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Struck by LivingFrom Depression to Hope
About Struck by Living
In Struck by Living, Julie Hersh picks apart the irony of her life with humor and brutal honesty. Despite at the time having a loving husband, healthy children, financial security, Julie attempted suicide three times. With the help of ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), Julie broke the deadly course of her disorder. Now well, Julie promotes the importance of mental wellness with collaborations with other artists and organizations.
Julie Hersh is an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness and author of the book Struck by Living: From Depression to Hope. Ms. Hersh revealed her story in her book to dispel myths about depression and to open the conversation about mental health. Julie actively promotes mental wellness using her Common SENSE wellness lists. These lists are available under the Resources tab on this website.
Blog
The Road to Imagination
In 2003, when my son Daniel was an elementary student at St. Mark’s School of Texas, a few of us moms got the bright idea of bringing Gregory Warmack aka “Mr. Imagination,” aka Mr. I to St Mark’s School of Texas. We felt this unique artist might inspire our young sons to explore art. Not wanting our daughter Rachel to miss out, I expanded Mr. Imagination’s Dallas tour to include Alcuin Montessori School (then called St. Alcuin’s). I worked furiously on this project, enamored with Mr. I’s work and...What to Say When Suicide Happens
Last spring, The Wall Street Journal published an article that confirmed the experience I'd had in the past 10 years since publishing my book, Struck by Living. One might expect that more suicides occur in the dark days of December, or over the holidays when familial tensions push people over the edge. My phone routinely rings off the hook in March and April with calls regarding suicide attempts or hospitalized family members. April was the month of my first suicide attempt. TS Elliot wrote "April is the cruelest month." So, in my gut, it feels like life gets far...Wellness - Never Perfect, Always in Process
Last Friday marked one year since my last ECT (electroconvulsive therapy). A year later, no medication, I'm relishing a period of wellness. I soak in every sunset, sunrise, moment of laughter, hug, hike, art exhibition, play or good meal that I can. Kahlil Gibran said this of joy and sorrow: "is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?" Ah yes, you can count on that. Those of us who appear joyful have built the vessel of ourselves with the pain of living deeply. One does not come without the other. Survival...