The Mental Health thread

[Tony Towner]

I hung myself a noose this afternoon. I couldn't do it because it'd kill Mrs DW.

I'm fucked, man.

Aren't you moving in soon?...look forward to the bright future you have together

 

[Alan]

I hung myself a noose this afternoon. I couldn't do it because it'd kill Mrs DW.

I'm fucked, man.

She loves you, man. Trust in the value she sees in you.

 

[AndyWolves]

There are lots of people who love you DW.

 

[EpsomWolf]

I hung myself a noose this afternoon. I couldn't do it because it'd kill Mrs DW.

I'm fucked, man.

Your feelings for her pour out of your posts on so many occasions and they can be a joy to read. You evidently love and trust her so you have to allow yourself to believe in yourself the very same way she believes in you. Self-doubt is a devastating thing but don’t put yourself through that. Listen to the voice of the one who loves you unconditionally and don’t question why she does, just be proud because if the person she loves is good enough for her then that person must be good enough for you too.

You guys can have a very bright future together DW, special times ahead.

 

[Alan]

Doing workplace sexual assault training.

Wouldn't go so far as to say it's triggered me, but it's definitely sapped my energy to have to think about that again.

It never goes away entirely.

 

[WarwickWolf]

Hope we're all doing OK. Remember - there's always people here to talk things through.

 

[Alan]

Been really, really tempted to just do the deed recently.

I'm very, very tired of being anxious about everything, all the time. It would be very nice to not have to worry. Even if it meant feeling nothing.

 

[WolfMan]

Been really, really tempted to just do the deed recently.

I'm very, very tired of being anxious about everything, all the time. It would be very nice to not have to worry. Even if it meant feeling nothing.

Have you ever tried mindfulness meditation mate? I've had some pretty serious issues in the past and tried all sorts, anti depressants, counseling etc etc, and it's the one and only thing that's really helped me. It's such a powerful too, even people with "healthy" minds could massively benefit from it, imo.

Also if things get desperate, going for a long brisk walk calms it all down and gives me a bit of breathing space and perspective.

 

[Alan]

Have you ever tried mindfulness meditation mate? I've had some pretty serious issues in the past and tried all sorts, anti depressants, counseling etc etc, and it's the one and only thing that's really helped me. It's such a powerful too, even people with "healthy" minds could massively benefit from it, imo.

Also if things get desperate, going for a long brisk walk calms it all down and gives me a bit of breathing space and perspective.

I have, it's a big help. I've recently really been able to "center myself" and that helps remind me that I have power over the way I feel.

Constant battle but I'm still here, still fighting.

 

[WolfMan]

I have, it's a big help. I've recently really been able to "center myself" and that helps remind me that I have power over the way I feel.

Constant battle but I'm still here, still fighting.

Not sure if it's maybe a different form of meditation, but the mindfulness I do is all around not being able to control how you feel or what you think, and just focusing on your breath and letting everything else happen. It sounds easy but it's actually impossible to solely focus on your breath, you soon realise your brain is constantly whirring and going off on all sorts of tangents independent of what you want it to do.

The more you practice, the more you can recognise and sperate these thoughts and feelings from "you", and recognise it's just something happening regardless of intention. That was one of the most powerful realisations of it for me. I think our brains get used to following a certain pattern, and it's kind of like over time, grooves are formed in our minds, which our thoughts then flow through. In a "healthy" mind, this is fine, as the patterns won't be distressing on the whole. If we've experienced trauma in childhood, or anything like that, then these grooves can be quite deeply ingrained and self defeating/upsetting. The meditation really helped me to take a step back and appreciate this in action.

The analogy that was used when I was learning about it was that we have a sort of unchanging consciousness, which is what we are trying to reach and focus on when we are practicing. This consciousness is akin to a clear blue sky, our thought, feelings and emotions are like the weather - we don't have any control over them, but no matter how bad the weather is, above the clouds, the blue sky is still there. No matter how bad the weather gets, eventually it will pass and the blue sky will reveal itself again.

Anyway, I hope that made some sort of sense. Really hope you feel better soon mate.

 

[Haggstone]

Alan, I think that perhaps you could try to remain open minded about the impact frequent cannabis use may be having on you. I was a heavy user of it from my mid twenties to early thirties, I didn’t realise the damage it was doing until I eventually stopped. Ultimately there is usually a reason why people drink to excess or take drugs habitually, in my case it was to escape from what was really going on inside. I was kidding myself in to believing substance abuse was helping, when in reality all it did was stop me from facing my issues head on.

Once I had quit I was then able to get the help I needed to get to the root cause of things. No way I would have had the inclination to do that when I spent all of my free time stoned.

Hope that’s not coming across as preachy or righteous, I was actually lucky. I only kicked the habit because I needed to do a D and A test for a new job and was subject to random testing thereafter. Without that motivation I honestly don’t think I would have stopped.

 

[Alan]

It’s something I’ll keep in mind, mate. Suffice to say that this is a battle I’ve been fighting since long before marijuana entered the picture, but I hear you.

 

[Dire Wolf]

That shitshow of a game has just about tipped me over the edge. There is nothing about this life I enjoy any more.

 

[Sniffer]

That shitshow of a game has just about tipped me over the edge. There is nothing about this life I enjoy any more.

I hope things get better for you. Take care of yourself.

 

[AndyWolves]

I went out for a run tonight for the first time in about 5 years. I forgot how good it is for clearing out the old noggin

 

[Tredman]

I went out for a run tonight for the first time in about 5 years. I forgot how good it is for clearing out the old noggin

I’ve just had 2 weeks enforced rest from running. Went out this morning and god I’ve missed it - nothing like running for putting me in a good mood.

 

[sycophantia]

Years ago when I wasn't old and knackered, my go to sport for mental relaxation, stress relief was a game of Squash, running around like a lemming and thrashing the shit out of that little black rubber bastard.

 

[AndyWolves]

I’ve just had 2 weeks enforced rest from running. Went out this morning and god I’ve missed it - nothing like running for putting me in a good mood.

Totally, I'm fat and slow but still did 5k. Just need to keep doing it now!

 

[Tredman]

Totally, I'm fat and slow but still did 5k. Just need to keep doing it now!

Meh, that’s doesn’t matter - I was definitely very fat and very slow when I started running. All that matters is that you can get some enjoyment out of it.

 

[SSB]

I wish I could run. But I’m at a point where I’ve got that many aches and pains elsewhere, I don’t want to add to them with knackered knees or ankles.