Dipping the toe in!

B_Ann · ‎19-01-2022

Greetings 🙂
I am a mid- 60's female, living geographically isolated, and "enjoy" the long-term company of the 'trying trio' - depression, anxiety & PTSD. Have no dedicated professional support anymore, and am hoping that folks who talk the language will not mind me bouncing a few things off them from time to time.
Thank you

Banksy92 · ‎19-01-2022

Welcome to the forums community B Ann, we're thrilled to have you and will always welcome any questions, ideas and inputs you want to share with us. May i ask why you no longer have professional support? Is this because you came to a point where you can manage okay without it, or another reason?

Look forward to hearing more from you.

james1 · ‎20-01-2022

Hello B Ann,

Welcome to the forums! Sorry to hear you have the 'trying trio', though I like the little name you've got for it!

I hope you find what you are looking for here. I've always found the community here to be very friendly and understanding. Let us know if you have anything you'd like to speak about now, otherwise this space is always available for you, and you're more than welcome to post on other threads as well.

James

B_Ann · ‎20-01-2022

Thanks for the welcome 🙂
Living rural, it's not easy to find professional help which suits. VERY sadly my professional who was fantastic worked in the area on rotation, and with whom I developed a great bond over several years , stopped including our area due to work commitments elsewhere:(
Other people available just don't "click" with me, unfortunately, and , so I drift, untethered, the trying trio pulling me this way & that. It is very hard not having an anchor and sounding board , not to mention the wonderful explanations which made things more bearable . "my" professional was available out of hours if I was desperate , aside from the 10 sessions on 'the plan' , and would happily email me too.
Their absence in my life was , and is keenly felt, even though it is now 2 years on.
I share a house (have done for many years out of necessity ) with a sibling - and we mostly get along very well, we are a lot alike 🙂 One rather large problem is their attitude to The Trying Trio, and the obvious effects as shown by me (physical/mental slowness, comfort eating/forgetfulness/confusion et al) .
While They show in many ways that they DO care a lot - the constant remarks of "grow a brain"/get your head fixed/just THINK/get off your backside... those are not helpful, and do NOT fill my days with sunshine & smiles 🙂
Living rural sometimes also means NO human contact if my sibling is away. Many times I do not get to see/speak with another human for a week or so(yes, I do drive, but town is over an hour's drive away) - and while I am used to it, theoretically, it's not ideal for a brain full of wiring errors to start with 😉
Thank the Universe for Facebook! Most of my friends use FB, so I am able to keep in touch that way - and it also keeps me in touch with the world at large.
Any wise words about building resilience and helping a weary brain have some "ZING" are welcome 🙂 Thankyou.

B_Ann · ‎20-01-2022

Thankyou 🙂 I replied in some detail to Banksy92's post.

james1 · ‎23-01-2022

Hey B Ann,

Ah taht's a real shame that the person you clicked with stopped looking after your area. I also know how hard it is to find someone that gets you. It sounds like this other person was really important for your on-going support and mental health, and I really hope you can find someone else at some point. They sounded really lovely.

Sorry to hear your sibling doesn't really understand. It sounds like the company is generally good to have, but you're really missing someone who understood how hard things can be for you. I'm glad you've come here - have you had much of a look around other people's posts? Perhaps you might find others there as well who you relate to.

I think we're often more resilient than we think. It can be tough without support, for anyone resilient or not, and I tend to think that resilience starts with having supportive people around you (whether physically, or on the phone, or now online). I guess when I feel weary, I have some things that I know are comforting for me. Some things are more mindset like taking the pressure off myself for simple things like cooking or washing dishes; if I don't feel like doing them, I remind myself not to feel bad about it. I might watch a familiar movie, or listen to a favourite soundtrack. Then when I feel up to it, I'll usually reach out to chat or catch up with a friend or two who I feel really comfortable with. I don't even necessarily need to tell them I feel rubbish; it's just a good way for me to remind myself that some people care. I understand that is a fair bit harder living rurally, but have you found any ways to get human contact when you need it? It sounds like you appreciate FB - is that usually enough for you?

James

geoff · ‎23-01-2022

Hello B Ann, I'm sorry for what you've been through and to lose a professional as you have must be devastating as the same happened to me a long time ago and the replacement psychologist certainly didn't fill the spot left by her.

Remarks that are being made by your sibling certainly don't encourage any help or offer any improvement in how you are feeling and as soon as you begin to show a gain in your mood, it can easily be pulled down by what they have to say, so your confidence may be continually pulled apart.

You need to realise that what they have to say is their opinion and they may have their own problems, so they may be helpful living with them to pay utilities, food, etc but need to work on getting better yourself.

That's easy to say but not so trying to do it by yourself, so please read as many comments you want to and hope you keep this going.

Geoff.

Banksy92 · ‎23-01-2022

Thanks for filling us in B Ann, I'm sorry to hear that your psychologist moved on in their rotations, that would be a really difficult thing to adjust to.

Is there anyway to get their contact details to see if they might consider doing virtual sessions with you? I've been doing Zoom sessions with my psych for 2 years (basically since covid times) and its been a life saver. Perhaps that's something to look into... or if not them specifically, exploring others who offer this, as you're so remote. With so much time alone, I think it's really important you have support around you while you manage your mental heath.

Health Direct is a helpful site where you can search for psychologists in your area, and filter by preferences such as bulk billing and phone/online sessions: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/australian-health-services