The Mighty's Mental Health Heroes

We are currently looking for a new Co-Leader for the Multiple Health Challenges group. We are growning fast and just passed 2,200 members. This is really exciting to me, however to be honest, I have been very frustrated that there is less activity recently and as our membership grows steadily the number of comments & replies has actually diminished. Our old co-leader Chris is no longer with the group and we need to have others step up and make up for her commitment to regularly respond to posts and comments. This means a collective effort from everyone in the group! I have had numerous layers of serious physical & mental health challenges recently and not been as active as I would like in order to step back and focus on self-care. This is a time having another co-leader to pick up the slack is essential!

My last post about hobbies was actually first posted 16 months ago (when we had at least 1,000 less members) and it got over 200 ❤️ & 👍and 100 comments then! It got only ONE this time. And Laura made a great post about disability after that and it got only two responses as well. When new members open up and post to introduce themselves and then get very little response that is even worse. I fear that new members will see this and not be active moving forward. This is OUR group everybody and it functions best when members support other members. We all have our varied health histories and with them the knowledge and wisdom we’ve garnered along the way! PLEASE let’s share these with each other. Without this empathy and understanding this group is falling short of what I first envisioned when I started the group and what it’s capable of.

For a co-leader I am looking for someone to welcome new members, comment or respond to posts and other comments & replies, and make new posts to the group. It is important for the group to have distinctly different voices to support people because people might relate more to either 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. I can assist and support by offering to look at your new posts for feedback and editing before you post if you would like, will comment on your posts to get the responses going to best support your efforts, and I can help finding memes or images.

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.

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 your 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!

In service,
Moshe
@moshemhc

#Depression #Anxiety #MentalHealth #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Chronicpainwarrior #Disability #BipolarDisorder #BipolarDepression #BipolarIIDisorder #Bipolar1Disorder
#ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #ADHD #Schizophrenia #AspergersSyndrome #Autism #Dementia #Concussion #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #Cancers #TraumaticBrainInjury #BrainInjury #LossOfAParent #Grief #Suicide #ChronicFatigueSyndrome #DistractMe #HIVAIDS #MightyQuestions #DownSyndrome #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #Deafness #neckpain #BackPain #CongestiveHeartFailure #Migraine #COVID19 #PeripheralNeuropathy #LymeDisease #Diabetes #EatingDisorder #Headache #Stroke #Cancer #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Fibromyalgia #Disability #thankful #grateful #CocaineDependence #drugaddiction #Alcoholism #PTSD #EmotionalHealth #physicalhealth #PainAcceptance #Acceptance #relief #Selflove #Selfcare #MentalHealthHero #TheMighty #RareDisease #MightyTogether #RareDisease

A close friend of mine has confiding in me that they just lost their dad…please send them healing energy as they grieve and mourn and keep them in your thoughts and prayers. I found this post I wrote from the first year of this group.

“My Mom sent this meme to me, she got it from someone in her bereavement group. I found it very powerful and it was very helpful for me. My Dad’s spirit will always live on for and through me. Like so many others I was blessed to have him in my life. He definitely would have wanted me to move on without him here in this realm and I’m sure he would have wanted me to continue to embrace the memories and experiences we shared together. Last week, on the day he passed away, exactly a year later, we had a small family ceremony and planted a tree in the woods behind the house where I grew up with him, in honor of his spirit and how he touched us all. It now sits in the woods directly across the way from where my Dad always sat in the kitchen (and where my Mom sits today) viewable through the sliding glass doors. It has heart shaped leaves and turns purple (his favorite color), pink , burgundy, green, and yellow through the seasons and they have begun falling near it.

She was deeply moved by the ceremony. We scattered his ashes under the tree, around it and throughout the gardens and trees he loved so much around the house! We had previously scattered some of his other ashes where he wanted them...in the lake where he used to fish. Both days brought a little more closure and connection for me.

Maybe if you have lost a loved one you will find solace and serenity in reading this.”

I wrote this late 2021 but it really helped me to read this again and be reminded of how much my Dad meant to me!

#Depression #Anxiety #MentalHealth #BipolarDisorder #Bipolar1Disorder #Bipolar2Disorder #BipolarDepression #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Migraine #Headache #COVID19 #Disability #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #HIVAIDS #PTSD #Selflove #Selfcare #TheMighty #MightyMinute
#MightyTogether #DistractMe #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #MentalHealthHero #Grief #LossOfAParent

When I’m depressed the emotions can be overwhelming. I often just want to go back to bed, pull the sheets over my head & hide. I don't feel social at all, I just don't want to be around other people. I feel like everyone will see my pain or know I'm hurting. I don't want sympathy, I definitely don't want extra attention. I just want to hide. I want to be at home where no one can “see” me. In a weird way I just want to stay depressed, so I don't do anything that would make me feel better. I've had friends say “Why can't you tell me how you feel?” “If you're around people it will make you feel better.” “You need to push yourself and get out”

If they only knew how hard it is in those moments! It’s so easy to say I need to get out around people and not isolate, but it’s so hard to do. I JUST WANT TO RIDE IT OUT! I know myself, and how painful it can be to put on a fake smile, put on a brave face, to hide and mask my feelings. These seem like insurmountable goals and I know how much it has hurt to try these things in the past.

So what can I do to help myself: sometimes I journal, watch a funny movie, listen to upbeat music, or eat a favorite meal and ALLOW myself time and space until I feel better and the fog has lifted. I TRY to go out for a walk, but just the thought of getting dressed and venturing out can seem insurmountable. I try to call family or friends, to be open and honest about how I’m feeling...to ASK FOR HELP! But this has backfired in the past. People don't know what to say, worst of all I feel like a burden. Then sometimes they give advice that seems so insensitive! They want to help, but I often feel it makes things much worse.

So I don't talk about it, I don't call those family and friends who care about me because I feel transparent, like they will see right through me and know my pain. I just stay at home, lonely, sad, feeling weak & depressed. I have learned that if I do avoid other people, it can actually help. The stress of having to try too hard is lifted and takes one layer of worry away. I have learned that I just have to tell myself that these feelings will pass, that I’m Bipolar & this is just my down cycle. I allow myself to be unproductive & try desperately to not judge myself.

But there is the ever present battle. I know that I should push myself through, that I should go out, that I should ask for help, that I should try to resurface from my pain by being active, even just sitting on my balcony and get some fresh air if I can’t push myself to walk. Yes, I SHOULD do all these. I know on some level they will help and hopefully my depression will clear sooner. But these are really hard things to do when I’m depressed and I usually give in and I ride it out. I have learned that this is ok. That I’m not a failure and weak. I have learned what has worked for me in the past is to do nothing while I wait for my head to clear!

Moshe Adler
June 20, 2017

#MentalHealth #Anxiety #Depression #BipolarDisorder #Bipolar1Disorder #Bipolar2Disorder #BipolarDepression #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Disability #PTSD #Acceptance #Selflove #Selfcare #TheMighty #MightyMinute #MightyTogether #DistractMe #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #MentalHealthHero

Was it writing, journaling, playing an instrument, drawing, painting, sculpting, building, dancing or any other form of creative expression? For me I write on a regular basis…for my memoir, or posts for here, my personal page or the many groups I belong to on Facebook; or sometimes it can be coloring in a challenging adult coloring book; or breaking out my drum and jamming away through difficult emotions; or cranking up the music with the windows shut and dancing my butt off when no one is watching!

“Dance is art in action!

Never forget to Dance in the direction of your dreams.

Dance can release stuck energy in our bodies; it connects us with spirit and transforms us.

Dance can connect us with others in fun, in sacred ways, and in prayers. Allows us to hold tight and release into the flow and let go in trust to reconnect.

Dance is art in action!

Dance can change the energy of the environment and be used to celebrate.

Couples who dance together often have healthier lives, happiness, deeper connection and fine tune their ability to read their partner's energy.

Dance can release stuck energy in our bodies; it connects us with spirit and transforms us.

Dance is art in action!

Dance can connect us with others in fun, in sacred ways, and in prayers. It can allow us to release energy into the flow and let go, and trust our intuition to reconnect.

Dance can change the energy of the environment and be used to celebrate.

Dance daily for 15 minutes and watch your health transform…”

~Tanith Julie Roberts

#ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #PeripheralNeuropathy #BackPain #Migraine #Headache #COVID19 #Disability #MentalHealth #Anxiety #Depression #BipolarDisorder #Bipolar1Disorder #Bipolar2Disorder #BipolarDepression #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #HIVAIDS #PTSD #Selflove #Selfcare #TheMighty #MightyMinute #MightyTogether #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #MentalHealthHero

Today is World Bipolar Day … it is observed on March 30 every year, on the birthday of Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh — one of the most influential artists in the history of Western art. His creativity was paralleled with his mental illness and he was posthumously diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder dramatically affects the mood and may result in episodes of depression and elation, which can affect one’s health, productivity, and relationships. World Bipolar Day educates and promotes the spread of information on bipolar disorder through international collaborative efforts

#Headache #COVID19 #Disability #MentalHealth #SocialAnxiety #Anxiety #Depression #BipolarDisorder #Bipolar1Disorder #Bipolar2Disorder #BipolarDepression #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #HIVAIDS #longtermsurvivor #PTSD #Happiness #Selflove #Selfcare #relief #EmotionalHealth #physicalhealth #strength #MightyMinute #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #MentalHealthHero #MightyTogether #TheMighty #DistractMe #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #Migraine

Every day we wake up and have a choice...smile (even in the times of most adversity) or let things bring you down until all you can do is frown. Feeling sorry for yourself gets you nowhere, making the most of what you have builds character, confidence and gives us a chance for a reason to smile. Every day I have to make this choice, I pride myself in having a positive attitude and when I find myself focusing on all the things that have brought me down, instead being thankful that I survived it all...but there are some days when I fail...its a lifelong journey and every day that starts with a smile is a success. Some days it takes part of the day of allowing myself to suffer that I then can hopefully shift to remembering that I am thankful for all the blessings I have in my life to be grateful for! I choose to smile today!

#ChronicPain # #ChronicIllness #physicalpain #peripheralneuropathy #backpain #neckpain #Migraine #chronicvestibularmigrain #ChronicDailyHeadache #Headache #COVID19 #covidlonghaul #Disability #mentalhealthe#SocialAnxiety #Anxiety #Depression #BipolarDisorder #Bipolar1Disorder #Bipolar2Disorder #BipolarDepression #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #HIVAIDS #longtermsurvivor #Shingles #Bronchitis #Pneumonia #PTSD #Acceptance #Happiness #Selflove #Selfcare #relief #EmotionalHealth #physicalhealth #strength #MightyMinute #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #MentalHealthHero #MightyTogether

I am blessed to have people in my life that are there for me, sometimes just listening and asking what they can do for me, telling me that I’m not alone, letting me know they’ll be there for me, and they love me … but what can really help us feel better about ourselves is when they just say they’re proud of us. Wonderful people in our lives can regularly remind us about everything we’re going through and how amazingly well we are handling ourselves. They can acknowledge us for what we ARE doing even when we can only see and judge ourselves for the things we’re NOT doing. Sometimes they can be there just to listen to us, sometimes they can help us get our minds off all we’re going through by lightening up the conversation and not allow us to get caught in a loop of feeling sorry for ourselves.

But we definitely can’t do this alone, things can appear insurmountable or overwhelming but if we’re lucky we have people who believe in us and are there for us when we just need them to listen and let us get our fears out in the open and talk about our pain. People can help us if they just say they feel for us and wish they could make us feel better. What I don’t think they realize is that by simply being there to walk by our side they ARE making us feel better!

You can expand your network of support by getting up the courage and then tell people that are close to you (that don’t already know) what you are dealing with, sharing what is really happening and what you are going through and then tell them how they can help. I have found most people want to help and if they decline I try not to take it personally. It’s worth the risk to get crucial support

#ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #PeripheralNeuropathy #Migraine #Headache #COVID19 #Disability #MentalHealth #Anxiety #Depression #BipolarDisorder #Bipolar1Disorder #Bipolar2Disorder BipolarDepression #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #HIVAIDS #longtermsurvivor #Shingles #Bronchitis #Pneumonia #PTSD #Selflove #Selfcare #strength #MightyMinute #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #MentalHealthHero #MightyTogether

It’s not all about survival, there is a lot of living to do along the way. Although at times I feel like I am just treating one ailment after another, all day every day (which is true right now) I’ve decided why take all the time and energy it takes to survive everything unless I don’t enjoy how the time given to me by surviving is ripe for good times too.

Recently I have mostly been homebound except to go to health appointments… doctors, PT & OT, clinics, therapy etc. and then only with a walker and the benefit of handicapped parking spots. But I try to continue to celebrate the gifts I have in life, be thankful for the blessings I have that make life just a little more bearable and remind myself of what I’ve been through, how I’ve survived and what I’ve learned from these experiences. If I consider all this, then I must be a very wise man 😉 I may have dropped out of college but I have a Masters degree from the School of Hard Knocks … the diploma is not needed, I know I have accomplished it and need no reminder…I’m still alive after all!

Tough times have given me the chance to tap into my inner strength and I’ve also grown along the way. I don’t have to wait to celebrate the good times when I am experiencing some right now despite what I’m going through!

Thank you all for the love, support, thoughts and prayers, I certainly couldn’t have done this alone!

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