#brain racoons

[cicaklah]

You know what don't come off your meds to see if they're still working, that's a really stupid thing to do.

Apologies to everyone I know and love but the brain racoons got in the bins and got bin juice everywhere and now I gotta clean the bin juice up.

[gothiccharmschool]

Sometimes Mondays require extra emotional support. Clovis Devilbunny to the rescue. (Dear Brain Racoons, STOP GIVING ME NIGHTMARES. In fact, just GO AWAY.)

[jack-o-chica-multiverse]

Ok. Do you have tips about anxiety or depression? I'm having trouble seeing if I should come out to my parents or not. Thanks

((*hug* I’m proud of you for reaching out - while I’m not a therapist or necessarily the most qualified (I’m still an anxiety-ridden mess more often than I’d like to be), I’ll at least try to provide some resources!  And hey - if anyone has good advice and/or resources/links that would be relevant for our dear anon, it would be tremendously appreciated!!!

First off, I’m probably not a good source of advice on coming out to parents. I haven’t told anyone in my family that I’m ace and panromantic.  I first learned the terms well after I moved out on my own (and had the ‘OH MY GAWD IT ISN’T THAT I’M JUST - BROKEN?!?!?! … AND I’M NOT ALONE IN FEELING LIKE THIS!?!?!?!’ moments), and I haven’t come out to anyone in my family because I honestly don’t care what most of them think.  But my situation is my own, and yours will be unique to you. Whatever you choose, please stay safe.

As far as tips regarding anxiety and depression, that’s definitely a wide net so I hope it is ok if I think on it some more and maybe try to find some good posts out there to link to … and get back to it when I’m a little more clearheaded - definitely within the next day or two if that’s alright!  I’ll tag it with ‘brain raccoons,’ a term lovingly stolen from Jillian Venters, @gothiccharmschool, who has written some excellent posts that have been very helpful for my own experience with anxiety (since that’s been the main long-term brain big-bad in my life).  I recommend searching the tag ‘talking about fight club’ on her blog as it’s a wellspring of her own experiences as well as resources.  I will also direct you to her proper Gothic Charm School blog as this article has a couple links at the bottom - and read the comments because it is one of the VERY few websites where the article comments are often genuinely constructive.). 

Know that seeking medical advise and treatment for depression/anxiety is nothing to be ashamed of.  I wish I had broken from my family’s stupid stigma about seeking help when I was struggling hard with anxiety and bipolar disorder in middle and high school - it wasn’t until college that I sought treatment.  But at that point, the bipolar swings had mellowed - or I had found coping mechanisms that got me through episodes easier.  But I wish I hadn’t waited that long.  If you have access to a therapist - please talk about it with them.  If you don’t have access to a trained therapist and are school aged, school counselors and nurses are trained to at least be able to provide resources to help.

I know it seems like a bit of fluff, but I have my little tag mantras on my main-main blog that help me stay mindful that I’m still on the journey, and have helped me be a lot less cruel to myself when I have those occasional regressive moments:

‘be kind - that means being kind to yourself as well’

‘stop self-sabotaging’

‘be gentle and patient with yourself’ (the path to getting better can sometimes be a long journey and occasionally you’ll slip in the mud and find yourself back a few feet but keep going)

‘kindness is never weakness’

‘be who you needed when you were younger’

‘do no harm but take no shit’

‘treat yourself as you would a friend’  

Maybe a little more aggressive, but ‘survive out of spite,’ ‘persist just to prove them wrong’ and ‘kindness is punk as Hell’ (also stolen and bastardized from Ms. Venters) sometimes ring true for me as well, heh.

But I’ll try to round up some links to good posts that I’ve reblogged on my main-main and post a follow up here in the next day or so.  I wish I had some fantastic ‘silver bullet’ pieces of advise to offer, but anxiety and depression and being in the closet can be messy and complicated - but you have reached out, and I hope you reach out to someone trained to help as well.  I wish for nothing but healing and happiness in your future, and that life treats you more gently.  You deserve it. <3))