Piecing the shattered glass together

What's been going on @creative_writer ?

Totally agree that masking how you're feeling takes a lot out of you. Who have you been covering up your depression for?

Aww sounds really tough @creative_writer - so hard when you don't feel you can trust the people around you to be able to support you in what you're going through. You got anyone you are able to open up to?

@creative_writer Can totally understand those feelings of not wanting to be a burden to people we care about. Something that helped me was to realise that the idea that we are a burden is an assumption that we sometimes make - especially when feeling pretty down. It comes from a good place - wanting to protect our friends and loved ones because we don't want them to feel the heaviness we are ourselves burdened by. We aren't always correct though - in fact I've found that usually my assumption was actually wrong. But to find that out, I had to take the time to check in with my friends. So by getting into the habit of always asking whether or not a friend has the mental space and energy to listen to my woes, it gives them the opportunity to say 'sorry, no I just can't be there for you right now'. And sometimes they have said that, and it's rough, but most times they reassure me that they want to listen, and that I wasn't as burdensome as I assumed I was.

Hopefully the same would be true of your friend, if you were to ask?

Mmm @creative_writer fierce independence is also a trauma response. We're social creatures by nature - we aren't meant to survive alone. Our current cultural context would have us believe that as 'adults' we're supposed to just be able to manage and cope with everything all on our own but it's simply not true. You're allowed to be needy when you have needs.

And yeah, can 100% be super scary to be open and vulnerable... but sometimes I have to remind myself of the times I've been vulnerable in the past, and how most of the time it is received with gentle kindness, and I typically feel loads better afterwards.

Hope you can decide on what course of action will be best for you this weekend 💜

Hello friend @creative_writer

I didn't start off too well. But I've since been to church and feeling better atm.

Do you ever get anxious about feeling OK? Because I'm beginning to worry about the plummet from here..

How are you today? Is it a sun shiny afternoon? It is perfect conditions for a picnic in Cygnet!