YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

I've received private messages this week from a couple of people asking how I'm doing since I had posted about a difficult weekend (last weekend I think it was.) I seem to be unable to reply privately. My replies get stuck in the outbox and don't show as having been sent. This is kind of awkward but I want to let the people who reached out know that I value their messages, especially during this time when everyone seems to be dealing with extra stress.

This weekend was again a struggle for me with grief and a feeling of not being safe, so the most positive thing I can say about it is that I'm still here. I started to look for a home for my sister's cat yesterday as it seems unlikely my sister will ever live outside of an institutional setting again. I've been doing guided meditations off and on all weekend. I don't know if it helps in any long-term way, but seems to be the only thing that quiets my mind and brings a bit of comfort right now.

Thank you all for being here, and I wish you well this week.

rg

River girl! Thanks for sharing.

Thank goodness you are making it through this weekend. 2020 to 2021 are extremely difficult times, so you are really accomplishing something. It doesn’t make it any easier, though.

Also, good for you for accepting that your sister may never leave an institution. Like weekends, this is a difficult situation that defies easy answers. Or any answer, really.

My guess as to your PM trouble: try deleting some old messages. If I remember correctly there is a limit for total in and out messages, and you may be at that limit.

At any rate, hang in there.

River girl!

Any word on how the weekend went, overall?

How is the coming week looking? In addition to the profoundly downer stuff listed above, is there anything else going on that may interfere with enjoying the upcoming weekend?

Hi River
Glad you made it through the weekend.