Mental Health Check-in June 2021

keikilove

This is a safe place for more detailed support in mental health, struggles, and successes.

U.S: National Suicide Prevention :  1-800-273-TALK [8255]

Chat option:   https://chat.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/GetHelp/LifelineChat.aspx

Link to Canadian Resources:  https://suicideprevention.ca/need-help/

This is a safe space for discussing your mental health. Whereas general stress and issues are often discussed in Rants/Raves of the Dailies, this place is for a more focused discussion of the impact of mental health.  Members are encouraged to use thoughtfulness and depth to examine feelings, barriers, and useful supports. 

This post can be replied to at any time during the month. Not limited to those with a mental health diagnosis, but please be sensitive to others. We will attempt to be as flame-free as possible!

Feel free to share, vent, or support other members on this thread. Share a picture/gif that expresses how you feel or provides some comfort. 

If you need help getting started, consider filling out the form below:

Mental Health Diagnosis (if you have been) or What brings you to this thread today?:

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/TTA):

Where are you in your mental health journey? (in treatment, looking for support, on meds, in counseling, having a rough day, etc.)

How are you feeling?

inthewoods23

Mental Health Diagnosis (if you have been) or What brings you to this thread today?: anxiety, depression, my mom rudely text messaging the whole family yesterday that my cousin is KU just destroying my day

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/TTA): TWW

Where are you in your mental health journey? (in treatment, looking for support, on meds, in counseling, having a rough day, etc.) On meds and in counseling. Yesterday was rough too. It was immediately better when DH got home from work. Now I gotta get through today home alone.

How are you feeling? I struggled all afternoon yesterday. I just didn't want to work. Today is.... better? Idk, I have this habit of purposely making myself cry to make myself feel better. I have VERY strong emotions. It's my personality to feel very deeply so sometimes I gotta have that hardcore crying, bawling my eyes out with tears to put myself back in a good state. You know that TikTok of the cat pawing at the air after the dog died a few hours prior and someone animates it? Yeah I found the full song and bawled like a baby before and in the shower this morning. Probably going to listen to it constantly today because that's how I do lol

awello

@inthewood23 I'm sorry your mom did that. I hate when my mom blabs other people's business from the family or gets mad at me when I don't tell her my sister's business that I hear from my brother-in-law (who I work with). I hope you do something nice for yourself.

Mental Health Diagnosis (if you have been) or What brings you to this thread today?: OCD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Bipolar I Disorder with Psychosis

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/TTA): TWW

Where are you in your mental health journey? (in treatment, looking for support, on meds, in counseling, having a rough day, etc.) I had my last shock therapy treatment (not looking to start a debate on ECT or anything) on March 12th. On meds and in counseling.

How are you feeling? I'm glad I stopped the ECT. I've been doing pretty well since then, only a few minor episodes, so I'm hopeful that I'm heading into a euthymic period. My current psychiatrist left the office I go to, no clue where she went. Just got a phone call the other day that they had to reschedule me with a new psychiatrist, so that makes me kind of nervous.

daisy0322

Mental Health Diagnosis (if you have been) or What brings you to this thread today?:

Anxiety, Depression, CPTSD

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/TTA):

Just uhhh... HIO because we don’t know 

Where are you in your mental health journey? (in treatment, looking for support, on meds, in counseling, having a rough day, etc.)

Im doing pretty good right now I have data but generally in a good place. I’ve been doing therapy once a week for 4 years now. I’m kinda a pro 😂  I’m off meds right now seeing how I do with that

How are you feeling?

Not bad earlier this week I was frustrated and upset but it is usually triggered by PTSD and I chose something less upsetting to obsess over. 

What’s been helping lately?

therapy, talking about how I’m actually feeling with people here and my husband, exercise, taking time for myself. 

 @inthewoods23 I’m sorry you’re having a rough patch, family baby announcements are hard on me too sometimes. I’m glad you are taking care of your self! I hope you get to relax some this weekend and get in a good headspace 

daisy0322

@awello I don’t blame you new therapist would make me nervous too. Hopefully you like this one and they are good though! 

inthewoods23

@awello my mom is fully aware of our struggles too and has never done this. Although she likely did since it's my dad's side and we don't have a big family group chat with them or anything so news about that side would come through my mom. My BIL said some kind of "that's great news" message then immediately switched topics to my sister with her box of tissues due to her allergies. We swear she keeps the tissue companies in business haha. Were your symptoms pretty severe then doing ECT? That's great that you've been doing well without it. I know this isn't at all how it works, but I remember learning about it and hoping maybe someday they could fry the part of my brain that handled emotions so I could feel none. I had some pretty dark thoughts as a teen/college student . I still kind of do, but a lot of it now is getting those feelings to pass. 

@daisy0322 once a week? I can't imagine going that often.

daisy0322

@inthewoods23 I find it really helps. I don’t want to get into a lot of details but basically my CPTSD was controlling my life and I made choices in reaction to that for most my life. So I also do a lot of intentional decision making and goal setting as well as processing and talk therapy. 

rachelredhead

Mental Health Diagnosis (if you have been) or What brings you to this thread today?: Anxiety, history of bulimia and disordered eating

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/TTA): WTO 

Where are you in your mental health journey? (in treatment, looking for support, on meds, in counseling, having a rough day, etc.) meds, need to find a new therapist with food issue specialty

How are you feeling? Ok. I’m feeling some latent eating issues pop up because I’m switching to a Mediterranean/anti-inflammatory diet to support fertility. I’m not bingeing or purging or anything, just feel myself getting into some negative mental messages around my food choices. I was doing talk therapy for years but really lapsed with it during Covid. I feel like my therapy sessions lost their oomph and I need to make a change. I need a therapist that probes a bit because I have a tendency to paint a very rosy picture and I don’t think my previous/current therapist does a great job pulling out those pieces. I know it’s on me, too, but I think I need to seek out a different personality to support me. 

inthewoods23

@daisy0322 no details needed! That totally makes sense for CPTSD

@rachelredhead I hope you find a better therapist for your needs!

rachelredhead

@inthewoods23 thanks! I’m sorry about the announcement, those can make me spiral, too. I think it’s really great you know that a good cry helps you release some of those emotions. That’s a healthy response. Sometimes the best thing is to sit in your feelings for a bit. 

awello

@inthewoods23 yeah, I was in and out of the hospital before starting ECT. I had started having hallucinations and really severe episodes. Some days it feels like it fried my brain, but fortunately my memory has come back a lot.