Thankyou EMS. And Scared, I hope you are getting this post as beneficial.
Scared- in 1996 I dropped down to my lowest point, newly separated from my nasty wife of 11 years and allowing her to have both daughters 7 and 4yo as primary carer, I had my children every second weekend and holidays. I had recovered from a suicide attempt a week before I left so it wasnt like I felt like I had a choice.
My then wife had made comments to friends that I'd "never amount to anything, likely he'll be a hermit". This is regardless of us paying a mortgage on an old home and my attempts to renovate it. I had also worked 3 jobs to allow here to remain home as a stay at home mum, even then I had to do all the house work, such was her laziness. Nevertheless after a couple of weeks on my own in a 11ft caravan I rebounded, purchased a parcel of land and ordered a kit home. 7 months later I had built my home and moved in even though I worked 12 hours shift work.
During that 8 months I looked into my mirror in my van every day and said to myself aloud "I am a good man, I will build this house, I will provide for my children, I will succeed". After about 4 months regardless of the challenges I began to feel like it was happening, the roof frame went up, the window in and the cladding on. When it finished my daughters arrived for their 1st weekend in dads house. There was fairy doonas, curtains and their bedroom overlooked a fairy garden. Nothing will stop me now.
My kids returned home and told their mum about my new home. Although I paid all child support required she wrote to the Child Support Agency to complain "that he has a new home and my home is 100 years old. He should pay more child support". This was even though I had signed over the house to her so our kids didnt have to move houses. I was devastated and exhausted. I replied to the agency explaining the circumstances including that I built the house myself to save money. The agency eventually replied stating the support amount was sufficient.
That is only one challenge I've had in life but at all times I plough through the problems to succeed always saying those words "I am a good person, I will succeed". I works, it sinks in over time.
We need, as individuals to rise to our challenges. Sometimes our challenges are in the form of mental health issues, in that case you have to pace yourself and not expect the recovery so soon, when you feel better than is the time to rebound.
As individuals we are vulnerable, we are targets for other people and we are too problematic for others. But we are beautiful human beings that can, once courage is applied, succeed in any challenge. As EMS said, you have that courage, you are wonderful and .... you will succeed.
Centuries ago there were adventurers, inventors, actors, painters, dancers, musicians and all of them likely had a mental health issue. ADHD enabled the adventurer to risk life and limb, inventors stayed awake for days to see their machine work, Van Gogh cut off his ear to prove his love , musicians went crazy composing... because of this one modern entertainer called Stephen Fry once said - "I have bipolar- if I am reincarnated I hope to return as myself with my illness... I dont want to live without it"...
Thats the advantage of a mental health issue.
TonyWK
