Welcome! Introduce yourself here 🙂

Hi

I’m new to all of this. I was diagnosed with anxiety 5 years ago and since then have battled with that. More recently I have also been diagnosed with c-ptsd and BPD I have had a lot of hospital admissions in the past 6 months. But am looking into recovery and what that looks like for me so I guess I’m just trying things that I hope work for me.

Hi Everyone, I’ve had a long and complicated journey. The short of it is I’m late 30’s, 2 kids and dx bipolar 1 with episodes of psychosis and CPTSD. Of course severe anxiety in there too. I don’t remember a time in my life without these symptoms. It’s my normal so I think I sell myself short often. I have poor boundaries and get overwhelmed easy - though I’m also extremely patient. I have a special needs kid who I adore and challenges me to take good care of myself when I feel like I can’t. I have a newborn as well. I’m an immigrant with no family around me. I’ve battled a horrible disease over the past decade and a recent surgery has cured me.

my psychosis has been increasing in recent years and medication isn’t as reliable anymore. It helps me control my visible symptoms only. I’m still here hallucinating, hearing electricity, paranoid, losing time and forgetting everything. Especially when the episodes are strong and mania kicks in, I just don’t remember places I’ve been or people I’ve spoken to. I’m safe and capable in the moment of decision making. I can drive just fine, take care of the kids, etc. I take lots of notes and set reminders and alarms. But it’s all getting more challenging and I just don’t have anyone to talk to that understands. I’ve been hospitalised many times but not in the last 9 years. No one I know experiences psychosis and I just feel alone. I also don’t feel accepted when I open up to friends about who I am. As a result my friends don’t really know me. Which makes me feel more alone. My husband listens even if he doesn’t understand fully. I just want someone to relate to. That i can say “I woke up at 3 and cleaned the house. My teeth hurt from clenching and the floor is beautiful this time - not upsetting” without getting that look. That look like they half expect me to hurt them. I’m so harmless, I just want to be heard. And understood would be a huge bonus..

Thanks for having me here, this platform and for reading this far

Hi everyone,

I am a proud CatMom of three, happily married, with two lovely adult daughters. I was recently diagnosed with PTSD and MDD and brought on due to vicarious trauma in the workplace, and I have suffered from depression since I was a teenager.

Sadly, both of my beautiful daughters suffer from anxiety and depression.

I am studying to become a Psychologist in my third year, and I have three subjects to complete my Bachelor of Psychology, which can sometimes be overwhelming. There is still a long road ahead of me to become a registered psychologist; however, I am determined no matter how long it takes.

Reading is my escape, and so is music to help soothe and calm me.

Hey @CatMom ! Good on you for sharing.

It's so good to hear you are determined to complete your degree.

Your resilience is inspiring!

I hope you are able to connect with like-minded people here on the forums!

I also completed a psychology degree, but at the end of it, I decided psychology wasn't for me 🙂 We are all different.

@tyme, you are so right; everyone is different. It only took until I was 40 years old to work out that I wanted to be a psychologist 😊. I will be 52 when I graduate with my Bachelor of Psychological Science. There have been a lot of ups and downs along the way; however, I will take a note out of Dory's book and just keep swimming.

Hi @Zozzab113

I just wanted to reach out to welcome you to the forums - it’s great to have you here 💜

I’m so sorry to hear about some of the things that have been happening for you and just from what you shared, it sounds as though you’ve had an incredibly difficult time of things 💜

Oh wow! I really love how you’re exploring the concept of recovery and giving some thought to what this may look like for you 😊

With this in mind, I’ve just shared the links to a couple of conversations that focus on recovery - just in case you would like to take a look and share some of your own experiences 😊

https://saneforums.org/t5/Our-stories/Recovery/m-p/1260570

https://saneforums.org/t5/Looking-after-ourselves/Tips-and-tricks-for-Recovery/m-p/1173055

I also wondered if one of our threads called Our Coping Toolbox may be helpful for you, as it’s full of different ideas and strategies that we can draw upon when we hit a rough patch and need some additional resources to help us to weather the storm 💜

I’ve just shared the link to this particular thread below, just in case you would like to take a look 😊

https://saneforums.org/t5/Looking-after-ourselves/Our-coping-toolbox/m-p/1209573#M92237

Also, just while I remember, one of the things that really helped me when I was new to the forums and still finding my way around, was that if you would like to chat with another forum member, or reply to one of their posts, place @ in front of their username just like I did at the start of my post to you i.e. @Zozzab113 that way, they will receive a message that you have contacted them 😊

I really hope that being a part of our community supports you in your recovery journey and I look forward to seeing you around the forums 😊

Take kind and gentle care of yourself,

ShiningStar 💜

Hi @Supermumsy

I just wanted to reach out to welcome you to the forums - it’s great to have you here 💜

Oh Supermumsy 💜 I’m so deeply sorry to hear about some of the things that have been happening for you 💜

Just from what you’ve described, it sounds as though the relationship that you share with your children is incredibly special and provides you with the strength to take care of yourself and carry on - even during the times when this feels virtually impossible 💜

It’s completely understandable that you want to be seen, heard and understood and it can be incredibly lonely and distressing when our loved ones and friends are unable to relate to what it can be like to live with the mental health conditions that we live with 💜

In my experience, it can take so much courage to be vulnerable and share these parts of our lives and it’s just so painful when people respond to us in a way that leaves us feeling rejected, isolated and even more alone 💜

As I listened to this part of your story, I can really hear how important it is for you to be able to connect with people who share similar experiences to your own 💜

As such, I’ve just shared the links to a few of the conversations where members of our community have shared some of their experiences in relation to living with psychosis - just in case you would like to take a look and share some of your own experiences 😊

https://saneforums.org/t5/Our-stories/Real-psychosis/m-p/1264641

https://saneforums.org/t5/Our-stories/Psychosis-and-complex-pstd/m-p/1264646

https://saneforums.org/t5/Our-stories/C-PTSD-and-Psychosis/m-p/1260511

Given everything that’s been happening for you, I also just wanted to take a moment to share some information about SANE’s drop in services - just in case you felt that you needed some additional support 💜

Basically, ‘SANE drop-in services are staffed by qualified team of counsellors and people with lived experience of mental health issues who will provide you with free digital and telehealth support, information and referrals.’

I’ve reached out to this service numerous times and I’ve always had a really positive experience where I felt listened to and really well supported 💜

As such, you’re more than welcome to contact them Monday to Friday from 10.00am until 10.00pm (AEST) on: 1800 187 263.

I’ve just included the link to this particular service below, in case you would like to explore this further 😊

https://www.sane.org/get-support/drop-in-service

Also, just while I remember, one of the things that really helped me when I was new to the forums and still finding my way around, was that if you would like to chat with another forum member, or reply to one of their posts, place @ in front of their username just like I did at the start of my post to you i.e. @Supermumsy that way, they will receive a message that you have contacted them 😊

I really hope that you’ll find a sense of connection and belonging here with us and please know that you’re always welcome to reach out whenever you need to 💜

Take kind and gentle care of yourself,

ShiningStar 💜

How's things @CatMom ? Is it 'Just keep swimming'?

Argh.... now I'm singing it in my head over and over... but if that's what it takes, go for it!

HI there @CaliRose - I like your username.

It must be hard to have dissociative seizures to the point of needing a wheelchair. It sounds like the hardest part is when you know you CAN do something, and yet have lost the ability to do so - including walking.

I'm hearing you on that one.

I can't say I relate to the physical side of things, but I do know in the past, I dissociated to the point of no longer being able to function in life. I was like the walking dead. My heart was beating but I wasn't really living.

I hope you get so speak to others on the forums who can provide some more insight into what's happening for you.

Please take care. Also, if you have time, maybe you can visit What does your forums' name mean? Only because I'm interested 🙂