Senate Mental Health Support Thread

It's funny, how life goes. Today, it's my turn.

 

I’m sorry to hear that. This seems to be a difficult time of year for many people. I hope tomorrow brings better fortune to you.

 

According to the internet this when people search depression and anger the most in the northern hemisphere. Late November and the start of December.

I read an article that went so far as to pinpoint the day it’s peaks which I seem remember being roughly November 22nd.

 

Whether its the time of year, some particular challenge thrown your way, or "just" a change in your mental weather - hope things take a turn for the better for you, and soon.

 

I'm honestly feeling more optimistic than I was in the spring about myself. I still worry about the state of the country and for some of my friends in Western Oregon and North Texas. But otherwise, I'm not as depressed as I was earlier this year.

I don't know why it is. I feel bad for folks who get angry or depressed in the winter. I feel that way in the summer sometimes. Irritated with inauthenticity or conservatism is the best way to describe it in my subjective case.

Honestly, I think the best way to fix this issue is to stop daylight savings time. It doesn't really bother me, but I think it would help loads of people in this country and elsewhere if there was no daylight savings time. People enjoy swimming and the summer and so on. There aren't a ton of people like me who lust after Oregon coldness and the cold weather of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and northern Japan. On a positive note, I took dozens upon dozens of photos of the snow and beauty we got recently. I may have to share them in a different thread. Wonderful trees we got here.

 

That’s what a friend of mine said. Someone else I know is going through an even worse time than me, and they’ve rebuffed all my attempts to help them. I have therapy tomorrow and again on Sunday, so I think things will start to improve for me soon. It always helps to talk about this stuff with professionals.

 

Apparently before the internet it was thought January was time of greatest depression. There some thing side effects to what the Internet can teach us.

 

I’ve never understood this. December can be a bit daunting, what with the cold weather, minimal daylight and holiday stresses. But January is always a great month for me. It’s the start of the new year and a chance to begin anew. I’m actually looking forward to the new year considerably.

 

December has cold nights, and it is dark green. January is regal blue.

 

Hope you’re okay @Lordban

I found out some good things this week:

- I have an Advocate in the local victims services office (We are talking via Teams today so they can see my injuries and get that info and my application to the main office). Interestingly, the employee who coordinates payments with the dentist is also a licensed mental health counselor so I definitely want to take advantage of her services as the office will pay for that.

- Set up all pre-surgery Dr appointments for next week.

- I avoided the red tape and fee with the police department to get the case files needed for Office of Victim’s Services.

- Working very hard to remain positive, especially in light of needing surgery to repair my broken jaw.

I hope everyone has a good Friday

 

1st of December's probably aren't going to be good days again for me (I have the kind of nagging memory that replays exactly the whole day of my father's death on that day). Throw in exhaustion and a couple of nasty surprises, and you're set for a day that's quite lousy...

 

Sorry @Lordban

 

Stay low, keep firing.

Lousy days suck. And it’s okay to not be okay.

 

Jeez that sucks that you have a broken jaw from this. Glad you have a good attitude and victim's services.

 

Yeah, it does, but I’ll be a certified, real metalhead now. I’ll officially be Lady Iron Chin in a little over a week.

Seriously, I’m grateful for victim’s services and that I can talk. I like my dental surgeon a lot and the hospital where I’m going for the jaw surgery is excellent.

How are you feeling?

 

I'm pretty good. Took a mental health day off this week but otherwise good. I've been needing a work break and I get a little bit next week since I have a procedure for my back.

I hope that procedure goes well. It's a one week trial to see if the spinal cord stimulator helps my pain.

 

I hope it can get better somehow. Love must be spread all around someway.

 

I wish you all the best with this procedure Ray. Glad you’re okay.

 

I had a very disturbing conversation last night. This may trigger some people, so please don’t keep reading if discussion of suicide disturbs you.

My partner has been struggling for months with with a number of challenges. Lately he’s been very absent and I’ve been quite unhappy. I told him this on Tuesday and we had some long and deep conversations.

Last night he came from a work party, drunk and quite happy. We were chatting amiably when he mentioned that earlier in the week he almost took his own life. I was shocked and dismayed and while I tried to be there for him, I couldn’t help but be angry.

But this isn’t about me. I faced my own suicidal urges years ago and I conquered them. I hope I can help my partner do the same. But it was dismaying to hear those words come out of his mouth. I’m still a bit shocked and I don’t know what to do.

I don’t have the power to help him with this, on top of everything else. Not when he refuses to seek professional help.But I still love him and I’m stronger than I know. But it was very distressing to hear those words spoken aloud. I’m almost afraid to leave him alone now.

 

I’m not sure what to say except mention that you are here for him and love him very much.

I hope he can confide in you and work these issues out.

 

Does he know you've been there before?

And just in case, this isn't advice to tell him if you haven't already - it may be a bad idea.

 

Just know that it's not about you. People get these urges and they have little to do with people around them or circumstances at times.

 

Damn, so many posters are going through a crapload of, well, crap. Wish I could be of more help.

Based on my own experience? There is no easy path on dealing with suicidal thoughts that someone says they have. There is a significant difference between having suicidal thoughts and acting on them.

The scariest aspect for me that you've mentioned @Vialco is the refusal to seek help. Knowing what you can't do matters but probably won't stop you feeling terrible about this.

 

Vialco - Way out of my depth here, but have you considered calling one of the Suicide Help Lines and asking for their advice? I realize your options are limited if your partner won't seek help, or seems unlikely to. But they may be able to give you some ideas.

 

I get a lot of comfort from music. For instance BTS members have talked openly about mental health, including up to being suicidal.

So in his new album, member RM has a song called Still Life. He's a big art fan and says the first time he saw a painting listed as Still Life he misunderstood (not being a native English speaker) and interpreted it as "how can this still be alive, these flowers died 100 years ago?"

So then he though about it. Hmm a still life does actually capture something that is still alive due to being immortalized through art.

Thus the song Still Life, and this chorus (sung by Anderson .Paak):

"I'm still life (Ooh-ooh)
Yeah, can't lock me in the frame, I'm movin', yeah-eh
I'm still life (Ooh-ooh)
Life is better than death, I'll prove it"

Where Still Life is said to sound a lot like Still Alive.

I just wanted to share because this sentiment really helped me. I don't have tattoos but I'm getting the soundwave and this quote on wood for my wall "Life is better than death, I'll prove it"