Beyond Blue

Beyond Blue

Rosie, My New Best Friend

posted by Beyond Blue

I’ve always loved Rosie O’Donnell for her courteous and tactful wit. But now I want to hang photos of this comedian all over my desk because, as a fellow depressive gone public, she has just made my job of educating the public on mental health issues so much easier.

What’s not to love about a celebrity who hangs herself upside down for 15 to 30 minutes a day to jumpstart her neurotransmitters (along with yoga and antidepressants)? Inversion therapy–hanging upside down or at an inverted angle in order to use gravity to decompress body joints–has been used to relieve back pain as early as 400 B.C. But seeing Rosie demonstrate it for her audience, reading a teleprompter from a swing, made me laugh out loud at all the ways–some quite creative–we depressive use to treat our mood disorders.

I have tried and use almost every possible technique to fight the ongoing biochemical and neurological war inside my brain–from magnets on my ears to cranial sacral therapy, from Chinese herbs to acupuncture, from yoga to running, from fish oil to cognitive-behavioral therapy, from a protein diet to meditation tapes, from 12-step groups to gratitude lists–but I don’t think I’d hang upside down in front of a camera. Because, with my luck, something embarrassing would spill out of my pockets (like the time a priest gave me a ride to the train station, and a penis straw from the bachelorette party the night before fell out of my purse with the train schedule.

Rosie gets added to my growing list of mental-health heroes: Art Buchwald, Robin Williams, Patty Duke, Drew Barrymore, William Styron, Mike Wallace, Kay Redfield Jamison, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill.

Click here to see the video of her on YouTube. It’ll give you a smile.



Previous Posts

The 8 Best Spiritual Sound Bites of Graduation Advice
I can't remember all the speeches at my commencement ceremony. But I do remember looking up on the stage to see my best friend, the valedictorian of our class, sitting there among all the luminaries, and wondering how in the world she did that when English was her second language. It still blows me

posted 6:00:46am May. 22, 2012 | read full post »

Struggle With, Not Victory Over
It’s tempting for anyone who writes about depression and anxiety to preach from hindsight, after he has “recovered” from his mood disorder: “This is what I did to free myself from addiction” … “Here are five steps to instant weight loss” … “These are eight techniques to cure anxi

posted 6:18:15am May. 21, 2012 | read full post »

Ring the Bells That Still Can Ring
Last year this time I delivered the Commencement address to my alma mater, Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. Since it is graduation season, I thought I'd repost it. Thank you, President Mooney. And thank you to all the professors and staff of Saint Mary’s, especially those who have c

posted 6:13:58am May. 17, 2012 | read full post »

Label Me, Please
For a long while I was afraid to write things such as "I am mentally ill" or "I am bipolar." I was afraid of labels. By calling myself a manic-depressive would I trap my psyche in "sick" mode? By accepting my diagnosis of bipolar disorder, would I prevent healing? By writing the words "I am menta

posted 6:00:59am May. 15, 2012 | read full post »

In Sickness and In Health
"On Wednesday, I will leave my husband of twelve years. He is a depressive. He uses prescribed medication and has available to him a phalanx of good therapists. But he also self-medicates with alcohol. He disdains therapy. He refuses to confront his disease."She communicated this partly as a respons

posted 6:00:56am May. 15, 2012 | read full post »

Advertisement
Comments read comments(6)
post a comment
Anonymous Also

posted March 14, 2007 at 3:33 am


Is there a medical or social malady that this woman DOESN’T have??(Rosie, I mean — sorry.) For God’s sakes, this woman need to get over herself.



report abuse
 

Kwind

posted March 14, 2007 at 4:10 pm


Rosie is amazingly honest and wonderful. No matter what anyone says, she is a hero in my book.



report abuse
 

Anon for reasons

posted March 14, 2007 at 4:42 pm


I love Rosie. She cracks me up. She is a breath of fresh air compared to everyone else on TV who looks and acts like a Barbie doll.



report abuse
 

Christina

posted March 15, 2007 at 8:11 pm


You go Rosie, You definiely are a breath of fresh air, thank-you for being you, your honesty, forthrighteous, your compassion, and your laughter, again, thank-you. peace-out, christina, may you all be blessed.



report abuse
 

Missy

posted March 18, 2007 at 4:54 am


Give me a break, Rosie is one of the most annoying people on television. I used to watch the View once in a while, now I avoid it at all costs. She is so rude and crude and calls people names. That to me shows how immature she is. You can get your point across without calling people names. People that disagree politically, can do so without being so rude and ignorant to eachother.



report abuse
 

lonnie

posted June 8, 2007 at 1:49 pm


I love rosie and respect her for feeling good about how she feels!



report abuse
 

Post a Comment

By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.

Share this story


About Beliefnet

Our mission is to help people like you find, and walk, a spiritual path that will bring comfort, hope, clarity, strength, and happiness. More about Beliefnet.

Help

Media Kit

Subscribe

Legal

Copyright © Beliefnet, Inc. and/or its licensors. All rights reserved. Use of this site is subject to Terms of Service and to our Privacy Policy. Constructed by Beliefnet.

Advertisement

Report as Inappropriate

You are reporting this content because it violates the Terms of Service.

All reported content is logged for investigation.