There used to be a weekly confession series on a Facebook page I followed. (They ended it with this past week’s confessions.) One of the posts that really hit me hard was a confession where the author said they felt alone. They didn’t have anyone to talk to about their writing-related worries and fears, their frustrations. That everyone around them seemed to be doing so well and they wondered what were they doing wrong.
I get it. Oh honey, I get it so much. And this person, judging by the comments left, isn’t alone. We all understand. Some are lucky enough to have writing groups, authors that form a “club” an stick together to talk about such things. Others of us are alone.
When the cockygate debacle went down, I blogged about how the support group for writers with invisible illnesses, not so invisible illnesses, and other challenges treated me. What I didn’t mention at the time was how much it fucking hurt. Recently in a cat group, someone who really needed our support seemed to be shut out because “it was a group for cats, not for mental health issues”. Now, that’s a whole ‘nother blog and this is writing resource Saturday, so I’ll just step nicely around that soap box and say that author that posted, she’s not alone. And if you’re sitting out there reading this, you’re not alone either.
One of the things that 2018 really taught me was how much some people just don’t understand the ways in which “life” happens to some people. A lovely author I know, one whose work is amazing, has been going through a rough time, and I’ve seen the support she’s gotten (and loved it) and also seen those who attack her, who think they know how she should “fix” her situation, or frankly are just trollish dicks. And my heart breaks for her.
I don’t have an actual resource for you today. Oh sure, I could list hotline and helpline numbers, but as someone who struggles with her mental health, I can tell you that for many of us they don’t help. I call, someone tells me to breathe, to take things one day at a time, to try not to think in absolutes. I know this. They try to direct me to help in my local area. I laugh. Seriously. The last time I tried to talk to someone I was told to “take deep breaths”, which only works if your muscles aren’t so tight and so sore you’re having trouble breathing anyway and the doctor refuses to do anything because it’s “all in your head”. So yeah, I get it.
What I will say is finding that support center is so important. I’ve got some ideas, trying to think about how best to implement what I want to do. If you’d like to help. Comment here or use the contact me option to reach out. Right now I’m planning, collecting information from those who may be interested in helping and seeing about moving forward.
