HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show Blog

Today was a better day.  Everyone here at HealthyPlace is more relaxed now that we have the server issue resolved and the site is up and running as it should be.  They're all back taking care of things that need to be fixed when you do a huge transition like the one we did -- from an old site to a new one.

I enjoyed the day because I got the chance to meet several of our new members - like genamarie73 and russbn. Both are facing difficult issues at the moment and it got me thinking about how helpful a place like the HealthyPlace Support Network can be...where you can come and share your situation and hopefully get information and support, both of which can relieve the emotional burden that weighs on your shoulders and mind when you're dealing with a significant issue.

Over the last few months, I have read about a dozen psychology and self-help books so I could gain some insight. There are two things that consistently proved to be helpful in addressing mental health concerns:  1) being around supportive people  2) being proactive in getting help.  I took that to mean "wanting to get better and doing something about it."  But there was one other important element to the concept of feeling better and that was - helping others.  People who were in support groups felt good, not only because they had a chance to get some things off their minds, but they also felt they were helping others who were having a tough time. When you help somebody else, it makes you feel good about yourself.

My hope is that we are building a supportive environment; a place where people feel safe to share what's going on in their lives knowing that others around them understand and want to be supportive and helpful. But to do that, we have to share something about ourselves so others get to know us and what we're dealing with. In that regard, I want to encourage everyone to write in their blogs a few times a week. Let us know what's going on with you. Then go visit one or two other people, introduce yourself (add them as a friend) and if you have something supportive or helpful to say, comment on their posts.

The same goes for joining the support groups, posting on the boards and interacting with others. You can also see who's online, click on the orange "chat tab" on top and start a conversation.

I'm around throughout the day and if there's anything I can help with, feel free to write or chat me up. If you have a thought about any of my posts, go ahead and comment on it.

If you are a new member, I want to welcome you and say we're glad you joined us.

- Amanda