Skip to content

Dear Mental Illness: We’re all in this together

Posted in Uncategorized

CW: mental illness, suicidal ideation

To: “Depression” (depresh_daddy@hotmail.com), “Anxiety” (worrycutie69@gmail.com), “C-PTSD” (fyte_n_flyte@yahoo.com)

From: Jenny Trout (formerhumandistaster@jennytrout.com)

Subject: What team? WILDCATS

Dear mental illnesses. As you may have gleaned from the subject line, I come to you with a proposal of teamwork. We’re all in this together. You’re the Troy to my Gabriella, the Ryan to my Sharpay. Actually, the everyone to my Sharpay. The important part is, I’m Sharpay at the denouement of every HSM story after she realizes yet again that being a team player is better for everyone and we all help each other to be stars. And that’s why we’re all going to do that from now on.

Depression? I totally understand where you’re coming from. You’re right; somedays, it’s just too overwhelming to get out of bed. And you’re trying to do the right thing by me in supporting, nay, encouraging me to take a break. But sometimes, you want that to be a forever break. And that doesn’t work for me. I know you think you’re helping when you suggest that wading into freezing lake water with my pockets full of stones might be an easy way to get some time off. And I know a lot of the time, this is an idea you’ve already brainstormed with C-PTSD. But the advice you two are coming up with? Really not working for me. Imagine if I really did drive my car off a bridge. What if I lived? Can you imagine the bullshit hassle? First would be the hospital stays, then the hospital bills, probably some surgery, some in-patient psychiatric supervision, and then when that’s all over you’ve got to fight with two different types of insurance, it would be a nightmare. By the way, Anxiety is really good at extrapolating things out that way. I’m sure that if you just consulted with it, you’d see the downside to this plan, and the other plan, which is the one where I neglect bills, notices, important mail, my children, my pets, my friends, my hygiene, basically I just cancel whatever is going on that day to stay in bed, Google all the reasons people hate me, and just leave Big Mouth running on a constant loop in the background until Depression Kitty shows up and I momentarily pay attention so I can chuckle with wry humor at how same and a mood it makes me feel, without ever acknowledging that I shouldn’t take pleasure in the fact that everyone in society is fucking miserable all the time, always, forever, isn’t the helpful shuffling around of my schedule as you think it is.

But Anxiety, while I appreciate how you constantly motivate me to be and do better, I think we can find a better way of doing that. Maybe a pep talk that doesn’t start with me getting up to refill my water bottle and ends with my entire family being homeless because of that minute-long break. You definitely shouldn’t be sharing my biggest fears with Depression; it has absolutely zero productive ways to use them. What generally happens, I imagine, is that you see me not working and you think, well, she’s never going to get back to it. And if she doesn’t get back to it, she’ll be another day behind. And if she gets too far behind, we’ll be homeless and probably dead and eaten by rats in an alley. I guess I can see where that might be a concern. After all, my failure to manage our life is the reason we almost were homeless. And admittedly, there are two rats in my office. But I think the more important point we need to focus on here is that those rats are in a cage. They’re probably not going to eat us. Also? People probably do think I’m lazy. But remember: what other people think of us? Is not the end of the world. We have to keep on keeping on. Remember how we started taking those pills and OCD decided to go on hiatus? Consider sucking up some of those brain-altering pharmaceuticals, yourself.

Now, C-PTSD. You and I have a lot of work to undo. ABA ruined what should have been a perfectly awesome brain. But you and I have to be on the same page here. Having my own emotions isn’t actually inconveniencing or hurting anyone, just so long as my actions aren’t inconveniencing or hurting anyone. I’m also allowed to set boundaries. I shouldn’t be grateful that my friends and family love me despite all the shitty things about me. I should be grateful that my friends and family love me and recognize all the cool things about me. And nobody is trying to kill us. Nobody will reject us if secretly, in the quiet of our mind, we let ourselves be mad or sad or uncomfortable. And that touch of the ’tism that ABA was supposed to fix? It’s not the burden to everyone around you that you think it is. Like, 70% of all the people you choose to hang out with are also “on the spectrum.” Look, we deserve to not be victimized by weird childhood traumas we couldn’t express because bad therapy trained us to pretend we were fine with everything all the time and that if we weren’t fine with it, that was selfish of us. I promise, hand-to-god, that we do not have to be constantly tense and ready to defend ourselves or flee from imaginary dangers like someone coming to the door. Yes, they might be pushy. Yes, you might have to assert yourself in a way that might feel rude to them. I promise, they don’t know we’re broken and also, we’re not responsible for how they feel when we don’t want to go to their church. Oh, and PS. expressing our anger at Papa in the one whole argument we ever got into his whole life? Didn’t kill him. Time and Russian-level alcohol consumption did that. We’re not to blame, no matter how much our perception of how our emotions damage other people insist otherwise.

You guys. We’ve got this. We can be a team. Imagine how much time off you’re going to get once you’re not constantly bombarding me with all this helpful advice. Look how much better we feel now that we’re letting go of some masking behaviors. Imagine if all of us could just kick back, put our feet up, and function? I know we can get there.

Sincerely,
Jenny, the brain you ride around in.

Did you enjoy this post?

Trout Nation content is always free, but you can help keep things going by making a small donation via Ko-fi!

Or, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

Here for the first time because you’re in quarantine and someone on Reddit recommended my Fifty Shades of Grey recaps? Welcome! Consider checking out my own take on the Billionaire BDSM genre, The Boss. Find it on AmazonB&NSmashwords, iBooks, and Radish!

9 Comments

  1. Tami
    Tami

    I have had the same conversations with my own issues. All the same ones you have. I keep inspirational quotes around me at every turn to reprogram my brain when it starts to backslide as it continues to claw its way out of the tarpits of C-PTSD, Chronic Depression, Panic Disorder, and a host of others. I don’t have any kids or a spouse but I do have cats who need me to take care of them so that keeps me going. No matter how exhausted you get, never give up.

    July 8, 2020
    |Reply
  2. Emily Barnard
    Emily Barnard

    The current situations affecting our mental health is, like, six crucial steps beyond “vicious circle.” I’m sorry you’re still struggling, Jenny.

    *cues up “The Darkness” from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend*

    July 9, 2020
    |Reply
  3. <3

    Mine's shorter. "Get up. Bake some bread. Pet the cat. See? Not so bad. No do the stuff."

    July 9, 2020
    |Reply
  4. Anonymous
    Anonymous

    This is so relatable, and not in the “Haha same” way, but the actual way. I hope you’re doing ok ❤

    July 9, 2020
    |Reply
  5. Penny Gotch
    Penny Gotch

    … maybe it’d help me if I wrote a letter like this to my depression, anxiety and BPD. Because God knows I need everything in my brain to pull together as well.

    Why are brains like this. It’s so inconvenient.

    July 10, 2020
    |Reply
  6. Jenny Fan
    Jenny Fan

    You mentioned in this post that sometimes they suggest a plan to you where you stay in bed and Google all the reasons people hate you. I hope this adds to the long list of positive things you find about yourself when you Google or read the comments here: I love your work. I fucking LOVE your work. I came to your blog to read recaps on a Jealous Haters book (Handbook for Mortals) and stayed to devour It. All. I loved it so much, I read all The Boss books and started recommending them to others. I bought Where We Land the day it came out, but didn’t have the time to dedicate to it until now. I wasn’t sure I would like it, but I trust you as an author and took a risk on a book I didn’t think would be up my alley. LOVED IT. I couldn’t put it down! Finished it in about a day.

    And now that I’ve gushed about your work, I want to say that you seem like a pretty awesome person. You’re hilarious, you’re aware (of others and their needs – like your post about whether you should write more and acknowledge the BLM movement), you’re self-aware, and you’re kind, sometimes to a fault (I read your whole Worst Person story).

    Mostly fans show up here, I’m sure, but don’t take my words with a grain of salt. We love your work for a reason. We love you for a reason. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay WELL. And if you can, be happy. If not, be as close as you can to your state of peace.

    <3

    July 11, 2020
    |Reply
    • VVV
      VVV

      Cannot add something better, just, yes, this. Started with 50 shades blog posts, then started buying books. You make my world a better place.

      August 5, 2020
      |Reply
  7. Julia
    Julia

    I’m turning thirty tomorrow and this was very valuable for me to read today. <3

    July 18, 2020
    |Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *