MMHA Support Group Meeting

On September 13, I attended the Mental Health Association Support Group meeting for the first time. It was nice meeting up with people facing the same situation as myself. It was a rather mixed group from senior citizens to as young as a 22-year-old girl. We all shared our experiences since the young lady and I were first timers there.

People say that it is all in the mind. Some Buddhists believe that it is self centeredness and delusion that leads to depression, that people in depression are indulging in self pity. Does that mean that 20% of the world population are self centered and deluded? I think that belief needs to be corrected.

No one chooses to be depressed. Stressed at work yes. Going into a dark hole no.

It is a condition which some of us are inflicted with and need to cope with with support. There is no cry for sympathy, just empathy. What people do not understand is that during the times we are well, life is pretty normal and good. It is the times when we go into darkness that people are not quite understanding.

So going to the support group and having counsellors and volunteers listening to our frustrations and how we overcame the different episodes help.

I would encourage the normal folks to attend some of these sessions like how they would provide help to the less privileged.

Working on my website

My husband and I decided to build a website shelledfordepression after I was told that I was to be medically boarded out of Shell. This was to give me something to do about my situation rather than to sit back, defeated. The site will tell my story, much like this blog, except that it was going to be properly laid out.

I attended a workshop on how to build a website early in August to jumpstart the process. I already have one pilot live on the net although I did not send out invites to friends to visit it just yet. There is a lot to be done and I am now working on the actual website right now. We have to make sure that we get it right this time with everything set in place, including an option for visitors to sign in their support. We even roped in my sister and brother-in-law to help in the making of the website.

We have seen several lawyers to make sure that what we are doing is consistent with the law as our objective is to create awareness and not to exploit the situation.

Whoever reads my blog, I will keep you updated about my website.