Do you find that hearing other people's stories makes it better or worse?

Hi @Former-Member ,

I agree sometimes hearing other stories can make it overwhelming and exhausting looking ahead.

As for me, I overthink and try to plan everything (worry when it doesn't go to plan), future and all. I've recently found through circumstances and hitting the bottom that the recovery road feels long, and somedays you just want to give up. I feel you.

But someone recently told me to focus on now, focus on the next few tasks in my day, and do them and don't think ahead. Yes it is good to plan, but if it's creating the anxiety and stress, I have to tell myself what can I do now for myself.

That may be to just get out of bed, brush my teeth, eat some food (meal prep is so exhausting somedays), have a shower. By completing a task, I feel I can then take the next small step to the next task.

REMEMBER the small steps count! Small steps then lead to big steps.

The way I can picture it is, babies aren't born running, it takes time to build muscle, then fine motor skills, then crawling, walking and falling down, then walking fluently, then running and falling and then finally running. Even then we stumble and fall.

And also REMEMBER it's okay that things aren't perfect or you feel like it's just not going anywhere. I feel like that too. But I tell myself, it's okay, everything is going to be okay. It's not easy, so pleased don't be fooled, everyone struggles and it's okay and it doesn't matter. We all find our own ways of getting through.

For me I give it to God, I say Help God, here are my worries. God can bear the worries for me. I know not everyone has this belief or way of thinking. I'm weak I know, but through God, he gives me the strength to keep going take it one day at a time.

Be okay with where you are now, it's okay. Because I know that right now where I am in the midst of the stuggles, trying to find the end of it, I say to myself it's okay, and it doesn't matter if I stumble along the way, take each day and each task as it comes.

My little piece of hope, I hope it helps. 🙂

Always here if you need.

I also like to lean on the deities @AandC . Have definitely had and look forward to numerous "footsteps on the beach" moments.

@Former-Member

A lot depends on how raw we are feeling ... maybe ... or whether we are triggered. I have been invited to a movie which I had conern might trigger me, so I raised it and hope going into it carefully will help me deal with it, as it is also a social situation, with someone I have not yet met.

A lot also depends on how the sharing is made ... if it is done in a way to minimise others, or include others ...

For me in the long run, very long run, it helps getting perspective ....

Gently Bently

Apple

There's more of us (by that I mean the under-diagnosed) than it seems.

I don't want to presume too much understanding of your experience but "reverse-mental-health-stigma" can put whole new, and very unnecessary tolls on the system.

Understanding or not, I do really appreciate your contributions. Don't ever think you're not worth it. You're worth it and more.