Whatever helps you, take advantage of it.

Good morning HU crew,

After roughly four months of being in a very dark place, I've finally dug myself out of the hole. It feels nice to be on the other side again as this isn't my first time slipping back and forth like a sadistic emotional see-saw. This doesn't mean everything is resolved emotionally for me, but through therapy, I know I'll find the root cause of this and successfully crush it. I've been battling depression and anxiety since I was a teenager, so I understand how often things ebb and flow. But that doesn't mean everything will always be bleak (that goes for all of you out there too).

So please don't give up on your journey to recovery. That being said, I wanted to share some crafts I made recently that gave me a lot of joy. A young girl at my church really liked the yarn tassel that's attached to my bag, so I decided to try making my own. To my surprise, they were super easy to create and it quickly became addicting. The best part of this was giving them away. People adore hand made crafts and it felt amazing giving these to the folks at my church and at work. Might not seem like much of anything, but it affected me in a very positive way.

Hope this post helps somehow given I don't know if my words reach anyone or really matter. Sometimes it's hard to know here, to be honest.

Much love, Gabby

[kenster1]

hi they look rather cool hows you wig making only joking but its great you sort of stumbled upon something by chance and that its giving you pleasure making them and other people liking them.

[Hidden in reply to kenster1]

Thank you! Haha, a wig would be fun to make actually. Yes, I agree! I think it's fun diving into something blindly even if you're not good at it at first. That's how you get better at it and eventually, you stop caring about whether it looks amazing or not. Plus, nothing beats making someone else smile!

[Hidden]

They are beautiful!!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you my dear!

[All_alone]

Beautiful tassels. I really like the dark solid colors. I have also found great pleasure in doing little things for others that make me feel really good. I'm happy your out of the dark hole. I think I m actually working on digging my way out also. Thank you for sharing your beautiful work.

[Hidden in reply to All_alone]

Thank you very much! If only I could send these to the folks here, that dark one would be yours! That's really wonderful to hear, please tell me about these little things you do! We all are in a battle, so please don't give up. I've got your back anytime you need it. Thank you for your beautiful response, I appreciate it!

[Agora1]

Hey Black Cat Girl your words do reach us and do matter. Everything we see and

hear on this site can have an effect on us sometimes we forget to let the person know.

I love the tassels (esp. the sparkly ones) They are the in thing now on purses for the

season. It's nice to present someone with something you made that came from the

heart. Thank you for sharing this with us. xx

[Hidden in reply to Agora1]

Hello Agora! Thank you for the reassurance, I definitely want to help others where I can. Exactly, which is why it's so important to let others know when you can. It certainly means a lot, so thank you for taking that time! Glad you like the tassels! I had no idea they were so popular, it seems like such a small thing. But yes...nothing beats showing kindness to others.

[courageovercomfort]

Thank you for sharing I'm new here, and so glad you dug yourself out. I'm currently in the muck and mire and digging my way out. And I agree, whatever helps you and brings you joy, keep doing that!

[Hidden in reply to courageovercomfort]

You're very welcome and thank YOU for the sweet response! Welcome to HU, so glad you joined! You'll notice everyone here is at different stages of their journey, but people are quick to help. Someone can relate to another on some level, so it helps when you feel like your issue is specific. I hope you can find comfort and relief here. You're always welcome to message me anytime by the way! With time, that hole will be easier to get out of.

[CatIsMyCopilot]

They're lovely! I admire your resilience in pushing through. You deserve every bit of happiness you're feeling.

[Hidden in reply to CatIsMyCopilot]

Thank you so much! Your comment made me so happy...I greatly appreciate your kindness. I know you've been struggling a lot lately, so please know I am always here to help whenever you need it.

[CatIsMyCopilot in reply to Hidden]

I was thinking about your post the other day about your dad telling you that you were selfish. I don't know why, but it has really stuck in my brain. It was clearly a hurtful thing to say to someone who is suffering, but it is also hard to refute. I read something the other day that reminded me of it: in studies, self-compassionate people have been shown to be better at giving compassion to others. It seems like you have been successful in giving yourself compassion. I hope I can do the same and dig myself out of this hole I'm in. Sometimes it just feels like I've broken myself irreparably: I'm too self-loathing to do the things that would make me feel good about myself again.

[Hidden in reply to CatIsMyCopilot]

Oh really? It's weird for me to say, but even though it was roughly fourteen years ago, it still haunts me sometimes. Yet, we can not hold onto the past forever or else we doom ourselves in the present. Whoa, how interesting...I like that you were able to share that with me, thank you! It makes a lot of sense when you put it that way.

Something to keep in mind is we all make mistakes. Sometimes the same ones over and over again. Realistically, we could never count all the times we or others falter. That being said, we can't hold it against ourselves; we just use it as a stepping stone to improve. Otherwise, you'll just make yourself very miserable which isn't fair. How come other people can move on but you can't?

You are more than capable and deserving to let go of the past and move forward. That's something I still struggle with, but in order to make things right, you have to adjust the way you view things. It's not easy, I know. It won't happen overnight, but the last thing you should do is beat yourself up over anything you've done wrong. We all are guilty of something.

I think having the right friends (I will happily be your friend) helps too. People who want to see you succeed and be happy. That's what I want for you right now. I definitely want to see you grow and look at this moment later in life as a blip. That's all it will be when you overcome this. So while it might take time, it's far from over. These awful feelings will not last forever.

[CatIsMyCopilot in reply to Hidden]

I really hope what you said about it being a blip is true. I'm sitting on my couch right now considering having a good cry

You mentioned that friends can help, but these feelings unfortunately make me want to push others away. They make me imagine that everyone is just seeing right through to the faults in me. Even those close to me, I fear leaning on them too much, like it's gotten repetitive.

Anyway, I think you're right that this feeling will pass. I know it will. I just worry that it will keep coming back over and over. Hopefully tomorrow I'll wake up a bit more optimistic.

[Hidden in reply to CatIsMyCopilot]

Coming from someone who has gone back and forth myself, it will. It never goes away fully, but things become much easier because you accumulate the tools you need to cope with different issues at different times. And hey, if you need to cry, bawl your eyes out. No shame there! It's a tool to help cope, a healthy one.

Ah, I see...yeah I have done the same thing too. It's almost like you assume they get tired of it and you rather not risk the friendship. I wish I knew something to say to that, but I am very guilty of doing the same. That's why I came here and started therapy to avoid bringing my issues into my friendships.

It will because you mentioned in your last post that there was a time where you didn't feel like this. Sometimes when you're in the rut currently, it can feel like ages until you start to feel better. But the fact that you post here I think says a lot. You're getting your emotions out while getting positive feedback from all sorts of people who can understand where you're coming from. So count that as a pat on the back for going in the right direction

I am always here if you need it. Hang in there, this too shall pass.

[RockClimbing]

Thank you. I opened the app tonight and the first thing I saw were your beautiful tassels and that made me smile 😊

[RockClimbing]

Thank you. I opened the app tonight and the first thing I saw were your beautiful tassels and that made me smile 😊

[Hidden in reply to RockClimbing]

Aww, thank you very much! So glad I could make you smile!

[katherineo64]

I’ve been doing crafts as well, certainly helps and it’s something to look forward to each day. And I agree you can slip backwards but you know you’ll return once again.

[Hidden in reply to katherineo64]

Oh yeah? What kind of crafts do you make? I would love to see them sometime! Oh yeah, exactly. It's the nature of the beast, but it most certainly gets easier with time. Glad you've had the same success in such manners!

[katherineo64 in reply to Hidden]

Hi if you check out my profile you will see the crafts I do. Diamond Art and Mat making.

[Hidden in reply to katherineo64]

Wow, these are great! I love them so much! My mom used to do those 'yarn paintings' which reminds me of your mat work! So cool!

[katherineo64 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you.

[Hidden]

I’m glad you’re better sent you a DM