this is me

Hi @Wennie,

Welcome to the forums and thank you for sharing this with the community. There’s a lot of honesty, insight and self-awareness in what you’ve written about living with schizoaffective disorder and the impact it has had on your life.

I can hear both the challenges you’ve faced and the strength it has taken to reach a place of acceptance around your diagnosis, treatment, and experiences over time. That’s not always an easy journey.

I also really appreciated the way you expressed your experiences through poetry and reflection. I’m glad you felt comfortable sharing this part of yourself here and hopefully other's will join in also 😊

Good morning 🌄 

@Wennie @Nala2022 

I hope the new day is being kind to you.

Whatever you do today, please be gentle with yourself. 

Our capacity for self-criticism and blame can often outlay self-love and hope. Be assured that you are a valuable part of what we call humanity no matter what your personal challenges are.

Be gentle with yourself, try to find that elusive glimmer of light and hold it close.

Welcome Wennie. I'm glad you found this safe space and had the strength to share your story with us.

Love always T 💖 

Good morning @Taali 😊

Thank you for your kind words, I wish the same to you.

Do you have much planned for today?

Hi @Nala2022 @Wennie 

Nice to hear from you.

Today's plans include attempting first shower since surgery, trying to drive 5 minutes to the shop, and maybe even going all out and putting clean laundry away. I'm killing it!!

I plan to be true to myself by not allowing my pretentious, judgemental brother to bother me and mess with my psyche.

Watching morning TV news and indulging in second iced coffee right now. Living the dream ✨️ 

What about you?

Peace and love ❤️ T 

It’s great that you’re going at your own pace, especially while you’re still recovering from surgery. I hope it all goes well for you @Taali 

I’m sorry to hear your brother has been adding stress as well. I hope you’re able to protect your space and keep things feeling steady for yourself today.

I’m doing okay, thank you for asking 😊 I hope the iced coffee is hitting the spot!

Wishing you a calm and manageable day 💮

Beauty in tragedy. You're not alone @Wennie 

Keep going 🙂

Thank you so much for sharing this. May I ask, when did you accept your diagnosis? I have an adult child with the same diagnosis but they refuse to accept the diagnosis and are no longer medicated - which is amplifying their unwell moments. We would love to be able to assist them in accepting the diagnosis but just cant get the message through. Warmest regards to you

Hi HappyEmu

I have been having mental health issues since I was a child and I had my first stint in a psych hospital when I was 17 after I self harmed and with the psychiatric evaluation I was diagnosed with manic depression (now known as bipolar)

I went for nearly 20 years without treatment or medication but in 2009 I had a psychotic episode (with auditory hallucinations) and completely crashed and again ended up in the psychiatric hospital.

This time I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder which made a lot of sense and for some strange reason I accepted the diagnosis straight away because in a way it was a relief to finally get answers to why I was having issues with auditory hallucinations and fluctuating moods.

It took 3 years to find the right medication for me that worked and in 2012 was put on an injection that I have on a fortnightly basis and so I don’t have to worry about taking tablets. I find the medication is really good and keeps me on an even keel.

I am lucky enough to have the support of my partner/best friend and also my family and in a way I try really hard to control my schizoaffective disorder for them as well as for myself and despite having the disorder life is pretty kind to me.

All I can say to your situation with your child is to bare with them and try to get them to read and educate themselves about the disorder and they will find that it is a fascinating and interesting disorder to have.

Try and get your child to find something that interests them even if it is only something small to distract them from the disorder. I find walking, gardening, spending valuable time with my dogs  and writing poetry helps to calm my mind

Also if your child hasn’t already try and get a referral to see a therapist and they will give them strategies on how to cope with the disorder. If you see your Dr and get a Mental Health Care Plan done you can get 6 free sessions to see the therapist and it is funded under medicare. There are also programs like the Disability Support Pension and NDIS that can help with financial relief and personal support but they do have strict criteria when it comes to mental health issues.

I hope this all helps

Take car HappyEmu. Cheers