Hi @Turquoise_Hamster it's lovely to hear from you again!
Thank you for sharing your journey with us. It's incredible to hear about the progress and transformation you've made over the past few years. You've shown remarkable strength, resilience, and determination in making such significant changes to improve your mental health. I am really glad that you've come to share your reflections on the forums today, as it is so inspiring to read, and I know that many others on their mental health journeys share similar experiences and feelings.
It's completely natural to feel a mix of emotions when reflecting on your mental health journey. Your reflections show a deep level of self-awareness. You've embraces personl growth, and it's normal to sometimes feel overwhelmed, reflective, excited, and even a bit sad as you recognise the trade-offs and changes you've had to make along the way.
Missing aspects of your old ways is so understandable, as they were a part of your life for such a long time. It's okay to acknowledge that some things you enjoyed had to be let go of for the sake of your mental health. It really can be such a bittersweet process.
You're absolutely right - self-advocacy and self-love can be exhausting, but also so incredibely important and empowering. Investing in rest, self-care, and activities that bring you joy are great ways of relieving yourself from the mental load of self-work!
In terms of your feelings today, I am curious to hear whether you have developed any strategies to overcome the overwhelm that comes with reflecting on your mental health journey? Or to manage such uncomfortable emotions more generally?
