If you need some extra help and support, please know that there is always somewhere to turn, even over the holidays.
Month: December 2016
Please Don’t Suffer in Silence: Where to Turn for Support Over the Holidays
Infographic signposting the help available at this time of year when many people find themselves feeling more alone with their struggles.
[I made it last year, so really should update it, but thought it was worth sharing in its current form (typos & all) just in case it can help someone]
The Ones Who Make a Difference
​Tonight I am incredibly thankful for an awesome crisis nurse who was patient, compassionate and funny over the phone to me both in the middle and right at the very end of her 15 hour shift today. She likely was in charge for most or all of the day, so goodness knows the strains she’s… Continue reading The Ones Who Make a Difference
Lost in Despair (Visual Journal 17th December 2016)
Lost in Despair
Overcome by sadness and fear
Hopeless beyond belief
All external stimuli TOO MUCH
Everything TOO MUCH
SCARED
‘The Crisis Team Cure: A Parody of Advice Commonly Given to Vulnerable & Distressed People in Mental Health Crisis’
Oh how I wish I could say this was a complete fantasy or massive exaggeration, however it is scarily close to the truth. In fact, in the past week alone, every single one of these things (and more) have been suggested or said to me (minus pouring the tea directly over my head whilst in the bath…but I’ve felt like doing so out of sheer desperation and frustration) and I have had constant responses such as this in the past. And it isn’t just me; what prompted me to draw this were several posts in the Mind Our Minds and Doodle Chronicles Peer Support Groups.
Time and again, highly vulnerable and distressed people are dismissed with condescending suggestions of having a bath/cup of tea/walk (even when certain of these things at certain times actually pose an additional risk) and/or are criticised and blamed for being acutely unwell, rather than being offered even a short amount of therapeutic interaction or appropriate assessment/intervention.
I do want to finish by saying that by no means am I suggesting that all crisis team staff act in this way (I have had 2 simply outstanding phone conversations with crisis team nurses over the past week, as well, which I hope to write about when I am able – this past post demonstrates the confusing and opposing approach of crisis team staff) and I want to say a huge thank you to those of you who do this demanding, undervalued and underpaid job with kindness and professionalism – you are true superheroes.
Dissolving Into a Puddle of Useless Sadness
Feeling hopeless and helpless. Useless beyond words. Darkness spreading to all that I touch; a shadow upon the world, fighting impossible internal battles to work out the least of all evils. Hating myself and my impact on those around me. Desperate for peace.
Barely Hanging on and Losing the Fight
Barely hanging on
Only by the tiniest of threads
That thread is painful and tearing me apart
So far gone that help (asking/accepting) is just dragging others with me
Losing grip fast…and I’ve already lost it completely on multiple occasions
Losing the strength to carry on fighting and holding on even faster
Terrified
Exhausted
Confused
Overwhelmed
thedoodlechroniclesblog 