Lived Experience Forum

[HenryD]

Hi all,

I am new to the forums and am looking for some advice regarding seeking help.

For context, I am 20 years old and currently living with my parents while saving for a house. I have had a particularly rough year (mostly due to my own stupidity) and have had a  hard time with coping as of late.

For context, throughout 2019 I found myself in a tense situation following some not so smart choices I made. BEcause of this I have landed myself on a somewhat unrequited journey of self discovery. My mental health has deteriorated quite rapidly recently as I struggle to realise what is real anymore, between relationships and memories to the world around, I'm losing any grip of reality I once had. My query lies in how i might go about discussing this with my family. We are a relatively close family though we've always struggled with emotional communication. I want to reach out to them in order to build a stronger support system but I just don't know how.

Thanks, H

[Gwynn]

Hi @HenryD , so sorry to hear that you're going through a rough patch at the moment. Do you have a professional support system that you can access?

[Judi9877]

Hi @HenryD  and welcome to the forums! I'm so glad you have found the forums and are seeking help. I'm a Community Guide here and would like to try and offer some advice. 

Like @Gwynn has mentioned, do you have any mental health supports around you that could help, like a mental health support worker or psychiatrist or psychologist? If not, maybe even a family friend that could help you talk to your family about what you are going through? I do know that because you are young, there are several resources available specifically for young people, like an organisation called headspace. You could also look up an area on the forums homepage called resouces and information for ideas of groups and people to contact. 
Feel free to tag me and other forum members by using the @ function to tag people. I look forward to seeing you around☺️
Judi9877

[Krishna]

Simply speak your truth from the heart and hopefully it will be a catalyst for change enabling honest emotional communications with your family. Wishing you all the best and hoping you receive the support needed.

[bleepbloophello]

Hi @HenryD
Sounds like a really tough thing to experience. From my experience derealisation (one way of describing when everything seems unreal) can be sort of a weird coping mechanism that kicks in when things are tough or anxiety is high. The good news is, if you treat the cause it often goes away. This can be done with help from a mental health expert such as a psychologist or psychiatrist as suggested by @Gwynn  and @Judi9877
Would you consider seeking support like that?

[bleepbloophello]

@HenryD sorry just realised I didn't really answer your question. I can relate a lot to having a family that is close but struggles with emotional communication. It can be hard and frustrating sometimes. It's great that you want to reach out. Not knowing your specific situation in detail I'm not sure what the best way to do that would be. But if you feel they are generally supportive then I'd say trying to tell them that you've been feeling a bit off could be a good idea. As a starting point. You can go into more detail then or later, as you feel.

[frog]

Hi @HenryD

Welcome to the forum

Really sorry to hear that things are tough right now

You are right in recognising that building a strong support system is vital

In terms of communicating with family a couple of thoughts spring to mind

If you are able to tell them what you are doing to help yourself it can be easier for both you and them when you let them know that you are struggling and need them to support you. Even if that's just saying that you are seeing a GP, it can make the situation less intense when you are communicating difficult news. Having a couple of concrete ideas for how they can support you could help too. Sometimes people want to but don't know how. For me having an exercise buddy, someone who checks in on how I am each morning, and someone else who sends me funny memes are small but helpful things. These might seem trivial but they also starts to build capacity in both people. sometimes the biggest thing is feeling that you can be honest in saying how things are really going. In terms of telling people what you're going through I'd also start with one person, whether friend or family, whoever you feel most comfortable with, then take it from there.

Thinking of you.

Hi @bleepbloophello @Krishna @Judi9877 @Gwynn hope that you are all going ok.

[HenryD]

@Gwynn @Judi9877 

Tahnks heaps for your replies!

I have looked into getting proffessional support and intend to pursue it, I'll definitely have too look into headspace too. 

I appreciate your support 

[HenryD]

@Krishna Thanks heaps for your words of wisdom, Will keep that in mind :]

[HenryD]

@bleepbloophello 

Thank you so much for your words of support. It's so nice to hear from someone that can directly relate to how I'm feling and I'm glad to hear it can be resolved :]

I appreciate your words of wisdom on approaching my family too, and intend to talk to them soon, as well as doing just as you, @Gwynn and @Judi9877 suggested in seeking out professional help