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

Hi All,
I'm feeling some residual shame over something and wanted to share.
The holidays are always hard for me, and although better this year, I still had some deep sadness. I decided to purchase some items online to have the excitement of stuff coming in the post. I guess I feel like I could have done something more productive.
But:
-I did this knowing exactly why I was doing it, loving the awareness which may have not been there in the past
-I can afford these things and the overall amount was not large
-One purchase was quite practical items, the other was some healthy recreational items that I know I will enjoy
-I did not eat or drink mindlessly to soothe
Thanks for listening,
Heather

This is so great, you are being self-loving and doing so in a sustainable way. Please throw away the residual shame.

Thanks for sharing, happy new year, all the best!

Hello Heather,

Totally understandable. You bought yourself a present! That's allowed, even though you may not think you deserve it. (Is that where the shame idea comes from?)

And we're all a little bit like that anyway - How many times have you heard someone say something like "I'll get this for them because they'd never buy it for themselves"...

And the anticipation of finding/getting something new is in our DNA, right? We're hunter-gatherers from way back...

Wishing you peace in the new year.

SD

This is one of the all time great MIHH posts.

Thank you so much for your honesty and vulnerability. I really needed to hear this today.

I am proud that you own your actions, got it all out, and can move on.

We are only as sick as our secrets.

I fall short of my goals frequently, including strongly today, so I am heartened to know that I am not alone.