My journey as a carer

[pimmento]

Hello, I have had a time trying to log in and introduce myself.  I was a carer for 3 years to family members and I found myself travelling interstate, giving up my job, spending all my savings, massing up credit card debt, using every little bit of energy to save my child (aged in the late 30's then) still my child, flesh and blood etc.  This of course changed the course of my life, I have to say that all is as good as it can be and I have learned many things and now volunteer for street outreach, and also visit the lonely and elderly disabled when I am able.  I have chosen to embark on a continuous learning journey for life.  I always say that we can experience extreme life and then we can use those experiences in our learning journey.  Family, friends and others, they are not replaceable so we do what we do as carers.  I have never thought of mental illness as different from 'illness' and that is one thing that I discovered about myself, I was able to work harder and be more understanding because I did understand but looking through my own eyes, fear of failure did not enter my mind, we got there with strength of love.  

[geoff]

dear Pimmento, hi and thanks for your comment.

It is true that the thoughts of having depression in these present days has certainly changed from many years ago, where it was considered to be taboo, but now it has lost that label and considered to be a common illness.

When someone has experienced depression of any type, a new meaning of life appears, only because we have been to hell and back, but we have learnt a great deal, not that we may know of, but instinctively we can read the signs of not only how people feel, but also we can read the downfalls from our own experience.

Our feeling of being loved by someone when we have depression doesn't really register no matter how much they say it, but conversely when we love someone in depression it means so much more and want to help them as much as possible. Geoff.

[Doolhof]

Hi Pimmento and Geoff,

Your words make me want to cry! It would be so wonderful to have such loving, caring and understanding people here right now to help lift me up and hold me until I find my feet again.

Reaching out to others when they are hurting is one of the most incredible gifts a person could ever give to another person. Why is it that so many people are unable to do so, are afraid to do so or they just don't want to acknowledge another person's pain.

Apart from a couple of close friends, I don't have a lot of help and support along this journey of depression, so I am so very thankful for my new family and community here at Beyond Blue.

I sent my parents a letter once screaming out for help. My Mum sent me a letter back saying that I sounded very suicidal. She wrote that she was very busy and had no time to help right then, but maybe at the end of the year she might be free!

My Mum doesn't work! At that stage she hardly ever left the house. How busy could she be? I was going to write and ask her which date in November would suit her to be told that I had succumbed and killed myself!

Dear Pimmento and Geoff, thank you!