One biggest struggle you face with your mental health

@ASilentObserver

My biggest struggle is trying to stay intentional in changing negative thoughts/self-talk into positive statements.

I think that the hardest thing about my mental state and things of this sort is people trying to tell me to be happy because other people have it worse. I'm so sick of people saying things like, "cheer up. at least you're not homeless" or "at least you have your parents" or "at least you're not a schizophrenic". I'm so tired of people trying to make me feel 'better' by one upping my situation.

I came to you for help for my issues, not for you to tell me to suck it up and deal.

Constant extreme split thoughts 24/7 for as long as I can remember. I've been controlling them for so many years, but they've gotten the better of me in the past couple of years resulting in mental breakdowns at both home and work. Especially now that I've chosen the Christian path, I've become more riddled with extreme opposing thoughts and remarks in my mind that is getting harder and harder to filter through and purify.

My biggest struggle is finding help and letting others see the weakness inside of me. From a young age I had to be the strong one that could be depended on and to this day letting someone see me in a state of weakness is unthinkable.

A struggle that I have to constantly deal with is that depression makes me feel like I

I allow people I care for to use me so I don't have to be alone, and I allow my happiness to be defined by those people almost exclusively.

One of the biggest struggles I have with my mental health is that others do NOT understand. Even those who 'but I took a class' or 'I have depression -that's similar, right?' they do NOT get it. It is so hard because usually people who say things like this are trying to show they care about me, to show empathy (or at least sympathy) ... but in what they say, they are often just displaying their ignorance, sadly.

One of the biggest struggles I have with mental health or mental illness is I just don't want to talk about it. If I 'ignore' it - at least in conversation - then it might get better and go away on it's own, yeah?

Yes, I know it doesn't work that way. But even talking with my brother, my Chumm, the few times he has asked about my illness .... it is just so stinkin' hard to explain to him - why did I make that choice, why was I not more logical, etc etc.

I wish I could say (but I won't because I don't want to hurt him) ...

Chumm, you just don't get it. If you continue on this line of questioning of me, it's possible that we will both get quite frustrated, angry, or upset. I do not think mental illness can be explained very well. Other people look at the person with a diagnosis and say why would you choose that? Why would you act like that? They don't understand. It is not blaming the illness to say I did that because I have (depression, schizophrenia, an eating disorder, etc etc). It's just a fact. Like the illness chose that action for me, in my place. And later once I get back into my "right mind" (rolls eyes), I often see that action was a poor choice. And I feel ashamed and guilty and ..... but it really was my illness Believe me, I don't like it either! ~ Chumm's sister (Platy)

Struggling to express my emotions clearly and communicate to other people as well as having mannerisms that make other people feel uncomfortable. Like using self stimulatory behaviour to cope with stress.

Getting enough sleep

not being able to change my way of life