Mental health advice please?

[Norwichjake]

Hi , I've gotten to a point where I'm finding it difficult and was wondering if any of you had the same thing. I've always been massively into excersise and am finding it hard to cope with where to go now.

I posted briefly before Christmas last year on here about recovering from losing my kidney in a crash and it seems that the physical healing has happened far quicker than the issues in my head , I've got a wellbeing call in the morning to hopefully get referred to a specialist (of some sort?) and tbh I'm stting it. Losing a job I really loved doing (sortof a dream for a young guy into cars) a week after the accident and just seeming lost has sort of turning my life from brightness to dark . It was summer and shining and I was in the countryside with good guys then it's dark and raining and I'm cleaning filthy trains on Christmas Eve on a nightshift. I ended up walking away from that job because I stopped wanting to clean them and started thinking about stepping under one.

I've been signed off with low mood and I was wondering if any of you had any advice , I'm not the kind of guy to believe the worlds against me or that I'm unique in having a tough time I just guess I'm asking for a a point in the right direction or any strategies you use to get your arse back into gear , or maybe I'm just typing it out to get it out of my head.
Thanks
Jake

[944fan]

Sorry to hear you have having trouble mate. There are a couple of threads on here to do with Anxiety and Depression. Lots of people going through the same thing as you.

I myself have suffered from quite bad Anxiety in the past and there are lots of things that can be done.

You say you have been signed off, is that by your GP? If not you see your GP. Then your next step is to think about whether you need anti depressant drugs. They aren't for everyone but can be useful. Also there are various forms of counselling, you may need to try a couple and some different therapists, you GP can refer you or you can self refer - look up IAPT and your area on Google.

There are various things you can try to help yourself also. For me I have discovered that as much as I enjoyed drinking, alcohol was the worse thing for me. Giving it up for me was easy and I have never felt better. Exercise is a great help too and is eating right. not saying these will work for you but some things to consider and to try.

[Norwichjake]

Thanks mate , really appreciate you taking the time . yeah I was signed off by a gp and I've been booked into a class about emotion and understanding. They didn't mention any sort of anti depressants I think my doctor thought I was after a sick note just to claim benefits tbh. Hopefully getting back into serious training and this course will keep my mind off it .

[MentalSarcasm]

Don't have a great deal to suggest but didn't want to read and run, especially when this stuck out;

Norwichjake said:

I posted briefly before Christmas last year on here about recovering from losing my kidney in a crash and it seems that the physical healing has happened far quicker than the issues in my head

This is perfectly normal, and far more common than most people let on. Being in an accident is traumatic, and it can have long-term effects on your mental health. Plenty of people struggle in the aftermath, especially as everyone around them insists that they need to "get up and get moving" and "stop moping around" etc etc.

If your GP isn't taking your mental health seriously then I think you need to push for a new doctor, one that will listen to your concerns, review your medical notes, and help you come up with a plan for getting you back on track. That may include anti-depressants, it might include counselling, or a recommendation of attending some group sessions, whatever they suggest, make sure you give your input, and if you try something and it doesn't work, go back again. Probably the worst thing about how hit-and-miss mental health treatment is in this country is that sometimes you really have to fight for it, at a time when fighting is already extremely difficult.

Once you can get your head straight, then it's time to look at what your plans are for the future. But it needs to be taken one step at a time

[Wacky Racer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiCrniLQGYc

[happychap]

Hi Jake,
Sounds like your in a process of adapting to your circumstances. I,mwondering what support you have around you and what is getting in the way of you moving on. ?

[944fan]

Norwichjake said:

Thanks mate , really appreciate you taking the time . yeah I was signed off by a gp and I've been booked into a class about emotion and understanding. They didn't mention any sort of anti depressants I think my doctor thought I was after a sick note just to claim benefits tbh. Hopefully getting back into serious training and this course will keep my mind off it .

Might be worth seeing a different Dr if you can. Some are not very switched on to depression and associated things and sign off & ps off approach is all they seem to offer. I heard from someone that the first thing they offer is the class approach but if you say you don't want to do that they will then offer 1-2-1 counselling.

[Norwichjake]

Well I'm hoping this group session in a few weeks will do something because it's feeling a bit like I'm treading water ATM . I'm usually good at planning what I need to do but with this even making the plan is impossible , don't know where to start. I'm not sure what support you mean mate ? like the doctor?

[happychap]

Norwichjake said:

Well I'm hoping this group session in a few weeks will do something because it's feeling a bit like I'm treading water ATM . I'm usually good at planning what I need to do but with this even making the plan is impossible , don't know where to start. I'm not sure what support you mean mate ? like the doctor?

Support from family, friends, partner that kind of thing.

[MrBrightSi]

Wacky Racer said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiCrniLQGYc

When i stayed in Germany, i got chance to see a couple of the black dog books. They are simple and explain things so well.

The only thing i can add to the OP is that you're no where near alone, mental health issues are a big taboo still, no one will ever let on about not being "man" enough when facing a dark spell. If you can't hack it and feel everyone else can you're lying to yourself, some people put up a good facade, others will simply keep it very much to themselves.

I have no other answers as im looking myself. Try travelling, it dragged me out of my "redundancy" and helped me meet someone who was more than happy to talk about his burn out and how he coped with coming through it, was nice to meet someone open rather than someone who preaches a stiff upper lip.