Lived Experience Forum

[Trickster]

@tyme @Shaz51 A little bit better thinking introspectively and remembering not everyone is unsafe, all it takes is opening up a little and not allowing someone to be in the middle and manipulate us and to talk directly to other people with an open mind. I had a good conversation and I feel heard and better.

[tyme]

I hope things improve for you @Trickster 

We are here for you.

[PinkFlamingo]

Thanks @tyme for the tag 🙌🏻🙂🌺

hey there @Alonely 🙂🌺

I’m PinkFlamingo, Peer Guide Volunteer here on the forums. 

Thanks for sharing some of your story here with us, and I’m really glad you’ve reached out. 

I live with social phobia, and I find it’s incredibly lonely at times because people don’t perceive you for who you really are because to get to know you takes time to get through the initial face value perceptions of fear and anxiety. 
but like you, underneath there’s a nice person, with tons of interesting stuff inside! 🙂🙌🏻

I’m in my 50’s, and have found many people have friendships because it gives them what they want, rather than to be in a mutually beneficial and enriching kind connection with someone who shares common values. Because they seek what is hard to find (what they want in a friend), often they move on from friend to friend. I’m not one to stay on their list because I can’t give them what they seek (which is often someone who can do things for them). 
So I kind of get what you mean in terms of friendships. 
I’m really pleased you have your parents, and it’s totally understandable the fear for the future exists 💜

however, here on the forum there are many very genuine, caring, compassionate, and sharing people, and so I’ll tag some so you can have a few more peeps to chat with 🙂🌺

in the mean time, do you have any interests you’d like to share? 
I like cooking (we have a thread called Cook Along if you like cooking), or there’s general chit chat in share a cuppa and there’s lots of threads on pets if you like that too 🙂

tagging some peeps…

@Xibon @Jynx @Faith-and-Hope @SmilingGecko @Spirit_Healer @Oaktree @Blackbird11 @Zoe7 @Snowie ☺️🌺

[SmilingGecko]

@Alonely welcome to the forums. Friendship has changed over the centuries to where it is now. I don't particularly like what its become. I am with @PinkFlamingo on this one. I see friendship as being invested in someone and having a deep connection based on mutuality and soul evolution. Don't get disappointed. We live in a quick and easy culture that only views people in terms of what value can be extracted from them. I wouldn't get upset over it. I would rather have friends who genuinely cared about me and made the extra mile compared to "friends" who aren't authentic and failed me in life. Just focus on cultivating your life and you will attract your soul tribe eventually ❤️

[PinkFlamingo]

Thanks for tagging @tyme 🙂🌺

hey there @Trickster 🙂

PinkFlamingo here, Peer Guide volunteer. 
firstly I want to acknowledge the balls it takes to reach out, beyond the fear of repercussions of what others might think 🙌🏻☺️

that’s admirable, and I wanted to make sure you know that strength is seen 🙂🌺

Ok, my take on living with stuff that isn’t easily seen or is a rare condition… if you feel it happening, it is real - even if it isn’t known or seen by others, and also, their opinions don’t rate because their opinions are based on failing to acknowledge your experience 💜🙂

I live with a rare condition which statistically (based on all the research available on epidemiology I have read globally about it) around 78 people in the entire land mass of Australia live with what I live with. 
so, I cop it a lot regarding being full of it when it comes to symptomatology and how to conduct the right tests to find problems and monitor treatments. I have to self advocate like I’m in the ring with Mike Tyson, and carry medical research evidence wherever I go. 
I have no family or friend connections I used to have because they called bull on my illnesses. In doing so, they earned themselves a one way ticket out the front door hehe 😉 I know that isn’t possible for everyone, and it’s really hard to do everything alone, but it worked in my situation to minimise the emotional impact of being treated badly 🌺🙂

Reading your post I can really see you’re trying to do your best in the situation you’re in and living with the things you’re living with, and I want to say that that in itself is a huge achievement 🙌🏻🙂

Keep reaching out, keep chatting, and welcome to the forums 🦩🌺

@Faith-and-Hope  @Snowie @Zoe7 @Blackbird11 🙂

[PinkFlamingo]

Hey there @_42_ 🌺🙂

I hope your day is going ok today. I’m PinkFlamingo Peer Guide volunteer on the forums 🙂

I just read your post - sorry for the delay in reply 🌺

it’s really hard to be given comments like that regarding diagnoses, when there isn’t a clear path to support you to be able to get those diagnoses. 
Feeling alone is something many people here have spoken about, regarding living with MH 💜🙂

I myself have cPTSD, anxiety, social phobia, and sometimes depression (used to be really heavy, but I don’t have it anywhere near as bad as I used to). 
The one thing that has stood out for me, is only doing things that I am comfortable with, and if a therapist or practitioner isn’t on board, then I find someone else, because I need supports that fit me and my life, not to change everything about myself to suit what a practitioners wants me to do to suit their therapeutic styles 🙂🌺

it’s nice to meet you, and feel free to tag us using the ‘@‘ in front of our handle..🦩😊

@tyme @Jynx @Oaktree @Faith-and-Hope @SmilingGecko 🙂

[Trickster]

Thank you so much, it's like a second job sometimes isn't it or in my case my only job for time blindness I cannot tell how many years anymore, I advocate education but I think yeah my own safety needs to come first it's become detrimental to my health to try educate those that don't want to know. I'm 8 months seizure free, 7 days psychosis episode free? That one's a bit harder to judge and 6.5 years self harm free I want all those number to climb.

[tyme]

Hey @PinkFlamingo , I think the above post from @Trickster was for you 🙂

[PinkFlamingo]

Sure is @Trickster 🌺

However you’re doing what you can and that’s awesome 🙌🏻🙂

Sometimes you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink..💜☺️

Congratulations on those numbers; they have real meaning, and real recovery, written all over them! 😀

Keep being you, and walking your individual path to recovery  - we are here with our own paths right next to yours 🙂🌺

feel free to tag me anytime using the ‘@‘ in front of my handle, PinkFlamingo. It’ll come up in blue and then just tap/click on it, and I’ll get a direct notification of your reply 🙂🌺

you can do the same for all of our forum-ers here 🙌🏻☺️

i hope your afternoon is going well..? 
Im just baking bread in my new bread maker 🍞🙂

[Trickster]

@PinkFlamingoI used quick reply that time it didn't show up when I tried to tag still learning the website. I'm glad to feel like I'm progressing not alone for once. I'm streaming a show today, a bit unwell it'll pass.