The bday gift of financial security

Hi everyone,

Those that have known me for a while know that for my birthday I will usually make a charity post asking for donations to an organisation that supports those suffering with mental illness.

This year, I am asking instead for more direct and personal support.

Before anything though, I think that given I have kept entirely to myself and have made little to no contact with friends and family, I owe you all an update.

It has been a tough few years since being diagnosed with severe Major Depressive Disorder and associated Generalised Anixety Disorder, and even moreso this past year with the loss of the income from the salary insurance I had been receiving, and having to deal with Centrelink (those in the know, know this is a nightmare).

I have been through a number of different therapy strategies, and was eventually dropped by my therapist due to an inability to maintain adherence to appointments due to ongoing depressive episodes that kept me feeling unable to move or act.

I engaged with an organisation called RUAH community services https://ruah.org.au/ who were only able to help me for a short while before deeming I was out of their scope.

After a long time waiting for a response to a referral (a period of more than 6 months), I am now finally engaging with Community Adult Mental Health services https://www.nmhs.health.wa.gov.au/Hospitals-and-Services/Mental-Health/Community and being assessed by a psychiatrist there for changes to my medication, as well as being referred to a psychotherapist to try to get back into regular therapy sessions.

I also recently had a heart disease scare which required testing that was an out-of-pocket expense, that I franky couldn't afford, but was necessary to make sure I wasn't going to end up in hospital.

Outside of the medical talk and health updates, I personally have not been doing well. I have been very isolated now for a few years and my mental health is no better for it. I battle with depressive and suicidal thoughts on a daily basis and the only social contact I have is with the people I speak to online. I want to stress that this is no ones fault, and that even if closeby friends reached out,I don't think I would feel able to connect.

I can count the number of times I have left the house for a social occasion in the last year on both hands, and most of those were just coffee with my loving mother and her husband, who without their support, I wouldn't even be afloat right now.

On less dark topics, thanks to my second Mum Marilyn, a little feline by the name of Sancho came into my life this year, and he is my beloved little menace. He screams at me, knocks stuff over, runs around like a lunatic, and paws at me until I wake up, but I love him. He has given me a reason to keep going and to get out of bed even when I feel like nothing is possible.

I know to some a post like this comes across as shameful, and maybe in the past I would have agreed, but through the support and care from key players in my life, and therapy, I have come to learn that I have been through a lot more than most, and that asking for help when I need it should not be a bad thing.

All I want for my birthday (and the holiday season) this year is some level of financial security, which is so integral to maintaining any sort of positive outlook.

If you would like to donate, please know any amount helps, even if I can just get on top of rent it would be amazing.

I appreciate that it is also a very expensive time of year, and if you are unable to donate, a share really helps.

Love,

Peej