How Has Living With Mental Illness Affected Your Life?
Living with a mental illness can affect one's life in several ways. It can affect one's work life, family life, general state of health and well-being, there is the existence of a societal stigma, and there is the existence of various other impacting factors.
How has living with a mental health condition affected your life?
@IsabelleJ
It means I need to work twice as hard for twice as long to acomplish what my friends do. It's exhausting. People don't understand, they judge.
@dawn5662 I completely agree with you, it can definetly get exhausting at times!
@IsabelleJ
Living with a mental health condition can feel isolating. You never know who is going to judge you or how they're going to react if you decide to open up to them. Some people are really great and accepting, but some people are scared of what they don't understand.
@lovelyllama13
Here at 7 Cups, we promise we'll be the supprting and understanding kind! It's a no-judgement zone!
@IsabelleJ
It had taken a heavy impact on me socially as well as physically. Struggled to make friends I could get close with out of fear of being judged, used and abandoned.
Physically I was always exhausted and couldn't find any motivation to complete activities with my peers or work set by my college. Later developed into insomnia so I spent much of that part of my life in isolation late at night with my thoughts that dragged me down deeper.
Being a male I had no real support group around me at the time and had to really put in some serious effort into searching for someone who would care enough.
My mental illness has consumed so much of my life over the years that I sadly wont be able to get back.
@HakunaMatata2k
I too have lost much of my life and feel sad that I will not be able to make up for it. I have withdrawn from mainstream social activities, cried because I was so tired of feeling sad, cried because I was exhausted and alone, cried because I was tired of crying and couldn't stop. I had been unsuccessful at finding help/support for over 30 years. Until recently, today things are turning around. I have to face the fact that I need medication; to be able to be there for my family, I have to. I am learning to advocate for myself and have been greatly encouraged by peer support.
Like Hysterria I will be going back to school with a psychology major as a result of my experience as a mental health patient.
@OrangeYouGlad68
You summed up so much perfectly with: "cried because I was so tired of feeling sad, cried because I was exhausted and alone, cried because I was tired of crying and couldn't stop". It really is horrible crying because you're sick of crying and because you feel pathetic for crying over things most people don't cry about aha but in the moment you are just one whole mess and you can't help how much it consumes you.
It's great you're using your experience of mental health to further your education, I too am going to enter a course in psychology and counselling once I go to university.
If you ever need
@HakunaMatata2k
Thank you for responding. It is emotionally fortifying to know someone can relate. So good to hear your interested in psych ed./counselling. I am not in a 4 Yr Univ. yet but am learning much of the course work ahead of time from quality Youtube channels that have Univ. lectures. Facinating stuff!
@OrangeYouGlad68
Nice knowing someone else has taken a similar approach to me too. I'm waiting until next year until I'm going to go to university for it but until then do you mind sharing those YouTube channels?
@HakunaMatata2k Sure - There are three that give good psych lectures YaleCourses, BiolaUniversity, and UCLACourses. Now a Robert Sapolsky a neuroendocrinologist with Stanford has fascinating insight but they don't have a complete semester on youtube for his classes. Hope this helps.
@OrangeYouGlad68
Thank you so much! 😊 That'll be great help! Best wishes to you.
@HakunaMatata2k I have very very similar problems but I am a female. Always have been a self sabatoger....low confidence kinda girl but ain college Ioke me . even after. I try and let go but I am not where I expected. I didn't and still don't understand why I won't grow up. I think once my parents sold out childhood house and moved out of state my life turned upside down. I already had a couple friends but no one like legit, so I moved to start over two and half years ago for a positive change to be by my retired parents in Florida. The climate bugs temperature is one thing. still no social life. Stress has caused me to go gray I am so unhealthy for my age and embarrassed I can't handle a part time job Bc I stay up thinking or feeling freee and no one can judge me. my teeth grind and have separated and shifted and now my posture stress has made me be in more pain physically and feeling lesss energized than my 74 yr old father. I look back to when I used to self sabatoger myself and think DANG what was wrong with me. so we gottta focus on the now. Forget what doesn't matter. Achieve our dreams. I have to stop complaining . Hahaha and I'll end there. But you are not alone. just so you know. Ty for reading
@MoonstruckMadness
Despite it being comforting to hear it is also a shame to hear that you're quite self-critical and have been over the years. It's a horrible habit to get into and so hard to get out of. I really do wish the best for you in the future with finding some good friends you can really connect with because even though it can be relaxing being alone it is so nice to be within the company of others you love.
Yeah temperature is a big thing for me given that I have eczema but luckily I live in the UK so usually we get pretty boring cold weather here which doesn't affect me too much. Don't think I've gone grey yet from stressing out but when it came to my GCSE exams (when I was 16) I remember losing quite a bit of hair and a long side the stressing I get what you get in terms of feeling physically useless because I was so tired from being up all night worrying about things - not sure why I'm talking about this in past tense, I still do this aha I just try and be a lot more positive now.
Thanks for replying :). I'd definitely stop the complaining - don't take that personally - I used to a lot and once I stopped and gave a positive reaction to when something shitty happened, even if it was incredibly forced, I started noticing a difference in my behaviour. And yes, strive for your dreams whatever they may be, once you've achieved it you'll find happiness and you are not alone either, many people are like you and I. Focus on the present whilst chasing the future and forgetting the past.
If you ever want to talk don't hesitate to inbox me
-HakunaMatata2k
It's not easy and some days, it's hard to see the "bright side". But, believe it or not, I truly believe there IS a bright side to mental illness. If I had gone through what I did, I wouldn't be where I am or who I am today. I wouldn't have learned from my lessons or met my support systems. I wouldn't have learned how to empathize with others, to see things from their point of view. I also wouldn't have gone back to school to study psychology. The work I've put into my degree has been so fulfilling and has given me a purpose and though I still struggle daily with mental illness, I don't think I'd be ME without it.
It has been a battle, a struggle, lately i just let it consume me i used to fight it but now i just give into my thoughts I'm not as strong as people think i am. I'm vulnerable.
Fearing every single person that comes near me. Hard to make a conversation because maybe one word I say may make a person mad. I know that most people won't harm me but I feel the fear. I get tired of speaking to someone.
I used to feel hopeless beneath anxieties and self-deprecating ideals. I starting doubting myself, my own mental wellness, and reality when the hallucinations and dissociation and disconnects came. I started exploring traumas and other untold stories in my life, and that discovery helped me become one with my experiences. I stopped seeing myself as sick, and stopped asking myself "What's wrong with me". Instead, I started looking into what happened to me. That created a lot of healing.
I think it has affected me mostly in the work area and family life... But also in my mental well-being for I have felt like I am worthless and so sad it was hard for me to iniate activities.
@Totheskyandbeyond I'm sorry it makes you feel that way sometimes! Living with a mental illness can be hard for family members to understand and can definitely make it tough in the work place.
@dance1995 Thanks. Like right now for example... I feel like I don't belong anywhere 😭
I don't have many friends and my relationships often fail due to my mental health problems, people don't understand or they don't want to understand. I have the communication skills of a monk so yeah ha I can't get anyone to be supportive or care enough to stay so often I support myself to be honest this site is really my only support system.
@astray I'm so glad you found this site. Please know that you are not alone and we're always here to listen. Please never hesitate to reach out if you need to talk. Help is available.
@lovelyllama13 thanks for the support and for caring
Have a great Sunday :)
Twice as less productive and outgoing. and everything that used to make me happy seems so dull.
@janli I have depression and PTSD. I battle tough battles everyday. Don't give up. I would like to get married and have children but I feel it isn't in the books for me. I look at all my friends that do and I feel defective and incomplete. I was abused growing up.