Lived Experience Forum

[Ocean-Blue]

Hi, I've had lots of different diagnoses over 30 years. The one I received yesterday has me  reaching out. I love sunrise over the ocean and connecting to nature.

[Missmotown]

Hi Guys and gals, I'm MissMotown, I've been struggling with my fight for the past 15 years and have finally snapped. I am screaming for help and have no idea what to do or where to turn and am hoping this outlet can help me.

I'm currently waiting for assessment to see officially what issues (labels) I'm dealing with. 

[Jynx]

Hey @Missmotown welcome to the forums. Glad to have you with us, and thanks for sharing with us where you're at. Sounds like you're on a journey into understanding more about who you are and getting clarity on what you're struggling with. I hope you find some insight here, as well as connection and support! 

Feel free to start your own thread if you want to talk about your experiences, and of course you're welcome to pop into other threads and connect with others or just read along. 

We have a list of Tips & Tricks here if you want to have a looksie! 

And of course if you are feeling overwhelmed and want some more one-to-one support, you can always reach out to the good folks over at the SANE Drop In Service (Mon-Fri, 10am-10pm, 1800 187 263) to talk to one of the counsellors there about what you're going through. 

Hope you find what you're looking for 😊

[ShiningStar]

Hi @Ocean-Blue 

I just wanted to reach out to welcome you to the forums - it’s great to have you here 💜

Thank you so much for sharing this part of your story with us 😊 Just from what you’ve shared it sounds as though your most recent diagnosis has had a significant impact on you and as such, I’m just so pleased that you decided to reach out to us here 😊

One of the really great things about our community is that it’s full of so many amazing people who (similar to you) also live with a variety of different mental health conditions 💜

Please feel free to join in any of the conversations that take your fancy and just let me know if you need any help to find what you’re looking for 😊

Thank you so much for sharing some of the things that you enjoy doing 💜 Connecting with nature can be an incredibly positive experience and there’s definitely something magical about watching the sunrise over the ocean!

Also, just while I remember, one of the things that really helped me when I was new to the forums and still finding my way around, was that if you would like to chat with another forum member, or reply to one of their posts, place @ in front of their username just like I did at the start of my post to you i.e. @Ocean-Blue that way, they will receive a message that you have contacted them 😊

I really hope that you’ll continue to reach out to us here and I look forward to seeing you around the forums 😊

Take care,

ShiningStar 💜

[ShiningStar]

Hi @calmsoul 

It’s so lovely to hear from you 💜

You’re welcome - it was my pleasure to share this link with you 😊

Oh calmsoul 💜 I’m so deeply sorry to hear about what happened to you when you contacted the HealthCare Commission and just from what you’ve described, it sounds like an absolutely horrible and invalidating experience.

In my experience, it’s incredibly cruel when the people who’ve hurt us maliciously distort and deny the truth in relation to what happened. This sort of betrayal not only leaves us wrestling with so many powerful thoughts and feelings, but it also has the potential to leave us doubting and questioning the validity of our memories and experiences.  

As such, I just wanted to say that I love how you’ve made the decision to stand firm in your personal truth 💜 I also just ever so gently wanted to say that I’m standing with you and that I believe you and everything that you’ve shared with me in relation to your experiences 💜

I’m so sorry to hear that you’re in so much pain throughout your body and my heart my goes out to you 💜 The way that your GP responded to you when you asked for a referral so that you could have an x-ray was absolutely disgraceful and as such, it’s no wonder that you found yourself in tears again.

Given what happened during your appointment, I just ever so gently wondered if you’ll continue to see your current GP, or if you would consider finding another GP who can provide you with the respect, care and support that you need and deserve?

Please know that I’m thinking of you at such a difficult time 💜

Take kind and gentle care of yourself,

ShiningStar 💜

[Kst]

Hi I'm kst

Looking for support and friendship as well as up to date information on living with schizophrenia.  

[Cathie2]

Hello Community

I found this site while looking for info about BPD.

Currently I am feeling very low, emotional and distressed.

I have been seeing my psychologist for approx 1 year now, thus she knows me quite well.

Up until 3 weeks ago we had been working on trauma and abandonment issues caused by my adoption.

3 weeks ago the father of my son left our home, although we had been separated for 10 years, he has been in my life for 20 years and my reactions to this event have greatly impacted me. My psychologist has seen me twice since the incident and told me at the end of our last session that I have BPD as well as cPTSD.

As I research the symptoms of BPD, my entire life and interactions with others now makes full sense to me. My question now is how do I move on from my feelings of distress and how do I manage this new label placed upon me. The next appointment with my psychologist is in 2 weeks, she advised me to go to GP and get antidepressant which I started 2 days ago. 

I think I just need to hear from someone who has lived experience which maybe helpful for me.

Thank you - Cath.

[tyme]

Hey @Cathie2 ,

I'm sorry to hear how difficult the recent days have been. It must be so hard to sit with the hurt from these losses. 

I hear you are now sitting with some sort of grief. As much as you have separated for over 10 years, the crunch was when he eventually left. It is understandable you are having these feelings.

As someone with BPD, I can say that every emotion is exemplified 1000x over. People feel hurt, but borderlines feel it so much more.

Something that helped me was group therapy and individual therapy. I completed approx 18 month s of mentalisation baed therapy and it was one of the most helpful things for my BPD. It was about learning to sit with the unpleasantness and mentalising what people are thinking.

DBT was also helpful. Just to understand how we can understand our thoughts and learn to better manage them.

You are not alone. It may seem so difficult now, but BPD is very treatable.

Feel free to visit: Raising Awareness of BPD - Flipping the Script 

or Topic Tuesday// Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Week 2022: 'See The Person'// Tues 27th Se... 

[Lostboy]

Hello everyone here again, I have been a member here years ago, now I have wandered back I thought I would start with an introduction again. My psychiatric diagnosis is Anxiety disorder, mainly Social Phobia and Agoraphobia. I like nature, plants, gardening, music, guitar.

[De-Conditioning]

Hello. I'm 42yo. So yes, I am new here and this is my first post. I am diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, Complex PTSD, Anxiety and Depression, and I have no idea how to label, understand or interpret my emotions, and I am a very emotional lady.  have no idea right now where to start. I want to reach out but I don't know how. There is so much I need to talk about to someone. There is SO MUCH happening within myself that is unfamiliar, confusing and frustrating! I'm at the stages of facing myself with honesty for the first time And I feel I'm dealing with it all on my own. Currently I'm dealing with limited support with trauma counseling only a couple of hours a fortnight, sometimes a month, no friends or family to depend on for opening up to, financial struggles on disability pension with medication the biggest expense, but works better than antidepressants, but I can't afford any other self care treatments ie, reiki, energy clearing, massage, chiro, or fuel to take myself to the beach or forest drive/walk, or even save for rego and things like that. Day in day out I'm stuck with myself. It's seems I am meant to depend on myself to get me through this process of getting to know myself honestly, De-conditioning, I CAN'T DEPEND ON MYSELF as it's myself that is so messy, daunting, scary, unfamiliar and confusing... and I am tired of the cycle.

Thank You for this 🙏