When is it the right time to get help?
This was a requested blog post so I hope I can help answer any thoughts you are having.
When is it the right time to get help? Well for everyone the time is different. For most people I feel the best time to get help is when you realise that this isn't the life you want to live anymore and you want to get better. In some cases the time to get help might be when you feel like you cant go on. Now you might be thinking "why not just when you know you have a problem?" In my experience (and remember these blogs are simply my opinion not medical advice) whenever I have looked for help but deep down not wanted to get better it didn't make a difference. I would go to counselling or talk to my friends but I would always take a step backwards in my recovery and end up lying to people. The only time that doctors or any form of help have actually helped me was when I wanted to be helped. Now in some cases I feel that help will be needed when you are not ready to get better and this is when you feel that you are a danger to yourself. When you feel like you have no control over your emotions and life is getting the better of you, sometimes handing over control to someone else may be the best thing for you.
Help can come in many forms; family, friends, doctors, helplines and more. What works for me might not work for you or the next person. I know personally counselling does not work for me but visiting my doctors for just a ten minute appointment helps me keep on top of everything that's going on. I am lucky that I have a very supportive family who all have their own ways of helping me. This isn't the case for everyone. I have attended a support group that was very welcoming and a great place to go and share while feeling safe. I only attended a handful of sessions simply because of how busy I can be and that I am lucky to have a strong support system already but this was definitely something I would attend if this wasn't the case.
Every type of support has different effects on everyone. I have not used all the support services personally so I am hoping to do a short interview with a volunteer from the Samaritans and with someone from a listening service held in GP surgeries. If you have any questions you would like me to ask please message me on Instagram or Facebook. If you don't have me on either of these please email me at amelia.gourlay1@gmail.com and title it Interview Questions.
I am also hoping to do a post on what mental health means. I am looking to collect responses on how you would describe mental health to someone who is trying to learn more about it. The same again if you would like to be part of this (all anonymous) please get in contact via social media or email. Click here if you would like to see my video on this that goes into more detail!
Thank you so much for reading and remember that I have a link to a number of support services at the top of my page.
When is it the right time to get help? Well for everyone the time is different. For most people I feel the best time to get help is when you realise that this isn't the life you want to live anymore and you want to get better. In some cases the time to get help might be when you feel like you cant go on. Now you might be thinking "why not just when you know you have a problem?" In my experience (and remember these blogs are simply my opinion not medical advice) whenever I have looked for help but deep down not wanted to get better it didn't make a difference. I would go to counselling or talk to my friends but I would always take a step backwards in my recovery and end up lying to people. The only time that doctors or any form of help have actually helped me was when I wanted to be helped. Now in some cases I feel that help will be needed when you are not ready to get better and this is when you feel that you are a danger to yourself. When you feel like you have no control over your emotions and life is getting the better of you, sometimes handing over control to someone else may be the best thing for you.
Help can come in many forms; family, friends, doctors, helplines and more. What works for me might not work for you or the next person. I know personally counselling does not work for me but visiting my doctors for just a ten minute appointment helps me keep on top of everything that's going on. I am lucky that I have a very supportive family who all have their own ways of helping me. This isn't the case for everyone. I have attended a support group that was very welcoming and a great place to go and share while feeling safe. I only attended a handful of sessions simply because of how busy I can be and that I am lucky to have a strong support system already but this was definitely something I would attend if this wasn't the case.
Every type of support has different effects on everyone. I have not used all the support services personally so I am hoping to do a short interview with a volunteer from the Samaritans and with someone from a listening service held in GP surgeries. If you have any questions you would like me to ask please message me on Instagram or Facebook. If you don't have me on either of these please email me at amelia.gourlay1@gmail.com and title it Interview Questions.
I am also hoping to do a post on what mental health means. I am looking to collect responses on how you would describe mental health to someone who is trying to learn more about it. The same again if you would like to be part of this (all anonymous) please get in contact via social media or email. Click here if you would like to see my video on this that goes into more detail!
Thank you so much for reading and remember that I have a link to a number of support services at the top of my page.
I agree with your initial statement that you cannot truly be helped unless you truly want help. I would be interested to read your interview with someone from Samaritans because I had an atrocious experience with their service! Although it was many moons ago I feel terrible every time I see them promoted online or on tv as I would hate for someone to phone them in the state that I was in and get the response I got! I would describe mental health as this: mental health is present in everyone. Some people have fantastic mental health, others have mediocre mental health and other have bad mental health. Your level of mental health can change depending on how you feel and cope with circumstances going on in your life.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks
Amy x
Hi Amy, Sorry for only replying now, didn't expect to have a comment! I have heard different things from different people and sorry to hear you didn't have a good experience. Is there anything in particular that you would like me to include in the interview as I am writing up questions now. Thanks - Amelia
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