Linda M. Franks
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"Rhyme and Reason from the Rose Cottage" invites you to come along on one of the most important journeys of your life, the journey of self-exploration related to present-day mental health issues. Positive expectations you may have held for your previous journeys will be well rewarded as you experience this journey. You will be skillfully guided to dialogue with your inner-most being through the humble wit and wisdom expressed in prose and poetry by Rose, who inhabits "Rose Cottage". Rose is your dearest Granny who loves you unconditionally and, yet, is able to gently confront you when she notes your inconsistencies which you have chosen and which may impede your progress toward the goals you have set for yourself. You will learn that you are driven by the choices you make each day. Some choices we label as "good" and some choices we label as "bad". However, each choice, viewed as an opportunity to learn and grow, can become the "pearl of great price" sought so vigorously by all. What is little understood is that the secret to finding the "pearl" is our very own perspective on everyday choices and what we choose to do about the resulting dilemmas. So climb aboard, buckle up, and get ready for the journey of your life. You will be entertained, educated, challenged, and inspired by the poetry and cottage-style prose of Linda Franks.
Linda received her MEd in Education from the University of Georgia and her MA in Counseling from Augusta State University. She is a columnist for two newspapers and uses poetry and prose, "rhyme and reason", in validating mental health issues. She works with many agencies including employment firms, county mental health, half-way houses, sexual abuse centers, and domestic violence shelters. She has been employed by the public school system as a counselor and has worked with local detention centers, as well. Linda has experience in challenging court cases and enjoys the forensics aspect of her counseling. Linda speaks out on mental health issues in public forums, community centers, support groups, and local organizations. She has a thriving private practice in the quaint little town of Bowman, Georgia which she likens to a picture straight from a Norman Rockwell.
Her poetry has been published online. "Rhyme and Reason from the Rose Cottage" is her first book. Linda's primary philosophy and, thus, theory, which guides her professional practice, has to do with personal freedom and, therefore, personal choice. For Linda, the totality of our reality is shaped each day by the choices we make.
Linda makes her home in "Rose Cottage" with her husband of 39 years. She has two children and five grandchildren. She enjoys her family, her farm, and her animals which include her English Bulldog.
DEPRESSION
Most of us suffer an attack of depression at some time in our lives. It can be brought on by life situations such as separation, divorce, loss, death, or financial setback, to name a few. Some of us suffer from repeated bouts with depression. We recognize it by that blanketed cocoon-like feeling when we feel so very cut off from our friends and family. We don’t feel like communicating with ourselves, let along anyone else. So we become isolated in our depression. We would love to stay in bed all day and sometimes we do. All enjoyment of life leaves us and we are left alone in our misery. Many days are missed on our jobs because of depression and many visits are made to the doctor’s office. Our friends and family worry about us and some even tell us to “snap out of it”. But “snapping out of it” isn’t that easy.
As a matter of fact, when depression has reached a certain point, medication and therapy together are needed for our full recovery. The medication will help to get our brain chemicals back in balance and the therapy will help us to learn coping skills with our everyday problems. Depression is far less likely to return when we learn and use proper coping skills as our lifetime problems occur.
1) Using a paradigm shift, which means changing the way we look at things, can help tremendously. For instance, when someone says something hurtful to us, we can decide that they are having a hard day and really did not mean anything by it.
2) Self-Talk is also an excellent coping skill. Urging ourselves to do the right thing or talking ourselves out of doing the wrong thing is an example of good self-talk.
3) Be a positive seeker…look for the positives rather than the negatives in every situation. Every person alive has traits that we like and traits that we don’t like. Choose to focus on the good or positive points and it will change the way you see things. It can change your outlook on life.
4) Making good choices is important. We are all choice-makers. Each day we are faced with numerous choices and each day we are making these choices in either a right way or a wrong way, good decisions, or bad decisions. Then we must live with the consequences, whether good or bad. Remember this: We can’t control what others do and we can’t control a lot of what happens to us, but we can control our reaction to it.
5) Express anger in healthy ways. Blowing up or raging is not healthy and can lead to many more problems. Holding our anger in is a sure-fire way to get depressed. It has been said that depression is anger-turned-inward. Calmly state how you feel in a situation. If you are not able to do this, remove yourself from the situation until you can. Calm yourself using self-talk. Find your quiet place within.
