MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH: Australia, Let's Talk (October 2023)

Thanks for the great question @tyme. The advice I would give my younger self is to advocate for myself in my mental health journey by speaking up when my treatment doesn't feel like the right fit.

Hi friends @tyme @Snowie @Ilovepenguins @BPDSurvivor @Appleblossom @Owlunar

Lots of pressure here as it's such a hard one! I can't say for my younger self as there's so much there I just didn't know due to not having control over my life

But in the last 4 years of seeking mental health treatment I would say to stand up for myself and to tell my practitioners what I feel, which can take me a lot further than telling that what I think

And to know that I can take time out of the system and there are safe alternatives that are just as good...

A change of environment , home, social life, nature , all is ok if you need a break from therapy and medical model treatment for mental health. Rhe right people will come

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpIqQ0pGs1E

Would I do it all again. Maybe. The story is not over yet.

We dont know what we dont know.

is it genetic??

All more complicated than initially hoped.

Hey everyone,

Like you @tyme I would tell myself, mental health recovery is a journey - not a linear one either. One with ups and downs and you'll most likely have to learn to live with some symptoms but hopefully not severe ones. I would also tell myself to not try to go off your meds. It won't work and you'll end up back on them!

And also, wear sunscreen guurrrl. Your skin checks will be a lot less anxiety provoking if you hadn't spent years wearing none!

x

Thank you everyone who has so far contributed to this discussion.

Here is our second prompt as part of this discussion:

Share a book, movie, or song that has had a positive impact on your mental health and explain why.

@hanami @Jupiter @Jynx @amber22 @fluffylight @PizzaMondo @Bon_courage @Ilovepenguins @MissLil @Blackbird11 @Shaz51 @outlander @Eve7 @Zoe7 @Faith-and-Hope @Flying_Hams @Anastasia @NatureLover @Judi9877 @wellwellwellnez @RiverSeal @BPDSurvivor

@Meowmy @TAB @StuF @Smiling_Gecko @Bill16 @WIP @Appleblossom @EternalFlower @Laura4 @L-mm7 @magpie4 @StanD @creative_writer @Captain24 @Snowie @puzzlingdino @Snowie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuIXiy_eqzw

In response to @tyme, song by George Harrison encouraging his friend bob dylan to come out of his depression and reclusiveness to play live onstage again. It’s such a beautiful gesture. It’s such a beautiful song. I could go on and on, but will spare you all.

It’s nice to be alive - Ball Park Music

https://youtu.be/LSgz7Ept79o?si=Na9QJ6rybPB_EIHW

title says it all, really haha. Was introduced to this band via my choir, it was 2020 and we were doing it over zoom, and we needed a song to cheer us all up. Just a nice message really

also late to the conversation but I’d tell my younger self that it’s ok to have those big feelings. It’s even better to unbottle them to someone professional, and have no shame admitting what’s happened in the past.

Perhaps the first song that comes to mind is "These Days" by Powderfinger. These days turned out nothing like I had planned...the lyrics resonate with me so much. Helped me to realised that no one can make plans that will turn out the way they thought. Our plans can be a rough guide for our lives but we need to adapt and accept when they go awry.

I have read too many impactful books to choose just one but am keen to read what others have to say!

Hanami

I guess the song ‘One Day at a Time’ the title explains it! 😂 and a lot of songs of faith.

They give hope and help you know that you are not always alone.