Funny Stuff

I've been watching some comedians and groups on YouTube lately for some laughs. I've found a few clean comedians that I'm going to suggest. Some of these comedians have a religious bent.

Studio C, Rex Havens, Thor Ramsay, Michael Jr., Thou Shalt Laugh, Sinbad, Brian Regan, Tim Hawkins, and more.

Enjoy laughing.

Suggest some of your own clean comedians in the comments. I mean clean without crude sexual references, and very little, if any, profanity.

Medical Problems as a Result of Sexual Abuse

Both genders: infertility, STDs, cancer related to STDs, genital mutilation, pain, depression, PTSD, suicide, bleeding, eating disorders, trouble with intimacy, neurological damage, etc.

Females: vaginal pain, pelvic pain, increased risk of miscarriages, pregnancy, increased infections, etc.

Links to Wikipedia articles

Child sexual abuse
Effects and Aftermath of Rape

Victims Try to Protect Others from their Abuser

Quite often, someone will place themselves in front of an abuser to protect someone else--whether it's a parent protecting his or her children, or a sibling protecting younger siblings. They think that they are protecting the innocent from being hurt.

Is that really the case? It's only a temporary solution from physical or sexual harm. The children still soak up the abuse emotionally. Children either learn to abuse, or to cower in fear. They learn to lie, to pick on others, to not stand up for themselves, etc.

These victims can't protect others from their abuser by offering themselves as bait. Abusers usually will go after other close targets. Really, a victim is only prolonging the inevitable. A promise from an abuser means nothing when it comes to protecting someone else. A victim can only trust that an abuser will most likely abuse again.

An abuser has lost all trust. They do not deserve to be trusted again. The victim can forgive, but never trust the abuser again.

The only way to protect others is to get out of the situation if the victim can. The victim can pray for help, and ask others for help. I've talked more about escaping abusers here.

Any Age or Gender

So often we view only women and small children as victims of abuse. We have to remove our blinders and not only look for stereotypes. Men and teenage boys are also victims. It doesn't matter how old or young a person is. A person may be physically strong, but not fight back.

The Obvious and Not So Obvious Bad Guys

In this world, we consider some people as the "bad guys" because of how they look. There is no stereotype that matches the bad guys.

In some cases, people say it's the white person, or black person who committed the crime. Guess what, there are criminals in every race, culture, gender, education level, and age. Conversely, there are good people in every walk of life. Someone's outward appearance does not reflect what's in their heart.

Language Change and Political Correctness

In my first linguistics college course, the professor discussed how some words take on negative meaning over time. (This is called pejoration.) Some terms for ethnicity and special needs have changed to different terms every few decades. My professor said these terms change so often because a culture hasn't changed their negative thinking toward an ethnicity, race, or someone developmentally delayed.

I've come across this when I have not used the politically correct term, and all the sudden I was under attack. I never meant harm, but I was "wrong" because I wasn't being politically correct.

Really, it's the speaker's intention that matters more than using the politically correct term. (Some terms will almost always be wrong.)

So we shouldn't jump on anyone's case if they use the wrong term innocently. Only if they mean harm. We need to work on creating positive associations for those with special needs, races and other cultures, not change the terms every few decades!

Managing Mental Illness

I've learned that managing mental health takes several approaches, each one is necessary for my success. I need to address my spiritual, emotional, and physical needs.

Medicine can help manage mental illness because it balances chemicals in the brain. I go to a psychiatrist--not a regular practitioner--to manage my medicines. Sometimes, you may not need medicine at some point, but you should only do so under the care of a psychiatrist.

Going to a counselor, or talking with someone, addresses emotional and social needs. Medicine alone will not solve all the problems. You may not need to see a counselor often, but they teach coping techniques that you can use for the rest of your life. These techniques will help even if you can't get medication.

Maintaining my physical health and exercising makes a big difference in my mood. Exercise is like a magic pill.

Group meetings can also be effective. I used to attend a local Recovery International group. I use the cognitive therapy techniques even though I no longer attend any of the free meetings.

God wants to help manage mental illness. I pray for help often. Jesus Christ also suffered my pains and understands my pain associated with my mental illness. I can access the power of his Atonement through prayer and priesthood blessings. He acts as a comforter.

God doesn't solve my problems, but he helps me cope. Otherwise, I wouldn't have empathy for others and I wouldn't grow.

Different Reasons for Depression

Over the years, I've gathered some thoughts about the different reasons for depression. It usually stems from chemical imbalances, spiritual heartache, or physical and circumstantial trials.

Physical depression is all in a person's head--the chemicals in their head. There's a physical chemical imbalance that needs to be restored. Medicine can help balance the brain's chemicals.

Some depression results from other health problems. A person with health problems may become depressed because they cannot do all that their body is supposed to.

Traumatic experiences can lead to depression. This can include fighting in a war, abuse, cancer, death of a loved one, and so on. This is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Spiritual depression can stem from several reasons. If someone sins and doesn't repent, they will feel depressed because they have lost the influence of the Holy Ghost in their life. Once that person truly repents, it should help relieve the depression. If the depression remains, the person most likely needs help to forgive themselves. Satan takes this opportunity to discourage us and make us feel worthless. I believe that not forgiving others will also lead to depression.

Perfectionism will lead to depression. This is Satan's tool to convince someone they are never good enough. God loves you no matter where you are. You have worth as a son or daughter of Heavenly Father. It doesn't matter what you look like, talk like, or anything else.

Knowing the different reasons you might be suffering from depression can help you determine what you need to do to manage the depression.

Just keep swimming :).

Do you know of other reasons someone might feel depressed?