selfcare

Hi, my name is JuicyJ1920. I'm here because

#MightyTogether #Depression #Anxiety #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #PTSD #ADHD #OCD #Grief #MentalIllness #Trauma #SuicidalThoughts #selfcare #Selfharm #Disability #Insomnia

Day 7: Write a letter to your future self

I wrote my letter this morning. It was harder than I was expecting. It ended up being more like a letter to myself, than a letter to future me, but it made me a bit more pumped to do things to feel better or improve my life a bit. I'm going to make future me proud!

#52SmallThings #selfcare #challenge

Today's prompt was to send someone a nice text. I don't have a big social circle, so I sent someone a nice email instead. Someone I don't know who was kind to me recently. I said thank you, and paid him a compliment.

I felt a bit better afterwards. It does make you feel good about yourself for a bit, and that helps.

#52SmallThings #selfcare

Hi, my name is Ramone. I'm here because I struggle with loneliness, anxiety and depression at times. I dont have friends, and I recently found out that I'm neurodiverse. I hope this platforms helps and hope that I can help too.
#MightyTogether #Anxiety #Depression #Loneliness #selfcare #Healing

I can’t remember exactly how it began.

If I’m being honest, I blacked a lot of it out.

Was it the first mental breakdown I had at 5 years old, crying and pulling my hair out of frustration because I couldn’t figure out how to style my hair in pigtails? Was it when I surrendered to the cold razor blade for the first time at 12 years old? Was it when I had my first drop of alcohol at the age of 14, letting it consume my life for the next 18 years? Or was it my first toxic relationship that I desperately held onto for nearly almost two decades?

Couldn’t tell you.

All I know is I was born different.

I grew up in a household that seemed normal on the outside. Two conservative, hardworking parents that migrated to the U.S. in the 70’s. I was born in 1991. We had a house in the suburbs. I had two older siblings that were involved in extracurricular activities, and a younger sibling that we all adored.

I felt like an outsider though. Not sure why.

It could be the large age gap between my siblings and I, or the fact that my parents were too busy working and rarely home. Regardless, I was a natural-born loner.

As I grew older and developed a social life, I found myself in a cycle with unstable relationships and eventually burning bridges with nearly everyone in my life. I took things more personally than what a “normal” person would, and often had episodes of intense anger and emotional instability that drove people away from my life. It didn’t take much to set me off. It could be as little as not being in on an inside joke or included in dinner plans that would trigger me. I was labeled as selfish and dramatic. I used alcohol, partying, and sex to cope with my feelings of emptiness which of course did nothing but left me feeling even more lost.

I didn’t know who I was.

I changed my hair and wardrobe often.

I switched from one genre of music to another.

I would go from developing several hobbies to suddenly not being interested in anything at all.

Every day I longed for a purpose that I depended on romantic partners for.

It wasn’t until 2019 after a suicide attempt during a traumatic breakup that I sought professional help. I was diagnosed at 29 years old with Borderline Personality Disorder. I had all 9 main symptoms of a borderline: 1) fear of abandonment, 2) unstable relationships, 3) unclear or shifting self-image, 4) impulsive, self-destructive behaviors, 5) self-harm, 6) extreme emotional swings, 7) chronic feelings of emptiness, 8) explosive anger, and finally, 9) feeling suspicious or out of touch with reality such as constant feelings of paranoia about others’ motives.

Since then, I’ve been on my journey of self-discovery, healing, and love.

To be completely transparent, I still feel lonely at times even after years of therapy and DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy). Today I am 33 years old. My life for the most part has improved. I cut down on alcohol. I’m in my first healthy relationship with someone who I went to high school with. He is a bright shining light in my life who always makes me laugh and motivates me to be better. I have two supportive best friends that love and accept me for who I am. I landed my first role in cybersecurity and am well on my way to having my dream career. I learned healthy communication skills and to not take things too personally anymore. However, I still struggle with managing my emotions. I get triggered from time to time, but I no longer let it cloud my positive thinking or take away all the hard work I put into building a good life for myself.

I accept that I may never be “fixed” or completely healed. Every day I’m going to have to put in more work than an average person to manage my life, and that’s completely okay. Accepting my diagnosis was the hardest part, but learning more about it has helped me understand myself better. Now I don't feel so misunderstood or alone anymore.

I want every borderline to know that you can live a happy and healthy life. Don't give up. It'll get better. I wholeheartedly believe that because it happened to me, as I know it will for you.

#BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BPD #Recovery #MentalHealth #IfYouFeelHopeless #selfcare #Selfharm #MightyTogether #Anxiety #Depression

Hello! So I haven't been feeling well at all the past few months until one day I decided I've had enough and well here we are. I just thought to myself, life is way too short and precious for me to be wasting it the way I was and I decided I wanted better for myself. I want to share with you what worked for me, maybe it can help you too!

Quick background on issues I delt with over the years (my baggage lol):

Loss of a parent as a teen Anxiety, overthinking, depression, low self-esteem and self-confidence Trouble maintaining friendships and being misunderstood (I'm an only child so I kinda always had trouble with that) Previous victim of emotional abuse, and cyberbullying. Unstable relationship with my mom (very hot or cold, walking on eggshells type of relationship)

Things that helped me the most:

Journaling. Use a notebook, mobile application, even this website or simply record voice memos. You don’t have to do it every single day. I only do it when I’m extremely angry or just feel the need to talk and rant. Helps lift the weight off your shoulders.

Setting boundaries and/or removing people. THIS. As someone who was a people pleaser and found it so hard to say no, this will literally make or break your life. Who you surround yourself with is so important. You don’t need an excuse to remove people from your life. If you don’t feel comfortable with this person’s presence in your life, then it’s goodbye. Your feelings, emotions, peace of mind, is all that matters. Life is too short and precious to have to put up with people we don’t like.

Turn negative thoughts into positives ones. I know you’ve heard this a million times, but it’s true – Brain rewiring is a thing! You control your brain (so - your thoughts) and not the other way around.

Getting closer to God. This may not apply to all, but it’s truly worth giving it a try. Helps you minimize any issue you might be facing. And you realize it’s not that deep... Nothing in this life is.

Emotional detachment. The moment you master this, you’ll be unstoppable in my opinion. It will help you take control of your life and regain focus. You’ll be able to deal with breakups, job rejections, any negative experience, much more easily.

Eliminating negative behaviour. Say goodbye to: binge watching series (all the time), never-ending scrolling on social media and basically excessive useless phone activity. Just take a look at you screen activity and you'll know why this is important. When I noticed that I was wasting HOURS and DAYS on my phone, I realized how serious and dangerous this is. This is time wasted that I'll never get back. Could've used like half of it for something much more beneficial and fun!

Practice mindfulness. Google mindfulness exercises and do them! This helped me with my anxiety and overthinking. Can be as short as a 5-minute breathing exercise. And if you find yourself very interested, research a guy called Wim Hoff. Apparently, he’s the GOAT when it comes to this topic.

Find a hobby. Artistic, physical or educational. Anything you enjoy. This will help you emotionally and mentally. Work shouldn't consume your entire life!

That's pretty much most of it. We deserve to live a beautiful life, not one filled with misery and negativity. No matter how many mistakes we make, we're still human and we're only here once - why not make the most of it?

I hope this helps at least one person :) Let me know your thoughts!

#selfcare #Anxiety #Depression #MentalHealth #Trauma