Hi there @Beachboots @Kelly8 ! Hi as well to @Former-Member! Welcome to the forums👋! I hope you both find the support you need here on the forums like I’ve done in the past and continue to do so. I’m a Community Guide here who has a lived experience of mental illness including depression as 1 of my 3 conditions that I deal with on a daily basis with schizophrenia and Borderline Personality Disorder being the other 2.
To help me with my depression, I find that often, just doing simple things is the best like getting out of bed and having a cup of tea or even doing some knitting of a blanket. Each thing adds up to an achievement in my eyes and I reward myself by just saying thank you to my body and mind for being able to do this. It’s small but it all matters and that’s the main thing in the end. I’ve also had several hospital admissions and I’ve slowly learnt and accepted that I’m better off at home dealing with my mental health episodes as I don’t like the restrictions of a mental health ward such as time being able to knit for example. Hospital has a place and time and can be a great place if you need it but for me, it’s definitely a last resort. I find that knitting helps me with my mental illnesses as I’m able to be creative with the wool I use for my blankets and it’s a relaxing and calming hobby as well. The same with crochet as it’s good for when I experience panic attacks and anxiety so I’m known for having a crochet hook in my coping toolkit for when times like that happen. Give me some knitting needles, some wool or a crochet hook with a cup of tea and I’m 1 happy camper! Add some music on my iPhone and it certainly improves my mood.
As for work issues, I’ve had an issue in the past whereby I kept on making mistakes due to stress but not knowing that the cause of it was undiagnosed depression which caused me to resign from my role in the end. That was 20 years ago so I’m not sure if it’s really relevant or helpful in any way. I’ve struggled to work since although I did complete a uni degree afterwards so that’s an achievement. I’m now looking to recommence my studies in mental health soon and work in mental health as a worker so that’s also a positive thing. I hope your work situation improves.
A psychologist is a good ally to have as it gives you an opportunity to talk things through and build up your skills in relation to mental health and make you a stronger and better person for doing so. The psychologist can give you ideas and coping strategies and new perspectives on how to handle your issues and that’s a good thing. I’ve had dealings with a psychologist last year for just over a year and now, I’m finding that I don’t need their help anymore as I can handle my life better thanks to their skills and advice that they gave me. I hope you find this helpful!
@Former-Member to answer your crochet and knitting question, I’m more a knitting person than a crochet person but I do have several blankets of each hobby on the go to help me with boredom. The blankets will get completed in the end with my current knitting project being an 8 strip blanket of 120cm high and 20cm wide per strip to make an adult blanket of 160cm in total length for charity. I’m on the 8th strip currently with 90cm to knit before I can sew it up to the rest of the other 7 strips to make what I call a Crazy Blanket - different coloured yarn in different lengths which changes when I either run out of the wool (acrylic) or I get bored of it and add a different yarn to it. I calm it a Crazy Blanket as each blanket is unique and different and not the same and it helps me use up my yarn stash as well. I’ll post the finished object in the Knitting forum thread and on my own discussion thread Jude’s Jungle which will hopefully be sooner rather than later - I’m aiming for the end of tomorrow as a goal to try and achieve!
I look forward to seeing you around the forums soon!
Take care and stay safe!
Judi9877☺️🌻
