Q:I hate being judged for having a mental illness. I hate that when I slip up and cut when I'm doing my best to recover they get angry and say I'm not trying. What can I say to them? I am trying and I just wish they would accept that it's hard and I still care even when I do screw up.
Hi anon,
Trust me, I know that feel, bro. My family (and even my therapist sometimes) thinks I “should be recovered by now”. But the truth is that yes, I have a long way to go, but I have made SIGNIFICANT progress. So have you. People tend to think recovery looks like this, but really it looks more like this.
A lot of people, however, don’t seem to know this. Society as a whole is very judgmental of mental illness, and many people don’t understand why people can “just do” various things. People right now judge others for mental illness, but there is hope yet. Mental illness is, slowly but surely, becoming less stigmatized. It won’t always be this way.
The main thing to say— or do, rather— is proof that you’re trying. Tell them how you plan to recover (see our guide to reducing self-harm). The other main thing to say is how they can help you. They may blame you because they feel out of control of the situation, but if you encourage them to do things that you know will help you (distract you when you’re triggered, etc.) they may feel more motivated to encourage your recovery in ways that are helpful to you. Because while they may seem angry and blaming, know that in reality, they just want to see you succeed.
You are trying. You know you are trying, we know you’re trying. It’s really fucking hard. People these days don’t tend to acknowledge this, but mental illness is really, really hard to recover from. You’re not alone. If you see a therapist or counselor, ask them about medication. If you don’t see anyone, please ask your parents or a trusted adult (such as a school counselor) if you can make an appointment. Therapy (and medication) can make a HUGE difference in your life. You’re not in this alone.
Bree
41 Notes/ Hide
- diue-est-une-femme liked this
- im5tillhere liked this
- got-a-crazy-mind-to-clean liked this
- weiji-firgun liked this
- dandeliongardens liked this
- monstersfromshadows liked this
- fly-me-off-to-neverland liked this
- blackcoffeeheart liked this
- thatawkwardpansexualgirl liked this
- thesoulsrefrain liked this
- fxckshxtxp liked this
- dragons-and-moonshine reblogged this from chooserecovery
- dragons-and-moonshine liked this
- yesyeahyei liked this
- choosinglifein-colour reblogged this from chooserecovery
- and-hardships-unnumbered liked this
- andmymindwontquit reblogged this from chooserecovery
- andmymindwontquit liked this
- chaoticwoods liked this
- butterfliesandwebs liked this
- wyntermuun-blog liked this
- iloveyoubecauseofreasons liked this
- issdefiant liked this
- ew-ew-ew-ew-ew-ew-ew-ew-ew-ew-ew liked this
- kissinginsanity liked this
- shitpunsforshitnuns liked this
- ladysnake86 liked this
- chooserecovery posted this