03-01-2025 12:09 AM
03-01-2025 12:09 AM
Cast your eyes away from the shore. Don’t let the waves of memories pull you out to sea to drown. I know it hurts. I know its hard. You are strong however. You have weathered worse storms. You have even pulled through the dead calm days where there is no wind to fill a sail.
Life has a way of rocking the boat. Tipping you, tossing you about. Even though we are the captain of our ship, we are subject to the weather to get us through the journey and to arrive at destination unscathed.
I’ll stop with all the boat and sea references. You get the picture. I like writing, I like getting caught in the words and stories. I had some bad news today. the words felt like a big wave that crashed upon me and pulled me to a place I haven’t been for a while. Communicating has been extra difficult since I got the news, so writing things is easier at the moment. I like poetry and imagery so writing that way is also easier.
Trauma is hard, no matter how things have been, it hurts. And when it is already a little stormy it can sweep you off your feet. The memories want to stay hiding but they cant, Or is it that I want them to hide, and they cant go back in the box. Anyway they are here and it sucks. They are swallowing me slowly. I cant push them away, because an ocean isn’t like that, the tide of memories that the news brought keeps rising and I cant move.
Pop, my dads dad, had a stroke, a bad one. Should I be sad, I don’t know. Should I feel less guilty, I don’t know. I am ashamed. He cant talk, they don’t know if he will be able to again. Its like I am finding my voice and taking his, which is opposite of how things used to be. I have rarely mentioned him or his behaviours to another person. My family especially know nothing.
Last time I saw my pop I hated him so much. I had so much fear and dread around him. I didn’t hug him when I said goodbye to the family. I haven’t seen him for a few years now. It is unlikely I will see him again.
Working in age care like I did when I was young scares you regarding strokes, you know the prognosis. I don’t know what nan would do. She cant look after herself. I see both of them ending in care.
Questions plage me about the future of my family. I don’t know if worrying about it is ok or a problem because preparing for future scenarios makes sense to me. but I cant read the future.
Look away from the shore. Turn your attention to the sky, the sun is set now, stars shine. No point in thinking about what will happen tomorrow, rest and know the stars will guide you and heal you.
03-01-2025 06:05 AM
03-01-2025 06:05 AM
I love writing, too. Some pieces I have written are around the genocide my mother's family were subjected to, and of course, I try to instil a message of hope and healing within those pieces as well.
Leunig, the Melbourne cartoonist for The Age, passed recently. I'll just leave this here:
@creative_writer @MJG017 @tonys
03-01-2025 04:01 PM
03-01-2025 04:01 PM
@Spirit_Healer writing can be a useful tool in helping us manage our emotions.
03-01-2025 04:05 PM
03-01-2025 04:05 PM
Agreed @The-red-centaur . Any form of self expression is great 🙂
04-01-2025 07:13 AM
04-01-2025 07:13 AM
Cast your eyes away from the shore. Don’t let the waves of memories pull you out to sea to drown. I know it hurts. I know its hard. You are strong however. You have weathered worse storms. You have even pulled through the dead calm days where there is no wind to fill a sail.
Life has a way of rocking the boat. Tipping you, tossing you about. Even though we are the captain of our ship, we are subject to the weather to get us through the journey and to arrive at destination unscathed.
...
Look away from the shore. Turn your attention to the sky, the sun is set now, stars shine. No point in thinking about what will happen tomorrow, rest and know the stars will guide you and heal you.
[Words of @The-red-centaur ]
@tyme @MJG017 @Shaz51 @PeppyPatti @Oaktree @creative_writer @BPDSurvivor @Jynx @Ru-bee @rav3n @Healandlove @tonys
My boat is rocking gently, this morning. I woke up at 5:30 and did all the right things.
I washed my face.
I did some gentle stretches.
I sat down to my devotional book for 5 minutes, plus a few extra minutes listening to the song for today.
I journalled my emotions for the first time in a few weeks.
Now, it’s 0650. I have just logged onto SANE forums and am responding to @The-red-centaur’s post.
Here is the start of my recount for the past 8 weeks:
On 9 November 2024, my then partner met my parents officially for the first time. He had met my father in the garden before, and he had met my brother last time my brother was here. This was his first time meeting my mother.
I thought the Yum Cha lunch went well. My partner asked all the right questions and responded in the most clear-minded way, too. Afterwards, my father would reflect that he talked too much. He shouldn’t blame himself, so. I understand that he was just excited – this was only the second man his daughter had introduced to him as a partner.
Thus, my roller coaster began.
I was feeling intensely anxious about the whole meeting. Afterwards, I learnt that my partner was, too. He declined our invitation back to our place.
Backstory: my mother is a hoarder. She spent the whole week of leave, while my brother was visiting from overseas, to clean out just the front room, so that my partner could come in (for the first time).
My parents, brother and I got back to our place. We discovered the fruit from our tree that we had planned to give to my partner. I called him and he came over in ten minutes.
In the driveway, we made a date to go to the dance event in a fortnight’s time.
This was Saturday lunchtime. By Sunday night, I was manic.
I felt my mood rising fast. I sought help from a friend, who also has bipolar tendencies. She suggested I take a PRN to get to sleep. I did.
The next morning, I tried to contact my Psychiatrist. Everything after that is a blur.
All I remember of the next week was that I went from telling my partner nothing about my mental health, to telling him everything. Down to “my libido is through the roof”. He coached me through some square breathing exercises on night 3.
By night 4, he was gone.
Ghosted me. The last message he responded to was: “Call me when you’re ready.” (A heart).
He will never be ready.
Fast forward to 4 January 2025.
My ex has now ghosted me for almost 8 weeks.
I have sought out my first sexual relationship, with someone I have known longer than my ex. But the issue now is that he doesn’t want commitment. I know that if I get involved any further, I’m bound to get hurt.
So I need to pull back.
It hurts, because his only reasons for not wanting to get involved with me centre around caring responsibilities for his loved ones and “wanting to dance”. I want to dance too, but I want to be his girlfriend.
But, he is not the only one.
There is someone else, who is gentler, calmer and possibly more ‘right’ for me. Also from dancing, since before COVID. He has not made a move, because in his mind, I still will get back together with my ex.
How wrong that is.
My ex has proved he is not strong, nor mature enough to handle everything I bring.
I have already moved on.
What will happen next?
Time will tell…
04-01-2025 09:10 AM
04-01-2025 09:10 AM
@Spirit_Healer wow that sounds intense and overwhelming. I hope you are doing ok.
04-01-2025 10:42 AM
04-01-2025 10:42 AM
@Spirit_Healer thank you for sharing @The-red-centaur words and your story.
It can be so hard introducing someone to our families. Specially when there are complexities within our own families.
I'm so sorry for the hurt you have endured having someone walk away. Someone you thought was right for you. It's sad but in the end better for you to discover this now that months down the track when you are more attached. I wish your ex had had the maturity to talk to you frankly and say goodbye properly instead of ghosting you. But unfortunately not everyone can face this kind of conflict.
It's good you are moving on. And wise not to get involved with someone you know it's not in for the long run. What about approaching this other person you like and see if they are interested in a date? Would feel comfortable with that?
Take the time to work on your own happiness first. And one day at a time ❤️.
Sending you hugs 🫂 🤗 ❤️
yesterday
The stars didn't come out that night. It's dark, vary dark. The night has been very long. Fog suffocates the air. It is calm but the eerie calm where nothing dares to stir.
What do you when it hurts so much to move. When the body and the soul is trapped by the darkness and pain that suffocates it.
If you attempt to pull yourself out of it you crash into the dangerous surrounds.
So you just start to sink. You no longer fight it. Letting the water pull you down into the darkest depth.
Drowning. No air. No struggle left in you.
You embrace the darkness, engulfed in in eternity.
15 hours ago
Thank you, @The-red-centaur and @Healandlove , for your support.
@The-red-centaur I'm okay. Just processing.
@Healandlove I will, when the time is right. This second man is offering to drive me home from dance events, so no doubt I will continue to stay in contact with him. He has been through so much in his own relationships, and, being 9 years older than me, carries the telltale scars. So, I will be gentle with him in return for his own gentleness. I will know when the time is right to ask him on a date.
Even the way he holds me when we dance, I can tell he cherishes those who he loves. No one holds me in a more gentle way than he does. Our dances together are beautiful.
14 hours ago
Cast your eyes away from the shore. Don’t let the waves of memories pull you out to sea to drown. I know it hurts. I know its hard. You are strong however. You have weathered worse storms. You have even pulled through the dead calm days where there is no wind to fill a sail.
Life has a way of rocking the boat. Tipping you, tossing you about. Even though we are the captain of our ship, we are subject to the weather to get us through the journey and to arrive at destination unscathed.
...
Look away from the shore. Turn your attention to the sky, the sun is set now, stars shine. No point in thinking about what will happen tomorrow, rest and know the stars will guide you and heal you.
...
The stars didn't come out that night. It's dark, vary dark. The night has been very long. Fog suffocates the air. It is calm but the eerie calm where nothing dares to stir.
What do you when it hurts so much to move. When the body and the soul is trapped by the darkness and pain that suffocates it.
If you attempt to pull yourself out of it you crash into the dangerous surrounds.
So you just start to sink. You no longer fight it. Letting the water pull you down into the darkest depth.
Drowning. No air. No struggle left in you.
You embrace the darkness, engulfed in in eternity.
[Words of @The-red-centaur ]
@tyme @Healandlove @Oaktree @Shaz51 @MJG017 @creative_writer
Just a moment ago, you embraced the darkness, engulfed in in eternity.
And yet, behind the clouds, a stream of light breaks through the impending dawn.
Morning has broken.
And like the first morning..
Blackbird has spoken,
Like the first bird.
With the first chirrups of the birds,
Dawn breaks.
It is beautiful.
In the banksia tree:
The rosellas dance
It is my world, stirring my consciousness,
My soul
The darkness, it does not linger.
The dawn brings with it new hope:
And new life, renewal,
A glimmer of something majestic, magnificent, beautiful
Mother nature’s/God’s creation for all
For eternity
Forevermore
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Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
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