Instagram - Marisa Russello

marisarussellowrites

Bring out the champagne!! I'm now 100% certified.

Bring out the champagne!! I'm now 100% certified.

As what? You might ask. Well, after almost 3 years working as a "provisional" Peer Recovery Specialist, I now have enough hours and training to be fully NYS certified.

What the heck is a Peer Recovery Specialist? You ask.

It's a job more people should know about. In a sentence, it's someone who has experience struggling with feeling mentally well and specific training on using their personal experiences to support others in their recovery.

I work in a peer-run division of a local not-for-profit where I support individuals in improving their mental health and wellness. "Peer-run" means that everyone who works there, even my boss, has lived experience with mental health conditions. We all speak openly about our mental health and hope to empower others to live their best lives and learn to advocate for themselves.

We work with people in a variety of groups and one-on-one, in-person and online. All of our activities and programs are free and open to everyone.

✨ Is something like this available in your area? Try googling "peer support services nearby" and let me know what you find!

One person was held accountable. There was no just

One person was held accountable. There was no justice.

You can take people out of the system, but the system will continue, a system that is designed to maintain the status quo, a system that is not keeping people safe, a system that is not working.

We need to end police violence. We do not need the Justice in Policing Act. This bill would not have saved lives; it only spends more money on reforming police departments. We need to try something drastically different. We need the BREATHE Act.

We continue to criminalize Black people before they've done anything. According to the Bureau of Justice, 1 out of 17 white men will likely go to jail or prison in their lifetime compared to 1 out of 3 Black men. There are more Black men in prison now than there were slaves back in the 1850s. How can we keep treating human beings this way?

When Black lives matter, everyone's life will matter. Help make the BREATHE Act a reality.

What can you do? Link in my bio.

How much is that doggie in the window? She's no

How much is that doggie in the window?

She's no longer for sale! Meet Lucy, the newest addition to our family.

She loves to relax in the sun under the window. What kind of dog do you think she is?

How many icons do you currently have on your deskt

How many icons do you currently have on your desktop?

I recently decluttered and revamped my desktop into five categories that everything I do falls into: work, personal, to-do, writing, and important info. I did this by creating my own desktop background in Canva, an easy-to-use (and free!) graphic design site. I made each section a different size depending on how much I typically use it. Then I created folders inside each section for every possible topic I might need. Within those folders are more folders and so on.

I got this idea from Etsy where I saw people selling these desktop backgrounds from anywhere between $5-$10. I thought to myself, "What a cool idea! And what a ripoff! I could make that in 5 minutes." So I did.

I also replaced the generic blue folder icons on my desktop with "prettier" folders that have images on them. (The images correlate to the folder topics.) Those, I did buy on Etsy for $2 because it would have taken me a lot longer to create them myself.

My "To-Do" section is a great space to put documents I need to work on until they're finished, but the one thing I haven't figured out yet is how to keep an actual to-do list there. If I click over to the dashboard, there's a sticky note that allows me to type items to-do onto the screen—does anyone know how to get something like that on my desktop?

And what other organization techniques do you have?

Acknowledgements: this post was inspired by @julievickwriter 's open browser tab post.

Did you hear? 35 is the new 15. My husband and I

Did you hear? 35 is the new 15.

My husband and I tried to do a birthday photoshoot, but it's very windy and cold. I swear my hair looked really good.

Winter, you can go now. 💨

"You're too young to take so many pills!" I hea

"You're too young to take so many pills!"

I hear that a lot, even from some of my own doctors.

Although you wouldn't know it from the amount of meds I take, I am cautious about the kind of drugs and how much of them I put into my body. Unfortunately, I’ve found it’s necessary for me to take a large number of medications to keep myself alive and out of hospitals.

That said, decisions about taking medication are very personal, and there is no right or wrong choice. It’s taken me years of trial and error to find a combination of meds that work for me. Even so, there’s no perfect prescription.

Despite all the pills, monthly shots, and periodic Botox injections, I still have frequent migraines. I am often somewhat depressed, regardless of antidepressants and other psychotropic meds. If I let myself get too stressed or don’t sleep enough, I could still spiral into mania. And I always have in the back of my mind that one day this med combo could—and likely will—stop working for me.

What do people tell you you're too young or too old or too whatever for?

(P.S.- The rocks in the photo are not a secret metaphor. I was trying to be artistic.)

You didn't really think I'd let you see inside, di

You didn't really think I'd let you see inside, did you?

It's our house-iversary! One year ago we bought our first home. So far we've needed a replacement well water pump and a completely new chimney, had two roof leaks, septic issues, mice, a ladybug invasion, and I'm probably forgetting something.

We also saw a huge bear on our front lawn within a week of living here! There have been many animal visitors since.

I had no idea picking up sticks from the lawn was a thing until buying a house. So much maintenance. I think the worst chore is dusting because 4 days later, it's back again. What chore do you hate most?

And one mystery I can't solve: what do we do with all the deer poop on our grass? It's EVERYWHERE.

As we grow older, tastes change and we find oursel

As we grow older, tastes change and we find ourselves splurging on more fine art for our home.

Artwork has the power to inspire, to transform, to educate...to make us laugh at a portrait of our dead dogs.

Seriously, I crack up whenever I see this. It's the only photo of our old dogs that I can look at without getting sad.

If you want a masterpiece like this one, you can purchase it from @crownandpaw. (I don't work for them--just letting you know where I bought it!)

[Image Description: A canvas print of the famous painting American Gothic, but the people's heads are replaced with my old Chihuahuas' faces.]

You caught me red-handed... I was stealing your h

I'm freezing my butterfly out here!!! 🦋 Ice

I'm freezing my butterfly out here!!! 🦋

Ice seems to give things a fragility that makes them incredibly beautiful, almost magical.

...But I miss the sun. I'm a summer person. Are you ready for spring or still loving the snow?

[Image Description: Photo of a frosty rock garden in winter with a decorative green and blue butterfly frozen in the foreground. The next three photos are of various plants or trees in my yard covered in frost. I don't know what they are!]

One of the perks of being married to a teacher. I

One of the perks of being married to a teacher. I get presents too!

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day. I'm going to wear my red beaded necklace and eat all the chocolate we got now.

How was your Valentine's Day? Do you celebrate the holiday or think it's silly?

[Image Description: Photo of a Post-It note that says "For your wife" in a child's handwriting, which is on top of a pink, handmade Valentine's card and next to a heart-covered mechanical pencil, a red, heart-shaped stress ball with a smiley face, and a red beaded necklace. A small vase of white flowers sits beside everything.]

"Courage is not an absence of fear. Courage is fea

"Courage is not an absence of fear. Courage is fear walking." - Susan David

My biggest fears are: 1) Getting pregnant and passing on my mental health conditions; 2) Having severe injuries in a car accident but living; 3) People I love dying; 4) Being average my entire life; 5) Losing control.

Do you share any of my fears? Are yours totally different? Do you think my dog is cute?

[Image Description: Photo of my dog Goshen (who passed away last October) on a walk. He is wearing a red, white, and blue superhero costume with a silver cape flying into the air.]

I finished the first draft of my book and I cried.

I finished the first draft of my book and I cried.

This story has been tangled up in my mind for three years. Starting to write was like taking in a deep breath, but I haven't been able to release it since. Finishing that last scene, my body let go of all the tension it was holding. My thoughts have space to breathe again.

With 90,000 words done, I feel energized and ready for the next step: revision.

What's your best advice for writing a second draft? I could definitely use some tips!

WILL YOU VOTE FOR ME?? My t-shirt design was sele

WILL YOU VOTE FOR ME??

My t-shirt design was selected as a finalist in the contest for the virtual AWP conference this year!

If you're an AWP member or attending the conference, I'd love if you would consider voting for my design.

Link in my bio.
https://bit.ly/2XFG2Pj

Image Description: Picture of the earth with AWP21 in the center and lots of electronic devices (phones, tablets, computers) linking to it from different continents.

Outside my back door, fiery skies swirl in the dis

Outside my back door, fiery skies swirl in the distance.

What are you up to tonight?

I went for a walk around the neighborhood this evening. I'm thinking I need to buy one of those reflective vests with all the hills and curves in the road here.

If you respond by doing nothing, you're making a c

If you respond by doing nothing, you're making a choice.

We often forget that our voices are powerful and that a chorus of voices can change the world. Yet we remain silent.

Use your power.

Maybe you think you can't do enough, but change can come from something as simple as a conversation.

Maybe you're anxious about having to discuss difficult topics and worried you might make a mistake. Get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable. Nothing changes if no one takes a risk.

Maybe you think somebody else will step up, but what if everyone thinks that? If you feel like someone should do something, that someone is you.

Some accounts that inspire & inform me:
🔥 @i_weigh
💥 @soyouwanttotalkabout
🔥 @prisonpolicy
💥 @dearasianyouth
🔥 @_illuminatives
💥 @antiracismdaily
🔥 @trevorproject
💥 @amypoehlersmartgirls
🔥 @lgbt_history
💥 @attnwhitepeople
🔥 @womensmarch
💥 @blklivesmatter
🔥 @usowomen

Who else should I be following?

Guess who got her COVID-19 vaccine today? It's ME

Guess who got her COVID-19 vaccine today?

It's ME!!!

Who else can't wait to get theirs?

2021 is looking better already. What do you think?

Image Description: Photo of my shoulder with a bandaid where the vaccine was injected.

2020 summed up in a photo. Thanks for the inspira

2020 summed up in a photo.

Thanks for the inspiration @kerrywashington!

How was your 2020?

#ByteMe2020

Here's an #InstagramElfie of me for Christmas. H

Here's an #InstagramElfie of me for Christmas.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Pictured here working on my first writing piece, "

Pictured here working on my first writing piece, "Lesson Learned: Don't Drink Bubbles."

Yes, I drank a full bottle of bubbles and lived to tell the tale.

Perhaps I was born to be a writer...

What were you born to do? Have you always wanted to work in the career you have now?

Load More... Follow on Instagram

So important but hard to remember to do this. And I'd add: if you're comfortable, share your little successes with someone else. twitter.com/ProfAlan…

About 6 days ago from Marisa Russello (she/her)'s Twitter via Twitter Web App · reply · retweet · favorite

RT @brevitymag "If you’re putting other people under a pretty close lens, you really have no choice but to put that lens on yourself, too. " ~ Tobias Wolff

About 2 weeks ago from Marisa Russello (she/her)'s Twitter via Twitter for Android · reply · retweet · favorite

I'm getting a free audiobook from @librofm for shopping at my local bookstore! Want one too? libro.fm/ibd #IndieBookstoreDay

About 2 weeks ago from Marisa Russello (she/her)'s Twitter via Twitter Web App · reply · retweet · favorite

Check out these cool library ideas! My favorite: mini-libraries on subway cars. (article by @ajanibzl) buzzfeed.com/ajaniba…

About 2 weeks ago from Marisa Russello (she/her)'s Twitter via Twitter Web App · reply · retweet · favorite

RT @kristingourlay What if we had a memorial to every precious thing lost to habitat loss, human apathy, #ClimateChange, or all of the above that says, as this plaque does, "we knew what was happening and what was necessary to do?” twitter.com/DominicB…

About 2 weeks ago from Marisa Russello (she/her)'s Twitter via Twitter Web App · reply · retweet · favorite

RT @sandela We need to defund the police, not funnel millions more to them in the name of a man that they murdered. There is no justice in policing. The Breathe Act is what's needed. #DefundThePolice #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/S8wI…

About 3 weeks ago from Marisa Russello (she/her)'s Twitter via Twitter Web App · reply · retweet · favorite

Can't recommend this *free* class enough! twitter.com/Guerilla…

About 3 weeks ago from Marisa Russello (she/her)'s Twitter via Twitter Web App · reply · retweet · favorite

RT @brevitymag "You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke." ~ Arthur Plotnik

About 3 weeks ago from Marisa Russello (she/her)'s Twitter via Twitter for Android · reply · retweet · favorite

Follow @russellowrites