Thread by @VABVOX

THREAD 📌 So no joke I was too depressed to write about #WorldMentalHealthDay. I meant to put up a series I did on #LGBTQ mental health and didn't. I meant to put up some interviews I did with MH experts on the "collective trauma" we are experiencing, but I just couldn't.
1/x

For months I've been being treated for an exacerbation of #PTSD with concomitant depression & anxiety. I was going to write something profound about that, but instead took a Xanax, cried for a bit, read some poetry (which I used to write), tried not to crawl out of my skin.
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I mostly wanted to say that we all need to be able to talk about how mental illness is often crushing, the pain as exhausting as physical pain. I wanted to say to folks who are suffering that you are not alone--there are millions of us. But I was unable to do any of it. Sigh.
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This is a dark time for many. Folks who have never suffered from depression or anxiety are experiencing it for the first time. There is a lot of incapacitating fear out there--folks fear for their elderly parents, their kids, themselves. We miss the semblance of normalcy.
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I just want to say that the best thing you can do for yourself is remain connected. Engage with other people however you can. Crawl out of yourself as much as possible to try and maintain some balance. It's so hard, but it's a layer of self-care. Don't isolate too much.
5/x

Remember to breathe. We literally start taking only shallow breaths when stressed--make yourself breathe deeply, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Stay hydrated. Being dehydrated makes you agitated and unwell. Remember to be grateful--it takes you out of yourself.
6/x

Don't harm yourself.
Don't blame yourself.
Hang on--it will get better.
It has to. 💜🌿
7/x

The stigma of having depression, anxiety, PTSD or any mental illness is huge. This is deeply wrong and prevents people from getting help. #WorldMentalHealthDay is meant to highlight this inequity, help people feel supported, destigmatize and validate that we need change now.
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