50's Plus Check in thread Sept 3 to Sept 6
How are you all doing? As many of you have seen that we are focusing this month on 7cups as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Together, we can open up the conversation about mental health and suicide.
These thoughts repeat over and over, faster and faster, making the fear we might act more real. For us, anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts are a constant struggle. To cope, we might form weird habits, withdraw from friends or avoid certain situations. However, each sufferer experiences differently. What's normal for some, might not be for others.
Key things: education, healthy living, treatment and coping skills. By staying informed, taking care of your body and prioritizing therapy, sufferers can lead happy, healthy lives. For some, medication or alternative treatments might be necessary. Reaching out and asking for help is the first step. Working on coping skills really helps a lot of people. Not sure who to talk to? You can talk to your doctor, therapist, counselor, friend, relative, partner, co-worker, neighbor, crisis line. Reaching out is the first start to recovery. If you do feel safe you can also chat 1;1 with a listener on 7cups.
Some helpful links that can also help are below.
- Patient Safety Plan Template
What are some ways that you know of that you can improve or help someone else?
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@DanaMH
Dana thanks for this post, you surely put a lot of work in it.
If I know someone is not well I tend to try staying in touch with the person, if possible pass around to ask if they need something like from a shop or so, want to come with me when grocery shopping but mostly be there for them, let them know they can come or call anytime.
@amiablePeace77
Thanks - It is an important topic and have been chatting with a lot of folks about the topic. Glad that folks feel that they can open up and trust folks to talk and not hold things in. That is so awesome that you care about folks like that. Some folks just knowing someone is there and has those open arms to help is what they are looking for. Sometimes they just would like to be with someone or know you are willing to go to the store when they fill like they need to isolate and can't walk out the doors and see strangers at all. Sometimes they just need you to say have you tried something on the coping skills list today or lets figure out some new coping skills that might work for you if the others seem to not be working currently.
Today was a nice day. I think you have put some good info here—I know Ive already started telling people about 7 Cups 
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@Zengrl
That is so awesome to hear.
What are some ways that you know of that you can improve or help someone else?
As a matter of fact, that is what I do for a living. I am the guy who comes out to your office and helps you with your computer when it misbehaves. I love my job. I try to be helpful to my GF as well, any way I can. I love her, too.
@Offmytrack
That is so awesome that you have IT skills that can help others and help your gf also.
i'm sooo glad i saw this Check-In Thread~! i just want to say how well the opening topic was phrased, and how many Truly Important topics it touched upon... and Thank YOU Dana for all the work you do for us~!
@GustyOne4U
You are so welcome and glad you found the check-in helpful. I agree a lot of folks try not talking about things and hide feelings and that is what brings things to the fore front. Just stepping out and asking folks for help helps a lot.
I just wanted to say how touchingly appropriate this post is for this month, Suicide Prevention.
I suffered from Suicidal Ideation for over 15 years, all day most days~! and that was AFTER i stopped actually attemping to die. i have so many relative and in-laws who have succeed, the first when i was only 9 yrs old. my own first attempt i was only 5 yrs old~! what a burden~!
now i have been without Ideations for about 6 years. i worked a therapeutic program using Binaural Beats and Meditation, daily for 7 years~! (i only missed 4 days in all that time, because i could feel it working.) IF there are people reading this who are still suffering, i encourage you to keep trying to find a way to overcome~! and if you want to know more about the method i used, please feel free to Message me and remind me what you want to talk about~ 
@GusteeMoon123
I am so sorry to hear that you had those thoughts and people in your life that have done this. Glad to hear that you haven't had those thoughts now for about 6 years. That is so great to hear that you found the therapeutic program and used Binaural Beats and Meditation, Could you tell us a little about Binaural Beats since I have never heard of that before?
@DanaMH
thank you Dana~! i love to talk about Binaural Beats, since it was that, combined with meditation, that helped me put 5 major psychiatric diagnoses in remission (CURED). if you know about EMDR (the Tapping system to disempowering thoughts and feelings), then you will easily understand how the Binaural Beats works. by using stereo earphones to send a different 'beat' into each ear (hidden under a soothing sound track, like water) the technology stimulates the brain to seek resolution, and to do that the brain needs its two halves to 'talk' to each other. in order to do that, the brain needs to activate, or even regrow the nerve ganglia that cross the meningial tissue (between the 2 halves of the brain).
it is this 'stimulation' that actually helps the brain to find and repair nerve connections that have been severed, or even brain cells that have died, and repair or select a new cell for developement~! i was poisoned about 26 yrs ago, and spent more than 10 years useing 'ordinary' rehabilitation therapies (such as knitting, building, puzzles, etc). in that way i did regain about 30 IQ points, but did not experience 'remission' of psych symptoms. by sitting every morning and listening to the Beats (at first half an hour, then an hour, then half hour 2x a day, then 1 hr 2x a day, then 2hrs x 2x a day~~~!) over the course of 7 years, my symptoms all went into remission~!
the Binaural Beat Therapy program i used was sold by CenterPointe.com. their home page also has a LOT of information, and "testimonials". (frankly the home page feels a bit like a used car salesman, but the actual business is run by a man who is very generous, and caring. there are trained support staff if one needs them, and many little Gifts (lectures) for personal development that are sent free of charge.)
one can find many Binaural Beat sound tracks on YouTube; some stimulate the brain to produce Theta brain waves ( for deep healing and meditation); Delta brain waves (for sleep ); Gamma (for meditation) and Beta (for focus and concentration). the difference between the YouTube Beats and the Therapy series is the organized and gradually increasing strength of the soundtrack (and the cost, of course). there is another company that has developed a Therapeutic System, also, but i don't know anything about them.
here are a couple of links to Binaural Beat sound tracks on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pJheICAck4&t=22s Gamma - Meditation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgwd_3k3pOw Theta - Deep Healing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2RvqKCn7S4 Beta - Focus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njHvGxZgTPk Delta - Sleep
Sit Still and Prosper~! :D
@GusteeMoon123
Thanks for sharing those links. I just shared them with my therapist also and will have to try those out.
@DanaMH
i am so happy that you are willing to try these out Dana~! please DO let me know if you notice any results, especially Good Results~ 
@GustyOne4U
Oh, I will.
@GusteeMoon123 wow thanks for these resources! I
@Zengrl
how did that work for you ? did you sleep well ? have good dreams? i HOPE so~!
@GustyOne4U I liked it. Looks like it only took me 20 min to go to sleep. However, I didnt wear headphones, so probably not getting full benefits.
@Zengrl
ooh, you MUST wear the stereo headphones or ear buds,,, it's worse than not getting the full effects, you can get a headache... the soundtrack hides the actual Beat that makes the therapy work... there are many 'meditation' sound tracks that you can listen to without ear phones, but not the Binaurals~ but i'm glad you gave it a try~! :)
@GustyOne4U So I invested in the tracks and was able to listen with earbuds last night. I didnt go to sleep as quickly this time, but I did notice the difference in sound. Feels similar to meditation to me. 
@Zengrl
i am so pleased that you are persisting and using the earbuds, Zengrl~! i did not fully realize until i was years into the therapy that the changes it stimulates in the brain are long lasting, probably permanent, repairs to brain function. and YES~! it is just like meditation, which is likely why i had such excellent results, i combined the two.
I wanted to respond to this post. But Im not sure it would be acceptable. Thank you Dana MH for your hard work.
@Lauren63
You are welcome. If you feel you would like to chat about the subject we can in a 1;1.
@DanaMHI was able to talk to an old friend today. Old being the operative word, LOL. It helped.
@Lauren63
That is so great to hear. Hope you both had a good conversation.
feeling a bit old and helpless today... it's cloudy and cool, and normally i like that... actually i just like weather, of all kinds~ :D
@GusteeMoon123
Sorry to hear that you are feeling a bit old and helpless today. Maybe it is do the weather? Maybe you could do some type of pleasant activity today like read a book or watch a good show on tv.
@DanaMH
i gave up trying to 'escape' long ago. now i try to find a way to enjoy, or at least benefit from, noticing each feeling and how it could affect me if i let it. But~ i don't let it ! i am old, and honestly, fairly useless. feeling that is part of staying alive. but thank you for trying to help move what you would not like to endure.
@GustyOne4U
Good to hear that you are trying to find a way to enjoy and benefit from things. That is awesome to hear that you don't let your feelings affect you.
