For a very long time I was frustrated and angry and scared that I had depression. I had many questions that nobody could answer: Why me? What reason did I have to be depressed? When would I get better? What could I do to make it go? Of course nobody could tell me, I had clinical depression, there was no underlying cause, I just had to ride it out and wait.
Read and learn all you can about depression, anxiety and mental illness – get books from the library, there are several free titles on Kindle Unlimited, read info on websites by professional organisations ( some links below), and blogs or self help forums where people share personal stories. If you don’t have the energy to read – listen to audio books or You Tube. Keep listening and reading until you find something that clicks.
The more knowledge you get, the more you will start to understand how the illness works. Rather than looking for answers that cannot be given, start to ACCEPT that you have an illness, and only then will you start the road to recovery. Mental illness is fuelled by fear, take away the fear and you take away the fuel.
The turning point on my first bout of depression was listening to some c60 tapes that were given to me by my mum’s friend. They were called “Self Help For Your Nerves” by Dr Claire Weekes. I listened to them over and over, I found her voice calming and eventually her message sunk in, that message was “ACCEPTANCE”. Whatever had caused my illness had happened, past tense. In order to get better I needed to accept that I was ill and that I would get better one day. Nobody could tell me when. The fear of what was happening was fuelling it and making me more anxious.. I then went on to read more of her books and reread them again and again over the years as it just clicked for me.
Have you found anything that helped you learn about or accept mental illness? Feel free to share any suggestions below. Here’s a few links to start you off. Let me know how you get on with them.
SELF HELP FOR YOUR NERVES – DR CLAIRE WEEKES
DUMMIES Series
DANNY BAKER (some people identify more with a celebrity story) free on Kindle Unlimited
Links to my whole Mental Health Series:
1.Self Help For Your Mental Health
2. My Mental Health Story
3. Medical Help
4. Learn and Accept
5. A Mental Health Diet
6. Sleep and Duvet Days
7. Panic Attacks
8. Suicide Awareness
9. Talk Support
10. Qi Gong & Tai Chi
11. Meditation, Hypnosis and Relaxation
12. Help for Carers and Friends
13. Hope
https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you/contact-us
https://www.mind.org.uk/
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/
http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth/Pages/Mentalhealthhome.aspx
https://www.thecalmzone.net/
