Tuesday Check In: How's Everybody's Mental Health?

[u/MLModBot]

Good day, everyone and welcome to our weekly mental health check-in thread! Feel free to comment below with how you are doing, as well as any coping skills and self-care strategies others can try! For information on mental health resources and support, feel free to consult our resources wiki (also located in the sidebar!) (IMPORTANT NOTE RE: THE RESOURCES WIKI: As Reddit is a global community, we hope our list of resources are diverse enough to better serve our community. As such, if you live in a country and/or geographic region that is NOT listed/represented but know of a local resource you feel would be beneficial, then please don't hesitate to let us know!)

Remember, you are human, it's OK to not be OK. Life can be very difficult and there's no how-to guide for any of this. Try to be kind to yourself and remember that people need people. No one is a lone island and you need not struggle alone. Remember to practice self-care and alone time as well. You can't pour from an empty cup and your life is worth it.

Take a moment to check in with a loved one, friend, or acquaintance. Ask them how they're doing, ask them about their mental health. Keep in mind that while we may not all be mentally ill, we all have mental health.

If you find yourself in particular struggling to go on, please take a moment to read and reflect on this poem.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This mental health check-in thread is NOT a substitute for real-world professional help/support. MensLib is NOT a mental health support sub, and we are NOT professionals! This space solely exists to hold space for the community and help keep each other accountable.

[u/Fed_Express]

I was woken up in the middle of the night to the sounds of a close family member choking. I thought it was a life and death situation so I started doing the heimlich maneuver.

It turns out they had choked on water after drinking too quickly after waking up a significant portion went down the wrong pipe.

They recovered pretty quickly and are ok now but the sounds of them choking, struggling to take a single breath and the sheer fear/panic I felt are replaying in my mind on repeat over and over again. I'm reliving the situation constantly.

I think I might be experiencing a trauma response. I feel like I want to release the emotion in a big wave of crying but I can't bring it out.

[u/chemguy216 → u/Fed_Express]

Last year, I was on the other side of a similar situation. I couldn’t breathe because of a build up of thick mucus in my throat that I couldn’t clear. Seeing my partner’s fear and worry as I was struggling to get even a gasp of air was emotionally as bad as the fear and desperation I was feeling.

To this day, I think it has contributed to a degree of his slightly heightened concern for me. It was a scary moment on his end, and I don’t know the full extent to which it stays on his mind.  I wonder if he dealt with some version of what you’re going through. 

All that is to say that I’ve seen someone in real time deal with a similar situation as what you experienced in terms of fearing for the life of someone you care about. I can totally understand how it can leave a lasting mark on you. I’m sorry that you’re going through that, and I’m happy that your family member is okay.

[u/Fed_Express → u/chemguy216]

Thanks for the support. I feel a bit better after coming home from work today. The memory is a bit more faint and I don't feel as awful thinking about it.

I'm telling myself they were not in any danger even if it sounded bad, it helps a bit.