Staying well

H.A.L.T.S ..... don't let the HALTS get you.

replies: 1

When I first got into recovery, I heard people talk about having the 'halts' .... Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, Serious. When I notice I have one, two or more of these, I need to take action. Hungry? Eat something! If your tummy is rumbling, it gener... View more

When I first got into recovery, I heard people talk about having the 'halts' .... Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, Serious. When I notice I have one, two or more of these, I need to take action. Hungry? Eat something! If your tummy is rumbling, it generally means you need food! So eat something! I know that sometimes when I'm hungry, I am also a bit angry, so having a snack can fix two issues at one time! Angry? I was told to 'hit my pillow'! It won't hurt the pillow, yourself, or anyone else, and it will help to get expel at least a little of that physical tension that comes with anger. And Tell someone you're angry, and why. And if there's no-one around to tell, then put pen to paper, or fingertips to keyboard. Get it out of your head and SHARE it. A problem shared is a problem halved. Lonely? Call someone. Telephone therapy, we call it in 12 step recovery. Invite someone over to your house, or go to their place. Or maybe find some sort of activity to engage in with others. Volunteer work or paid work or both. Find something or somewhere where there are people whom you can connect with. Tired? Sleep. Or at least lay down somewhere quiet, with no distractions, where you can close your eyes and just switch off. Even if it is just for 10 or 15 minutes. Sometimes that little powernap can make all the difference. (too) Serious? Have a laugh! There are some great videos on YouTube; funny animal videos are my favorite! There's one that's a 'translation' video of a cat vs a printer that is just so hilarious! It does have a bit of swearing in it, so be mindful of what can come up. But it gets me laughing out loud every time! Life is too short to be serious all the time, and laughter is the best medicine! Or I also like going to the newsagent or supermarket and pausing in the greeting card section to read the funny greeting cards. They too can be really funny. Anyway, enjoy your Saturday night everyone. I'm heading out for a reunion dinner now, with some old workmates. Take care. Love Mel. xo

Schizoaffective Disorder

replies: 17

Hey there, I have just been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and I am finding life really tough. I have been in and out of employment for years and can never hold down a job because of anxiety/paranoia and delusions/ hallucinations when I work... View more

Hey there, I have just been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and I am finding life really tough. I have been in and out of employment for years and can never hold down a job because of anxiety/paranoia and delusions/ hallucinations when I work. I am actually in an acute pychiatric ward at the moment. I am applying for the Disability Support Pension because I am on so much medication that I am too out of it to work. Is there anyone else out there who has schizoaffective disorder? How do you cope with the anxiety and paranoia that you feel? Are you able to work? I would love to here from some other people with the same disorder and connect with them online to help one another. I hope I hear from someone soon. Thanks, Angela.

Feeling mentally/physically unwell

replies: 5

I am feeling overwhelmed yet again, not getting a good night's rest, this morning wanted a bathroom stop @ 1.40am made it there, came out got a drink of water, sat down had a ciggie, got up to go back to bed, went sideways physically ended up on floo... View more

I am feeling overwhelmed yet again, not getting a good night's rest, this morning wanted a bathroom stop @ 1.40am made it there, came out got a drink of water, sat down had a ciggie, got up to go back to bed, went sideways physically ended up on floor & grazed my elbow on brick wall and have a sore hip from this, layed there 4 a min & thought this is'nt right, slowly got up on knees & hands & literally staggered down the hallway swaying from side 2 side bumping the walls, made it 2 end of hall 2 turn into bedroom misjudged bedroom doorway headbutted the door frame & ended up on the floor yet again making so much noise from 1st fall down hallway 2 next misadventure but still no-one woke up, again lying on floor thinking I wish I could blame having a few drinks in me 2 cause this but have had 1 rum/coke 3 weeks ago and no drinking since then. Finally crashed into bed and went straight to sleep. I recall since being on nu meds that I have being bumping into things a lot, not sleeping well, feeling drowsy and fatiqued. My mind is not working @ 100% or I feel like it is not. My husband is very worried about me and agrees that I am not physically/mentally well + my boss knows that I have depression and anxiety she is also worried about me as well, she has spoken 2 me and says she is worried about me as a friend, do I trust that statement or am I being naive, I know she gossips with other staff (or I hear these things in my head) she has told me eye 2 eye stuff about the other staff @ work. So much so much so much!!!!!

Boundaries for emotional safety after trauma and bereavement

replies: 6

Hi Friends This is my first time on the forum, I am keen to get views about boundaries. I am supporting my husband who is having a mental health crisis , memories of my grief and loss after the death of our. baby 20 years ago are returning. I turned ... View more

Hi Friends This is my first time on the forum, I am keen to get views about boundaries. I am supporting my husband who is having a mental health crisis , memories of my grief and loss after the death of our. baby 20 years ago are returning. I turned to a friend for support but she was not able to listen. I came away feeling worse. She lost a child herself but has not done any counselling afterwards. In the past she was very supportive to me. I said that I couldn't continue the conversation as I wasn't feeling safe. I was kind and firm. I am left feeling sad and guilty and a sense that I should be cheering her up. I said we ll catch up after the crisis and said I needed to be safe, she apologised . I am sad Any tips on boundaries and maintaining friendships thanks

Just diagnosed with bipolar disorder

replies: 11

Welcome, My name is Brett and I have just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This certainly wasn't welcome news but, in looking back at my life, it makes sense of a lot of my experiences. I have experienced a few amazing highs (or so I thought at ... View more

Welcome, My name is Brett and I have just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This certainly wasn't welcome news but, in looking back at my life, it makes sense of a lot of my experiences. I have experienced a few amazing highs (or so I thought at the time) and a lot of lows. Apart from getting some of my thoughts onto this site, I really wanted to share a simple idea. That is, I have decided to lead the healthiest lifestyle I can in order to stay well. To many, this might sound a little obvious but, as I am heading towards a cycle of depression, it is very easy to lose hope. I wont go through the long list of what I am going to do to stay well other than to say I am going to follow the advice given to me by my trusted support people. I hope that a simple decision can help you too. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you wellness and happiness. Kindest Regards, Brett.

Misery Sells..

replies: 4

Hi All, just felt a bit inspired and thought I’d stream a thread about how Misery becomes a product for public consumption. movies, songs, novels, plays poems to name a few. i dont know if anyone would be intrested in this but thought it might help d... View more

Hi All, just felt a bit inspired and thought I’d stream a thread about how Misery becomes a product for public consumption. movies, songs, novels, plays poems to name a few. i dont know if anyone would be intrested in this but thought it might help distract from our woes.. its a discussion about anything regarding selling mystery.. feel free to share, I love reading others thoughts on this

Getting and staying clean and sober

replies: 0

If you, or someone you know is struggling with a drinking problem, or a drugging problem, then you, and they do not have to struggle alone. There IS a way out! And if you don't know anyone in recovery, or how to get started/move forward in recovery f... View more

If you, or someone you know is struggling with a drinking problem, or a drugging problem, then you, and they do not have to struggle alone. There IS a way out! And if you don't know anyone in recovery, or how to get started/move forward in recovery from drinking and drugging, then here's a couple of numbers and websites which may be helpful; Alcoholics Anonymous - 1300 22 22 22 - is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. For more information go to - www.aa.org.au - and to search for meetings near you, go to www.aameetings.org.au Narcotics Anonymous - 1300 652 830 - is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean. We have found through our group experience that the therapeutic value of one addict helping another is without parallel. If you think you might have a drug problem and want to stop using, we can help. www.na.org.au And finally, for friends and family who may be affected by someone else's drinking, there is Al-anon - 1300 252 666. The website for Al-anon is www.al-anon.org.au - 'Alcoholism, alcohol abuse, or problem drinking affects thousands of families in Australia and worldwide. Your inquiry is confidential and anonymous. If you are concerned about someone else's drinking, we encourage you to browse our website for information about our programs'.

Shituation

replies: 1

always alone

Mobile phone distraction limited

replies: 2

Hi all, I had a response to a post I put up yesterday which has prompted my to post the following; When it's getting close to my bedtime, I turn my phone down in every way possible. That means I turn the volume off so that I only have vibrate, I turn... View more

Hi all, I had a response to a post I put up yesterday which has prompted my to post the following; When it's getting close to my bedtime, I turn my phone down in every way possible. That means I turn the volume off so that I only have vibrate, I turn the screen brightness all the way down, and I turn off my data as well. That way if there is some sort of urgent call, the vibration will wake me but not startle me like the noise would, I don't get needless notifications, and the dull screen doesn't hurt my eyes. Sleep is such a fragile thing for some people, so just knowing that the phone is one interruption that can be minimised is, I think, good practice. Anyway, just wanted to share that little hint. Feel free to take it or leave it. Enjoy your day. Xo

Mental illness -no quick fixes

replies: 0

In life there are some challenges that we can overcome quickly. Some processes require much longer periods. I recall my divorce. It seemed to take forever. There is a saying in the Army "the green machine takes time" - meaning you cannot hurry up the... View more

In life there are some challenges that we can overcome quickly. Some processes require much longer periods. I recall my divorce. It seemed to take forever. There is a saying in the Army "the green machine takes time" - meaning you cannot hurry up the process, it is what it is, slow. Same with the public service. When we are first diagnosed with a mental disorder we do what we have always done with other traumas- we think of the "quick fix". Broken limbs usually have a standard time period of healing before plaster is removed, divorce takes a process of time following 12 months separation, promotion at work wont come fast and so on. With mental illness we go through a period whereby most of us will need to accept our condition then accept that it is possibly lifelong. This is daunting for us, suddenly we are placed in the "forever ill" sector that we see a few others in our life entering. We are now in the basket of the minority, forever unwell and after more time we realise the "fixes" don't mean you are indeed "fixed". We have to accept a level of repair made possible through a labyrinth of medical visits, medications and stigma. All this acceptance takes its toll, worry on top of worry, we continue to try to make it all right to no avail. You are struggling, what can you do? Acceptance whether it be your diagnosis, taking medications, psych visits, therapy and so on is not an overnight possibility. Just like all those challenges listed above some things take time...acceptance takes time. To just realise that is the first step, then you can sit back and let the process begin, to eliminate your urgency for cure is a major step forward in the process. So in effect you should develop short medium and long term steps towards a level of recovery (repair) that eventually you (and family) will be happy with. After all, we are only mentally impaired using "normal" or "average" fully functional people as a gauge are concerned. Having a mental illness is normal for us considering our history. Getting that in perspective is an advantage. So to drag ourselves over the hurdle into the limits of normality is to continue our inclusion in society. Then with medical maintenance we can remain on the boundaries of normal living in society albeit with our quirkiness behavior. At that point, years following diagnosis, the end of that long term part of your plan, you'll look back and sigh...."I've done it, I survived, I've accepted myself as me, quirks and all... TonyWK

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A Bouquet for Pearls - share your appreciation for other members

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