Hello, lovely, how are YOU? Really, not your family, not your friends, the dog, YOU?
Its easy to spot even small physical health fragilities, it can the slightest limp, a wince as you swallow with a sore throat, etc, people can see to ask how you are, if you need any help.
But sadly, It can be completely different with mental health fragilities, both big and small, and people can’t see how you are, and don’t know to ask you if you need any help.
Even with all the progress made, all the awareness days, weeks, in-house trainings, celebrities speaking out, the stigma can still be felt (imagined or otherwise) by someone who is not feeling at their best.
It can be hard for the you to even recognise when you step on the downward slope, life can just seem to get duller, quieter, more isolating, more frightening, and you can feel that, because you are so much luckier than others in life, that you should just ‘pull yourself together’.
And you try, you really do. And you can’t. And you feel embarrassed to reach out, maybe not having the words to articulate a greyness that doesn’t shift, and that can just be at the lower scale of emotional disruptions.
For most of my adult life, I struggled with depression, debilitating, exhausting depression that I didn’t even know I had, until I was hospitalised.
I have been hospitalised twice, sectioned once, and whilst I am happy to talk about my alcoholism, I still feel uncomfortable talking about the other blight of my life, crippling depression and anxiety that made leaving the house a terrifying prospect producing off the scale panic attacks.
If you read this and recognise any part of how you feel, please reach out to friends, to family, to your doctor, to a help line, to a community
There are kind hands and open ears waiting to listen and support you.
To offer you words of comfort and advice.
To make you feel less alone in your fear, that can even make you giggle for a few minutes and gain a new perspective.
Here’s a few of the TIPS that supported me, why don’t you try them too.
- Get yourself outside
- Drink lots of water
- Eat regularly, small, nutritious foods. I often used to only be able to eat a banana, so I made it a big one.
- Talk kindly to yourself
- Hug yourself
- Set gentle self-loving goals, if not every day, every other day.
- Be gentle with your struggle
And know, that with support, encouragement, time and care, all this will pass.
Much love and respect to you
Sonia xx
Sonia Grimes is a former alcoholic and drug addict of 28 years, who found sudden, effortless peace and freedom when she realized that Alcohol was NOT the problem, but her SOLUTION and she stopped looking for external solutions to her internal chaos. Sonia now uses her skills as a Recovery Coach and Mindest Master to guide other’s to the same easy peace, through her unique process of change. Click here to download her 10 Questions to Change your Drinking, Effortlessly https://bit.ly/3ao10Quest