HOW TO SURVIVE A LAPSE IN YOUR MEDS
This is comedy from someone with lived experience, not medical advice. Some of it's real and some of it is a joke. If you don't know which is which, please reach out to Denise (see below).

1. Call your psychiatrist before you become your own psychiatrist.
You may suddenly have a lot of fascinating theories about whether you ever needed medication in the first place, i.e. "Why would I need medication? I feel fantastic!" I  hate to be the one to tell you, but the reason you might be feeling fantastic is -- you guessed it -- the medication. Feel free to write down your very cool findings about not needing medication before you crash out (preferably in one of those cool leatherbound journals so it feels like you're the dad from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) if you need to scratch that itch to feel like a sexy little detective. After that, contact someone who went to medical school.

2. DO NOT freestyle the dosage.
Some medications need to be slowly titrated back up after a lapse. Your brain is not a Long Island Ice Tea made in a frat house. You cannot just eyeball it. Stick to the strict and assigned dosage. If you do need to make taking medication a little more spicy and fun, I'd suggest tossing them into your mouth like peanuts or playing jacks with them first!

3. No major life decisions
Quit your job! Buy property in Lisbon! Tell your high school crush you're still thinking about them and there might be a chance! << are all very cool thoughts! Write them down, maybe even in that same leather-bound journal I mentioned before. If it's still a good idea after a month of regular medication, then by all means, give Jonathan B a call and fire up the Portuguese equivalent of Zillow (which apparently is Idealista Portugal. Not a joke, just sharing knowledge.)

4. Let Denise know. 
We've all got that super responsible friend. Ideally, this person is a Capricorn or a Taurus with a cute, trustworthy name like Denise. We all have a Denise! If you don't have a Denise, get one ASAP! That way, if (when) you start getting that itch for Lisbon and/or Jonathan B, SIMPLY TELL DENISE. It doesn't have to be a whole thing -- think of it as "cc'ing for visibility."  (If you ARE Denise and receive that "hey jw is your passport still valid and what are you doing on Friday??" you now know to be on alert. A wellness check disguised as a juice run may be in order.)

5. Remember: feelings are real. Conclusions require citations.
“I feel lonely” = information!
“I will die alone and everyone secretly finds me exhausting” = an undefended PhD thesis. Put in journal -- if you're feeling creative, maybe with. fun little diagram.

6. Put your medication somewhere impossible to ignore.
Next to the sink. On your phone. Hanging on a string like the do to donuts in that game they invented because "bobbing for apples" was far too unhygienic. Or, if you're me, inside a tiny Renaissance-era pill box that Denise brought you back from Rome (she's so fucking sweet it's insane). This way, taking your medication feels less “fix me!” and more “the Duchess must receive her tincture.”

7. When you feel better, idiot-proof the system.
Auto-refill. Calendar reminder. Forehead tattoos (temporary and backwards so that you can read them in a mirror). Backup supply if your prescriber/pharmacy says that's appropriate. Make it so Future You would need to actively defeat several layers of infrastructure to accidentally run out again.
 
 
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Till next time xo Gracie