Am Not Coping

A Red Panda @Boonana they are sooo cute. But I have a lot of giraffes around the house because I love them too. My absolute favourite is of course butterflies - they are magical.

What about you?

💜💐💚🦋🌷💕 @Zoe7

Thanks @Boonana .

I'm relieved to hear that you have some support around you, ie helplines and school counsellor. You would not be wasting your counsellors time, even if you are only talking in general to her, its still a worthwhile exercise. I agree that its very hard to talk about our MH, especially in real life. It is much easier in an anonymous forum such as this, as it enables us to safely open up and be honest about our feelings and struggles, without any judgement. I have to say that public acceptance and understanding of mental health issues is vastly improved over the past 10 years to what it was prior to that. And yet, I never talk to anyone in my real life about my own MH struggles either. I simply dont want them to know, as its way too hard to talk about the causes of my MI if anybody was to ask.

I will state the obvious here, and say that there is nothing at all to be ashamed about when it comes to having mental health problems. Because of MH being so widely discussed in mainstream media and around dinner tables now, there is a far greater knowledge by the public. And as a consequence, the stigma attached with having a MI, is thankfully far less than ever before. With people now feeling they can safely talk about their MH, its known that a large percentage of the population experience MH problems at some time in their lives. Discussion around MH is no longer a closely held secret for families or individuals.

Sherry 🌺

Yes been to the monkey park @Boonana but haven't been to Lonnie for quite some years. Monkeys are indeed cute but I prefer the cuddly red panda - love those big eyes as well as their cuddliness

Good question @Boonana ... I love all animals. Yeah red pandas are great. Love monkeys too. But if I have to choose just one, I think it would be a meerkat. They are super cute and have so much character. And also because when my little dog Holly sits and looks around sometimes she flattens her ears back and peers around, looking just like a meerkat.

@Faith-and-Hope @Zoe7 - I so very much agree with you about your thoughts on this thread. It really is a thread for anyone or everyone to come to. Its not just your story, its a conglomerate of many. Its become a thread for all, owned by the forum community as a whole. I didnt used to know that before, thinking it was your thread. But you told me, and others, over the years that this is a thread for everyone. And thats very much what its become. Speaking of personal support threads, or My Stories, I will update my own sometime soon. Some of what has been bothering me, is (loosely) related to whats happening around this whole issue you have spoken about.

Oh and @Zoe7 , thanks so much for the pic you posted ... its lovely. I agree with @Boonana , that you should have included yourself in that little tribute.

Sherry 💕

They are pretty cute @Boonana 🐵