New here and recently struggling

Hello @Gem17. We all know how disappointing it is when you reach out and no-one replies immediately, so I am just writing to say that I understand what you are going through. Some others here are also going through similar experiences. I don't have any advice that could help, @Gem17 as my situation is similar. I can only send my best wishes and let you know you've been heard. Perhaps others will be along soon. Take care. I send my best wishes.

Hi @Gem17, Welcome to the SANE forums. I'm one of the moderators on the forums.

I can see you have been chatting to some members in another thread. I'm glad to see you have been welcomed and already finding it a safe space to share.

It sounds like you're going through a period of adjustment with the new diagnoses and GP/Psychologist. I'm sorry to hear you have had some negative experiences. I think it's really brave of you to keep asking for help and support.

I think some of us can relate to what you said in terms of feeling split about help-seeking. There could be many reasons why. On my mental health journey I have learned that when this conflict comes up for me it is related to feelings of shame (from being stigmatised or shame from not coping). What helps me is acknowleding and addressing those feelings. I've found the practice of self-compassion very helpful when those feelings arise.

See you around,

Sphinxly 🙂

I was reading/thinking about self-advocacy the other day.

It's important. Life affirming to. Hard work, though. Lots of explaining to do, resources to find, etc, etc.

Thing I was reading was saying it's a good idea to fuse self-advocacy with good ole' self-compassion (nurturing yourself, counting your wins, accepting help, that sort of thing).

And, when it comes to services, I'm a pretty big advocate for shopping around while considering what works for you. It's nice when you find a difference that make a difference.

Hi @Gem17 I have a complex health issue and was in denial for a long time 5+ years without meds and 5+ years with meds... trying to balance my life and work and relationships was tough, and reducing my own self stigm as @Former-Member pointed out helped.

Now I don't have everything but have a support system in place which hopefully I can continue ticking off my goals... still not where I want to be, but it's a start... writing this out puts into perspective for me how far I've come in my MH journey and the support here has helped me reach some goals.

im still learning self care and self love to help me navigate this world with a setback... though my support system helped, don't know where I'd be without it...

wishing you all the best

Hi @Historylover

Thank you for your response. I wasn't sure what to expect on here in regards to people responding so I really appreciate that you did! Just knowing that someone has read what I've written and taken the time to reach out means a lot - so thank you!

Hi @Former-Member

Thank you for your response!

I've definitely already found some very kind and understanding people on these forums, including everyone who has responded to this post.

It's definitely a period of adjustment at the moment. It feels like a very tumultuous time in my life but I'm hoping that eventually things will calm down and I won't feel so out of control of everything anymore.

I probably need to get better at working through my feelings and practising self compassion because I'm finding that I have small, rational bursts where I reach out for help and then I quickly regret doing that and cancel appointments or stop engaging with people. I need to try and stop myself from being what keeps me in this place.

Hi @wellwellwellnez

Thank you for replying.

Self advocacy is an interesting concept, especially when it comes to someone who is not functioning as well as they could be, due to struggles with mental health. I am finding myself trying to find the confidence to advocate for myself but it is very difficult. I know what I need to say or do but it generally just stays in my head because I have so much difficulty verbalising it and actually asking for what I need. I wonder how people develop the skills to be able to better advocate for themselves?

Hi @Former-Member

Thank you for your response!

It sounds like you've worked hard and made a lot of progress in your journey!

I like what you said about your support system helping you. I'm currently trying to build mine up as I feel this will help me a lot during this process. I'm hoping I will get to the point where I can reflect, like you did, and see that I have grown and moved forward!

Totally @Gem17 . I'm still on the journey of finally being able to apply a working diagnosis. Now I have a name for what I'm advocating for. I also know who else I'm advocating with. And, I know more about how my challenges relate to the different challenges out there.

This might sound weird, but diagnosis can lead to a sort of "mental-health-class-awareness". Weird or not, I reckon a lot of people here know what I'm talking about.

I know exactly what you're talking about @wellwellwellnez !

I'm going to continue to try and build my confidence to advocate for myself - I'm just hoping I can have some positive interactions and wins with health care professionals so that I feel confident to continue trying to self advocate