Mental Health Thread

[Flaming Blimp Crash]

Bit of a challenging week. My mother's typically had high blood pressure and is finally doing something about it. Her pressure is now at reasonable levels, but her cardiologist is recommending she come in for imaging to ensure she doesn't have cardiovascular plaque buildup as she (doc) was a bit worried of that possibility. Ah, okay, well that's fine and well, this is all for being proactive. Then, my mom informed me yesterday she's going in for a diagnostic mammogram as soon as possible as she had discovered a lump. Breast cancer does run through my mom's side, but everyone's been great about early detection and have all beat it.

I don't know, the 1-2 punch kind of has just sent my brain today on a worst case scenario trajectory - and I think it's because I had already lost my dad six years ago. May just take the next few days off from work as mental health days just to relax and adjust. Do want to note mom's handling things a lot better than me, kind of a Bruce approach of "Okay, this is what's potentially in front of me, let's go get this taken care of."

We've jokingly always had conversations where she said she doesn't want to live as long as her mom did (95), so I just say "Just make it to 80 and you can do whatever at that point." (She's not even 70)

 

[Black Abyss Babe]

Bit of a challenging week. My mother's typically had high blood pressure and is finally doing something about it. Her pressure is now at reasonable levels, but her cardiologist is recommending she come in for imaging to ensure she doesn't have cardiovascular plaque buildup as she (doc) was a bit worried of that possibility. Ah, okay, well that's fine and well, this is all for being proactive. Then, my mom informed me yesterday she's going in for a diagnostic mammogram as soon as possible as she had discovered a lump. Breast cancer does run through my mom's side, but everyone's been great about early detection and have all beat it.

I don't know, the 1-2 punch kind of has just sent my brain today on a worst case scenario trajectory - and I think it's because I had already lost my dad six years ago. May just take the next few days off from work as mental health days just to relax and adjust. Do want to note mom's handling things a lot better than me, kind of a Bruce approach of "Okay, this is what's potentially in front of me, let's go get this taken care of."

We've jokingly always had conversations where she said she doesn't want to live as long as her mom did (95), so I just say "Just make it to 80 and you can do whatever at that point." (She's not even 70)

"Mental health days" are a new one on me - but sounds like a good idea, I think more places should do them.

It occurs to me that maybe your brain needs to play out the worst case scenario, and when it's done that it will settle down into something more proportionate? Because I sometimes get that too, and after my mind has played out the absolute worst that could possibly happen I find that I can calm down a bit and see everything else on the spectrum up to that worst case. I think it's probably a coping mechanism that my autistic brain uses when confronted with uncertainty.

Anyway, hope it all works out well and your mum is okay.

 

[Flaming Blimp Crash]

"Mental health days" are a new one on me - but sounds like a good idea, I think more places should do them.

It occurs to me that maybe your brain needs to play out the worst case scenario, and when it's done that it will settle down into something more proportionate? Because I sometimes get that too, and after my mind has played out the absolute worst that could possibly happen I find that I can calm down a bit and see everything else on the spectrum up to that worst case. I think it's probably a coping mechanism that my autistic brain uses when confronted with uncertainty.

Anyway, hope it all works out well and your mum is okay.

Well, it's a sick day, it's not a day allotted just for mental health days.

Scheduling an appointment with my psych that would be able to excuse the absence because maybe an adjustment to my prescription may be needed for just the summer. I'm on an incredibly low maintenance dose of an anti-depressant that's kind of 'take as needed' (and that's primarily in the winter for Seasonal Affective Disorder) that's below the general therapeutic dosage for a general depressive disorder.

Appreciate the well wishes!

 

[Onhell]

So I've been doing OK. I have been dealing with relatively normal stressors like financial, from work, relationships, etc. Taking all of it in stride. I tried getting a summer job to aliviate at least the financial stress, but it proved slightly harder than expected. First I tried doing medical translation from home, the training is 2 months worth and would conflict with my full-time job. I'll try again next year. Thought about working at a pharmacy a mile from my house, but here in Mexico a work week is 6 days, most likely a 10 hour shift, being the new guy and a man I'd probably get stuck on night shift. I thought about going for it anyway, but then something happened.

I've been living with my mom for a year, ever since she fell. Two months ago I drove her to the bank and there was no parking. She got off and I went around the block FOUR times before a spot opened up. In that moment I realized I couldn't get a job that would keep me away from the house 10 hours a day for 6 days. Had I not been here, my mom would've just given up and gone home.

That's pretty minor compared with what happened a couple of days ago. We have several errands this week, again go to the bank, go to the cemetery to see exactly where her plot is, go to the mall to get my niece's bday present, fill up with gas, etc. We went to the bank, the line was around the block, she said f that, let's go fill up the car. As we're coming back from that she turns to me and says, "Mijo, what are we doing?"
"Uh... going home."
"Yeah, but... what did we do today?"
"We went to the bank, there was a long line, you didn't want to deal with it and then we went to fill up with gas"
"The bank? Why did we go to the bank?" In that moment I panicked, but I stayed calmed and just told her she was going to withdrawal some of her state benefits. and she said, "What? What benefits? Wasn't there something else we were doing?"
"Uuuuh, your bimonthly benefits? We also have to go to the mall for (my niece's) present."
"Present? for what?"
"Oh boy, her birthday, ma. Your sister, my aunt, sent you 25 dollars to get her a present."
"She did? Why would she do that?" I just take a deep breath and tell her not to worry about it, we'll just go home so she can watch her shows on TV. And NO JOKE she says, "Mijo, what shows do I watch?"

To say she was having a bad day is an understatement. The next day she remembered EVERYTHING and acknowledged she was frustrated fully knowing that she had a bad day. This has been my biggest stressor. I thought she had another decade before having days like that, it's only been a year. I go back to work next week, and I just know I'm going to be worried while I'm not home