#it's not the only reason i rarely read my messages anymore (executive dysfunction and targetted harassment being big reasons themselves)

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

very gentle reminder that mental health bloggers aren't your therapists. 

there are so many helpful people & resources on this site and I encourage you to use that. read our posts, ask questions, submit asks (just read the guidelines first). we post this stuff to be helpful! but at the end of the day most of us are not professionals, we probably don't know you personally, and we get overwhelmed too. 

use mental health tumblr as the resource it is, bc it is an enormously valuable resource! my goodness i have learned so much on here. but don't use it as a replacement for professional help, especially in emergencies. it's not fair to us or to you. (there are very very few situations where a tumblr blogger should be your go-to in a personal crisis. i cannot overemphasize how unhealthy and dangerous that trend is for all parties involved. please call a crisis hotline first.)

If you are struggling in any way, I highly encourage you to speak to someone qualified. I am asking people to share links to resources in the notes (online therapy resources, counselling hotlines & chat services, and especially any helpful lists that have already been compiled.)

#not a shitpost #serious post #mental health #a common experience for me as a popular blogger who talks about mental health #is that i will occasionally get contacted by someone I don't really know who is panicked and overwhelmed #and not knowing who else to turn to decides to use my inbox or DMs to overshare really personal and stressful information #that most of the time I'm not qualified to help with #it's not the only reason i rarely read my messages anymore (executive dysfunction and targetted harassment being big reasons themselves) #but there have been some traumatic and stressful incidents that cemented that decision #please know that i am real and sincere in my desire that everyone in this little community we've built #will experience recovery and will recieve the support and resources they need to do so #but the job I have chosen to myself is to promote weird positivity & make people laugh #and yes to encourage people to take the next step and seek help. be it through therapy or medication management or a help program etc #i really really encourage that! #but please know i am not the person you need to be talking to about that #i can point you in the right direction with my blog content #but i'm not a professional and i am also in the middle of my own recovery #it means...holy shit i cannot emphasize how much it means to recieve comments along the lines of #'your content helped me/encouraged me to make changes/helped me realize i have this disorder/made me feel less alone' #i love those messages and I show a lot of them to my mom and save them in a little folder i can look at when i need positivity #thank you so much for those! #and also the messages along the lines of 'i'm going through some shit right now but you made me smile on a shitty day' #i love those bc i have had many dark days of my own & i remember my gratitude and love for the things that added bright spots to dark times #the majority of the messages & comments you guys send are lovely! #but please know I'm not in the position where i can offer advice about specific situations #and yes i wish i had the time and energy to offer individual comfort and conversation to anyone who needs it #but i don't. so i am focusing on what i CAN do. #which is i think to build an online space that feels safe and funny and weird and inclusive #and to sprinkle in liberal helpings of things i wish i had known earlier in regards to mental health and wellness #long post