My Mental Health at the Con - link to a blog

[Stenun]

I've written a blog about my experiences at the con last weekend:

[Squirtchy]

Really interesting, thanks for posting and the best of good health to you, i work with people and have family members who have severe anxiety and suffer from depression!

 

I've spoke with them in length about it and they all say; like you said, getting out and about, taking small steps at a time was the best thing they'd done to overcome their fears, it wasn't easy but those small steps to them felt like concurring the world!

 

Really good blog post :)

[Dannycarroll2007]

I can relate, no a sufferer but a parent and I'm a great believer in exposure to stressful situations.

[Vamp_Rouge]

Omg.. honey you made me cry. I'm the Morrigan that you carried and I love how much it means to you because of why you wanted to do that.

 

I suffer with depression (not so much anxiety but I'm not great socially except at cons) and my time at cons seeing the many friends I've made through them and cosplaying is my little bit of happiness in between my bad times. Talking about it helps and you find out just how many other people deal with it and are on medication and in therapy etc. It's not abnormal to suffer in this way, in fact it seems the majority of people do.

 

Next time you're having anxiety problems know that if I'm at the con I will always wear your hat and let you carry me. You're always a lovely polite guy. :-)

[Stenun]

Thank you all for the very nice replies, you're all very kind! :-)

 

And Vamp Rouge, I'm sorry I made you cry. :-)

[Siriusly.Black]

You're not on you're own, I suffer with Social Anxiety Disorder, Obssessive Compulsive Disorder, Dermatillomania ((skin picking OCD)) and Depression. I've only started going back to cons the past two years and cosplaying I started that this year ((as part of my ERP Therapy)) Exposure and Responce Prevention. It has helped me immensely and even now I still get little wobbles and want to run home and hide ((I almost backed out last minute for LFCC in July and had a small panic attack during the con it's self)).

I just wanted to say how proud I am of you that you stuck by it, got through the day and even had the guts to ask to pick people up ((something I still can't do, I can't even ask people if I can hug or shake their hands)). What you've achieved is nothing short of incredible and you should be very proud, keep up the good work.

If you ever want to say hi or talk, you're more than welcome :).

Edited October 14, 2013 by SiriuslyBlack

[GoldenGreen]

Con therapy ?

 

It's good to hear how an event like this can help, but interested to know why you would want to pick a guest up ? All credit to them for bring so understanding.

[SilvaNemesis]

I read your blog with great interest, thank you for sharing it. I totally empathize with you. I've been going to these comic cons for about seven years now and I've always gone with friends too. I know that given the situation that you were in, the friends all cancelling one by one, I would become very anxious about going. In fact if I'm 100% honest I don't think I would venture to London to a con by myself and would probably have cancelled it, so much credit to you for still going ahead and having what sounds like an amazing time.

 

I've made quite a few friends via these events so I'm probably never really alone, and this isn't something I talk about to anyone really, only people close to me but I'm going to Collectormania 20 in November in Milton Keynes. I'm both apprehensive about it and looking forward to it at the same time, as this is the first one I'm going to alone. And I'm doing it for the very same reason you did, I guess therapy may be the word, but also to put myself out of my comfort zone. I feel a bit sad at my age feeling the way I do, but it's a big deal for me and I can't help that. I did tell one or two people on Facebook that I was doing it, just to get a feel of who would also be going. But as for going it alone, this is a first for me and a big step. I've booked myself into the Hilton Doubletree for two nights and I had a choice of two packages, one I could cancel and get refunded and one I couldn't, so I opted for the one where I couldn't cancel it because I figure then, I'm tied to it and I can't get cold feet and back out at the last minute.

 

But I know as it gets closer, my stress levels will go up thinking about it so I appreciate how that feels, but I'm so pleased to read that you did it and that it all went so well and it's actually kind of inspiring for me too. Wow, I think this is the most honest thing about myself I've ever posted on this forum, so there we have it. I hope you manage to go to more of the cons because they're a really positive experience over all. They're one place where I feel I'm not stared at, judged or looked down upon by anyone else which happens to me so often in real life, at a convention I wander around just being myself and no one bats an eyelid. So wish me luck for my next one! I might just need it!

[topangacanyon]

What a brave story- and well done for telling it with such honesty and openness. You might have just written it as a way to release stress but you have no idea how much you might have helped someone in the process.

 

We all show up at cons wanting to have a good time, roaming around amongst masses without necessarily engaging with one another. Little do we know that a person we might have briefly brushed shoulders with is privately suffering inside. It is a reminder for me to not only show everyone and anyone compassion and love, but there might be more to the person in the line in front of you who is shaking like a leaf while meeting their idol. Doesn't mean they're just having a silly fan freak out, it could be mental health related and very serious.

I will ensure in future that I'm always one of those people who can offer an arm or a hand to someone nervous, anxious or frightened at a con.

 

My sister and I were in a talk and she was too nervous to ask Jon Bernthal a question, though she'd been looking forward to meeting him since first watching his The Walking Dead. I was so impressed and proud that she changed her mind, asked for the mic and asked him (coherently and with articulation) a well thought out question, which he answered with both detail and gratitude. Her confidence grew, and she even approached him later in the day to thank him and he was incredibly sweet and kind to her. A great reminder of how getting over our fears, particularly with the aid of someone we look up to, can be achieved even at a seemingly irrelevant event like a con.

 

Please keep up the good progress - I can tell how hard a journey it is (though I'll probably never know what it's like to suffer the same way) but you are worth the fight. All best to you, Buddy :)