The Cantina Mental Health Thread

That sux, sounds like a trip could have done you some good. Go spoil yourself instead. It's ok to be hurt when your friends friends are insensitive, and being excluded is particularly sucky. But don't let it get you down, you gotta forgive your mates crappy behaviour, and hopefully they'll do the same for you. None of us are perfect. Try not to dwell.

Adventures and change are great for getting out of a funk. You develop so much, even when it all goes to hell. Getting out of my comfort zone has always done wonders for me.

Good luck finishing school and jumping into life!

 

I'm studying social work.It's a hard field of study. The town I'm moving to has a larger Universty that is known for thier social work program. I think I might just be projecting being a wet blanket. They did call me and we're sorry they forgot to ask me. We're planning a day trip to a town where they have a big craft store.

Star Wars seems to help me during these slumps. Been catching up with Rebels this weekend. Part of my slumps might be the weather , since I feel the worst during the winter months.

 

I do know about SAD, but it's good for others reading to know about it. I have a few relatives that live in that town and one has offered to let me live with them as long as I help with chores. I'm caught up. I was sad when TCW was canceled, since I had always tried to watch it when it aired. Don't have Disney XD, but my cable provider posts the new episodes on its on demand page.

 

Been sick for a while now cause of this cold but every day gets better.

Been watching lots of movies and TV shows since i ordered a whole bunch of dvds including a video game called command and concur 3. Its an older game but it's got my first crush, Natasha Henstridge who appears in the cut movie scenes. Funny how some things come back to you ...there's a few things I don't remember of my younger years as a kid and it's interesting revisiting older 90s movies and the memories come back. Natasha being in species was one of those memories and I remember watching that movie countless times. Lol. Since then I watched most of her work that she has done. Fact that she's Canadian from newfoundland is awesome. I had no idea. Anyway...

Been doing some writing while taking a break from the star wars writing...

 

First off, sorry for my absence. If this site ran better on my phone, I'd be on more, but I'm a little impatient with it, lol.

Anyway, it looks like we have quite a bit in common. I'm 21, graduated high school in '13, and have had two jobs, neither of which lasted even a year. My first job was in HS, at a Popeye's (a fast food chicken place, like KFC, for those who are unfamiliar) and it only lasted about a week and a half due to an abusive general manager whom I took a stand against.

My second job was at Sam's Club, and I was doing well and was promoted early on, but I was young and didn't appreciate the job enough. Eventually I became a bit miserable with the work, because it was so unfulfilling to me spiritually. I began to realize I wanted to help people. To make a difference in people's lives. So I stopped going to work. I was angry with how I felt I was being treated at the end, and it seemed as if they were looking for any reason possible to just fire me, so that was that. I knew I should have put in a two-week notice earlier.

Not long after that failure, I was asked to be a youth leader by my church's youth pastor, and so there I was for ten months, being a leader in the forms of counselor, advisor, example-setter, and big brother.

I've always had a talent for counseling, likely because I'm a natural empath and have been able to read people's emotions and motivations from very little, since I was about 10 years old. So naturally, I eventually discovered that counseling was what I needed to do. I'm in the middle of my second semester at Columbus State Community College, and my current major is social and human services. But I've found myself in a similar situation to others here in that I found the work (which I've only so far taken one class in, last semester) to be difficult. Being a social work-oriented major, it feels cold, analytical, and impersonal, which is completely opposite to who I am and the way I work with people. I'm considering changing my major to psychology, which I'm very familiar with, and enjoy very much. I want to be able to help people identify their problems, and help them get through them. I don't want to sit and do paperwork based on impersonal, analytical, and "help yourself, I'm just here to make you fix it yourself" conversations with people.

I'm currently jobless, living with my parents, and am only taking 3 classes (which take up 3 hours each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) due to not being quick enough in registering for classes. My previous semester kept me much busier. But on the positive side, I plan to be quicker in registering for classes next time. I've also had extra time to discover myself, and gain knowledge and wisdom in the personal, historical, philosophical, moral, theological, spiritual, psychological, and practical areas of life that others, as you mentioned, either ignore or dismiss, or either never make time for, or never find time for.

Being overencumbered by spare time, I empathize with you, questioning everything. But I remember that I have a direction, a goal, and even if I'm not 100% sure how I'll achieve it, I'm at least doing something positive and constructive. The most important question we have to ask ourselves is "what would I *want* to be doing right now, if I could do anything at all?" Usually that will take you to what your purpose is. If that isn't enough, also consider what you've had success with in your own life, or with others. Technical or personal skills? Analytical, logical, mathematical skills? Historical, spiritual, theological, or scientific knowledge? Skill with construction, art, communication or language? There's always something. This is, as far as I'm concerned, a great place to have a discussion oriented towards figuring out what one's purpose in life is or might be. Our mental health is directly related with whether or not we're fulfilling our purpose. And we all do have one.

 

The Agnostic, Atheist, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Muslim, and Pagan all live in the same world, with the same basic goals in life. We're all in this together, and owe each other respect and compassion, with open hearts and minds.

If a person believes they have any knowledge concerning Truth (whether that is in regards to morality, ethics, metaphysics, or whatever else), they have a responsibility to prove that by applying it to their own lives, proving that it works and is genuinely life-changing. Most would probably agree that the greatest long-term moral duty of Humanity on Earth is to discover Truth, and share that knowledge. And the only moral way to share it is not by force, anger, hate, or conquest, but by putting it to the test. If you believe something is really True, people should be able to see the Truth in it by looking at your life.

I would say that, if your passion alone doesn't bring you to a clear-cut purpose, you have two options, not mutually exclusive:
First, you can seek out opportunities to try each, by joining someone in a certain field and observing and studying their work.
Second, you can take what things you're passionate about, and consider the next line of factors. How much time will it take up in your life compared to how much free time you'd like to have for other passions? How high-stress or high-responsibility is it? You may find that you don't want too much responsibility, per moral or legal consequences, or you may not be worried at all about that, and are a person of good integrity who perhaps should be one with more responsibility. I would place money last, personally, but maybe you are concerned about being tight on money in the future, or are not good with money. What kind of work would you prefer? Something at a desk, something physical, something more balanced, where you will do even ammounts of walking, sitting, and standing? How much schooling are you comfortable with?

Hopefully I've mentioned something you haven't thought of yet that helps!

 

Yesterday was a horrible day for me. I got called for being a racist by a customer when clearly I wasn't picking on her son after I made the security page that we have to do at the start of every hour. even my manager didn't agree with what she said but she took it too far that I felt hurt and highly offended.

Not a good day to have gone through before you start your holidays. *sighs*

 

We live in a society quick to look for, and assume, prejudice. It's a societal and cultural problem, and that's not on you. It's on those who are trying to find reasons to be offended.

 

This place has been helping me with my mental health of having to endure a near-5 hour ride from LAX to Irvine, CA because of stupid super shuttle and today being a bad day on top of it .

 

I usually use long trips as opportunities to listen to the likes of John Williams

 

I guess I should stop being the nice guy ppl think I am all the time. I shouldn’t have to take multiple s***s from anyone. Some things I care other things I don't....

 

Good...good...let the hate flow through you .

 

Like I may have said before I will always feel torn between the darkness and the light. In the end...I'll always be alone since I am used to it.

It's just I have this thing about abandonment... and it goes back to the time just moments I was born. My real father abandoned my mother and I while I was still inside her womb... I don't think I was given a clear explanation of why he took off and at times I try not to think about it and bring it up in front of my adoptive parents. Stuff like this really eats at me. And it wasn't until I got over the stage where you know your body changes.... I started to just mind my own business and not be too emotionally attached to anyone but even when I did have some friends ...they leave and I never hear from them again but I know it's not because of me. Whatever the reason was...that's their problem. Anyway I won't bog down on my early life cause even still half the things I can't remember due to an unfortunate accident that made me lose some memories.

But all is good for now. I'm still writing and spending time with the girl who ...was my first gf. She tracked me down after less than ten years ago. I found out that why she didn't stay with me cause she was worried I wouldn't remember her or anything else leading up to the accident if I had woken up. Sure enough that's what happened. I don't blame her. How can I? I don't think I would want to burden her like I already was to her and realizing after the fact...she wasn't ready and she knew it. Since then she's been helping me remember some things. Its helped a good deal. Like these mental blocks have been suppressed for far too long that slowly things are starting to come back to me.

 

As a wise man once said, "turn the other cheek". It may not sound logical, but there actually is a reason why this is an effective strategy, long-term. Gandhi and MLK proved it.

When we treat with respect and kindness those who treat us poorly or unfairly, we become the bigger person. Not to mention understanding that you're doing what is right by returning harshness with kindness helps make it a little easier. Sometimes it can show those people that they're the ones in the wrong, by creating a contrast between their aggression and your generosity. Returning aggression for aggression only polarizes those involved.

And for your own good, look for ways to outlet that hurt. It can help to remind yourself mentally that you are the bigger person and "don't give in to hate", as Obi-Wan taught us. Remaining cool in hot situations lends itself well to wisdom and rational decision making. Plus it just plain makes you look good.

Working out or exercising can also help let out anger, stress, and aggression outside of those situations.

Don't be too quick to resign yourself to being alone. Sometimes we maintain our own Hell by giving in or accepting, rather than fighting. Exactly, it is their problem. You're responsible for yourself, not their behavior or choices. And a rational and self-respecting attitide like that makes a person more attractive to be around. Everybody would prefer to be around someone who admits and believes in their own self worth

That's something I learned after defeating my own abandonment issues, so I hope that helps.