As we near the end of May, I thought it appropriate to create a topic in support of mental awareness. I recently had a few matches with some wildly inappropriate things said in chat. There are a number of people in my life who struggle with mental health issues and I have had one of them reach out to me in tears in the middle of the night over something said to them in an MMO. Struggles with mental health are often invisible to us, especially if we aren’t reminded of them often.
So, if you’re reading this, take a moment and be mindful of yourself. Think about the emotions you feel and if you understand them. Think about whether the emotions you feel are muted (as if you’re living underwater) or extremely strong. Think about if you feel empty or you’re struggling with knowing who you are. All of these things happen to us, but if it’s something recurring or something doesn’t feel right, reach out to someone you trust.
If everything feels good in your life, take some time and think about your friends and family. If someone has seemed off recently, reach out and talk to them and see if there’s anything you can help with. Encourage your friends and family to speak up if they feel like they’re struggling with their mental health. Mental health is important to all of us, but there is still a stigma that comes with it. Let’s work to get rid of it
And, lastly, be mindful in your every day life that other people are struggling with their feelings. You don’t know what struggles the cashier at the grocery store is dealing with or even your teammates in a video game, so strive to be as positive as you can be. The internet in particular can often make us forget that our words, whether spoken or typed, are going to other humans. Your words have impact of those people, so make them positive.
Mental health should always be your priority. Once you break it, you will never fully recover.
Find people you can trust and discuss your things about. Learn who can be actually trusted and who is ready to listen you and don’t run away.
Don’t stay alone for too long. Always communicate. Staying alone eventually makes you insane, because you start to talk to yourself more than to others.
When I work and I’m not at home, I live. When I am home and I have no one to spend time with - it becomes hell sometimes.
Make sure “sometimes” doesn’t evolve in “often”, then in “always”.
Last month I write documents about dentistry. It allows me to waste my time for good. The more I am busy, the less I think about my problems.
I don’t need problems.
Also, try playing DnD. It allows you to chill and use your fantasy for good. My fantasy is very good. I like to write lore to my new hero. Sadly nobody cares.
Worse for them, I will enjoy playing DnD anyway. Just will bury my enthusiasm (will fail).
This is a relevant topic. I’ve stuggled with feelings of loneliness and alienation since adulthood, and have most likely been depressed to some degree also. Yet I know some people who have had it way worse. Having to deal wtih mental issues, empathizing and trying to support people I care about has probably made me a better person. I also know how it feels to be mean to someone who is already down, and it’s not a good nor a rewarding feelling. So it kinda amazes me how, when feelings flare up, this game still manages to bring out the worst qualities in me and I act like real PoS.
HotS is a great game on its own right but sometimes I think people could benefit from using it as a tool of self-reflection. Why do I act the way I do, and to what end? And most importantly how to use that insight to better myself.
So yeah, try to be nice, people. It’s hard sometimes but worth it.
I don’t know how to post links but there is a great youtube series i like watching called Kurzgesagt. It’s a buch of scientific videos backed by tons of research but presented in a really fun way (with great animations and a witty sense of humour).
They have subjects like explaining string theory, the human immunity system, a play by play breakdown of how the dinosaurs died to even showing what would happen if you rounded up all the nukes in the world and dropped it onto the Amazon rainforest? Occasionally they also do mental health as a subject and the videos are quite striking.
Anyway, in youtube look up “Kurzgesagt loneliness” and “Kurzgesagt dissatisfaction”
I especially like the dissatisfaction one as it talks about the simple act of gratitude and the big impacts it has on your wellbeing. My favourite line in the video, “It’s so simple it’s almost insulting”.
I’m not a religious person myself, but it makes me reflect on how religious people adopt practices that are naturally good for their wellbeing. For example, they like to say Grace before eating a meal. It’s an act when they take the time to reflect on the things in their life that they are grateful for. Taking that small time out everyday improves your overall wellbeing.
I was reading a great book called “Everything is Fckd! A book about hope”. Again, good book presented in a fun way. Long story short, the human brain is designed to solve problems. As strange as it sounds we need problems in our life. Aiming for a problem free life is a terrible goal. Instead, aim to fill your life with good problems to solve. In your example, writing a dentistry book or playing dnd are effectively you creating problems, but they’ re the kind of problems you enjoy solving. So good examples .
I dont think too many people on this forum will be able to understand what you are trying to tell them here. I commend your attempt to educate the massess, but you have to know its futile.
Perhaps I’ve seen the same video or something similar, but the act of gratitude is so rewarding in both directions. I have blocked off a period of time at the end of my work day, to walk back through my day and reach out to thank everyone who went out of their way to help me. Not only do those people feel proud to help, but they’re much more happy to work with someone who appreciates the effort they put in.
Me and the boys would regularly go play baseball. Well, most of the time we weren’t exactly playing, instead we would grab alcohol and disperse in a cone while people took turns hitting the ball. Sometimes it would take a while for the hitter to become bored or tired but in the end everyone went home super relaxed with no feeling in their arms. Unlike your standard football match, this was always more akin to a therapy session because we could speak uninterrupted.
Last Sunday I drunk cognac and whiskey together. After party was over, I used a bus, but I missed my stop. Then walked to the opposite side of city from my home, couldn’t read Google map at all (I was that drunk), kept walking, somehow managed to find a food shop, bought some candy, found taxi, almost lost one of my bluetooth headphone (managed to find it), forgot my umbrella in the taxi, went to the bed.
Next day was walking through city, tried to find where I was (used check to find a bus I used, what shop I visited, checked cameras in the food shop to see if I was with umbrella before using taxi, used taxi support to find taxi).
Personally, I enjoy being alone but maybe that’s because I’m never really alone.
I like the peace and quiet. When I wake up and see the sun in my house, I’m like, “ah, today is my day. What do I feel like doing?”
I think one of the reasons is that I was in a relationship not long ago and you have to dedicate time and mental energy to fostering that relationship. Sometimes, you can’t do what you want because you have to compromise.
When you’re alone, there are no compromises needed. You just do what you want, all the time.
This is a great, wholesome, post. It makes me love this community.
As for the topic, you basically said everything, I work with people with said issues everyday, and the main things are LISTEN and DONT JUDGE. That’s how you help.
I no longer drink, but I do miss the very occasional cognac on a cold night after a great meal with company. If I had mixed cognac and whiskey together, I doubt my chances of survival, I’m certain I wouldn’t have been able to walk, but eh, I’m a lightweight.
This is redundant as I’m sure you’re already aware, but care with alcohol and mental health issues, it’s almost always a bad mix. However, with all you’re living through, you deserve an occasional drink, also kudos for maintaining your mental wellbeing in the toughest of circumstances.
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