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

My family of origin doesn’t want anything to do with me.

Ergo, I am accepting new family members.

To celebrate your addition, please consider one of the following, each of which is one way I celebrate life, or add your own:

Enjoy a pop.

Enjoy pico de gallo.

Watch a Hallmark movie.

Listen to some 90s music. Oasis and Third Eye Blind are always recommended, but this is wholly up to you. 80s music is also warmly accepted, as is any rockin songs from the 70s.

Listen to some Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, or ideally both.

Old school R&B is wholly celebrated, as is Patsy Cline. Garth Brooks has some hits. Treat yourself.

Spend a moment being appreciative of your version of my beloved Buspar; any mental health medicine is welcome, and Cymbalta, Prozac, and Paxil are especially celebrated.

Take a day off work.

Clean out your car. Or not. Either way, feel better.

Spend a moment of gratitude for your mental health counselor.

Spend a moment in gratitude for the mentors who, years ago, gave so generously of themselves.

Spend a moment of gratitude for this forum, the mods, and our friends here.

Appreciate dental care.

Shower, shave (if indicated), and wear clean clothes on a weekend day.

On the other weekend day, be careful not to shower, shave, or even feel obligated to leave the house. The world can get along without us for 24 hours.

I'm humbly applying to be part of the Oak family.

If accepted for admission, I plan to take several of the celebratory suggestions below, but will start with gratitude for this forum, mods, and friends.

rivergirl

Hello Oak.

It would be an honor to be considered a brother.

Hello brother Oak

Welcome, Manuel Moe, RiverGirl, and BrownBlob to my family, our family.

Today, to celebrate, I:

Enjoyed homemade tacos with fresh pico and sea salt.

Decluttered my living room, to transition my dojang into a Latin dance-practice and barre space.

Am currently listening to the sound of my dishwasher. This means more than I can explain: it is the sound of order. I have a space of my own.

Welcome!

The dishwasher is a soothing white noise machine to me too.
Worked all day, but came home to a dinner of turkey and mashed potatoes and a cupcake to make it festive.

I’m glad you both had somewhat comforting days, oak & brownblob. I also find the dishwasher or washing machine to be soothing.

I want to be in your family! However, I will be drinking soda, not pop.

remarks wrote: ↑April 18th, 2022, 8:53 am I want to be in your family! However, I will be drinking soda, not pop.

Yes, please drink a soda and then a pop, just to be safe.

Considering that many a truth is spoken in jest, while we kid about soft drinks, this gets at the ultimate reason I left my family of origin:

Unlike my family of origin, our new family acknowledges and celebrates that (1) different kinds of people actually exist and (2) people are celebrated and differences (“differences”, really) can be noted as we affirm the common humanity of all.

Human dignity and worth were not considered in my previous family, so they are front and center in this family.

I’m so joining if that’s ok. We should all get identification cards!