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Are You Listening???

by Charlie ~

Rated: GC · Book · Emotional · #2181458

A journey of self-improvement - or not.

Sup? I'm Char.
You may know me from timeless classics such as

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#2030442 by Not Available.

and

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I blog for things like

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FORUM

30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS

(13+)
WDC's Longest Running Blog Competition - Hiatus
#1786069 by Fivesixer

FORUM

JAFBG

(XGC)
Because real life isn't always roses and sunshine...
#2094931 by Turkey DrumStik

[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]
Believin' all the lies that they're tellin' ya
Buyin' all the products that they're sellin' ya
They say jump and ya say "how high?"
Ya braindead, ya got a fuckin' bullet in ya head

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

🦃 intuey Grateful & Blessed

Jul 22, 2023 at 8:05am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Hey Char, It's been a while since I've touched base with you. I'm so sorry for your loss. The last thing people should say is everyone loses their grandparents eventually, or it will get better with time. It's the last thing you want to hear when you're hurting. Death sucks, long-lasting illness sucks! Having to decide to let the person go to keep them from suffering REALLY SUCKS! I think the only ones who can understand truly just how much are those who have had to make that decision. My heart breaks for you.

I'm not religious, but I do have a strong faith in God. I call myself spiritual because I don't agree with all the rules and regulations of religion. I do know I will see my family and friends again, and this is a great comfort. I can only imagine how much more painful the death of loved ones is without this belief. But you're right, it can't be faked. But it is a beautiful thing.

Having mental health issues during times like this makes it even harder to go through. I know what you mean about seeing things that aren't there. I'd walk into a room, and say, "Where's Star?" and she would be sitting right in front of me. When I looked, I swear I saw an empty chair. The mind is crazy. It gives new meaning to a mind of its own

Some time has passed since you wrote this. I don't know when you'll see this but know that you are in my thoughts and prayers, and I'm sending good energy your way. I hope you're doing better. I look forward to hearing from you.

Aiva Raine

Mar 28, 2023 at 9:40pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I'm sorry for your loss. I know they are shitty sounding words that don't even attempt to fill or fix, but they're meant in sincerity.

Having lost several people the best advice I was ever given was when life gets too hard- take it at your own pace. If a day is too much- cope with an hour at a time. If that's too much, take it ten minutes at a time. If that's too much- then you deal with one minute at a time. Work through life and grief at your pace. And don't ever feel guilty because you feel sad. And if you can- find one positive in each chunk of time- even if it's something as little as the beauty of sunlight on a leaf or the softness of your shirt. And ask for help if you need it.

Elle

Mar 7, 2023 at 3:29pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Aw, Charlie, I'm so sorry. It's a shit thing to go through whether it's sudden or not. And just because everyone goes through it, doesn't make it easier. It also doesn't take into account that you were closer to them than your parents. Nobody says 'Oh, everyone loses their parents eventually' do they? Surely not. And that's what's happened here really. I'm actually glad you've got an appointment with a professional tomorrow, because they might be able to help you with getting through that initial devastation.

When my dad lost his mother, he really struggled with his own lack of religion. As you say, there is some comfort in believing they've gone to a better place, been reunited with loved ones, that you'll see them again, and so on. For most of my life, Dad would say 'Religion is a crutch for the weak', but I definitely saw him struggle with the finality of it when he lost his mother, the person he was probably closest to.

My thoughts are with you.

1 Like

~Minja~

Mar 7, 2023 at 3:21pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Crazy stuff, grief. If you want to talk about it, message me always.

1 Like

QPdoll

Mar 7, 2023 at 6:21am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I understand what you mean about wanting to tell your grandmother something. I did the same thing after my grandmother passed. I was at home and the first thing I thought was to call grandma. I picked up the phone and realized that she wouldn't answer. It's so tough losing your grandparents, especially as close as you were. I don't have any magic words, but take care of yourself. It's what they would want.

1 Like

Robert Waltz

Mar 6, 2023 at 10:31pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Take care of yourself during this difficult time.

1 Like

Anni Pumpkin

Mar 6, 2023 at 9:06pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I know it doesn't help any, but I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine much worse than losing a parent or parental figure. They represent stability and safety, you grew up with them, and you've relied on them for most, if not all, of your life. You're right, the initial devastation will fade and things won't feel so fresh. But, as you know, grief never really goes away. It just becomes a permanent part of you.

It's horrible that you only got a couple days worth of bereavement! That's not even long enough for the shock to wear off enough to START grieving. I hope you have the support of someone else in your life to help you through this dark time. Take it easy on yourself in the mean time, that's all you really can do. Taking care of your physical self, eating and sleeping, is critical. Sleep deprivation and hunger will make things feel a million times worse than they actually are (which, for the record, is already pretty bad).

1 Like

Cinn

Feb 20, 2023 at 9:34pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I actually pretty much love this one. Nice, man...

Cinn

Feb 19, 2023 at 11:07am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I'd say that more freedom for participants would attract more people. One obvious example that I've never understood is fiction vs poetry. If it's an activity, not a contest, why not allow people to explore whatever the theme of your activity is with whatever type of writing that want to do?

I've actually written for countless contests/activities over the years but never entered... because they inspired me, but I don't fit within the guidelines. Max rating too low, items required (book entries only over here), no poetry accepted, etc.

I know well why people restrict writers' freedom, but they're also restricting the number of participants they'll get. I still just take the inspiration where I can get it.

Turkey DrumStik

Feb 19, 2023 at 10:26am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I've had decent participation with Journalistic Intentions (even though I know my prompts are sometimes considered "difficult"). I do think that there's been a bit of a shift in regards to contests and activities, where people have been more open to admitting they find some setups too restricting or that they feel intimidated by contests. I would love to be in discussions to address those issues, but so far I haven't been invited.

May 5, 2020 at 12:06am

#982787

Coffee for your mangled brain?

Artist: Sufjan Stevens
Song: They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Prompt: Find a local news story that makes you feel something. Share the story along with your opinion on it in your blog.

Article

I can't even express how difficult it is to find local news right now that isn't about the pandemic or crime. I mean, the crime part was always there, but really pretty much zero news stories that aren't on those two topics.

So, I found one that's related, but more positive. You can thank me later.

I know there's a lot of articles to read today, so I'll give you the very short summary of the article I chose, and you can dig in deeper if you like:

A Chicago coffee shop that gives 100% of its proceeds to support suicide prevention and mental health education had to shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Sip of Hope reopened Sunday on their two-year anniversary, and just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month.

The first paragraph of the article is actually a great summary. The idea behind Sip of Hope is that silence around mental health issues is the biggest obstacle to preventing suicide. They start that dialogue with a cup of coffee. (And their chai tea is amazing!) Their staff are also all trained in mental health aid and are very friendly. The whole place has a relaxed and calming atmosphere.

Don't worry about them reopening though-- It's 2 days a week for just a few hours and pick-up only!

Unfortunately, as with a lot of other small businesses, they're really struggling to stay afloat during these difficult times. Which brings me to what I'm actually going to talk about today...

Mental healthcare is so difficult to access, but it's possibly even more difficult to provide. Most people who are passionate about mental health issues are sufferers themselves. They want to do what's right by helping other people because they can relate and they know that accessibility is a major roadblock in recovery.

But providing mental health support is such an uphill battle. There's a general lack of funding for these types of operations. Even small, personal support group struggle to really take flight because you often have people running them who are doing the best they can, but are swamped trying to keep the group alive while dealing with financial struggles and their own mental health issues.

Fivesixer

mentioned my group on Lilliy Loidd 🪔

's note here: "Note: PSA: Getting off psychiatric medications is flip..."

I've gone on and off so many psychiatric meds. I know all the ins and outs of withdrawal. I'm someone who can commiserate at the very least with these types of situations. And there are a whole bunch of other people here who I know that can relate as well.

In theory, it makes perfect sense to have a group like "Invalid Item"

where you can hang out and express what you're going through and have people be like, "hey, me too." Because knowing you're not alone and having that open dialogue is so important to dealing with the day-to-day experience of having mental illnesses. The struggle of trying new meds, getting off old ones, trying a new therapist, dealing with anxiety/depression, not being able to sleep, having meltdowns... all that stuff becomes a lot easier to deal with when it's "we" and not "me".

But the problem in all of it is that, for example, I closed my group during a mental health episode. ~Minja~

, bless her soul, tried to calm me down and tell me not to make any immediate decisions. She was clearly recognizing that I was having an episode, but I couldn't see that at the time because, yay, mental health issues.

It's something I've experienced on a broad scale across seeking treatment since I was a kid. You have rarely have the right ingredients to make mental health support things work. You have to basically have a unicorn running operations. Someone who has personal experience dealing with mental health issues and has struggled immensely (because it's painfully obvious when they haven't), and yet, not someone who struggles so much that they're going to flip the table over and run out of the room.

Reading through Sip of Hope's webpage, I can only feel saddened by my own experiences with mental health organizations. Sometimes you have something good going, but you're like one economical misstep from not being able to operate because your purpose is not profiting, but bettering society and giving a voice or connection to people who are struggling.

It's a noble cause, but I've seen so many of these types of things just slowly bleed out. I've volunteered at these non-profits, many of them really, and it's almost always a monthly struggle to maintain the organization, even with everyone volunteering for free. Because providing these services and resources aren't free. They cost— financially, physically, and mentally.

I wonder all the time when we'll see a spotlight on mental healthcare. I think so many people are struggling now with everything that's going on. I've heard friends who have never had issues with anxiety telling me that they're having nightmares, having weird on-and-off again physical symptoms, having feelings of dread that wash over them randomly. These are things that people with mental health issues deal with daily, regardless of whether or not there is a pandemic.

Even though hope is a dangerous thing, my hope would be that ultimately when all of this is said and done, once a treatment is proven effective and a vaccine has been administered, that we can look back at the desperation, anxiety, and depression so many have felt during this time and recognize that more emphasis needs to be put on those who feel like that all.the.time.

I know, I know the nations past
I know, I know they rust at last
They tremble with the nervous thought
Of having been, at last, forgot

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