Mental health

[Guest elise]

If you were struggling with any kind of mental illness such as anxiety, depression, BPD ect. What sorts of things do you feel you would struggle to do the most?

What kind of help do you feel would be beneficial? Would you want some help to keep up with your hygiene? Self care? Would you feel you would need help with housework ect? 

I am wanting to help out in my local community but need ideas of things I can do to ensure I am benefitting others 

[hemogoblin]

The best things you could do would be:

A) Self-education. Read the multitude of resources out there by folks who suffer from these sorts of issues. These are disabled-specific and not just neurodivergent-specific, but I'll suggest Year of the Tiger, Disability Visibility, and Being Heumann. Learning more can't hurt, many disabled folk have comorbidity of issues like anxiety and depression, and these will give you a broad perspective to help pull and learn from. Because of the variety of neurodiversities, I don't know any books that really capture all, many, or multiple of them. Most of what I know is focused on a specific ND, and most of the resources are about autism, and most are written for people with that ND rather than for people who want to learn more or be an ally. ND acceptance is still very much working to find its footing in the world and build a platform for itself.

B) Get involved in a local (or as local as possible) community initiative/project/group for mental health rather than trying to build your own charity base without knowing what is most needed in the community. Get involved with people who know more, have experience, are already doing the work, and can guide you where appropriate. I suggest avoiding big national chain type charities because these often get too big and forget their purpose and become about making money rather than helping the community. But a local org is often working directly for and with the people of the community, as well as being run by the community. You could try asking around on local 411 groups or asking friends who might know if you're unable to find such an initiative. Your local library might even be a good place to ask for help finding someplace to volunteer, as may local mental health hospitals or even rehab/sobriety groups (but considering the problems that psychiatric health hospitals perpetuate, this will be hit or miss). Try searching for "[city] mental health community initiative" or "[city] mental health volunteer" for some options. If you're in the US, even though it's larger, NAMI isn't a bad place to start.

C) If you're asking because there's a specific person in your life you're worried about, then speak directly to them. Neurodivergencies are VAST. They can impact us in different ways with different intensities. We have so many different symptoms and struggles. There's no one size fits all answer of the different sort of supports or help we might need. And that's not even taking into account different personalities and what people might be willing to or want to accept for help.

[Lunar Nova]

my mental health is getting better but around this time last year, My mental health was not the greatest. (ie. 7-8 emotional breakdowns in 3 days)

17 hours ago, Guest elise said:

If you were struggling with any kind of mental illness such as anxiety, depression, BPD ect. What sorts of things do you feel you would struggle to do the most?

What kind of help do you feel would be beneficial? Would you want some help to keep up with your hygiene? Self care? Would you feel you would need help with housework ect? 

I am wanting to help out in my local community but need ideas of things I can do to ensure I am benefitting others 

my stupid emotional regulation. I'm horrible at it, and hope to get better. i feel like people watching their tone when talking would be helpful because I'm a major ADHD overthinker, and if I think that their mad at me i will mostly shut down and shut out. even when they mean well. sometimes i like for things to be repeated to me but only when I ask/ or genuinely forget otherwise its annoying.

[Needlemouse]

On 3/16/2023 at 5:07 PM, Guest elise said:

If you were struggling with any kind of mental illness such as anxiety, depression, BPD ect. What sorts of things do you feel you would struggle to do the most?

What kind of help do you feel would be beneficial? Would you want some help to keep up with your hygiene? Self care? Would you feel you would need help with housework ect? 

I am wanting to help out in my local community but need ideas of things I can do to ensure I am benefiting others 

Controlling emotions (especially anger, and depression), positive self talk, optimism, I struggle with a lot.

Reminders. Reminders would help. And people being patient and gentle with me. I probably need some help keeping up with hygiene cause sometimes I forget to do basic things like that. And definitely self care. And I need someone to help me with school work, because I tend to procrastinate.

That's kind, what you want to do. <3

Is this good enough?

[burtonalex]

It's commendable that you want to support those struggling with mental illness in your community. From my experience with Nosophobia, I can say that maintaining hygiene and self-care can be challenging during difficult periods. You can find more information about mental health challenges like Nosophobia here https://www.mentalhealth.com/disorder/specific-phobia/nosophobia/. Offering assistance with tasks like housework or running errands could be incredibly beneficial for individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, or BPD. Additionally, providing emotional support by simply being there to listen without judgment can make a significant difference. Your willingness to help is already a valuable contribution to those in need.

Edited April 17 by burtonalex

[The Newest Fabled Creature]

I feel like my depression and anxiety were getting better over time, but my physical health has taken a nose-dive in some departments, and so my depression and anxiety has been rearing their ugly heads. I found that it's really hard for me to keep up with communication between friends, I totally forewent any contact with extended family members at this point, and it's hard for me to do things I really enjoy like writing, singing, doing theater, etc. To be honest, I have no clue what was making my mental illnesses "easier" to cope with before, but I can only hope to learn to deal with it all over again.

I guess reassurances that things will be okay would be nice. Or seeing people who went through the same physical things I'm going through right now tell me that I can still have a life of my own, that it can get better, and if it doesn't then there are ways for me to live comfortably still.

Edited May 14 by The Newest Fabled Creature

[burtonalex]

Mental health issues can make everyday tasks feel overwhelming. People might struggle with self-care, hygiene, or keeping up with housework. So, offering assistance with these practical tasks can be incredibly helpful.
Besides, listening without judgment and being there as a friend or companion can mean a lot. Also, connecting them with professional resources like therapy or support groups can make a significant difference. You can find more information at nationalrehabhotline.org, as any kind of hotline can be useful for people struggling and can even save their lives.

Edited May 14 by burtonalex

[Cavetowns_fkin_awesome]

Personally, I did get therapy which in the end helped a ton, but the way that really helped me get out of bed in the morning, was having something to look forward to.

For example, I would wake up, and feel miserable not wanting to do anything or leave my room, the way I got myself up is promising myself something if I finished that day.

I would sometimes buy myself ice cream if I get through the day, or I'd set up a time to hang out with my friends, maybe buying that book I saw on Amazon I wanted. Just little things to look forward to. That helped me a bunch would recommend it.

The thing that really pulled me out of it though, (I KNOW PEOPLE HATE THIS BUT ITS TRUE IM SORRY) was getting off of social media. I deleted YouTube, Pinterest, capcut, tiktok, Instagram, Snapchat, EVERYTHING. 

Just last year I was about to snap, I deleted everything as one final attempt and it worked. I know when you see those articles saying "oh no don't use phones they rot your brain" you think they're idiots, they are sometimes but if you just get rid of 

1. Toxic people

2. get rid of MOST social media (I.e. Pinterest, YouTube, tiktok, etc)

3. Therapy can help

4. Find people in your life to support you

and sometimes diet changes can help,

You are on the road to healing, this may not work for everyone but it pulled me out of one of the hardest parts of my life.

I hope this helped stay safe friends! <3

 

Just now, Cavetowns_fkin_awesome said:

Personally, I did get therapy which in the end helped a ton, but the way that really helped me get out of bed in the morning, was having something to look forward to.

For example, I would wake up, and feel miserable not wanting to do anything or leave my room, the way I got myself up is promising myself something if I finished that day.

I would sometimes buy myself ice cream if I get through the day, or I'd set up a time to hang out with my friends, maybe buying that book I saw on Amazon I wanted. Just little things to look forward to. That helped me a bunch would recommend it.

The thing that really pulled me out of it though, (I KNOW PEOPLE HATE THIS BUT ITS TRUE IM SORRY) was getting off of social media. I deleted YouTube, Pinterest, capcut, tiktok, Instagram, Snapchat, EVERYTHING. 

Just last year I was about to snap, I deleted everything as one final attempt and it worked. I know when you see those articles saying "oh no don't use phones they rot your brain" you think they're idiots, they are sometimes but if you just get rid of 

1. Toxic people

2. get rid of MOST social media (I.e. Pinterest, YouTube, tiktok, etc)

3. Therapy can help

4. Find people in your life to support you

and sometimes diet changes can help,

You are on the road to healing, this may not work for everyone but it pulled me out of one of the hardest parts of my life.

I hope this helped stay safe friends! <3

 

Just adding on,

This won't fully get rid of any depression, anxiety, etc but it helped me,

I still have these problems, it's not a cure just helped a bit.

Like I said this kept me from doing irreversible things even though I wasn't "cured" and I still struggled even getting up in the mornings, at least I didn't 0ff my$elf.

Sending love, try to get help before making drastic decisions, and stay safe. 

I'm here for anyone who wants/needs to chat <3

[burtonalex]

I see no one answered to my reply 🤔

Edited May 14 by burtonalex

[oliviaford]

From my own experience, when struggling with mental illness, even simple tasks like keeping up with hygiene and housework can feel overwhelming. Offering assistance with these basic needs could make a huge difference. Also, providing resources for self-care, like mindfulness tools or relaxation techniques, could be beneficial. I recently found some helpful items at online headshops, that promote relaxation and well-being.

Edited June 3 by oliviaford