• The General Mental Health Forum is now a Read Only Forum. As we had two large areas making it difficult for many to find, we decided to combine the Mental Health & the Recovery sections of the forum into Mental Health & Recovery as a whole. Physical Health still remains as it's own area within the entire Recovery area.

    If you are having struggles, need support in a particular area that you aren't finding a specific recovery area forum, you may find the General Struggles forum a great place to post. Any any that is related to emotions, self-esteem, insomnia, anger, relationship dynamics due to mental health and recovery and other issues that don't fit better in another forum would be examples of topics that might go there.

    If you have spiritual issues related to a mental health and recovery issue, please use the Recovery Related Spiritual Advice forum. This forum is designed to be like Christian Advice, only for recovery type of issues. Recovery being like a family in many ways, allows us to support one another together. May you be blessed today and each day.

    Kristen.NewCreation and FreeinChrist

If the holidays are hard...

Paidiske

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*Please note: this thread is in the General Struggles forum. If you're new to Recovery, please read the guidelines before posting.*

The holiday season can be hard for all kinds of reasons; but here's a thread to chat, share, and support one another. Everyone's welcome, please make yourselves at home. :)

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Zoii

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My family lost a son/brother. His birthday was just prior to Christmas. Time doesn't heal the scar left by a traumatic loss. You move on because that's the nature of time and life. Every happy moment is bitter sweet for the empty chair at the table - the one who isn't there.

Its not just Christmas, its driving your car, or being at a party and the sudden realisation of your continuing happy life, is also a recognition of a life that's moving forward without that person in your life.

But what can you do? What should you do? I whisper to him, "I'll find you when it's my turn."
 
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Paidiske

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Chesterton, please don't be like that. We have more boundaries in Recovery because folks here are often vulnerable. But you are totally welcome to share what's on your mind. :)
 
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Zoii

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I'm sorry, Zoii. That's a hard thing to carry.
Its a sad thing to carry - But its not a hard thing to carry, in that I wouldn't want to be ever feeling neutral about it. I think people who have a deep loss want to always feel it. How sad to not feel the pain of that loss anymore.I hope Im never like that.

So many would have suffered by losing their young sons during WWI and WWII. Perhaps we should think of that when we talk about refugees and the losses they have endured before they reach our shores (legally or not).
 
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Dave-W

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Its a sad thing to carry - But its not a hard thing to carry, in that I wouldn't want to be ever feeling neutral about it. I think people who have a deep loss want to always feel it. How sad to not feel the pain of that loss anymore.I hope Im never like that.
I can agree with that. I have lost all of my immediate family members, the most recent being my mom in April, but perhaps the most painful was my kid sister back in November of '07. She had ovarian cancer and survived over 2 years (they gave her only a month or 2 when it was diagnosed). She made it to her birthday (Nov 16) but not to Thanksgiving (the 22nd)
 
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Chesterton

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Chesterton, please don't be like that. We have more boundaries in Recovery because folks here are often vulnerable. But you are totally welcome to share what's on your mind. :)
You're right, I'm sorry. I didn't really realize the forum I was in. Never been in here before. Anyway, I lost my last 3 immediate family members within a less than 2 year time span. We always had great times at Christmas so Christmas is sometimes a little sad for me. Plus I think I have that syndrome or disorder where you get depressed in Winter with the cold and grey skies. If that's a real thing I think I have it. Plus other stuff.
 
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Paidiske

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Seasonal affective disorder? My dad's rather prone to that, and I can see the affect it has on him.

And of course Christmas will be sad with that big a loss over such a short time. I think especially because our culture is all about Christmas as a happy family time; but that's just not the reality for so many people.
 
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whereloveandmercymeet

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Missing my Dad a lot this year as it gets closer to Christmas (and his birthday is before ephipany) It was his favourite time of year spiritually, for family and secularly. My son had one Christmas with him I’ll always treasure. But selfishly I want more.

Trying to see it more happily that he’s able to be with Jesus while we celebrate his birthday here.
 
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Paidiske

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I'm sorry it's a hard time for you, Lost4Words. Do feel free to hang out and chat here; I'm sure you won't be the only one.

How old is your son, whereloveandmercymeet? Are you able to throw yourself into making Christmas special for him?
 
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whereloveandmercymeet

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He’s 3 and autistic and doesn’t really understand. He likes all the lights and fairs and carols but that’s about it. So we focus on that presently. He’s not a fan of change so decorating inside is hard. But fairy lights are okay. This years project is to make him see his wooden nativity as a scene that’s important to remember.
 
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whereloveandmercymeet

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In some ways it’s easier because there’s less pressure from him. Unfortunately people do judge. But I wouldn’t change him for anything. Today he played with a particular child at nursery. I asked him “is she your friend” “yeah!”. And cried. He barely ever uses words and he feels he has a friend for the first time. Big big day. Then he went all shy about it all and hid under the dining table and life went back to normal with a smile
 
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Paidiske

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I find other people's expectations hard. My husband's family like a big Christmas; dozens of people, lots of noise, going overboard with presents and decorations and all the rest. It's just too much for my little one, she gets overwhelmed, but they don't understand why anyone might need to limit their time in what is, for most of them, a happy situation. So then I'm the bad guy for having to set limits.

Of course, by the time we get out of church on Christmas day I'm ready to collapse anyway!
 
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whereloveandmercymeet

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I find other people's expectations hard. My husband's family like a big Christmas; dozens of people, lots of noise, going overboard with presents and decorations and all the rest. It's just too much for my little one, she gets overwhelmed, but they don't understand why anyone might need to limit their time in what is, for most of them, a happy situation. So then I'm the bad guy for having to set limits.

Of course, by the time we get out of church on Christmas day I'm ready to collapse anyway!
That’s exactly it! My son is happy just to find a nice quiet corner, pick the one gift he’ll obsess over for the next month, and steer clear of everyone. Then I have to explain that I can’t drag him round everyone to do the face time that you have to put in because he just can’t hack it. Then explain for the umpteenth time to half the relatives that he still has autism and yes it was professionally diagnosed.

Don’t get me wrong. I do love my family. But they don’t make it easy!
 
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Jan800

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I found a church I really like and it's been a journey of 16 years trying to find a good church where I can fellowship, learn and really feel the presence of Jesus. Problem? my husband is in the process of cataract surgery, and he has other issues such as smoking and drinking even at 11 am. He isn't really in tune with family life/me and he shoots the bull a lot with strangers. He isn't really interested in church and we both ran a small group in the 80's. It doesn't seem like he really cares. He repeats himself a lot and it kind of gets to me. He takes naps every day and at 65 he is retired/forced out of his position at work. He hasn't done much to occupy himself and I am wanting to be involved, make friends, etc. HOW TO HANDLE THIS?? I admit it's an effort to walk in love with him.
 
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Jan800

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I found a church I really like and it's been a journey of 16 years trying to find a good church where I can fellowship, learn and really feel the presence of Jesus. Problem? my husband is in the process of cataract surgery, and he has other issues such as smoking and drinking even at 11 am. He isn't really in tune with family life/me and he shoots the bull a lot with strangers. He isn't really interested in church and we both ran a small group in the 80's. It doesn't seem like he really cares. He repeats himself a lot and it kind of gets to me. He takes naps every day and at 65 he is retired/forced out of his position at work. He hasn't done much to occupy himself and I am wanting to be involved, make friends, etc. HOW TO HANDLE THIS?? I admit it's an effort to walk in love with him.
plus we are not celebrating Christmas with anyone other than the 3 of us. Our son wants to spend this holiday with his new family which is understandable.
 
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