Any Input is appreciated
I am having trouble knowing where to start. I feel there’s too much “back story” to try and explain how I got to this point (which I imagine is common among most of us). Maybe I’ll try writing chronologically backwards in hopes it makes it easier? Starting with a semi- generalized question regarding my current need?
My biggest need at the present time that would improve a plethora of problems I have to take action on ASAP is to have someone—whether it be a lay person, a professional, or any person who has a desire and empathy to help me— help me to plan out my days by helping me to prioritize what to do. What tasks I need to complete with not only with just basic daily functioning but also with how to prioritize all the critical to-dos I need to take action on before various situations become worse (bills overdue, finding employment, fixing my bank accounts/credit reports and more because someone used my identity, finding a cheaper place to live, making medical appointments to all the specialists I have referrals to, finding a new decent psychiatrist to change my medications, cleaning every single room in my house, these are probably not even tasks that are most important. All I know is I have about 30 tasks that need to be done or they will result in more negative consequences. I don’t even know what I just wrote because my mind is on overload.
I have anxiety, depression, PTSD, and am grieving several family members deaths on top of that. There’s not enough room to list the circumstances that led to this emotional/cognitive/physical state Im in. I’ve undergone numerous traumas throughout my life and I just finished caretaking for my mother until she died who was abusive to me. On and on and on with circumstances that resulted in me breaking down and now I cannot THINK and I cry all the time and I have pressing problems that I need to figure out and I need someone to help me plan out my days so I know how to tackle the immense to-do lists of important tasks that swirl in my mind. I need to keep a roof over my me and my daughters head.
I am already doing things to help me that either I’ve been doing for a while or that people have suggested. I already have 2 counselors - one spiritual and one cognitive psychoanalytic, I go to a support group, I go to a Bible study, I go to church, I excercise, I take medications for mental health, I take vitamens, I read the Bible, I pray at least 10 times a day, I try to be a good friend, I call crisis hotlines, I find people to pray for me, I pray for other people, I do nice things for other people, I look for resources on the internet, I know I’m not going to remember everything I do, oh ya I journal, I meditate, and the thing I do to try and help myself that I’m most disappointed about is that I tell everyone who knows me or asks me if I’m doing ok how I’m doing and seek out people I think might be able to help me but no one offers to help me with the things I need most. I tell people what I problems I have. I’ve told my friends I’ve told my church. I look for help and pray and I need so much help. I can’t even list all my circumstances here that I need to fix. I feel like the only way people would really care or understand that I needed help would be if it was “too late”. I’m not going to kill myself I need to stick around for my daughter, but that’s how I feel. That if I gave up and ended my life, then that’s when people would say, “oh I guess she really did need help”
Lately I’ve been looking online for executive functioning coaches (too expensive), any life coach that would know how to go through all my impending and overdue tasks with me and know how to prioritize them according to possible negative consequence, and just tell me step by step even to remember to brush my teeth. That’s how low my cognitive skills have gotten. I am an educated person with a Masters Degree and used to help people in jams like mine as a profession, but part of my brain has shut down now and I can’t think. I’ve had too many traumas and my mind said “enough is enough”.
Like I said, yes I have mental health therapists, Christian advisors, and a psychiatrist, blah blah blah, but what I really need is someone to help me schedule my day to day and knock out the mess of things I have to get done. Because if I don’t figure all this out, who knows? Could I end up homeless? Me and my daughter? I can’t beleive the position I’ve gotten into. I’ve asked so many people and places for help but it doesn’t happen. And I don’t know if I wasted a zillion hours just writing this whole mess. If you have any input on how I can get help, it would be much appreciated.
Dear Father, please let someone read this post and understand what I need and soften their hearts to help me in a way you see most fitting. Thank you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen
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I’m also similar and dealing with the kinds of things that you are. In my years of struggle I am most recently in a position where I just write down things I need to do, whenever I feel like it. Then from day today I pick one thing. And I try to do with that one thing requires. If that doesn’t pan out, I wait and do it when I can. I too am a follower of Jesus, and like you I suspect pray for help in every single day. I often have found that the things most anxious about doing-if I don’t do them, God seems to take care of that. With this has been some very scary surrendering of these things to God. If I were in better shape, I’d be more than happy to help you prioritise. I do seem to retain an ability to do that. Praying for you. God bless you.
@mgrubbs221
I like your response. It’s funny how many of us who struggle with being able to do a certain thing —like organizing, prioritizing, planning, etcetera— often can do it for someone else so much more efficiently. Well, at least that’s my experience. I’ve helped family members or friends prioritize and organize things many times having surprising ease and concentration ability while I do it? What is that?? It’s funny. Have you experienced something similar? Some task that’s hard to do for yourself; yet, for some reason it’s so much easier to do for someone else? I wonder how much stress or sadness plays a part in activating or turning off, so to speak, certain brain regions responsible for focus, planning, analytical thinking or executive functioning abilities in general? Because if a task is for someone else, I think my brain wires itself differently when working.
@ johneckenrode11
Yes, thank you, I agree all of those suggestions are important in cognitive functioning as well as emotional state. Surprisingly, I am relatively good in all areas of your list — but on #3, I could use some improvement. I was doing brisk walking about 6 times a week but for the last couple months, I’ve reduced it to 2. I admire the knowledge you have in the most foundational and important aspects of improving cognitive functioning and I imagine your list helps most people in the population; however, I happen to be an anomaly or outlier in the bell-shaped curve, who was most likely born with some genetic, neurological deficits OR a person who has undergone so much trauma in their lives that some brain regions may have truncated synaptic/neuronal pathways. I can come to this conclusion based on the numerous amounts of things I have tried to improve my difficulties. Thank you so much for your response. God bless you
Well. I hope I don't get in trouble for this but no news helps me a lot.