Wednesday 19 May 2010

Where to begin?

I'm going to be honest, as far as possible. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I think that this is something I want to do. I don't know much about blogging, but it sounds like fun.

I took a pledge yesterday at http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/. I pledged to be vocal about my experiences with mental health problems to help encourage others. This is my way of doing this. I hope you will take a look at that website and make your own pledge.

I was diagnosed with depression in January. I still don't really know how I feel about telling other people. I think I can still count the number of people I've directly told on my fingers, although some other people may have suspicions, or found out other ways. Sometimes it is easy to be open and honest about it, other times I want to deny it and pretend I'm fine. I'm going to try to do more of the former here.

I hope that talking about my experiences here will benefit me by helping me to clear my mind, but I hope that it will also help others. It's always nice to be able to talk to others who understand what you're going through, and hopefully I might also be able to educate people who don't know much about depression.

So here goes nothing I guess :)

3 comments:

  1. Hi Claire, welcome to blogging! I have known a few people with depression and a lot who blog about their experiences. These people say it feels good to get their thoughts and fears out into the open. I think they could be right. I wish you luck in doing the same, if that is the road you wish to take. Do feel free to have a look at some of the blogs on my blogroll.

    CJ xx

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  2. Hi Claire, I actually kind of know how you feel. I have not been diagnosed with depression, but I have definitely had some hard times when I've felt depressed. It's especially hard graduating from school and not being able to find work. What helped me get more positive was getting excited about something new. That's why I'm making the changes that I am currently making. Every day seems brighter when you have your eye on a prize. I think that starting to blog is a great idea! And make sure that your friends are people who understand you and stand by you through the hard times. I've had friends who didn't understand what I'm going through, and honestly it felt better to let those "friends" just do their own thing and walk away. Surround yourself with people who are doing what you want to do and who are positive about life. Good luck!

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  3. Thank you both for your warm welcome and your good advice. I think starting this was a good decision, and hopefully it will help me to process my emotions a bit more healthily...

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