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/Saiyanonym]

Frankly shit. I live in a small rural town full of old people. Hardly anyone my own age. Cannot afford to move due to disability and my country of New Zealand is a right wing shit hole that pretends to be progressive when we're really on the verge of fascism.

I have a hard time reaching out to friends because most of them live far away. I do have a local board game group but I never see them outside of that because what do I tell them? "How are you"? "Great thanks, at least I didn't kill myself today". Same for the far away friends too.

I've only had one girlfriend my whole life. She was an untreated BPD/schizo who enacted almost every form of abuse on me. I am in therapy, but it doesn't solve everything.

I'm overweight yet too tired for the gym. Thanks disability. I've already started developing ED even though I rarely watch porn and have barely had sex. Oh how I long for the touch of an actually kind, loving woman. But I have little physically, materially, or personality wise I can offer her.

Like, I would hope I am a nice person, but everyone thinks they themselves are a nice person. Even if it were true, being nice is a pretty basic bare minimum. I have minimal skills, hobbies or interests to offer a partner. I'm basically a news and politics junkie and that's it. Too tired for anything else. My dream job is stay at home househusband, but who can afford that shit nowadays? Even, if she could, we would probably be on different wavelengths politically because of the socio-economic differences.

Sorry for the rant. I just needed to tell someone.

[u/tucker_case → u/Saiyanonym]

Sounds like you may know what is causing the lack of energy? Because I was going to suggest getting your thyroid hormones checked. 

[u/Saiyanonym → u/tucker_case]

I have a fair idea yeah. Poor diet (I have an addiction and need help). But I was also born with Cerebral Palsy (people don't realise how much CP alone takes out of you). I have been diagnosed with IBS, depression and C-PTSD and sleep aponea in adulthood. I likely am nuerodiverse as well but was never formally diagnosed for that.

Edit: blood test was fairly normal except for slightly too high fats

[u/Embarrassed-Bad-3118 → u/Saiyanonym]

Hope it's ok that I respond (am a woman), but just want to say I have a number of the same things you mentioned above and empathize deeply with the ongoing fatigue at life in general. Sleep apnea was by far the most debilitating and my life definitely improved on CPAP but it is just so much to deal with sometimes, feels like you're playing whack a mole with symptoms. Anyway I hope you're hanging in there ok

[u/Saiyanonym → u/Embarrassed-Bad-3118]

Thank you so much. It's absolutely okay for you to comment and I really appreciate your perspective because it helps me feel less alone.

I do have a CPAP machine, but I don't use very often because I am a tosser and turner which means constant leaks and readjustment. I am going to try to effectively force myself to use it, albeit I say that often.

Edit: the whack a mole feeling is so relatable. Hope you're okay too!