Solo travel is the besssst. I tried it tentatively shortly after my divorce, too, and it was a great experience. It’s really helpful in that you get to take some time to focus on being comfortable with who you are as a person (not someone’s spouse or whatever but who YOU are.) No work or other responsibilities to distract you, so you do a lot of self-discovery while exploring a new place.

I don’t have a lot of travel tips because I have always been not really able to afford international travel except for very recently, but I am so proud of you for stepping out of your comfort zone and taking that step. Now you get to start the countdown and planning for your comfort and safety during travel. I personally love that part, but I know not everyone does.

I’m sorry you’re stuck in this situation for a while. Yoga and meditation are definitely a good start but I feel like adding either journaling your TRUE feelings about what is going on or talking with a therapist or trusted friend about the things you really need to get off your chest–because leaving all these things you feel you need to say unsaid is obviously making your life harder.

Yes, I started working on my grief in therapy about a year ago, and I have a friend who is a counselor, along with some close friends and family I talk about my mental health with often. I have also been working toward being more of an actual Buddhist than an occasional meditator as this year progressed. It has been very helpful in understanding the fact that life is not easy but beautiful anyway.

I hadn’t heard of The Blue Zones, but now you have me curious. I will look into them. I am always looking for new ways to up my mental health game.

I agree with the part of you that says it’s self-care. We all need downtime, especially if it’s been a long time since you’ve been able to enjoy a whole day or real rest.

I just called that number and it was a9dorable! Sweet life advice and pep talks from little kids. I loved it!

When I used to work outside my house, I tried to do something every day that would really make someone’s day like that, too. Giving extra compliments or helping with something I knew someone was struggling with but probably wouldn’t ask for anyone to help them. When you work in a healthcare setting, it’s easy to find opportunities to do those things. Now I’m always at home and there are only so many things I can do. That’s why I spend all my time trying to get people to talk to me on Lemmy.

I agree! Some of my favorite things are petting dogs, smelling babies, and making comfort food in vintage or good-eough-quality-to-pass-down-to-my-chidren cook or bakeware. Making the most of the things I already have in my life always gives me a little boost.

I appreciate it.

Showering while sitting down is really nice, but have you tried a lovely, relaxing bath? It’s even better. If you have a tub and don’t hate the very idea of baths, I highly recommend it.

Hi there! Thanks for posting in YSK. It seems at the moment, this post is coming across as less than accurate. Will you do me a favor and update it to include the fact that accreditation is not the same as traditional colleges and the estimated prices that were found in the Wiki? That way it won’t get reported and possibly removed.

OP has received their answer, and I don’t think it would be productive to continue this discussion here, so I am locking the post.

Lemmy’s version of NSQ also prohibits replies that are mean or mocking the OP. We encourage asking any question that doesn’t break the rules.

The site seems to be up now. What an inspiring story. You can feel how good he is throughout the article.

I’m sorry you’re facing all this alone. The mom in me is sending out virtual Mom Hugs from afar, but also wondering if it’s not time to let your familyand/or whatever close friends you currently have in your life in on how bad things are if you’re suffering this much. I also experience the cycle of being too tired from taking my meds to do much, but recognizing that I am a lump of pain on the couch without them, so it’s still better than not taking them at all. It sounds like your current cycle is a particularly bad one.

I know am lucky that I don’t live alone and have the support of my husband to help me get things done and close family and friends to talk about things with. It’s the only way I’m able to do this. I am impressed at your fortitude, hanging on this long without support-- but it’s possible you’re risking your mental and physical health if you don’t let someone help you.

I also echo the advice to find a social worker who can help match you up with any programs you weren’t already aware of. A friend of mine is a Patient Advocate/social worker for a living and this is the type of thing she does all day. If you don’t know how to find one on your own, ask your PCP or one of your specialists to help hook you up with one. When my mom needed more care than I could give her, I spoke with her PCP and was assigned a social worker through their practice who was really helpful in letting me know what my options were and what the next steps would be once I chose one.

So glad you came back with an update, and that it wasn’t quite as bad as you thought it would be I hope your meds work out well for you. If they don’t, I’m sure you can let the doctor know and they will switch you to something else.

I’m sorry for the delay in my comment. I’ve been on vacation with my husband and some friends. I do have some advice for making your way through this as a strong couple. i would say the number one thing 9is obviously to get and remain on the same team throughout the process, and number two is to incase your communication as much as possible.

Every decision from here on out is possibly something that affects the team, not just one of you. Doctor appointment coming up? Team discussion on what the goals are for our future and how we can work toward them. Budget planning? Same thing. One person struggling with their mental health? How can the other support them through it best? It’s not life made more difficult because you have more people than yourself to worry about. Its life is made more easy because the mental and physical load is spread out in the most efficient way possible. Everyone can work to the best of their abilities and take care of each other’s needs.

That is how my husband and I do it, after much trial and error.

I thought when I became a moderator here, the fact that any anxiety or depression I’ve faced in my life were due to either simply being young and overwhelmed with my life or having my health ripped away from me in a few short months at a young age, would be an impediment to my ability to help the posters here. It turns out that it comes up OFTEN. There are so many of us. I was 38 when it happened, but in a new relationship that was not all that stable yet. I thought I would never have a good day again, and it took a few months before my partner and I stopped acting like we were on opposite teams and started attacking problems together. I was not good at accepting help right away, and he was not good at being a caregiver right away either. These things take time to get used to.

You have to hold on to whatever small things bring you joy that you can still tolerate and try to find an emotional outlet that is not your partner, so they are not expected to carry every bit of a very heavy load right now. Therapy, good friends or close family, online support groups–anything that will allow you to offload some emotional baggage without judgment. Accept help f(meals, housework, whatever)rom your friends and family, too, if it’s offered. Why say “no thanks” if you would be happy to go to that same friend’s house and run the vacuum or bring over a meal when they are in need?

I don’t know the specifics of your situation, but it’s likely the only thing that will help at this point is time. Wounds will heal, medications will be ordered for your physical and emotional health, you will grieve the person you were and who you wanted to be in the future. You will forge a new path. It’s still too early in the process to expect anything other than utter chaos right now. Anyone in your shoes would feel the same. Right now your only job is weather this and focus on your health.

For me it’s been over 5 years and I’d say that physically I’ve recovered maybe 30% of my former functioning level, but emotionally I’m at 85%. It’s hard work, and I look at it as my full-time job to take care of myself first and my house when I have the capacity. My relationship is in a much better, stronger place than it was back then. We are always on the same team now.

Hi there. Hope you’re enjoying NSQ. Rule 1 in the sidebar states that every post must have a question in the title. It makes it easier for people to browse the community. Will you edit your post to follow the rue? Thanks for posting!

A suicide-focused community with dedicated professional mods would be so nice. We would be able to direct anyone who is in crisis there. Lemmy is still young and I’m not aware of a space like that to refer anyone to, though.

We will work on rewording it today.