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One common trait of abuse victims I've noticed is their resiliency. I found that through the years, I perfected being self-sufficient. This admirable attribute is not as terrific as some may believe, however. My ability to tackle struggles on my own without asking for help is a negative side effect of years of abuse. 
Although I am not a fan of claiming labels as an identity, I have noticed the more I use the term "anxiety," the more people seem to relate to me. But I have had to separate the concept of being anxious versus feeling anxious. I used to say, "I have anxiety," making it a part of who I am. Since starting my journey to enlightenment, I have learned that anxiety is not something that I am. It is something that I feel. 
I am grateful for the podcasts that help me maintain mental wellness, but first, this background story: In April of last year, while the world was just beginning to open back up, I was experiencing the bleak fallout from a traumatic breakup. Much like when I was at my lowest low, battling depression later that summer, I was constantly searching for ways to forget. One of my favorite ways to accomplish this was going for long, and I mean long, walks. I would put on my shoes, walk down my apartment stairs and just walk. Sometimes three miles, sometimes five, and nine or 10 on the bad days.
My dad has a way with words. Decades ago, when I started hearing voices, he dubbed them the “Blue Meanies” after the bad guys in the animated Beatles movie Yellow Submarine. And he calls my negative self-talk the musings of “Bad News Betsy.”
Whether you do so intentionally or unconsciously, using emotional blackmail to stop self-harm is one of the worst things you can do to someone struggling to recover.
Did you know that neurodiversity includes borderline personality disorder (BPD)? Most people associate the term with autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But, the scope of neurodiversity is much larger than that. The term is new in the mental health community and evolving quickly. However, while information on it is plentiful in the ADHD and autism world, there is surprisingly little information on neurodivergence concerning BPD. So, how does neurodivergence manifest in BPD?
With this post, I want to talk about how trying new things has helped boost my self-esteem. There have been many times when I feel like I'm stuck or in a rut, and those times typically lead to questioning my self-worth and doubting what I want to do. Today, I'll share how trying new things -- and even reviving some old ones -- helped boost my self-esteem.
If you often deal with anxiety, sometimes it might seem as though it is difficult to be happy and anxious. While anxiety is not the same as depression, I think that dealing with it can sometimes lead to depression because, when you're anxious, you may find that you experience negative emotions that lead to a general feeling of sadness. You might also find that you focus more on those negative feelings than other ones.
I used to subscribe to the toxic positivity message. I wanted to believe that if I could maintain a persona of relentless confidence, enthusiasm, resilience, and optimism, then I would eventually outdistance the pain of my eating disorder.
When most of your life has been a struggle to perform tasks thanks to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it's hard not to become preoccupied with productivity. So zero percent productivity days can lead to self-criticism.

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A
Hello, I’m A and i’ve been doing SH for about a year now. I am 12 years old and started the winter after I turned 11. I still ask myself, was it because of some feeling that I can’t describe? Self hatred? Why did I do it, so many people struggle so much worse than me. I always cut myself logically, which means basically in a spot that no one would see. My parents are extremely invasive of privacy so I still wanted to have a way to cope ( SH ) and or suffer alone. Yet recently, I completely lost control of myself and felt such guilt and self hatred that I just started going off on my arms with a face razor. I didn’t realise the problem until later which was: white, thing and long lines across my arms. It is winter right now so I can wear shirts covering my arms but I just can’t stop thinking about the summer, what am I supposed to do? Keep in mind I am darker toned so the long and thin white scarring is pretty visible, very visible. I tried covering it up with makeup but it just doesn’t work. I’ve tried different creams but it doesn’t work, I tried icing it, doesn’t work. Im so scared, Im so so scared.
Gracelin
Hello. A year ago, I was in a deep depressive state due to friend issues and possibly emotional abuses (though not diagnosed by a doctor,). It got so bad, that I even tried to take my life. After that thing got worse. I kept on having suicidal thoughts but never tried to take my life because I was afraid that I might actually do it. (Keep in mind, that I've never tried to reach out to my parents because I don't want them to feel like it's their fault or be more stressed than they already are.)

A few months later, I knew that I had a problem. So, I decided to take care of my mental health myself a looked-up ways to cope and help me get better. A couple of months, IT DID!! I wasn't completely healed but tactics like the Box Breathing method and the Name 5 Things you can smell (or something like that) kind of helped me stay grounded. But because I never received the treatment that I needed it never went away.

My first panic attack was scary, I kept on sobbing rocking back and fourth. I tried to stay quiet, so that my parents wouldn't find out. But to keep myself quiet I would bite, scratch myself, or repeatedly tell myself to shut up. And then I would get suicidal thoughts and find out ways to try to kill myself. But during all of this, there would be a part of me terrified that I might just kill myself.

I don't really get a lot of these types of panic attacks. But they are mostly cause by a verbal fight between my parents sending my thoughts to spiral out of control. I do plan on getting help from a professional when I move out, which won't be for a while. But for the mean time, I just really want answers from someone who can help me that won't charge money and can keep it from my parents. I honestly don't know what to do! I'm just a kid trying to fix the mess she's in!
Sorry if it's a lot to take in, it is for me too ':)
Thalia
I've experienced mania & severe depression, currently I'm at baseline unmedicated, I am Bipolar based on my history & it all can happen again with the right triggers though I'm at baseline unmedicated, I might go on meds again if/when I'm next in a severe depressive episode otherwise no as worst mania has done is make me go on a spending spree & walk in the road (lucky wasn't run over) & flash myself naked, being in a severe depressive episode just is really hard everyday including lots of self harm & high risk of entering scary depressive psychois.
Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer
Hi C.W.

Thank you for reaching out. I am so sorry to hear that you are in such distress. I know it can be difficult, but please consider seek out a mental health resource that can assist you. HealthyPlace's list of hotline numbers is a useful place to start. Here's a link to find the contact information: https://www.healthyplace.com/other-info/resources/mental-health-hotline-numbers-and-referral-resources.

Sincerely,

Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer
HealthyPlace Comment Moderator
Kim Burnicle
I just left my adult kids. They live 4 hours away and we spent thanksgiving week together. I noticed on the drive home I felt depressed and lonely. I got the feeling they were happy to see me go and they don’t need my anymore. I know they love me but I also think they don’t like me. They often use a tone of voice with me that leaves my feeling stupid and irrelevant. It’ll take me days to “get over” this sadness.