Schizoaffective Disorder

I've lived with depression for as long as I can remember, and before my diagnosis, I thought “being sad and isolating myself all the time” was just a quirky character flaw. In reality, it shaped how I saw myself and my sense of belonging in the world and around others. Even though my mindset has grown and I’ve learned to love myself more effectively, I still struggle sometimes with feeling like I belong or like I truly fit into anything. 🤔

What has your experience been like? How does depression affect your sense of self?

#BipolarDepression #BipolarDisorder #PTSD #Schizophrenia #SchizoaffectiveDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Anxiety #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #Depression #MentalHealth #CheckInWithMe

Let’s set some mental health goals for the month, Mighties!

Here are mine:

1. Incorporate daily breaks into my schedule. 🗓️

2. Be completely open and honest with my therapist about what I’m experiencing, even if it triggers my anxiety. 🌱

3. Build a more consistent journaling practice — I want it to become a habit moving forward! 📓

Feel free to share yours below!

#BipolarDepression #BipolarDisorder #PTSD #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #Schizophrenia #ADHD #Parenting #ChronicIllness #SchizoaffectiveDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Anxiety #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #Depression #MentalHealth #Selfcare #EatingDisorders #CheckInWithMe

Ah, the holiday season — definitely a mixed bag of emotions for me. This year brought a lot of pain, change, and uncertainty, but also necessary growth. As we head into the next month, I’m trying to intentionally add more glimmers into my days. I feel like I deserve moments of joy, so I’m creating them where I can.

How are you feeling about the upcoming holiday season? How does it impact your mental health? What choices are you making for yourself? What does self-care look like for you?

#BipolarDepression #BipolarDisorder #PTSD #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #Schizophrenia #ADHD #Parenting #ChronicIllness #SchizoaffectiveDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Anxiety #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #Depression #MentalHealth #Selfcare #EatingDisorders #CheckInWithMe

Learning how to advocate for ourselves can take patience, time, practice, and consistent effort. For me, it’s taken years of therapy to feel confident enough in my voice and self-awareness to know when and how to speak up. It’s still really challenging at times depending on the situation, and I do still feel guilty more often than not — but I’m better than I was five years ago, and I’m proud of that progress! 🥳

What’s your experience with self-advocacy? How does speaking up for yourself make you feel?

Share with us in the comments below! 💬

#BipolarDepression #BipolarDisorder #PTSD #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #Schizophrenia #ADHD #Parenting #ChronicIllness #SchizoaffectiveDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Anxiety #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #Depression #MentalHealth #Selfcare #EatingDisorders #CheckInWithMe

One thing I have to do on a daily basis—especially as someone who’s a recovering perfectionist living with persistent depression, generalized anxiety, and PTSD, and who is also a creative introvert with an endless stream of ideas—is constantly shift my thoughts.

One uncomfortable interaction or moment of insecurity can send me into a spiral almost instantly. Shifting my thoughts helps me learn to trust myself and my intuition, even when my nervous system gets triggered.

Let’s practice shifting a negative thought together today.

Step 1: Identify one unhelpful, uncomfortable, anxious, or spiraling thought.

Step 2: Shift the thought by finding its opposite. This might look like recognizing your boundaries, focusing on what you can control, naming how you want to feel, or imagining a more realistic outcome.

Here’s my shifted thought:

1. Original thought: I’m different from everyone, I’m too much, and I don’t belong.

2. Shifted thought: I’m enough just the way I am. My family and friends love me for who I am, and I’ll continue to find people who resonate with me.

Share your shifted thoughts below! 💬

#BipolarDepression #BipolarDisorder #PTSD #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #Schizophrenia #ADHD #Parenting #ChronicIllness #SchizoaffectiveDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Anxiety #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #Depression #MentalHealth #Selfcare #EatingDisorders #CheckInWithMe

When I was in school even in college, there were boys being rude to me & I was bullied. All the men I liked throughout my life made comments about the way I look and they were very attractive men. I am diagnosed with Schizophrenia Bipolar. I stay home and don’t do much because I have had so many people be rude to me especially men. When I was younger my cousin put on pornography in front of me and yes I do watch porn. I used to pose as other girls online and men would be so nice to me and when I showed them a real picture of me; I get shrugged off or even blocked. I was in and out of mental hospitals, self harmed, suicidal thoughts, several different diagnoses. I do consider myself different and a child of special needs. I almost got attacked in school by men too for no reason like they wanted to beat me up. I am close to 30, a virgin and never had a good looking attractive man ask me out or give me the time of the day. It makes me feel bad about myself like I am not pretty or good enough because I have been called ugly so many times and no men that I ever liked pay interest in me. My nationality is Guyanese (West Indian). It sucks that I was made this way but hey I guess they say looks aren’t everything.

#MentalHealth #CheckInWithMe #Selfharm #BipolarDisorder #Depression #Anxiety #SchizoaffectiveDisorder #Schizophrenia #GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder #Disability #PTSD #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Psychosis #SchizophreniaSpectrumPsychoticDisorders #MajorDepressiveDisorder #Bipolar2 #BipolarDepression

That is me in the picture :/