Let's have a party!!!

[gingerschnapps]

It's the time of year when moods are crashing.  The days are short, the weather is miserable, Wintermas looms on the horizon with all its stresses, frustrations, and problems.  At the suggestion of the lovelystaranise , it's time to have a [mental health] Downswing Party!!!

By which I mean, come on over and:

• complain. go ahead. let it all out. anon comments are screened if you'd prefer other people don't read it (tho if you want me to know who YOU are, signing is good) I won't tell, I won't think you're pathetic, I won't think at you "other people have real problems and you don't". Promise. Also, I will only unscreen YOUR comment if you tell me it's cool. Otherwise, your secret is safe with me.
   
• yell at your mood disorder of choice - MDD, Bipolar, PTSD, anxiety, whatever - anything that's currently fucking you up. The world, maybe. Or your meds! While there is a community for that, it can be fun to do it some more.
   
• post funny cartoons, macros and pictures of cute kittens, great stories you found, instances of people not sucking, hilarious gifs and other things (if it's nsfw, put it behind a link and note it and follow charitable warning systems - we're not here to make people feel WORSE after all).
   
• talk about things that make you happy, no matter how much you swear other people don't care about them.
   
• ask other people who might be reading about other stuff.
  
  There's metaphorical tea, although I cannot recommend highly enough making yourself a cup of tea/coffee/tisane/hot chocolate/hot milk/whatever as a calming, soothing exercise. I'd turn on some music, except I do not know how to make a playlist show up in your computer. ANYWAY.
  
  The only rules are EVERYONE PLAY NICE. If you DEFINITELY don't want any unsolicited internet advice, just stick "NO ADVICE" in your subject line. Even if someone doesn't have that, please offer advice politely, as a suggestion, and with the assumption that the person you are talking to is an intelligent human being. I would like to reemphasize this. Don't phrase it "you should look into X". Phrase it as "have you looked into X?"
  
  Ready? GO.

(points shamelessly borrowed fromrecessional )

Comments

[tw: family being fuckheads]

[lireavue]

Thank you for hosting.

My brain is a piece of shit that decides OH HEY, instead of attempting that getting better thing we keep thinking about because there's, like, time and space and safety enough for it? How's about we decide NOPE AVOIDANCE TIME and traipse off to fling more stressors into the mix? THAT WON'T BE A PROBLEM AT ALL.

The annoying part is I can and do totally frame this as reclaiming a thing that I lost years and years and YEARS ago (cf, being a veterinarian/having that drive toward science helping people/animals) by way of going and learning how to do Worthwhile Science Work in a lab setting where I don't have to deal with people. As much. (Or horrible pet owner tricks, which is frankly what drove me out of the field as a preteen in the first place.) It's just that going back to school would be stressful under any circumstance, let alone one where I'm also moving (within the city, but still) and potentially finding a damn therapist.

Which doesn't even TOUCH on the fact that it's the holidays and my mother is, as a result, stepping up contact. I have been... a year and a half now? With no contact in place on my end of things, and a clearly stated desire for her not to initiate, not that that's done shit for the emails. I am honestly wondering how long before she steps up to calling/showing up unannounced/attempting to get other people to participate in this bullshit, since ... well, let me quote y'all the BEST part of this pseudo-apology: "I'm sorry for whatever boundaries you feel I have crossed."

Iiiii could keep ranting but we'll just leave it there for now because that's what I can deal with tonight.

Re: [tw: family being fuckheads]

[gingerschnapps]

Boundary-crossing family sucks so fucking hard. *fistbump of solidarity* "but it's the holdiays! Don't you caaaaaare???" Yeah, no, fuck that noise. So sorry you have to go through that.

Kudos on reclaiming a part of yourself. I know it's hard as hell, but it takes so much strength to even begin, and I have tremendous respect for you.

Re: [tw: family being fuckheads]

[lilalanor]

:offers beverage of choice: Boundary crossing family UGH is UGH. I'm sorry you have to go through that UGH.