how would you rate your mental health?

question

absolute garbage after the pandemic 👍

I don't always suffer from mental illness, sometimes I quite enjoy it.

Sometimes I feel like I have bipolar. Sometimes I angry, but often I timid.

life is boring

I need a vacation! 

i think the pandemic definitely had a major impact on my work ethic. I'm not sure exactly why, but I just have had significantly less motivation to do things in the past couple years.

It was the end times in November till February. That was the first time in what, 15 years? That i geninuely had a dark spell.

Fortunately, as i got older, i automatically went into self-rescue mode and did some (admittely drastic) stuff to get out of it. I've realized that my mind, instead of feeling helpless, goes into a state of self-preservation: The ego takes over and does what it can to sustain and improve. It has helped tremendously. What also helped is that in that dark spell, i still socialized and did things to distract myself. As such i can't subscribe to what i would call the classical signs ive seen written here aswell - No social contact, etc. I did display withdrawal signs, which is my way of coping with things. And i generally wasn't a nice guy, to the point that i just didn't respond anymore.

Lately, however, it has been a bit dire again. Not as bad as back then, but definitely not alright. Recognizing this, ive taken some days off. That has helped. However the cause (Too few people at work) has not changed, so you immediately go back into that funk. So i am now taking a slightly different approach and i am a bit more upfront with things. Sucks to people getting the recieving end of it but sometimes you cannot sustain playing nice. Sometimes being direct is the way to go.

As long as you keep realizing that a lot of people are idiots, it makes you feel better. Atleast it did for me. Why get sad over idiots? 

Improving. Self-confidence going up, taking up projects even if I don't fully know a plan beforehand (trusting future self), taking (albeit small) risks. Focusing on the process, not the reward. Tired though.

Meh in my normal cycle of -> See task -> Start task -> SQUIRREL -> Approach squirrel -> OOH KITTY -> Wait what about that task...

Grade: 27

absolutely smashed to pieces, confidence at almost negative levels, having dreams where i'm surrounded by my kinda people and can't talk to any of them \o/

I'm in a weird spot where I'm currently relatively happy compared to pretty much any point in my life in the last 20 years but I also know that it's fragile and my life could fall apart at pretty much any moment. I don't feel like I have true stability.

Well, my mental health's sound enough that I'm not terribly willing to discuss it on a public internet forum.

I say enlist in therapy today, I thought it would be terrible but actually it is fantastic and helps immensely.

13 minutes ago, mrthejoshmon said:

I say enlist in therapy today, I thought it would be terrible but actually it is fantastic and helps immensely.

therapy is a scam

It's better that some years ago, but there not such thing like now like stable good status on where i live, so things figth back and forth, so i can't for example live with the luxury of the same kind of people in other places...but this still don't broke me on a depressive stuff because of the support of many many things on my life.

Therapy helps too.

It ironically takes broken people to help broken people, and therapists are usually living on the sidelines, so they tend to be tone-deaf. But I trust there's good ones if you keep trying.

As for me I'm not totally down in the dumps but I'm not ideally where I'd like to be in life and there are some obstacles in my path that are fairly steep, or maybe they just seem that way due to a lack of experience, either way I have a ways to go before I get better, and even then trauma never truly goes away, you just try to get better at catching yourself. A significant other that understands you helps too.

14 minutes ago, fruity lerlups said:

therapy is a scam

Therapists are IT support for the mind.

Which is to say, they're trying to help, but they are "educated guessing" a lot more often than most people are comfortable thinking about.

Same could be said of doctors really. Any career which involves problem diagnosis and root cause analysis is gonna have a fair degree of "well ermm... maybe it's this?" 

Even with all the best intentions in the world.

And then on top of that you get people who go into medical fields solely for the money or out of familial expectations, which does not tend to result in the most motivated or ethical practitioner.

My mental health is probably the best it's ever been. I now have a wonderful girlfriend with two kids. I have a family now. I feel like I belong.

That said, it still comes with some challenges. The kids can be a handful, even on a good day. My 8-year-old in particular has some special needs. I'm also jobless currently and finding a job has been a herculean endeavor. It's also been a big bruise on my ego. Sometimes I have quite a few doubts both about my employability and my aptitude as a new parent. 

All I can honestly say is that I'm trying. And it seems to be working for the most part. 

@Johnny B. Getgoode (The Guy) Your value as a husband and a father will definitely be realistically measured more favorably versus how experienced you are at helping a company look good lol but I get your sentiments.

1 hour ago, fruity lerlups said:

therapy is a scam

Sorry, I forget it's free where I come from and the rest majority of the world (is it also free in Europe? NHS do a free service here in England) isn't as fortunate.

Also depending on the therapist, some might be grifters but genuine professionals know what they are doing and my life is so much better.

The more you play Doom or UDB, the more mentally stable, productive, happy & healthy you are...

1 hour ago, Johnny B. Getgoode (The Guy) said:

My mental health is probably the best it's ever been. I now have a wonderful girlfriend with two kids. I have a family now. I feel like I belong.

 

That said, it still comes with some challenges. The kids can be a handful, even on a good day. My 8-year-old in particular has some special needs. I'm also jobless currently and finding a job has been a herculean endeavor. It's also been a big bruise on my ego. Sometimes I have quite a few doubts both about my employability and my aptitude as a new parent. 

All I can honestly say is that I'm trying. And it seems to be working for the most part. 

youre clearly a wonderful father, the job market sucks dont let that get you down, jobs will eat you up and spit you out, but how you love your children matters more, and as you said that clearly is working. Im trying to get out of a really exploitative and horrible job and its honestly as you said, a herculean endeavour, that's not in your control, its not a comment on your character, the economy kinda sucks rn, thats not your fault. Youre a good father and know we got your back k? Sometimes fathers arent really valued these days but just know, as someone who grew up without one, I always look at wonderful fathers with admiration.

I rate mine I-don't-even-know-anymore/10

All I can say is, it's been absolutely rough lately. Hopefully for now and it will pass..

Somewhere between a happy land with rainbows and adorable bunny rabbits and a hellscape full of anxiety.

4 hours ago, Obsidian said:

Well, my mental health's sound enough that I'm not terribly willing to discuss it on a public internet forum.

1 hour ago, Lila Feuer said:

@Johnny B. Getgoode (The Guy) Your value as a husband and a father will definitely be realistically measured more favorably versus how experienced you are at helping a company look good lol but I get your sentiments.

Heh. I suppose you're right. :P 

Not the first time I've had mistaken priorities. 

But yeah, my girlfriend appears to appreciate the help and the kids are responding favorably to me too, so I guess that's all that really matters. Thanks for helping me see that.

I'll take this opportunity to discuss this a bit; It's a bit personal but if it reaches somebody and they can open up and diagnose themselves too, then it's a good thing.

My mother was diagnosed a couple years ago with bipolarity disorder, and ever since I heard that, it came obvious to me how I am also subject to this.

In such a state, your mental health is unstable and your mood varies greatly over time. You get pissed by the dumbest thing one day, then you sort your socks and clean your whole house the next day. Highs and lows come at varying intervals, with different intensities and last for a random amount of time. It's difficult to do things and plan ahead because of this.

Now, my mother is under medication which greatly helps her, but I refuse to take medication, and all I can do is learn. Learn how to deal with who you are inside, learn how you react, learn how you can deal with highs and lows, and work from there. I have been able to identify the times when I need to stay off social interaction or when I need to isolate myself. There are times though where I don't want to fight it, and I'm exhausted with fighting, and in those times, support from other is the goldmine I wish you all can find one day.

Mental health checkpoints like these are important, be kind to yourself and remember that you are doing your best, always. There will be days where you won't feel like you have not moved forward at all or done anything useful, and it is perfectly fine. It's okay to take time, it's okay to seek help when you need it.

You got this! 💪