I wrote this quote in a moment when I was healing after a long depression. I gathered my courage and began to see the positive side of suffering, that is, traumatic growth.
Tag: Mental Health
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The Problem of Self-Neglect in Mental Illness, and its Effects
Self-care is an aspect of daily life very much taken for granted by the great majority. They self-care on a daily basis and give little to no thought about the mechanics of such. However, for some people suffering with mental illness, self-care can be daunting and a real struggle, with much thought invested in planning and executing those daily tasks (e.g. taking a shower) which are easy to manage for other people. This leads them to develop self-neglect.
I’ve been researching mental health for ages, and it is still quite a mystery to me why some people end up unfortunately losing such ability to take care of themselves. One thing I’ve noticed is that it is related to motivation and volition; and it is an essential aspect of maintaining physical and mental well-being. It involves taking deliberate actions to nurture and care for oneself. Some self-care practices include physical exercise, taking showers/baths, cutting one’s finger and toe nails, tidying up one’s environment, healthy eating, quality sleep, relaxation techniques, hobbies and leisure activities, setting boundaries, and maintaining social connections
Self-neglect can be a serious concern, especially when it is associated with mental illness. It refers to a lack of self-care and disregard for one’s well-being. When someone is experiencing mental illness, it can be challenging to prioritise self-care. However, taking care of oneself is crucial for managing mental health conditions as lack of self-care can have negative consequences on both your physical and mental well-being. It often occurs when we neglect to prioritise our own needs and fail to engage in activities that promote self-nurturing. Here are some potential effects of self-neglect:
- Physical Health Issues: When you neglect self-care, your physical health can suffer. Lack of exercise, poor nutrition, and inadequate sleep can lead to various health problems, including weight gain, weakened immune system, cardiovascular issues, and chronic fatigue.
- Mental Health Challenges: Neglecting self-care can exacerbate existing mental health conditions or contribute to the development of new ones. It can increase stress levels, lead to burnout, and trigger symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- Emotional Instability: Without proper self-care, emotional stability can be compromised. Neglecting self-care may lead to heightened irritability, mood swings, emotional exhaustion, and difficulty managing emotions.
- Impaired Decision-Making Abilities: Self-neglect can diminish cognitive functioning, making it harder to think clearly, concentrate, and make sound decisions. This can have a negative impact on various areas of life, including work, relationships, and personal goals.
- Decreased Productivity: When self-care is neglected, productivity levels tend to decline. Inadequate rest and relaxation can lead to decreased motivation, difficulty focusing, and diminished performance in daily tasks.
- Strained Relationships: Neglecting self-care may result in increased stress, irritability, and a decreased ability to effectively communicate and connect with others. This can strain relationships and lead to feelings of isolation.
It is crucial to prioritise self-care and make it a daily practice. By taking deliberate actions to care for yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally, you can improve your overall well-being and lead a more fulfilling life. Remember, self-care is not selfish; it is necessary for your health and happiness.
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What’s it Like Living With Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)?
All the time, permanently… I live in an unstable emotional state. This is exhausting. I experience a lot on a daily basis. I feel constantly fatigued and tired too. While there is no known cure for this tribulation, it is possible to manage the symptoms and improve overall well-being.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD), also known as Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD) is a chronic mental illness characterised by instability in emotions, relationships, and self-image. People with BPD often experience intense and fluctuating emotions, have difficulty regulating their emotions, and struggle with impulsive behaviours. It is important to note that BPD is a complex disorder and can manifest differently in each individual. For more in-depth definitions and descriptions, please read my academic article “Women Who Are Mad”.
My emotions are always incredibly intense. The roller coaster is very real in my routine; with only some elements present with great stability such as my lack of care towards myself and my constant confusion in regards to who I am. Furthermore, I experience feelings of depression almost every day, and continually feel stuck in a self-neglecting dynamic. Clinically, I am unwell; and knowing that there isn’t a magic cure for how I feel demotivates me. I want to feel better. As a matter of fact, I want to be normal.
Yet, every day reminds me of my abnormality. Some might perceive my personality as ‘eccentric’; nevertheless, I see it as simply dysfunctional. My every day is heavy and sometimes foggy. I never know who I am, my identity confuses me. I still hope that one day I will be okay, and that I won’t suffer as much as I currently do.
Being diagnosed with BPD was something I did not process to begin with until many years later. The longer it gets, the more I comprehend my disorder. And the more frustrated I feel at not being able to feel better immediately, or later. Simply, it is like living with a chronic pain condition. You can only learn to live with it, cope with it, and ease the symptoms if you are lucky.
Recovery from BPD is a gradual process, and it requires patience, perseverance, and commitment. With the right treatment and support, many individuals with BPD are able to lead fulfilling lives and experience a reduction in symptoms. It’s essential to remember that seeking help is a crucial step towards managing BPD and improving overall mental health. I hope that by taking these steps, I can live normally one day.
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Exploring Satan’s Envy
Christian philosophy tells the tale of the most beautiful angel- Satan- developing envy towards God. And that’s it. Envy is the beginning of how this being becomes the most demonised personality in mythology and religion. This episode explores the envy that led to Satan’s fall from heaven and contextualises it within a modern frame.
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Introduction to Death Anxiety
What happens when we die? This video introduces the concept of death anxiety, a psychoanalytical description of the fear of death experienced at least unconsciously by all.
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Do Mental Health Diagnoses Perpetuate Pathology?
The world is full of mental health diagnoses, and each day these are becoming more common as more people get diagnosed with a condition affecting their daily life. Nevertheless, little attention is given to how the system of psychiatric nomenclatures goes on to perpetuate the very pathologies they claim to treat.
psychosis A person might think they are normal, until they are told they are not. That is, until a diagnosis is given which reinforces the very patterns of behaviours which the clinician is attempting to treat or make absent. As a matter of fact, it isn’t until people are given diagnoses that they begin to identify with specific sets of behaviour. In a way, the clinician prescribes such sets of behaviours when they— often forcibly— attribute a label to a human being who might just be having a hard time.
People have rough times, and sometimes during such rough times, people might act in ways which are out of character; that is, unusual patterns of behaviour which express distress. Nonetheless, the average diagnosis will limit a person’s personality to a criteria which can indeed narrow a person’s imagination and hamper their very dreams.
Is the system creating individuals who are different by labelling them when they are teenagers? Psychology shows us that teenagers are still in major developmental stages where personality and character, among many other traits, become more defined. A label can really throw a teenager off that trajectory and influence their identity to a point in which the human being might feel that all they are is what the label prescribes.
For instance, the diagnoses of personality disorder have somehow made it through so scientific rigour; yet, even the concept of it begins to disintegrate in psychiatric nomenclatures such as the ICD-11. Clinicians can at times forget that behind every label given, there is a human being with a complex life of his or her own. They, thus, enslave an individual to a pattern regardless of the consequences this may have on their general wellbeing.
As someone who has been labelled, I can tell that being ‘marked’ as disordered since I was a teenager affected my identity. It simply affected me more than I could express. It attempted to wash away the uniqueness of my personality, and it tried to box me into a criteria that I did not even fully meet. Now that I am in my thirties, I have come to analyse how the iatrogenic effects affected my development, and I can honestly say that sometimes I think I would have been better off away from the system and not being diagnosed in the first place.
I was only 17 years old when I was labelled. At such an age, I was still forming ‘me’, and being given such a set of criteria only added elements which perhaps might never have appeared if it was not for the neoliberal touch of intervention. But I am not the only one, and apart from everything mentioned already, stigma is also a definite cause for distress in labelled individuals. What for the clinician might be a random job at the office, can become a devastating, life-changing event for the human being being subjugated to an external opinion about their internal functioning. In a way, the clinician creates the pathology by giving a label.
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Finally! A More Organised Mind and Environment
The past seven years were tough. My mental health saw the worst of its manifestations, my studies of forensic psychology came to an abrupt halt; and I had the worst, prolonged experience of my life. It was so brutal that it met the criteria for torture (as internationally defined), and since then, I have been coping with the psychological symptoms of PTSD in relation to the documented torture.
Thank you so much for reading this blog.
If it was not because of all the support you give to my freedom of expression, I would not be able to do this.
A lot has happened, and it would be an unwise idea to overwhelm you- my reader- with everything in one page. Hell, I think that not even one single book could adequately narrate everything I have experienced. It would for sure need a series of books to somewhat tell the details of what the system is capable of doing to an innocent human being.
Now, if you are here reading this, and have any doubts about my innocence; it’s okay, you don’t know me, and everything you know about me is what other sources have told you or what I have shown you. So before this re-introduction of my capacity to express my human rights becomes too long; let’s begin by focusing on the topic of mental health and the environment.
One pill after another seems to be the immediate objectives handed to me by the mental health professionals. I also choose to work on tidying up and clearing my environment so I can feel more inner peace. I don’t like relying on people, because too many people have let me down. Instead, I focus on being present with my self, my thoughts, and my maladies. I pay attention to my environmental variables, and acutely understand how different stressors have been fatal.
Nobody was there for me when I needed a friend the most. My environment, however, has saved my life on countless occasions as I continue to make it an artistic expression of my health. This means I have to take it slow, and concentrate on simple, small, petty tasks which are no effort for the great majority. I realise that when my environment is organised, so is my mind. Therefore, writing becomes blockless, effortless and such a successful activity reinforces the power of the environment in which something is written.
So really, thanks for being here, and thanks for coming back to check new content.