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.
Roller Derby
Not even waiting.
This is a Really Real Mental Health Post.
Things are going well.
Look at that. I said it. And, I’m not even waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Things are going well.
I’m enjoying this moment.
I mean, I could complain about little things, life isn’t perfect. There isn’t enough time to work and write and craft and gym and make it to appointments and take of the house and and and.
But, things are going well.
I’ve walked away from derby. I started to dread every event, every practice. Even seeing the friends I have there wasn’t enough to overcome the blahs I felt about the entire thing.
So I decided to stop participating before I hate it.
Derby will always be there when I’m ready to go back. If I’m ready to go back. But I doubt this is goodbye for good.
I’ll miss all of the friends I have there.
And, things are going well.
Like, there’s not a whole lot to write about, but I miss writing. It’s so much easier to write when I’m over the top hypomanic or when I’m so far under depression.
But, things are going well.
This year, this decade.
This is a Really Real “Life in Review” Post.
It’s the end of a year.
I figured, just like so many people do, I’d reflect on the past year of my life. Think about my accomplishments and what I’d like to take with me into next year.
This year I started giving myself permission to take up space. Physically, verbally, emotionally. I realized that I was allowed the space that I need. Some of the time I was able to hold the mindset that everyone who thinks otherwise can fuck off. I want to get better at that mindset next year and stop trying to shrink myself to suit others.
This year I survived one of my more intense series of suicidal thoughts. I got myself help. I saw that I have a huge community of people who support me, both virtually and locally. I want to be better connected with that community.
I learned that even though I feel like I’m outside of a group, it doesn’t mean I actually am.
I found joy in sending snail mail. Making well over 100 cards in the past 3 months has been so wonderful, and even better was knowing that it put a smile on someone’s face. I want to keep going, and maybe start selling my work.
I think one of the biggest things I learned this year is that it’s okay for things to be stable. It’s not the calm before the storm, it’s just the calm, and life can really be this way without worrying about what comes next. I want to carry comfort with stability going forward.
I learned to live in the moment. That fully accepting what is happening is the first step to finding solutions. Fighting against a problem only takes energy away from solving it. I learned that not being okay, is perfectly okay. That as long as you don’t make a problem worse, you’re doing the right things – you can always build from there. I learned that it’s okay to ask for what I need, that it doesn’t always mean fighting.
It’s the end of a year. One of the better years of my life.
It’s the end of a decade.
It’s hard to wrap up the past decade because there’s a giant split down the middle. The before and the after.
In the before, there was a lot of love, and a lot of trauma, and a lot of resilience, and a lot of struggle.
In the after there’s a lot of growth, a lot of falling (metaphorically and physically), a lot of healing, and a lot of pain.
It’s the end of a decade. The hardest in my life.
I wrote a big long thing trying to list out the good and the bad of the last decade, but honestly, that’s not all that helpful. The past decade (and the ones before that) got me to where I am now, and now is what matters.
Now is where I want to spend my time.
Authentically Me.
This is a Really Real Identity Post.
A few months ago I wrote Defining Myself, an identity crisis post where I was having a hard time figuring out what to write in a dating profile. I wrote out all of the things I’m not or didn’t do wholeheartedly, but it was hard to describe who I am. A few people on Facebook told me I should put just what I wrote.
I never did.
But lately a few people have told me how amazing it is that I’m not afraid to be my authentic self.
I was taken aback every time I heard that.
I hadn’t described what I do as being my authentic self, and I definitely was, and am afraid.
I just wear the clothes that appeal to me. I dye my hair the colors that I love. I write my story and share my truth because it’s cathartic, and also because it educates and helps me commiserate with other people.
It took me hearing other people say it for me to realize I am authentically and (mostly) unapologetically me.
I still don’t know how to describe who I am, but I’m realizing I do live my truth.
There’s a meme that floats around “Be so authentic that it inspires others to be themselves.” Or something like that. I have a hard time believing that is who I am.
But others tell me that they are learning to speak their truth and live their truth because they see me doing it.
And I have to admit, the more I live my truth, the bigger and brighter my smile gets.
I’m still anxious, almost constantly. Way more anxious than I think a lot of people realize. Being true to myself is hard in a world that doesn’t quite get people like me.
There’s another meme, “Speak your truth and see who sticks around. Those are the people who get a spot in your blanket fort.” I posted that once and was privately told that they didn’t get the point in sharing that, because, duh. (I’m paraphrasing.) I explained that for most of my life I didn’t realize that was how this worked.
I was worried about fitting in with everyone, being liked by everyone, not standing out and blending into the crowd so I wasn’t really seen.
I’m just now, within the last 3 years, realizing that life is too short to be anything but who I am.
It really sucks that it took her death to make me realize this.
But now I’m surrounded by people who get me and want to be around the real me. I am surrounded by more and more people. I have a supportive group of friends that is unlike anything I’ve ever known.
I’m not like this to inspire others. I’m like this because hiding, blending in, and being anyone other than myself was part of a slow suicide that happened for years.
That said, I do appreciate hearing the stories of people who beginning to live their own truth. It takes bravery to stop blending in.
I’m glad I get to be a part of that.
I deserve love.
This is a Really Real Mental Health post.
I’m surrounded by love and I deserve to be. That’s a profound statement coming from me, especially the second part.
I. Deserve. Love.
Sometimes I can’t remember that.
Sometimes, especially now that I’m “living my best life” I wonder how I deserve any of this.
“You deserve happiness, we both do.” Wonder Woman and I mention that (or some variation of it) to each other on at least a weekly basis. I need the reminder when things in my head are dark.
I look for the other shoe to drop whenever things are good. Things can’t be this good, not without something going wrong.
And the thing is, when I’m doing well things still go wrong. Deciding not to have surgery threw me for a loop. I sobbed in Wonder Woman’s arms, I sobbed in the shower, I sobbed while writing the post about it.
But I kept moving forward.
And now it doesn’t seem that bad. It was a blip on the radar in an otherwise great life.
I’m surrounded by love, and kindness, and caring,
and I deserve it.
I have an amazing fiancee. We communicate better than I could ever imagine. Our relationship is so gentle and calm. I love her and feel loved in return. I still look for things to fall apart. I still wonder what thing I’m going to do that will drive her away.
I’m surrounded by love, and kindness, and caring,
and I deserve it.
I have a derby spouse . (It’s a derby thing.) They are one of my closest friends. We check on each other on a regular basis, sometimes daily, sometimes weekly. We encourage each other constantly. They are exceptionally kind to me and I am kind to them. I still wonder what I’m missing. Are they just pretending to be my friend. Am I really worthy of a friendship like this?
I’m surrounded by love, and kindness, and caring,
and I deserve it.
I’m in a new relationship. It has flowed together so smoothly. We are spending lots of time learning about each other and our lives. I care for her and feel cared for. And I still look for the other shoe. I’m waiting for someone to get upset with this polyamorus situation and call and end to it. I’m waiting for her to to decide that I’m not right for her.
I’m surrounded by love, and kindness, and caring,
and I deserve it.
There are other important friendships, people I have known for years, people that supported me through Parker’s death, best friends, close friends, those friendships that can’t be defined.
I am surrounded by love, and kindness, and caring,
and I deserve it.
There’s my family that loves and supports me, sometimes by telling me hard truths that I need to hear, sometimes financially, sometimes by loving me in the best way they know how.
I am surrounded by love.
And I deserve it.
You deserve it too.
Bounce Back
This is a Really Real Mental Health Post.
I started an all day, 5 days a week, Partial Hospitalization Program last Wednesday.
The school semester started today.
Therapy every Friday afternoon.
Derby and NAMI Wednesday nights.
I need to get back to the Gym.
Somewhere in there I need to clean the house and grocery shop and cook dinner and pack my lunch.
I keep expecting myself to be 100%.
This weekend I got so mad at myself because Friday I ended up melting down. I was exhausted, emotionally and physically. I was overwhelmed. I was realizing that there was so much that needed to be done with school starting and here I was away for the weekend.
But the alternative was staying home alone for three days which didn’t feel like the greatest idea either.
So while I was in the car trying to nap I was also beating myself up. The crisis was over, why couldn’t I handle this?
Because I’m not 100%. I’m not even 50%. I’m not suddenly, overnight, all better, just because they let me come home.
They only let me come home because I’m safe.
But that doesn’t mean the thoughts are gone.
That doesn’t mean this mood episode has totally passed, even though I try to act like it has.
The good news is, Saturday and Sunday were a lot better. I was able to relax into the flow of a tournament. I met some new people. I saw some people I hadn’t seen in awhile. I watched some great derby.
I enjoyed myself.
But the knowledge of what was coming as soon as I got home was still looming over my head. I looked at my classes online a few times. Tried to read some of the coursework. The words got jumbled in my brain. My focus isn’t quite where it should be, quite where I need it to be.
I’m overwhelmed.
And that’s okay.
Because I’m not 100%. I’m not even 50%. I’m not suddenly, overnight, all better, just because they let me come home.
I still have a lot of healing left to do.
I need to cut myself some slack.
No one is expecting perfection.
Except me.
Except me.
Except.
Me.
Maybe this isn’t the semester to worry about deans list and honors programs. Maybe this isn’t the semester to return to full time classes. Maybe passable work and part time classes are just fine.
Maybe a messy house and Instacart and frozen meals.
Maybe it’s time to reconsider some priorities, even if just for now.
Maybe I’m allowed to be less than 100%. Maybe even less than 50%. Maybe I’m not expected to be suddenly, overnight, all better.
Healing takes time.
Working on myself has to be the top priority.
Otherwise, I’ll never bounce back.
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