addiction recovery

We are currently looking for a new Co-Leader for the Multiple Health Challenges group. We have grown quite a bit and just passed 1,500 members. In the past co-leaders have been golden, really helpful for me when I got sick or burnt out and had to step away for a few days. I am looking for someone to welcome new members, comment or respond to most posts or other comments, make new posts to the group every once and a while, and preferably someone who has physical and emotional health challenges so they can best relate to and understand where other members are coming from when they post or comment.

It is important for the group to have two distinctly different voices to support people because people might relate more to one of us. What is a really good situation is if we both respond to the same posts, welcome new members from different perspectives and provide voices for people that are accessible and relatable. There is a commitment needed that you monitor activities on the group regularly and can respond pretty quickly.

Offering your own posts provides more content for the group…and when posts pose a question they keep things moving forward. I can assist and support by offering to look at your new posts for feedback and editing before you post if you would like it, comment on your posts to get the responses going to best support your efforts, help finding memes or images, and support you if we are dealing with someone struggling …. Like sounding suicidal or being manic…and I will check in to make sure you are happy and comfortable!

I look at potential leaders' history of posts and/or comments that have helped and supported others in the past. Willingness to be honest and open about your own health challenges is crucial to best support people. A co-leader works together with me for some new posts and drafting new questions and is concerned about the well being of all members and can empathize with their paths.

You will get access to the Community Leaders group and your name will have a “Group Leader” tab next to it up top on your comments and responses so I think people pay attention especially to your activity and wisdom shared from personal experience. Would you consider joining me on this journey? Let’s have a DM chat to discuss this! Thanks for considering taking on this role!

#Depression #Anxiety #MentalHealth #ChronicPain #Chronicpainwarrior #Disability #BipolarDisorder #BipolarDepression #Bipolar2Disorder #Bipolar1Disorder
#Stigma #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #ADHD #Autism #Dementia #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #Cancer #TraumaticBrainInjury #BrainInjury #LossOfAParent #Grief #SuicideSurvivors #ChronicFatigueSyndrome #DistractMe #HIVAIDS #longtermsurvivor #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #MightyQuestions #DownSyndrome #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #Deafness #neckpain #BackPain #CongestiveHeartFailure #Migraine #COVID19 #PeripheralNeuropathy #LymeDisease #Diabetes #EatingDisorders #Headache #Stroke #help #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Fibromyalgia #Disability #thankful #grateful #EatingDisorders #CocaineDependence #drugaddict #alcoholic #PTSD #EmotionalHealth #physicalhealth PainAcceptance #Acceptance #relief #Selflove #MightyMinute #MentalHealthHero #TheMighty #RareDisease #MightyTogether

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This question was posed someplace else on The Mighty and got great answers with insight, reflection and many coming from a place of wanting or needing. I started saying I would want a great healthy and durable body and stable mental health ….but read somebody else’s response and realized if I had magic powers I could make myself cured of my mental health challenges and grant myself a great new body and then do even more… I got to thinking of what else I could do with magic powers…and thought big like I could eradicate all suffering and diseases and create empty hospitals and bored doctors and of course …World Peace and no war and all people would get along and respect each other… but then thought small like I myself would have no financial worries and with my stable health have a great job I can flourish in with my healthy body and mind…and be able to make more of a difference in the world.

What would you do with magic powers? Or what else would you like to have (think big!)

#MentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety #Disability #PTSD #Selflove #Selfcare #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #BipolarDisorder #Bipolar2Disorder #Bipolar1Disorder #BipolarDepression #ADHD #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #RareDisease #COVID19 #Migraine #HIVAIDS #longtermsurvivor #Fibromyalgia #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #DistractMe #TheMighty #MightyMinute #MightyTogether #mentalhealthwarrior #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #Cancer #ParkinsonsDisease #EssentialTremors

Thank you for joining us as we support each other with our multiple health challenges! We appreciate you being a part of our community. This group was started with the intention of being a place where members can empathize with each other, find support and offer support to others. We love watching as this has been happening, but we think we can get even stronger! Please consider commenting or responding to other’s posts and responses even more. Even if it’s just a ❤️ or a 👍... or respond with a comment. This really helps us to feel supported and encourages people to post more.

Thank you for joining us on our journey so far and we look forward to getting to know you all better in the future.

Your Multiple Health Challenges Leaders! 💜❤️👍

#MentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety #Disability #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #Selflove #Selfcare #PTSD #COVID19 #Migraine #ChronicDailyHeadache #BipolarDisorder #Bipolar2Disorder #Bipolar1Disorder #BipolarDepression #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #HIVAIDS #longtermsurvivor #RareDisease #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #ADHD #Fibromyalgia #Cancer #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #TheMighty #MightyTogether #MightyMinute #mentalhealthwarrior #Grief #Headache
#RareDisease #Asthma #Suicide #Trauma #DistractMe #CeliacDisease #FunctionalNeurologicalDisorder #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #ParkinsonsDisease #Autism #AlzheimersDisease #Dementia #BrainInjury

Everyone’s recovery is different — no matter what you are healing from — and so are the stages and experiences that come with that journey.

If you had to give this current stage a name or title, what would it be?

Mine is, "The Stagnant Awakening: Making Difficult Changes."

#CheckInWithMe #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Depression #Anxiety #MentalHealth #Recovery #EatingDisorders #EatingDisorderRecovery #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #SubstanceRelatedDisorders #PTSD #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #Selfharm

So, you’ve been through hell and back… and are still here, stronger than ever! You’ve proved to yourself how capable and strong you are and how powerful and strong you can be. You don’t need to prove yourself to anyone else! Just find a way to dig deep and give yourself credit for being a survivor, and find a way to be proud of yourself and know you did more than enough with the cards you were dealt!

You are a survivor, a warrior, you have kept putting one foot ahead of the other and doing the next right thing…that is not easy, not easy at all, and what others think based on what they can see is irrelevant. You should know yourself that you have nothing to prove to them. I hope you can step back and see what you’ve overcome and how strong you are. Please know you have done enough and you don’t owe anyone else an explanation or worry what they may think or say.

#MentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety #Disability #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #Selflove #Selfcare #PTSD #COVID19 #Migraine #Headache #BipolarDisorder #Bipolar2Disorder #Bipolar1Disorder #BipolarDepression #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #HIVAIDS #longtermsurvivor #RareDisease #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #relief #Joy #happy #TheMighty #MightyTogether #MightyMinute #mentalhealthwarrior

I just heard some difficult news. A dear friend who I know has been struggling fighting serious health problems just told me they have a limited time left to live. It has reminded me how precious life is, how beautiful life is, how short lives can be, how fleeting our good health can be and how unfair life can be. As loved ones become ill and their health diminishes those of us close to them can feel helpless and just wish there was something we could do to lessen their pain, to alleviate their suffering, to concoct some sort of magic potion, a panacea to bring them back to good health and lengthen their lives back to that we once thought they had left.

But there is often nothing we can say that will help as much as we would like, despite our wanting to make a difference there is nothing we can do to change things and turn fate around, nothing we can offer to help alleviate their pain and suffering and nothing we can offer their family and friends to help cushion the blow.

As I heard the news of my friend’s declining health I was deeply saddened. They are young and can appear so vibrant and healthy, so strong and spirited …but I have known the truth, known their days were numbered…however I thought they had years to live, instead they just told me it is months, even weeks or days.

I just want to give them a big, deep, comforting, loving hug … but alas, life has them hours away. Life that is so fleeting for them has us separated by space that a hug can’t travel. It's just a virtual hug that I can offer. It’s a lot, but sadly I feel like it’s not enough.

I can only send my love and support through words. Yet I know this can make a difference. I know from first hand experience that thoughts and prayers can travel through a phone call, cyberspace and through intention and belief…but it doesn’t feel like it’s enough. It just doesn’t seem fair. It seems like there is a void that cannot be filled.

So I will keep them in my thoughts and prayers. Those words can seem hollow and often insignificant because they are shared so often that they don’t seem to mean enough anymore… but I will think about them a lot, I will pray for them, I will send my blessings that they don’t suffer, that they are not in pain, that they can enjoy every moment left in their life, that their joy and spirit will give them strength to live their remaining life to its fullest as much as they can.

I will deeply mourn the loss of this friend, I will mourn the loss of a young life cut short, I will mourn someone I will not be able to hug… but I also know that they would want me to celebrate their life, celebrate the joy and exuberance they lived that life with, celebrate all the ways they touched others and made a difference in our lives. I will celebrate them, celebrate life … even if it can be short. I will celebrate their spirit and the memories that cannot be taken away. That part of their life is left with us all …forever!

#MentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety #Disability #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #Selflove #Selfcare #PTSD #COVID19 #Migraine #Headache #BipolarDisorder #Bipolar2Disorder #Bipolar1Disorder #BipolarDepression #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #HIVAIDS #longtermsurvivor #RareDisease #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #ADHD #Fibromyalgia #Cancer #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #relief #Joy #happy #TheMighty #MightyTogether #MightyMinute #mentalhealthwarrior #Grief #LossOfAParent #LossOfAChild #ChildLoss #Death #Mourning #sad #worry #Fear

I often think about how I see my situation, how to label myself…am I handicapped? Am I disabled? and what the reality is. To be honest I often worry about how others see me too. It takes a lot to process my limitations and how much my life is affected by my plethora of health challenges…

…on any given day: I may have my feet & legs burning in pain due to the Neuropathy I got from my first HIV drugs; I may need to be in the dark with no sound due to an unrelenting migraine; I may stumble putting on my clothes or fall getting up out of a sofa due to my balance problems; I may drop food on the floor from a shaking fork due to my essential tremors; I may not be able to hear someone unless they are close and facing me … even with my hearing aids on; I may only see blurry images and words without may glasses on; I may find it very uncomfortable to sit in a normal chair due to pain from my back problems; I may get lost searching for words numerous times in a discussion due to brainfog; I may have to refer back to get spelling of a word, going back and forth writing every syllable due to my memory problems; I may be deeply depressed or have exaggerated feelings in what I call my Bipolar Brain; I may get incredibly nervous before being around other people due to my anxiety; I may find myself feeling the pull of my addiction.

Whether it’s one of my multiple physical health problems and/or one of mental health struggles, they are all just part of my daily challenges. So have I “earned” the ability to park in a handicap parking spot? What do I think? Does it bother me when people stare? I have learned I have to do whatever it takes to take care of myself. I have learned to not worry what other people think. It might be a day dealing with one of my “invisible illnesses” or things I am struggling with inside. I look just fine on the outside with what you can see. (except when I’m walking with my trekking poles so I don’t fall), I may be dealing with challenges that they can’t see, can't be seen, and things they can’t even be aware of.

So it's hard for others to know what it's like for me to live with such challenges! Because I am embarrassed and hide them so nobody can know about them, nobody can judge me because of them … but then nobody can understand, nobody can love and support me. I hide them all alone and it’s a very heavy load to carry!

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I just spent a whole weekend with my friends on vacation. They were kind and concerned and often offered a hand or reached out to help me …but I declined…

,.. because I have got to practice. I have got to be able to get myself off the floor if I fall when I am home alone. But I think it is also because having them support or assist me means I am unable to take care of my challenges myself, unable to do so because I’m dis-abled! A tough label to own and accept!

#MentalHealth #Disability #Depression #Anxiety #Migraines #COVID19 #BipolarDisorder #RareDisease #MightyTogether #BipolarDepression #Bipolar2Disorder #Bipolar1Disorder #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #TheMighty #mighty #Selfcare #Selflove #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #PTSD #HIVAIDS #BackPain #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #MemoryLoss #ParkinsonsDisease #Tremors #balance #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #ADHD #Fibromyalgia #DistractMe #PeripheralNeuropathy

I’m new to this app. I’m here to give and receive support for
#BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #OCD #Tuarma #Depression #anxitey #AddictionRecovery #PTSD

I sat at services tonight with my glasses fogging up in my mask (eyes); my hearing aids not helping me enough, making it hard to hear my Mom (ears); my legs shaking as I sat and having such a hard time turning pages in the prayer book as my hands shook (essential tremors); worrying every time that we stood up and during the long walk from the car to the sanctuary that I was going to fall over (balance); not being able to focus in the sermon beyond one paragraph without losing track (brainfog, focus); sitting with my long legs cramped in the seat and with my calves & feet burning from my Neuropathy (legs).

Thankfully I didn’t have a migraine (head) tonight (they have been less frequent these days but they can still ruin a day or night when they do happen) and my back didn’t hurt (body). Two small victories, less things to deal with, at least for tonight. I have somehow mostly been able to not allow myself to get caught in the down side of my bipolar depression. So no major depression (emotional), another small victory, but I did have severeanxiety (emotional) as I packed and tried to get out the door …bad enough that I took the med I have for anxiety that I have never taken before driving. And I had a day without complications from being HIV+ and aging (immune system) and no times struggling with PTSD (emotional) And today was another sober day (addiction) I have 10 years 9 months

While I was struggling so much to tie my tie and button my shirt with my hands shaking I looked in the mirror. I saw my balding head with a grey beard and just suddenly felt really OLD. I have to admit to myself that my body isn’t what it once was, I can’t do most of the things I used to do…I compared myself to my dad who didn’t get his tremors until his 70’s and mine are getting worse rapidly and I’m only 57! But it all could be part of something bigger…I will say it for the first time…I may have Parkinson’s Disease! Ok I said it. I’m seeing a tremor specialist at a Parkinson’s Disease and Movement clinic next week and to be honest I wouldn’t mind the diagnosis… at least I’d then know what’s causing all the symptoms I’m having!

UPDATE: This was written a week ago and since then I have pushed myself and gone on two 45 min walks and an hour hike. I got new trekkers (2 aluminum poles) and they have given me much more confidence I can move safely and provided great support from falling. I will do as much as I possibly can…I’m not going to let my challenges stop me from being active and enjoying life! My appointment is tomorrow…prayers and sending good vibes would be appreciated

#MentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety #PTSD #Selfcare #Selflove #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #BipolarDisorder #BipolarDepression #RareDisease #COVID19 #Migraine #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #HIVAIDS #longtermsurvivor #Grief #LossOfAParent #Disability #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #Love #TheMighty #MightyTogether #mighty

Autumn Equinox, the 3rd harvest, balance, gratitude and preparation. This is a time to prepare to turn inward, to look at what we have harvested this year, to be thankful that we have enough for ourselves and enough to share with our loved ones.

This is the time when we let go, like the autumn leaves. We release all that no longer serves the highest good, and that which is in the way of our soul's purpose. We choose what to keep and what to let go of. Our inner cycles are a mirror of the cycles of nature.

Rabbi and writer Harold Kushner in The Lord Is My Shepherd suggests that when we contemplate fall's changes, we grow more appreciative of all the beauties that surround us. He writes: The poet Wallace Stevens once wrote, 'Death is the mother of beauty.' What those words say to me is that we cherish the beauty of a sunrise, of a New England autumn, time with family, a relationship, of a child's hug, precisely because those things will not be around forever, and neither will we be around to enjoy them.

This is the anniversary of my Dad’s passing and I rejoice in his spirit and memories of our times together. I send you blessings for peace, prosperity and good health!

#MentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety #Selflove #Selfcare #Disability #PTSD #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #BipolarDisorder #BipolarDepression #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #RareDisease #COVID19 #Migraine #balance #ParkinsonsDisease #BrainFog #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #DistractMe #Hope #happy #Joy #Hugs #TheMighty #MightyTogether