So far, it's been a challenge. I've been trying to avoid silence as long as I possibly can. Even if it's a radio in the background because my mind tends to go to that dark place. Plus I got 3 dogs that rely on me.

Hi there, I think this is a great question. For me when it comes to mental health especially, I’ve had to start building a life outside of my illnesses. I made a list “things I would do if I didn’t have depression & PTSD” & then I worked up the strength to do some of those things. It can be really empowering to make a list of your dreams/goals that maybe feel unreachable because of your illness. I totally understand that health struggles can be so debilitating. I always like to use an analogy from my favorite childhood book, We’re Going On A Bear Hunt”. In the book they referred to muddy terrain but for me I refer to the struggles I’ve been dealt: “we can’t go over it, we can’t go under it; we have to go through it”. Sending you love 💛

Thank you knightmare. Silence can be really difficult because that is when intrusive thoughts set in. I find it very difficult to sit with myself without distractions. I'm so sorry that you are also dealing with this feeling. I am proud of you for being strong. Clarianne: That is helpful, thank you. I do feel like I have no goals that I am working toward and that is probably not beneficial. I guess how I am feeling in relation to that book is that it is extremely difficult to get through when there is no end in sight. I so appreciate the positivity.

Hey there! This isn’t a weird question at all. When I had the drug interaction from doxycycline causing me total insomnia for six months I felt I couldn’t go on and thought of suicide every single day. Now that I’m better and the Seroquel help me sleep I’m able to continue going on. One thing that still happens to me though is neuropathy attacking me from the antibiotic damage. Fortunately though all I need to do is take a little over-the-counter lithium orotate and the neuropathy melts away!! 😅 So to answer your question I feel I can go on as long as I can sleep. 🥺❤️

I am new to this app, but logged in today to pose this exact question. When things are terrible, it’s hard to see the point of pushing forward when there’s a high likelihood that things will not magically “fix themselves” forever. I wish I could guarantee that would be the case, and I wish I could give you an answer that was exactly what you need. But I guess one thing that helps me is being reminded that mental health is a scale and there is a lot of grey. You will have truly horrible days where logically it feels like the best thing to do is just give up. But there will be periods of time where the struggle is not as intense, and periods of time where the struggle is all but nonexistent. It’s easy to forget or invalidate or minimize those periods, but they’re all we have. They’re all anyone has.

You are not alone - it is a struggle and I have been thinking about this a lot lately too. I am trying to work on it in therapy honestly because I don’t know how to accept it. Just keep pushing forward and do your best that is all anyone can do or ask for. I hope you feel better soon 💜