This is a Really Real Mental Health post.
I haven’t written in a few days because I just haven’t had anything to write about.
I don’t want to just post a day by day accounting of my life.
I like the posts that have substance,
meaning,
direction.
I’ve been dreaming a lot about my dad recently.
Weird dreams that take place after he died, but he’s still there talking to me.
Dreams where I’m giving him advice that I am trying to give to myself.
Telling him it will take time for his antidepressants to work.
Telling him he needs to slow down with spending money.
Also telling him how he traumatized me.
How he inconvenienced my sister and I.
How much work it’s been since he died.
I keep trying to look at the positives that will come from his death.
I no longer have to force weekly phone calls that are boring and uncomfortable.
He’s no longer making people miserable.
He’s no longer degrading me and telling me how I’m not good enough.
And, he may be buying me a house.
But that seems like such a foreign concept to me.
The idea of owning a house.
I don’t feel like I’m adult enough to own a house.
I still have a lot of research to do about my benefits,
my disability and my health insurance.
I have to make sure they won’t penalize me for actually owning something.
God forbid someone starts to pull themselves out of poverty,
I have to make sure they won’t rip the rug out from underneath me.
But at the same time I’m excited.
And it feels good to be excited about something.
It’s still months away before I can really start looking.
Probate takes forever, I’ve learned.
But I’m browsing on Zillow, looking at Real Estate websites, searching for homes within my price range that have pictures.
Starting a mental list of what’s important to me.
Of wants and needs.
I know I’m hyper-focusing,
I know it may end up never happening.
And I know I’m anxious even thinking about the idea.
Because I’m not adult enough.
But what if?
What if?
What if I don’t every have to worry about being homeless, ever again?
What if I never have to worry about someone taking my home away?
What if I never have to worry about being kicked out?
What if?
Maybe, just maybe,
something good can come out of his fucked up death.
Maybe he can give me some sort of financial stability.
Maybe he can take away some of my worries.
I remember, when I was younger, he would threaten me with taking me out of the will.
He planned, for the longest time, to give me less than he gave my sister.
And he made sure I knew.
He didn’t want me to get his money when I couldn’t take care of myself.
I didn’t deserve the help, he felt.
Well, fuck him.
Fuck him.
And it would be nice if one day I can say,
fuck him,
while I’m sitting in my own home.
Month: November 2020
Day 21
This is a Really Real Mental Health post.
TW: Mention of suicide, mention of gunshot, mention of gore.
I skipped a day again.
But missing 2 days this month isn’t really all that bad, and I don’t really have something to write about every day right now.
I slept till almost noon today.
Didn’t even do my wakeup at 7am to roll over and go back to sleep.
I just slept.
I feel bad for sleeping so much. I’m in bed by midnight at the latest, and sleeping at least 12 hours almost every night.
Partly it’s the sleeping meds.
Partly it’s depression.
Partly it’s still healing from trauma.
It feels like it’s taking so long.
I’m shaming myself for all the things I can’t do, and it’s hard to focus on what I am doing.
For all the things I can’t do, yet.
I keep trying to remind myself that it’s okay that I’m not back to where I was.
I’ll get there.
Apparently, it’s just going to take more time than I like.
My therapist said yesterday that this may not be as much depression, as it is shutting down from the trauma.
Still blocking emotions out.
I feel so flat.
Even things I normally enjoy are just,
flat.
I don’t want to get out of bed in the morning because there’s nothing to look forward to.
It’s nice not being suicidal, but I miss,
living.
I was living my best life, and now I’m just struggling to get out of bed each day.
And I’m trying to be gentle with myself, while also pushing enough that I keep progressing.
But honestly, it’s hard.
It’s hard not to feel like I’m failing.
It’s hard not to feel like I’m letting people down.
It’s hard not to feel like I’m letting myself down.
Healing is exhausting.
And I’m still angry.
Fuck him for taking my stability.
Truly, fuck him.
It’s quiet in the house right now.
I keep forgetting to turn on music but yet, the silence allows the intrusive memories to come.
Fuck him for making every memory of that week turn into a gunshot.
Into a gory image of him in a wheelchair with blood dripping from his face.
Into an image of blood caked on the front of the wheelchair.
Into an image of my sister scrubbing the remnants out of the carpet.
Fuck him.
I’m having bbq, bacon wrapped, shrimp for Thanksgiving.
Wonder Woman hates seafood, hates the smell of it, so I only really cook it when she’s out of town.
My dad used to have seafood for holiday dinners.
It was nice because I’d have a traditional holiday meal at my mom’s house,
and then I’d go to my dad’s and have a seafood feast.
He always made the bbq bacon wrapped shrimp.
I miss it.
It’s been years and years since we’ve had a meal like that.
Years and years since he said “Dad is great, dad is good, lets thank dad for this meal.”
Years and years since he screamed at me for not cleaning fast enough before my sister got there.
Years and years.
I don’t miss him.
I don’t miss the forced phone calls that I tried to make each week because he was an old lonely man who had no other contact with the outside world.
I don’t miss the overwhelming anxiety when I would go for a visit.
I don’t miss the sound of him screaming because I didn’t do things the way that he wanted.
I don’t miss him.
Fuck him.
Fuck him for setting me back so far.
Day 19
This is a Really Real Mental Health post.
Two steps forward.
One step back.
I cancelled almost everything today.
I showed up late to PHP, and was thankful when we ended both groups early.
I cancelled meeting up with a friend.
I cancelled my doctors appointment.
I barely made it out to the store to pick up a medication I had run out of.
Part of it is that I’m flaring right now.
Every joint hurts.
A burning pain that makes me want to cry.
But I don’t.
Honestly, I look just like I look any other day.
I just,
deal with it.
Silently.
But inside I’m screaming.
And, it was also depression.
I could feel it gripping at me, holding me back.
Holding me down in bed this morning.
Holding me back from leaving the house.
Some days it’s releasing its grip enough to let me function almost normally.
Whatever that is.
But today it held firm.
I pushed through some this afternoon.
Staring at my design software I stopped scrolling Facebook long enough to work on some cards.
I kept having to push every step of the way.
I would make a few edits and find myself mindlessly scrolling again.
I would cut a few pages and catch myself mindlessly reading post after post.
Eventually I’d get them put together.
I managed to make 12 cards today.
I was wading through the thickest mud though.
Even writing this,
I’m forcing myself to stay on track.
I keep getting distracted by everything.
Zoning off into the distance.
Two steps forward.
One step back.
I’ll move forward again tomorrow.
Day 18
This is a Really Real Mental Health post.
Today was my day off.
No PHP.
No social plans.
No doctors appointments.
I spent most of the day bored.
Unable to settle on any of the million things I could be doing.
I still have cards to make.
I still have cleaning to do.
I have a million and one projects on the computer I could be working on.
But nothing held my interest.
The inability to enjoy things is part of the lingering depression.
But it’s not as bad as it was.
We went out and got bagels for lunch.
We tried to get coffee but our normal Starbucks was closed for the afternoon.
I’ve already taken my night meds, then remembered I hadn’t yet written today.
I have PHP tomorrow, then a walk with a friend, followed by my yearly checkup.
Super busy all day.
Hopefully it’ll keep me from taking so many naps.
I’m fading fast tonight.
The sleep meds swirling around in my brain making me drowsy.
Hopefully I sleep through without tossing and turning.
Hopefully tomorrow is a better day.
Day 17
This is a Really Real Mental Health post.
Today has been productive.
It feels good.
I had PHP this morning.
I over slept.
I almost didn’t go at all.
But I did.
Afterwards I had coffee with a high school friend. Someone I probably haven’t seen since we graduated.
Or maybe in my Denny’s days right after high school.
Conversation flowed easily, and my ever present anxiety was quiet for a change.
We sat outside.
The cold wind threatening to blow our drinks over.
But it was nice to be around someone as worried about safety as I am.
We talked a lot about Covid.
About how our lives have changed.
And how it will never go back to the normal that was.
There will forever be a new normal.
It felt nice to socialize.
When I got home I was worn out.
The smallest things do that now.
But the coffee kept me going.
I spent this evening filling envelopes with already created cards.
I’ve made 64 so far.
I need to make another 33.
I’m having so much fun with them, so much love is going into these pieces of paper.
And I’m surrounded by so much love.
I remember being in school, horribly bullied, with no idea what was wrong with me.
Or what I was doing wrong.
Now, I’m surrounded by a support system bigger than most people have.
All of you that read my posts.
Some silently.
Some reacting.
Some commenting.
The people inviting me out for coffee and walks.
The people keeping me company over zoom or at bonfires.
It’s nice to be so loved.
It’s nice to be able to feel that love.
Instead of being surrounded by a fog that won’t let it in.
I’m feeling better every day.
I’m sure rough times will come again, but I’m also sure I can handle them.
For now, though, I’m going to enjoy the clear blue skies.
Day 16
This is a Really Real Mental Health post.
I skipped a day.
Nothing was really happening and I couldn’t figure out a topic to write about, so I kept waiting for inspiration.
And thought about it one last time as I was dozing off.
It gets boring for me to write “day in the life” posts day after day with no real content.
No real direction.
Especially when each day, looks like the day before, and the day before, and the day before.
Quarantine life is so damn boring.
I’ve taken two naps today, short naps, but still, laying down and dozing off.
I’m just not feeling 100%.
Partially its still depression, partially it’s that boredom of every day feeling like the last.
Today was a good day though.
I had PHP this morning, and group therapy was really productive.
I love when I end a group feeling like I have more insight than I did when it started.
After PHP I went for a walk with a derby friend. Someone who I haven’t seen since last season.
There hasn’t really been a season this year.
We walked slowly, stopping often for her dog to sniff around, and just talked.
We stayed distant from each other on the path, giving each other air hugs from 6 feet away before we left.
This new normal is odd, but finding safe ways to socialize is important.
I have coffee with another friend tomorrow, and then we’re repeating today’s walk on Thursday.
Sunday, Wonder Woman and I are having a friend over for another bonfire.
Quite a socially busy week for me, and it feels so good.
It feels good to have interest in this again.
It feels good to push myself not to cancel, because depression and anxiety want to get in the way.
But I’m not letting them.
I’m worth the fight.
I’m working on making socially distant plans with friends for next week.
I’ll be alone for a few days, and while I’m looking forward to the “me time,” I also don’t want to open myself up for the thoughts to creep back in.
Quiet is good, but getting myself stuck in the house isn’t.
I also have plans to turn up the music and get some serious cleaning done around here.
From months of staying at home, to long stretches of depression, my house is worse than it’s ever been.
I plan to get it back under control while she’s gone.
Organize my space to organize my mind.
I feel so much better though. I feel like the meds are working, I feel more like,
me.
Day 14
This is a Really Real Mental Health post.
I’ve been working on cards all day.
Slept in and then jumped right in finishing cards I started yesterday.
I got tired of being in the house so I left for a drive alone out to a Starbucks (duh) that was further away than my normal one.
I just wanted to be out of the house.
That’s an improvement.
Now to get myself back to walking.
But it’s getting better.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
But I need to be patient.
I don’t really have much to write about today. But I’m 14 days in and I’d hate to miss a day now.
My machine is cutting a material that has to be cut at a low speed.
Normally it’s loud and almost jarring, but right now it’s a musical rhythm. Calming, soothing.
Makes me want to go to sleep. But it’s too late for a nap, too early for bed.
I’ve been tired all day.
But also restless.
And somewhat creative, but I’m getting bored of that.
Not really sure what to work on next that will interest me.
I’m still blah.
But it’s getting better.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
But I need to be patient.
I’ve been having more flashbacks about my dad.
Memories of the week he was home.
Getting frustrated with him for making my job harder.
For being so fucking stubborn.
Fucking asshole.
And every memory ends with the gunshot.
I keep packing them away in my virtual box.
Taping it closed and putting it on the shelf.
It helps for a little while, but inevitably it comes back.
Another memory from that week.
Another gunshot.
It will get better.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
But I need to be patient.
Healing takes time.
Day 13
This is a Really Real Mental Health post.
I almost forgot to write today.
I spent the morning in PHP, followed by leaving the house for some errands, and then jumping right into crafting.
It feels good to be productive.
I had a phone appointment with my pdoc today, she said I’m still not my normal chatty stuff.
Partially it’s because life is boring right now.
I don’t leave the house often as it is, but now I’m even more worried about going out.
Numbers are spiking.
And there are still people who don’t believe in this virus, I have a hard time associating with them.
They are putting the lives of themselves and others at risk, and they don’t care.
I’m going to be alone for Thanksgiving, and I’m okay with that.
I’m not going to go searching out a friendsgiving, maybe I’ll meet up with some people via zoom, but I’m okay being in my own little bubble where I’m not taking a chance on making the numbers higher.
There are two people in my PHP who lost loved ones to Covid. Two people out of the 9 or 10 of us there.
One woman became a widow, another lost a child, younger than me.
Because of a “fake virus” that people aren’t taking seriously.
It breaks my heart. It scares me.
It scares me.
I’m more depressed being at home all of the time.
I miss derby.
I miss gatherings.
I miss going out without fear.
But that doesn’t mean I’m going to go out more.
I guess this post wasn’t all that much about mental health, but at the same time, this is affecting all of our mental health.
This is a slow sort of trauma for all of us.
Or at least those of us who are taking it seriously.
Day 12
This is a Really Real Mental Health post.
Things are so up and down with this lingering depression.
Today, I took a shower, I worked on weeding a complicated crafting project, I plan to do dishes and cook dinner later.
But I slept far too much and I rescheduled a doctors appointment that would have had me leaving the house.
Baby steps. Forward movement is still forward movement no matter how small.
Last night when I went to bed I was having horrible flashbacks of the last week of my dads life immediately followed by the gunshot and seeing the aftermath. It just kept playing on repeat.
I almost got up.
But then I remembered one of the new skills I learned on the trauma unit.
Containment.
Mentally putting the thoughts in a container and filing it away to deal with later, like in therapy.
I grabbed my mental cardboard box, put the thoughts inside, taped it up and put it on a shelf in a closet and shut the door.
The thoughts quieted for awhile.
They came back and I did it again.
And again.
And again.
With a longer break between each recurrence.
Eventually I dozed off with a peaceful mind.
I’m glad I’m getting a chance to practice this skill, and learn to trust it, before I’m using it with intrusive suicidal thoughts.
I had weird complicated dreams last night. In the dream I couldn’t quite speak full words even though I knew what I wanted to say.
I was struggling to get the words out.
I fought and fought to make myself heard. Pushing against vocal cords that didn’t want to cooperate.
Wonder Woman said I was talking in my sleep and that it was gibberish.
Heh.
It was also the first dream where I was wearing a mask. It’s funny that masks are showing up there now.
Today I decided to go down to 3 days a week at PHP. I feel like even that program is more than I need right now, but I’m not ready to go back to work, and it gives me something to do during the day.
Still fighting to get through the depression, but it isn’t as much of a fight as it once was.
One step at a time.
Day 11
This is a Really Real Mental Health post.
I forgot about my therapy appointment tonight.
She messaged me when I was 15 minutes late, but I didn’t see it until I was almost 30 minutes late.
She saw me anyway.
In the 6ish years I’ve been seeing this therapist, I think this is the first time I’ve forgotten and been late.
I’m thankful that she checked on me so that I didn’t miss it completely.
There wasn’t a lot to talk about. Life has been pretty uneventful.
I’m flip flopping back and forth between depressed, and functional. Things are getting better.
Slowly.
I’m crafting.
Slowly.
My sink is empty, but tonight we ordered out because I didn’t have the energy left over to cook.
My machine is cutting an intricate project that will take me hours to weed (removing the negative space).
I’m looking forward to the meditative process.
I’m enjoying writing every day, but I don’t have anything major to write about.
Just random ramblings about my day.
Random thoughts.
Random.
I’m tired today, but I’m avoiding a nap.
I want to sleep tonight.
I slept well last night, waking up this morning fully rested for a change.
But I still slept too much. I had told myself if I woke up early, I could get Starbucks before PHP.
I didn’t get Starbucks.
I’ll try again tomorrow.
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