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We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

Hi, my name is Ryanna!

Ryanna

Hi, I'm looking forward to chatting about everything and offering support and exchanging ideas. I'm especially interested in mental health disabilities.

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Tori_Scope

Welcome to the community @Ryanna

It's great to have you with us! It's also really good to see you getting involved in discussions on the community already.

Would you like to tell us a little more about your interest in mental health problems?

Ryanna

Tori_Scope said:

Welcome to the community @Ryanna It's great to have you with us! It's also really good to see you getting involved in discussions on the community already.

Would you like to tell us a little more about your interest in mental health problems?

Hi there ?

Yes, my husband has PTSD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder and therefore has a lot of difficulties so I do a lot to help him.

I also had Anxiety myself and was once off work for 3 months. I had CBT for 6 months and it was "like magic" for me!

My husband very academically minded and has a degree in psychology as well as other stuff and so understands his condition well, just struggles daily with all the physical symptoms of anxiety.

I've learned so much from him and by having CBT myself that it's a huge interest for me now and I want to spread the word and try to help others.

I've also trained as a Mental Health First Aider, and I've informally helped out colleagues who feel comfy coming to me to talk to.

I've recently felt my Anxiety start up again (that wibbly stomach dread feeling) in the middle of the night.

I think it's a combination of starting a new, stressful job, on top of looking after my husband and also a friend has needed me more recently for her own issues, so I often feel exhausted and feel pressured to helping both of them when I'm just exhausted from work.

I can't talk much about things to my husband as it just sets off his anxiety or gives him a severe headache, my friend doesn't really understand mental health and asks difficult questions, so I decided to reach out for help by joining this Forum so I can find some support in order to keep myself resilient so I can be strong for my husband and friend.

Ryanna

@Libby_Scope Thanks for your reply

I'd be interested to know how your Mental Health First Aider course went... I think the large handbook we were given was much better than the info the trainer gave us.

We are encouraged to share information, and so I spoke openly about my husband's difficulties, which I'm happy to do as it's all very much a part of my life... but I was shocked that he laughed and make a joke about some things about it. I should have probably said something at the time, but I didn't, though I did write an essay in the feedback form to show my disappointment!

We were discussing phobias, and I mentioned my husband's phobia of washing up... when at his worst, he'd not been able to wash up for 5 years himself before I met him. I could relate to this as when I had my 3 months anxiety, I also could not face the washing up and so my parents came over to help with that. But the trainer thought it was funny and said that my husband was just trying to get out of it... I can understand why he thought it was an opportunity for a joke, but it is also remains a serious phobia for my husband.

This year, as I've been out of my comfort zone applying for promotions and finally getting one, I've finally found my voice and have found a level of confidence... my voice no longer wobbles when talking in team meetings... in fact I'm now leading the team meetings, and it feels like such a relief that I've finally found a bit of confidence.. it has only take me 51 years! lol!

As for coping strategies, I know that meditation works for me, especially if I do it often, but I usually forget or can't find time to do it as I'm either working, eating or sleeping and want to do something "fun" and meditation just feels annoying sometimes as I would rather spend what little free time I have doing something more fun! I've been writing to penpals for 40 years now, and so I share lots of things with them, they keep me going.

Also playing a bit of heavy metal music (and a bit of air guitar!) changes my mood and helps reduce my anxiety.

It's the late night 3am tummy wibbles I can't really control much other than deep breathing and trying to meditate, but that's hard to do when I'm so tired. This is my main issue right now... I want to stop the anxiety so I can go back to being strong and resilient and therefore manage to support my husband and friends.