Struggling to be

Good afternoon @Aonaran,

How are you? How was the Bond movie? I am loving your new profile pic. May I ask what it represents? It strikes me as fitting for your description of sea-worthiness.

It seems that I have also been a kink in the chain in this conversation. I'm in the middle of moving interstate - to the Blue Mountains! - so have only be able to pop in and out of the Forum. The big move is next week, so things are hectic, exhausting, but exciting.

I'm so glad that you found critical disability thought-provoking. It certainly gave me a bit of an 'uh huh' moment. I think that you've hit the nail on the head that with your experience in acting - we are moulded by environment, by how people respond to us. The field of disability has been very active with speaking out against the dominance of experts telling their stories, and have, to some degree, been able to reclaim the construction of their identities. An interesting example is the Auslan community. Some people who have a hearing impairment, don't view it as a 'disability' or 'impairment'. Instead it is recognised as diversity in cultural linguistics, and have taken it upon themselves to have Auslan recognised as a language, inherent with its own culture with it own meanings. When we look at things this way 'disability' becomes not an abnormality, but something that is as 'normal' as another language. I wonder if something like this could be applicable to mental health?

Movement like this in mental health have not been as prominent, but they are about and emerging. One group that I found is called Mad Pride. Rather than looking at the individual, the movements suggest that mental distress (a term used instead of mental illness) is a reasonable response to stressful situations created by an abled-bodied. What are your thoughts on this? @MoonGal and @PeppiPatty, and of course who else is reading (please feel free to join in!).

Looking to forward to hearing from you. I'm checking out over the next week while I move, but will be around a bit more than I currently am then.

Until then, I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

CB

I really like the sound of Mad Pride. I believe it's esential that people with MI bond together and let the world know that they're simply every day people with an illness that should be treated no differently to a physical illness, especially pushing the fact that MI shouldn't take back seat to physical illnesss and is just as deserving of as much funding. I hope I live long enough to see the day!!

Mental distress! Hmmm! That's very applicable I think. Suffering BPD, I think that's a very appropriate term indeed. I like it 🙂

Well, the Great Yawning Emptiness has started for another year. My kindest thoughts to all here through what, for many of us, is a difficult time.

My wishes for us all:

May the ground stay firm beneath our feet; May the delight of ease linger with us and soothe our impulses; May people's attention and patience remain as constant with us as the stars in our summer sky; and May we always know our course through our encounters.

Warm smiles,

Aonaran.

@Aonaran - lovely to hear from you and hope despite the "Great Yawning Emptiness " your day can be as good as it can be.

I have family visits to make, going to tackle making rum balls (the vegan version!) in a minute. My mother-in-law used to make the best rum balls in the entire universe, but sady passed away in 2013. So it's up to me to try to keep the family tradition going. Wish me luck!

I hope for every one of us, that we can be centred and calm at what is for many a very difficult time. All the very best to everyone I have connected with here in the past couple of months your presence has made a lot of difference for my quality of life.

Special waves and sending positive vibes to you @Aonaran, and @PeppiPatty, @Appleblossom, @CherryBomb, @CannonSalt, @chookmojo, @Jasper, @Former-Member, @NikNik, @Crazy_Bug_Lady, @Jamc and everyone.

Hope every one stays cool in the heat...and cool in our fired-up ticky boxes.

I hope your health and iron levels get back in balance.

My problem with great yawning emptinesses is the tendency to fill them up.

cheers Apple

Heya CB,

I've been a bit up-against-it since we last spoke. I still haven't gotten to see the Bond movie! 😉 (And now the cinemas are full of greeblies for the next few weeks ... ughh ...)

I hope everything went well for you with the move. I love the Blue Mountains! In fact, that was where I grew up -- in Blackheath, in Hat Hill Road -- though in those days it was a string of country towns along the highway. Now it's more like a suburb of Sydney, and the old rattling country train with un heated wooden carriages where they used to put massive cylinders of hot water under the seats in winter has been replaced with sealed carriages that are always smelly and overheated and the seats are too small for comfort. Ahh, progress.

Anyway. I hope you'll be very happy there, CB.

I wrote a long post (I know, that's not like me!) about critical disabilities, and how I truly feel they're not addressed in the current trends in therapy ... but I was unhappy with it, and don't want to post it. I don't think i can do much better at the moment, because almost everything is just too muddled for me to make much sense of right now. I find Christmas extremely difficult -- so many mixed messages, so many unconscious hopes, unvoiced pleas, and unwilling compliances, that my radar gets overwhelmed and fuses out. My Inner Good Little Boy gets exhausted and just wants to hide in his room, so I end up spending a lot of time just being with him in the dark and trying to comfort him.

I'm spending today trying not to feel boxed in, which seems appropriate. 😉

As before: Warm Smiles,

Aonaran

Hi @Aenoran

Thankyou for writing, your writing as always are full of a flow which is just so nice to read and I feel calm when reading your posts.

I didnt finish thanking everyone on my last post so please let me mention you and @CherryBomb. for just being my friend.

Yes, I can related to the feelings around Christmas.