From a comprehensive point of view? Persons from all stripes & walks of life who also have mental health issues, are under lots of duress recently, because so much of the world is either pot of boiling water, waiting to, or already bubbling over, to just being on fire, literally.
It’s rough. It’s also profoundly untenable for others.
I personally have been stressed & very fucked up over it all, but I have trained myself to allow the fear & hopelessness of it all in the last few weeks by waking up everyday & reminding myself that this too, shall pass, & we STILL are a democracy, & in my heart of hearts, I believe we will remain one.
Some people with depression & anxiety will make different choices, while under the belief that we are all now doomed forever, & there’s no coming back from this. Depending on some very intricate variables? Some will choose homicide and/or suicide.
Hanging on to life can be such a delicate thread, however, it truly does come down to whether one has the will & spirit to fight back & conquer one’s own demons, or one does not, & then scenarios like this one play out.
There are many people who suit up & show up to work, church, etc., who put on a smile, & a well put together front, when in their own reality, they’re homicidal and/or suicidal. Normally, vulnerable persons push through & keep going, but if they’re placed in dire, & unusual circumstances? They can easily snap.
Pay close attention to those who you work with, play sports with, attend your kids’ events with, go to church with, etc.
Someone you think you know very well could be right on the edge, right now, & you may have missed the cues. It’s absolutely normal & expected to miss the vital cues that someone you know can be in deep trouble. That’s why you should engage people you are in contact with regularly, & learn about specific anomalies/patterns that might reveal something that is much deeper than what you think you already know.
A week ago, I was in a REALLY bad place mentally. I was engulfed in total despair. Then, my roommate did something very unkind towards me, & I was VERY quickly sinking into a horrible place.
I deliberately made a decision to monitor myself & engage in self talk, where I acknowledged to myself that my mental anguish would eventually pass, & all I needed to do was hang on, without engaging in self harm, & I’d be OK. I have some health issues happening right now that will be easily diagnosed with further diagnostic tests, & I will either fight all the way to attempt to overcome it, or I will be OK, with nothing to worry about. Either way, I realized I want a life well lived, including all of the struggles & good times that comes with it. I absolutely understand I’m still vulnerable, because I never felt this level of despair before, so I understand I’m not out of the woods and am taking steps to counteract those feelings.
Check up on your people. Check in on yourselves. Under tons of stress & short on time? Then fuck it, and grow the fuck up & make time for therapy in order to become a stronger, more well balanced person. Therapy is for the resilient & the strong. That’s how you climb out of your hole - by admitting you are overwhelmed & need some unbiased guidance & hope. It’s how you become more self aware, & learn how to mentally walk out of situations that can eventually come out of nowhere, & bury you, or those around you whom you love, either emotionally, or physically.
Also? If you’re under psychiatric care & are prescribed meds, or if you try to manage your emotions by regularly smoking weed? Genuinely seek to research & understand how any drug, medically prescribed or not, can actually duck you up, rather than help you.