is like no other issue and I prayed you would not feel the pain I have felt"  That was also the last time my Dad ever opened up to me and I'll b...

Become Friends With the Devil's Advocate In today's world of the 24/7 news cycle, social media, and constant political tension; we often find quickly picking sides and fighting battles over a situation, ideology or news article we just read. As I want to discuss in a later post this is not always our fault. From our need to belong to something larger than ourselves, along with our perceptions created not only from what economic class or country we were born into; but from thousands of years of trial and error of our ancestors to attempt to understand the timeless questions of society and life itself.  Although perception and bias are not always our fault, as none of us decided which lifestyle we would be raised in, our fault lies in believing that our lifestyle is superior. Often times I watch twitter warriors fighting for whatever they believe is true and just, the second someone asks them to further justify their side, they hit the block button without a second thoug...

There is No I in Suicide Yes you read that right. Yes I understand that makes no sense. Stick with me a second and let me give you my side of the story, then tell me what you think. Often times when suicide is discussed members of the situation try to understand the why's or what ifs of the situation. An extremely natural response, almost a subconscious trigger for most. It's normal to hear or to say to ourselves, " I can't understand why they would ever do that, they had such a good life", "If I were in that situation I would just get out of it", " I wish I was there, maybe I  could have done something".  There is a couple reasons why this is such a problem but first I will deal with the most obvious and universal reasons. You can look under every mattress, stack of papers, or list of emails, you will never understand why a person would take their life. Even if you've experienced the thought yourself, it is different for every...

Subtraction By Addition All to often people overload themselves with outlandish New Year's Resolutions.  Lose 20 Pounds Read 20 books Save $10,000 this year ect. Although these are valiant goals they are often overwhelming and cause out fiery hot start to soon fizzle out. So instead of reaching at least half of our goal, we often give up and complete little to none of it.  It takes on average 21 days to form a habit. The problem with our New Year's Resolutions is the lack of structure and our often formidable numbers. To help add structure and to start 2019 not only on the right foot but down the right path. By adding a specific number of small but meaningful tasks to each week for a month; rewarding success, punishing failures and working with a partner we can create subconscious habits by the end of the month that will last through the year and longer. The best way to understand what I believe is a good way to create these habits is to look at my ...

Common Misunderstandings and Mistakes of Mental Health What a strange and confusing time we live in..... no no no, I'm not talking about our president or the fact that people still use 3 in 1 shampoo, it's time to be a little serious and talk about mental health.  Mental health is an extremely broad topic and is one I honestly know little about. I have not taken a single class pertaining to it, or done a ton of outside research. By opening myself up to others and allowing them to open up to me, I have observed and began to understand a few common misunderstanding and mistakes we make as society and individuals about mental health. 5 Things to Change Macro to Micro 1. Open Up to Others and Let Them Open Up to You        - Although I believe this is a macrocosm problem of society this is also a challenge to each individual. Especially males, I know that we have to be manly and as Bill Burr in F is for Family says "stuff it down". Trust me when y...

Why the fuck is Nick Blogging?? Before I begin to blog I want to get a few things out about, why I am doing this, what to expect and why or why not to read. There is a couple reasons I wanted to start blogging, First I like to think I am a pretty humorous guy and if I can put a smile on one person's face it will be worth it. Secondly I love nothing more than engaging in meaningful conversation or debate, when I put an idea out I want people to challenge my ideas and vice versa. Finally I believe it will be a great way to help myself. Being able to hold myself accountable for goals/plans, or talk about difficulties in life that I as part of the silent majority deal with.  To be completely honest I do not know if I will ever blog again or if I will ever post this original blog anywhere. What I can tell you to expect is the unexpected, I want to allow all different sides of my personality and interests to show. I want to focus on satirical and comical blogs, mental health, an...