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Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Hi everyone! Last night we had such an incredible response to our Topic Tuesday - Creating and Maintaining Social Connections, alongside our wonderful peer ambassador @jess_27 that we thought we would continue the conversation in a new thread here - Woohoo!


Navigating through life with a mental illness can be super tricky at times, there are many ways in which our mental health can impact on our relationships and social connections both positively and adversely. Sometimes we don't want to engage with anyone at all..

What do you think are the biggest challenges in creating and maintaining social connections?

What are your tips and tricks in balancing your own self-care whilst connecting with your family and friends?

@eth @outlander @Bunniekins @Mazarita @Zoe7 @Shaz51 @Adge @BlueBay @Teej @frog @Former-Member what are your thoughts :)?

29 replies

11 - 20 of 29

In response to: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

I think you are my awesome @frog

and everyone here on the forum would agree with me xxx

In response to: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Thanks @Former-Member for keeping the conversation going!

I think for me one of the biggest challenges is finding the balance between not enough socialising and too much. It is hard to set up boundaries around what does and doesn't work for managing my mental illnesses. I think a lot of that comes down to what what @frog said about self-stigma. I struggle to express my needs sometimes because I am scared of how people will react. So sometimes it is easier to either isolate myself or hang out with people on a superficial basis, if that makes sense?

In response to: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

@Imn83 you and I sound like we have very simialr strategies for managing social commitments and mental health. But please don't ever feel guilty for prioritising your mental health. It is not selfish at all, in fact it is the smart and responsible thing to do. 🙂

In response to: Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Hey @jess_27 Pleased to see we couldn't 'get rid of you' - lovely to see you posting here and continuing with this discussion.

ZWHat you wrote mkes complete sense - often the easy way out is to isolate ourselves - it is self-protection. We seem to get really good at doing that at the expense of having those wider and more sustaining connections but it is often necessary also when we don't feel we hsve much to offer in a social setting - that is when we become too hrd on ourselves also.

In response to: Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

@jess_27what you wrote mkes complete sense - often the easy way out is to isolate ourselves - it is self-protection.-- Yes I agree @Zoe7

My husband rather say No he is not going than to try and then cancell at the last minute , how many times I have rang up to say that we are not coming

In response to: Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

I've been rewatching one of my favourite shows Lady Dynamite on Netflix. I think a lot of you would get something out of it. It is essentially about a woman with Bipolar 2 managing her way through work and social life and trying to find balance. I love it. It's funny too. 🙂

In response to: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Hi @Former-Member

i am truly happy to meet you. I hope you have had a wonderful weekend. Mine was not so good but that’s life ❤️

In response to: Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Hi @Zoe7

Hope you are doing great 💐

In response to: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Hi @frog

Need to talk if you can

In response to: Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

Re: Creating and Maintaining Social Connections - Continued!

@Nay69, are you ok my friend xx

Hello @frog, @Former-Member, @jess_27

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