07-23-2020, 05:41 PM
(Again, not that it really fits here, but hey, it's SHL-related media technically. Just breaking the fourth wall.)
After feeling a bit numb over the last few days (depression does that) as well as some recent academic failures, I decided to go ahead and get help. I contacted a resource for mental health and connected with a professional.
Beforehand, I had quickly written a list of my concerns. I referred to it as we talked. The conversation took just over an hour from start to end.
As it turns out, I was actually handling things fairly well given the situation I was thrown in, much to my surprise. I was told that I was a strong person for taking action to deal with these issues. However, I mentioned that I was concerned that things had gotten worse for me since then.
The professional I was talking to disagreed with me and argued that the methods and coping strategies I was using were instead becoming ineffective.
As the conversation progressed, I was recommended several things to correct this.
Therapy. Given my stressed and depressed state, professional therapy was recommended, with a list of local resources sent to me. It does help to have that option available if I so need it. For my purposes however, I think the community here will do. I love you guys. ...Most of you guys. I really do. I definitely feel comfortable reaching out to the community.
Guided meditation and grounding exercises. I had completely forgotten that these existed. I was strongly encouraged to begin. These were recommended largely to help stress as well as some aspects of depression. Variations were also recommended for insomnia so I could try to at least tame the insomniac monster that I've lived with for the past two years. Melatonin was also recommended in case that failed.
Limiting non-essential obligations. I've cut back on several things I've wanted to get back into for this reason. I've cut back from major roles in other online communities for this reason, and I was advised to get rid of some more.
A bit of a break from the SHL. It is true that I use the SHL as a bit of an escape. Not problematic - I really love the community here. However, on my bad days I tend to be more... "territorial" and aggressive a bit. It was recommended to limit activity on the site to something more manageable so that I avoid getting riled up over something and go off on someone. Especially the drama. This is going to be hard for me.
What will this mean for my activity here? Hopefully not much. I have a semi-healthy relationship with the SHL and its community, but I want to rectify my mistakes and improve on them. Also, someone hold me accountable to this so that I don't slip into old habits. I'll still be updating Igor (hopefully). I just might ask that my TPE math be checked.
In summary, I got help and recommendations for dealing with what I'm going through.
That is all.
After feeling a bit numb over the last few days (depression does that) as well as some recent academic failures, I decided to go ahead and get help. I contacted a resource for mental health and connected with a professional.
Beforehand, I had quickly written a list of my concerns. I referred to it as we talked. The conversation took just over an hour from start to end.
As it turns out, I was actually handling things fairly well given the situation I was thrown in, much to my surprise. I was told that I was a strong person for taking action to deal with these issues. However, I mentioned that I was concerned that things had gotten worse for me since then.
The professional I was talking to disagreed with me and argued that the methods and coping strategies I was using were instead becoming ineffective.
As the conversation progressed, I was recommended several things to correct this.
Therapy. Given my stressed and depressed state, professional therapy was recommended, with a list of local resources sent to me. It does help to have that option available if I so need it. For my purposes however, I think the community here will do. I love you guys. ...Most of you guys. I really do. I definitely feel comfortable reaching out to the community.
Guided meditation and grounding exercises. I had completely forgotten that these existed. I was strongly encouraged to begin. These were recommended largely to help stress as well as some aspects of depression. Variations were also recommended for insomnia so I could try to at least tame the insomniac monster that I've lived with for the past two years. Melatonin was also recommended in case that failed.
Limiting non-essential obligations. I've cut back on several things I've wanted to get back into for this reason. I've cut back from major roles in other online communities for this reason, and I was advised to get rid of some more.
A bit of a break from the SHL. It is true that I use the SHL as a bit of an escape. Not problematic - I really love the community here. However, on my bad days I tend to be more... "territorial" and aggressive a bit. It was recommended to limit activity on the site to something more manageable so that I avoid getting riled up over something and go off on someone. Especially the drama. This is going to be hard for me.
What will this mean for my activity here? Hopefully not much. I have a semi-healthy relationship with the SHL and its community, but I want to rectify my mistakes and improve on them. Also, someone hold me accountable to this so that I don't slip into old habits. I'll still be updating Igor (hopefully). I just might ask that my TPE math be checked.
In summary, I got help and recommendations for dealing with what I'm going through.
That is all.
