Hi @Rosemary4
It’s so lovely to hear from you 
I’m so sorry for my delay in replying to you and I just ever so gently wanted to reassure you that I’m still here and that my care and concern for you remains the same
Sadly, I’ve had a few unexpected events that have taken some of my time away from the forums. Please know that I will definitely touch base with you as soon as possible with a more considered response in relation to what you’ve shared with me
In the meantime, please know that I’m thinking of you and sending you some very gentle and caring hugs at such a difficult time
I look forward to talking with you again soon
Take care of yourself,
ShiningStar
Hi @Rosemary4
It’s always so lovely to hear from you and I just wanted to thank you for your patience in relation to the time that it’s taken for me to be able to reach back to you
As I read this part of your story, I could hear how incredibly difficult things have been for you and I’m so pleased that you were able to reach out and share some of your experiences with me
Being unable to fall to sleep can be incredibly distressing and I can still remember the times in my life when sleep was virtually impossible. During these times, I felt so desperately alone and as though I was the only person in the world who was still awake. In some ways, it felt like a cruel irony as no matter how exhausted I felt and how desperately I needed and wanted to fall to sleep, I just couldn’t.
I was really interested to understand a little more about what happens for you during these times and as such, I just ever so gently wondered if you have a sense of what may be contributing to the difficulties that you’re currently experiencing in relation to your sleep?
I’m so sorry to hear that you were recently hospitalised and I can’t even begin to imagine what this experience was like for you.
I can hear how absolutely terrified you’re feeling in relation to taking the medications that have been prescribed for you and it sounds as though you’re doing everything within your power to challenge your thoughts in relation to this
Continuing to take your medication despite your fears is incredibly courageous and I just ever so gently wanted to say that making the decision to suddenly stop a specific medication without medical supervision could be harmful for you and so please take care around this
I’m so deeply sorry to hear that you recently harmed yourself and my heart goes out to you. It can be incredibly distressing when our injuries result in scars and in my experience, feelings of shame not only have a detrimental impact on the way in which we feel about ourselves, but they can also adversely influence our ability to access the care and support that we so desperately need
It can be incredibly painful when our relationships with our friends begin to change and I can still remember how powerless and distraught I felt when my friends drifted away or I found myself unable to keep pace with them. During these times, I became further isolated and I watched in distress as my world began to shrink just that little bit further.
I really wanted to understand your experiences with your friends, especially when you shared ‘I don’t know how to tell them how I feel.’ As such, I just ever so gently wondered if you’re finding it difficult to tell them how you feel in relation to what’s currently happening for you in your life, or if you’re finding it difficult to tell them how you feel when they don’t visit as often?
Absolutely! Having to wait a fortnight before you’re able to have contact with your support worker would feel like an eternity! In my experience, people often need frequent and ongoing support and as such, I just wondered if there are any other people involved in your care?
There have been so many times in my life when I felt such a profound sense of despair, that I lost any sense of hope that I would ever be able to find my way out of the emotional prison that had become my life. However, in time and with the necessary care and support I began to see glimmers of light shining through the darkness
I felt really concerned when you shared ‘I’m not sure if I have anything left to offer the world anyway, or if I can find a way out of this hole this time’ and as such, I just ever so gently wondered what this meant for you?
I look forward to talking with you again whenever you feel ready and able to reach back
In the meantime, please know that I’m thinking of you and sending you some very gentle and caring hugs at such a difficult time
Take care of yourself,
ShiningStar
