Post clinic help

[T3]

I have been staying in a mental health clinic for just over a week no.

It has been great and have learnt some great coping skills and had time to refelct.

The only issue i have is that the environment is so controlled i am anxious about going home.

Will i relapse straight away? Will i be triggered by something so small because of the lackof triggers in here? Will i be able to cope back in "normal" life?

Does anyone have any tips or advice who has been through the same thing?

[james1]

Hey T3,

I've been in hospital before which was probably the closest and I also really got nervous about coming out and having to face everything that put me in there in the first place.

The biggest thing is to make sure you have a safe space when you're back out in "normal" life. Will you have any doctors following up with you from the hospital who you've been seeing recently? That can really help.

If you are working, I'd probably also make sure you have a little bit of time to yourself to get into a routine again before you throw yourself into activities again. But as with anything comfortable, it's important you don't take too long out because that fear will build up.

Ultimately, we can't make the "normal" world controlled, but we can put routines and structure around it so we have things we are familiar with.

James

[White_Rose]

Hello T3

Welcome to the forums. Will you relapse into depression straight away? That's difficult to answer but why do you think you will relapse? You said you had learned some coping skills which means when you leave the clinic you will be used to using these skills. Or at least I hope you will.

Do you know what triggers you about anything? If so, when you encounter these triggers you can put your learning into practice. I say 'when' you come into contact with one of your triggers as this will undoubtedly happen. If you were in situations that distressed you before the clinic I'm sure you will meet some of them again. The good news is your doctor clearly believes you are able to manage otherwise you would not be discharged from the clinic.

Your ability to cope is up to you. Of course there will always be events you find difficult for some reason, but you have the skills to cope. This is something you need to remind yourself about before you get upset or as the situation is unfolding. Practice on your own by thinking about how you will react and memorising your responses. The more often you do this the easier or more automatic your reaction will be.

Leaving the clinic will undoubtedly be a little scary after being in a protected environment. James has commented that you need a safe place when you leave the centre and that's a good idea. I think the world may appear a little alarming for a short while. When you are away from familiar surroundings, even for a short time as when you are on holiday, makes you notice more when you return. Even in a week you can be very accustomed to your new environment, then when you return there is the process of settling in again. It's most likely you will find your feet again very quickly, just try not to rush it.

Will you be having after care when you return home? It would be a good idea to discuss this with your doctor if you have not already done so.

I would love to hear how well you manage.

Mary

[MarkJT]

T3, great first post mate and well done for doing it. This is a great place to seek out advice.Having been in a clinic before, I know exactly how you are feeling.

Really like the advice above. Mary's advice on getting to know your triggers is really important but it is also really important to have your coping mechanisms there with you, i.e. music, deep breathing app etc.

James's advice to have structure is posting gold and I made sure i was highly structured. I would go for a run at a certain time, eat at a certain time, practice mindfulness at a certain time and tried to have all my psych appointments at the same time.

It is really important to be kind to yourself though as the best laid plans can at times go pear shaped and you have to be prepared for this. When this happened, I would grab my headphones and use the deep breathing exercise on the PTSD Coach app. This save many an anxiety attack!

Keep posting if you want to mate, the forum is full of people wanting to help and assist where they can and to make sure that you know that you are not alone in your journey.

Mark.

[T3]

Thank you all for your responses.

I am now into my 3rd day back at work and 5 days back at home.

The skills i have learnt and the patience of my wife have helped a great deal. Home life is so much better and thecommunication and feeling of calm has increased 1000%.

There have been some stressful times i thought I was going downhill quickly but again with my skill and help from my wife i have quickly regained composure.

Work has been a different story. I was quite wellliked before my time off. And found it easy to communicate with others.

I do have a manager who has not had to deal with someone with anxiety before and has not given me a great deal of support. That is no fault of hers, she just does not what i need. I am not very open with my needs. I am.also worrying about what people have said in my absence. There are some rumours going around which has made some things a bit tense. I am not that keen to tell people the real reason i was away and slowly coming to terms with looking after myself and seeking support from those close to me. Just finding it hard since we all spend somuch time at work

[MarkJT]

T3, fantastic that your newly learned skills are serving you well and that things on the home front are good. You have done very well, in fact you have done brilliantly.

If you do have an episode where you have to tactically retreat to safety as your skills are not up to the required level, do not worry as that is part of the journey. To make this scenary a positive, you will then find out where you are with your coping skills.

Back in December I was in Seattle and was flying to Detroit. I got on the plane and got triggered and a very good size anxiety attack was imminent. I knew at that point that my coping skills were not that advanced to handle the size of the attack so i medicated and caused me to have a sleep. Once i got to Detroit, I saw this as a positive as, like i said above, I knew very well that i still had a good deal of work to do.

In regards to work and the possibly rumours, try and not worry about them as you can only control the controllables. I know this is pretty easy for me to say but if we continue to worry about the uncontrollables, that will only cause us more stress.

Not worrying about what other people say or rumours won't happen overnight. It will take time and practice and reinforcement to yourself that you are strong and resilient.

Mark