TRIGGER WARNING!!! May contain things that can trigger episodes in those living with mental illness.



How do you deal with your mental illness?

For me sometimes I need to find ways to let it out.
Such as go to songs, visual media (movies, shows, scenes, etc.), etc.
https://youtu.be/j9zn2n4uq5Y This song was a go to song to help me release whatever was happening inside.
https://youtu.be/8aSdx9acA8s Another song from “Wuxin: The Monster Killer (TV Series 2015‑ )”
https://youtu.be/0gLqwtw6Xgk go to 5:28 This scene from Stairway to Heaven helped me as well.
I recently watched a Korean Drama called “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (TV Series 2018‑2018)”
Songs and visual media have been my outlets for a long time.
Unfortunately smoking is a bad habit I picked up out of high school.
I thought also falling in love would heal my depression but unfortunately it didn’t. I’ve been in a supportive engagement since around 2011 but I haven’t been able to kick the depression. I just don’t know what’s wrong with me.

My methods may be too much for some people. Some may argue I’m triggering myself. But sometimes I feel so guilty, sad, tired, that I need to exhaust myself to tip the scales back in the other direction.

I am naturally drawn to sad things. I don’t know why. I don’t know if it’s helping me or enabling me.

I have had recent thoughts of starting to perform again either just for myself or for YouTube. I had a realization that as much as I liked performing anything back then, I am drawn to slow songs. Usually sad songs. Performing music used to help me release things within me.
I would be like “The Carpenters”
I would use a music transcriber as my “Richard Carpenter” and I would be “Karen Carpenter” so to speak on piano and flute. Though I always doubt myself so I haven’t done it yet in the years I have thought of this since high school.

I tried art as well in high school and other performing arts.

I know this board has been an outlet for some.

Enough about me. What about you?

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The best way for me is definitely music. I generally listen to hard, high-BPM music of the darker side of the specter of electronic music, and it allows me to let out all my negative emotions and in a sense cleanse myself.

Only ten minutes are enough to feel totally revitalized and be able to get through the day. It's not a real solution or anything, but it helps me to keep on going and maybe the next day goes better. It helps with either depression, frustration, demotivation, anger and many similar emotions.

I also turn to videogames or board games, now that I've found them online too. It helps me to evade reality for a bit and turn my mind blank, in a sense resetting myself so I can deal with the day. It can be quite absorbing sometimes, to the point of depriving me of sleep time and what not, so it's a dangerous "tactic" to use despite being very effective.

I also turned it into something proactive because of writing guides. Not only can I do something else than just playing, I can also practice my writing skills as well as my English, and I set myself certain goals in gaming than just being focused on beating/collecting/earning everything. For board games, I'm hanging out with a group almost on a weekly basis and I'm on the lookout for board game events, which I'll dig deeper in a few weeks due to more free time coming to me.

Those are my main allies when I'm going through a tough moment/day. I'd share some of my music too, but it might be too much for certain people (and in fact, my therapist herself states it is a bit too much, so there you go).

First off, thx for sharing all that personal stuff, man. Music and movies and stuff, yeah they hit hard for me too. Sometimes, I'm feeling all messed up, I just go for a run. Sounds kinda dumb but running just, I dunno, clears my head? Like feeling the wind and just moving, feels like I can just get away from all the crap in my head for a bit.

And man, getting why you like sad stuff? I'm the same. It's like those songs or movies just get it, ya know? But then there's times I need to pump up with some more happy beats, like playing some sports games.

If you've been thinking of doing the music thing for so long, just go for it, dude. You never know, might be the thing that helps ya out. And hey, if you post stuff on YouTube, drop the link, yeah? I'll totally check it out!

Mental health is rough, like real rough. But it's cool you got stuff to help you out and that you're talking bout it.

Hang in there, I feel for you.