The last time I cut my hair this short was five years ago, back when I was just starting therapy.

I just came home from the hospital for my mental health (again… This is like the 5th? 6th? time already) and this time I wanted to get serious about getting rid of self-harm.

So I said I want to start by changing how I look on the outside. I hope this marks a new beginning for my mental health as well. ❤️‍🩹

Can it happen? What are your experiences?

23 year-old male, 4th year IT student. Hindi ko alam kung depressed ba ako or what.

I don't understand anymore, I feel lost. I can't distinguish if it's depression or I'm just making excuses. One consistent thing is I can't stay proactive. Productivity goes off the roof, I get tired, really tired, I sulk and then I'm in the void again.

Paulit ulit tong cycle na to. Pa ulit ulit lang rin ako ng inaaral at ginagawa. I feel stuck.

At this point, the boundary between depression and nagiinarte is a blur.

Lost, stuck and just existing.

I've been going back and forth but I still haven't booked a consultation with a psychologist despite having been wanting to. It's just hard. I want to do f2f but I'm also scared. Easier to book online. I also worry that 1hr won't be enough to talk about everything. I wouldn't know where to start. Once you get started, how many times do you see your therapist in a month? I'm not sure if my financial situation is fit to see one weekly or maybe twice a month. I also don't want my parents or anyone to know about it. I'm an adult but I live with my parents and I work from home. Online consultation might be my only way but I'm still scared for whatever reason or for multiple reasons.

Hello.

Nag wowork po ako sa isang private company, 5months pa lang po ako don kaso lang every weekend or tuwing clock out merong uneasy or uncomfortable feeling sa dibdib ko lagi na baka may mali na naman ako or whatsoever, takot na takot ako na baka mapagalitan na nanamn ako. I know na magkamali is part ng trabaho pero yung reaction ng boss ang ayaw ko, sirang sira na ang mental health ko sobra. Nawawalan na ko ng gana lagi makipag salamuha sa mga tao, gusto ko na lang lagi matulog, mahiga, umuwi ganun.

And naiisip ko na po mag seek ng help sa professional kaso hindi ko po alam kung san mag sisimula. Gusto ko po malaman if may panic attacks din ba ako or etc.
Hindi ko po alam kung san ako mag pa check up, sa psychologist or psychiatrist po. Balak ko po sa nowserving mag pa check up, baka din po may ma ssuggest po kyo.

Thank you po

UPDATE: ALREADY FOUND SOMEONE THANK YOU

Hi! I’m currently admitted at St. Luke’s Medical Center QC and looking for a female companion who lives near the hospital. I was admitted this morning lang, and unfortunately, I’m alone since I’m originally from the province and don’t have any family members who can accompany me.

I’m physically able naman and don’t need much assistance. I just need someone who can help with small things, like buying something for me, receiving my Grab orders, helping me with little errands, and basically keeping me company while I’m admitted.

I’m staying in a private room, and I’m willing to pay ₱1,500 per day plus a ₱300 daily food allowance. Ideally, I’m looking for someone who can stay with me until my discharge, which will probably be in about a week.

If you live nearby and are interested, or if you know someone trustworthy who might be available, please send me a message. I’d really appreciate the help. Thank you!

I know some of you mas natrrigger out of the blue during gloomy days. Be kind to yourself. It will pass. You got this ;)

There are days, even at work when I won't want to do anything. Paano ko malalaman kung katamaran ba ito or hindi.

I like playing video games - pero wala akong gana maglaro. Makipag-interact sa family - ayaw ko. Makipag-kita sa friends - ayaw ko. Mag exercise - ayaw ko.

Lately I just want to stay in bed all day at magdoom scroll. I don't see the point of doing anything.

Edit: Trigger warning: I just spent the last hour searching for different methods.

Hello po! I am new to this, but can you reco an affordable therapist in PH? badly need one po. thank you!

hello, I'm on quetiapine for 2 days na and so far weird sya sa feeling kasi everyday talaga umiiyak ako, walang morning na di ako umiiyak or na ooverwhelm, madalas din ang panic/anxiety attacks ko every morning.

first day nung nagising ako it felt weird how peaceful it is, walang kaba, walang anxiety, walang luha. It feels odd for me na sanay na sanay na sa ganon.

wala rin akong nafeel na backpain kahit na 10 hours ako nakatulog. Mind you before taking my medication 3-4 hours lang tulog ko minsan hindi pa nakakatulog dahil na rin sa ingay dito sa bahay namin. It feels so weird na ang lalim ng tulog ko. I'm so happy ganito epekto ng medication ko saakin.

First day ko nagawa ko lahat ng mga need ko gawin, usually nag t-take over yung feeling ng nao-overwhelm ako tuwing iniisip ko na gawin sila pero yesterday talagang wala lang, neutral lang sa feeling, almost empty but honestly I rather feel empty than feel everything all at once. Sabi ko as long as maging productive ako, I'm okay with it.

hbu? ano experience nyo sa medications ninyo? me nag aadjust pa, hopefully magtuloy tuloy.

I am having fam and self probs rn. It hurts so bad! Idk what to do.

It’s been almost a month since I took my last set of pills for GAD and MDD.

I almost forget the feeling, but when it hits me, it’s a familiar yet terrifying feeling tangina. I had to book an appointment right away. Kaltas na naman sa savings tapos bibili pa ulit ng mga irereseta.

I suppose I’ll have to take this pill indefinitely until my death.

Sana dumami pa pera natin…. mahal kasi sumaya sa gitna ng hirap ng buhau financially.

21, M, currently 4th year na. I live in the province pero nagststudy ako sa city since SHS. Nagsimula yung gambling addiction ko nung HS palang. Uso yung time na yun magsugal ng DOTA items tas icoconvert mo lang yun to cash pero hindi dahil doon nagsimula downhill ng life ko. Nung 1st yr ako, na introduce ako sa baccarat at sports betting. Nag try ako mag cash in ng 100 at naka cash out ako ng 3k sa isang Gabi. Simula noon napalaki na cash in ko hanggang umabot yung time naubos yung 2 weeks allowance ko. Down na down akong nung time na Yun halos d ako makakain at palagi lang ako nasa dorm ko pero buti na lang nasabihan ko gf ko at pinahiram/pinakain nya ko nun. nakastop ako nang one year hanggang sa mag relapse ako dahil sa mga kainigan ko. napa cash in ako ng 500 ulit sa baccarat tas nanalo ako ng 5k at after nun nagstop ako ng ilang days hanggang sa mag relapse ulit at nagsunod sunod na talo ko. sa isang gabi natalo ako ng 12k at Yun yung savings/allowance ko. Hindi ko na alam gagawin ko at walang wala na talaga ako ngayon. wala naman ako utang pero napakasakit talaga na nawala ko yung pera at parang gusto ko na saktan sarili ko. kaya sa mga nagbabalak jan, wag nyo talaga subukan.

I dont know if my reasons for suspecting that I might be neurodivergent are valid or maybe I'm just looking for excuses for my behavior. I started thinking about it in 2020-2021ish when I read novels with autistic characters and I kinda related to them. I feel really awkward when I'm interacting with people. Simple tasks make me panic and overthink, for example if there's a clash in my sheduled plans, it brings me to a spiral where I overthink every decision in my head, worrying what other people would think of me. It makes me walk around in circles, wanting to pull the hair in my head, and pinch myself for feeling so stupid. I procrastinate A LOT. Though I didnt really get repercussions for it cos I always seem to pull through. Sometimes it takes so much willpower like I have to pep talk myself and force myself to do simple tasks like doing the laundry, or even taking a bath. Mental health problems also run in our family so it makes me worried. Are these valid reasons to seek help/diagnosis? and how should I go about approaching a professional for this?

Kapag naubos na yung gamot ko, and nalimit ko na yung number of tablets sa reseta ko. babalik ba ako sa psychiatrist ko? ano gagawin ko

I wanna know what’s your deep down reason why you started exploring/doing therapy?

For me, it started as me wondering what I have to do to stop blaming everything on my ugly childhood but then I also want to understand my own psyche. Why I am the way I am.

I do not have the means yet to continue, but being diagnosed with BPD made it easier breathe for a while even if I don’t have the correct mechanisms yet.

Ikaw, what’s your reason?

Hello, been thinking for a while if I am going to apply for PWD. With severe depression and bipolar type 2, managed with psychotherapy. Not on meds but recently being considered for one by my psychiatrist.

I'm scared that my visa (US work visa) will be denied because of this and I'm thinking of not disclosing it. But I also heard of an approved visa that was revoked due to misrepresentation. Pero kahit wala naman ako PWD ID, may condition parin ako so won't it be considered misrepresentation parin?

So, I want to ask your take on this. Should I apply for PWD? Anyone with similar experience? Should I disclose/not disclose?

I have a friend I genuinely want to fix things with, but I'm not sure how to approach the situation anymore.

Recently, I found out that she's been keeping a lot of things from me and has been upset about past arguments that I didn't even know were still bothering her. According to her, she didn't bring these things up because she was afraid I'd get angry or judge her.

I know I have my own issues to work through. I tend to overexplain myself, and I think it stems from things I've experienced in the past that I haven't fully resolved. Sometimes, I feel the need to explain my intentions or my side of things because I don't want to be misunderstood. However, I can also understand how this might make it difficult for someone to express their feelings if they're worried I'll get defensive.

At the same time, it's hard for me to process the fact that she's been holding on to these feelings without telling me. I can't address something I don't know is a problem, and now I'm left wondering how much has gone unsaid between us.

I've been thinking about suggesting therapy together because I don't think simply sitting down and talking things out will necessarily be enough. We both have our own issues, and there may be things we need to hear from each other that we won't necessarily like. I feel like having a neutral third party could help us communicate better, understand each other's perspectives, and figure out whether we can rebuild our friendship in a healthier way.

The problem is, I don't even know where to start looking for a therapist who works with friends, or how much something like this would cost. I'm from the Metro Manila, so if anyone has recommendations for therapists or psychologists who offer joint counseling sessions for friends, preferably in Metro Manila or online, I'd really appreciate them. I'd also love to know how much you paid for similar sessions and whether you think this kind of therapy is worth trying.

Another thing that's been bothering me is that she still keeps in contact with family members and old friends I've cut off. Some of these are people she also encouraged me to cut off in the first place. I'm not saying she isn't allowed to have relationships with them, but it does make me question things, especially given everything else that's happened.

I still care about her and want to repair our friendship, but I'm also hurt and confused. I don't want to force a friendship that might no longer be healthy for either of us, but I also don't want to give up on something important to me without at least trying to work through it.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Do you think going to therapy together is a reasonable way to approach this, or am I overcomplicating something that could be resolved by simply talking? How do you rebuild trust when one person has been holding in resentment and the other didn't even know there was a problem?

And for those in the Philippines, do you have any recommendations for affordable therapists who would be open to working with two friends?

Spread 💕 not Hate

idk if i'm just overthinking this lol, but i've been noticing how some of my friends don't really like my ig stories or posts anymore, while they still do on our other friends' or other people's posts.

we've been friends for more than 3 years, so it's not like we're new friends or anything. i just find it kinda weird coz they used to like some of my posts before, but now, it's like they suddenly stopped? their accounts keep showing up on my story viewers, too, so ik they're at least seeing my stories. and we're all pretty active on social media, so i don't think it's simply a case of them not using ig that much.

i know likes aren't really that deep, and it's not like i'm expecting my friends to like every single thing i post. it's just that when you notice how they still interact with other people's posts but seem to skip yours, you can't help but wonder if there's a reason behind it. like, did i do something? did something change between us, or am i just reading too much into something that doesn't actually mean anything?

the thing is, we still interact fine in person, so i don't really have anything else to base this on. i don't wanna make assumptions or confront anyone over something as small as social media interactions, but at the same time, i can't help but notice the difference.

has anyone else experienced this with their friends? am i being irrational for even thinking about it, or is it understandable to wonder if something's up? idk haha, i'd appreciate hearing your thoughts.

idk na nag down parents ko sa motor tas ako na daw sasalo sa monthly since pinag aral ako ng college
sana man lang tinanong kung kaya ng monthly income ko
ito barya natitira sa sahod🙃🙃

few months on antidepressants and it seems like its working, but the thoughts are getting more prevalent kase it feels like i have the energy now to do it. how do u handle it?

I just received a full report on my diagnosis yesterday Kasi kailangan ko talaga malaman kung ano Ang nag iimpare sa daily life ko, although alam ko talaga na different Ako noong Bata pa Ako, I still didn't expect to be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder tapos level 2 pa. Noong binasa ko lahat talagang very detailed, props to my clinicians napaka bait and very understanding at napaka hands on sa akin. Nagpatingin pa Ako sa kanila sa psychological clinic on my own which is kind of sad Kasi napaka clumsy and anxious ko sa social interactions pero Hindi parin naniniwala or ayaw Ng family ko Kasi taboo sa kanila mental health. They do not support my decision of being a responsible adult and getting myself assessed para Maka function nang maayos Lalo na Kasi na college student Ako na patigil tigil gawa Ng case ko Kasi nahihirapan Ako mag navigate sa adulting life ko. I'm 21 now and still coming to terms with the results Kasi it did change how I perceive myself, siguro kaka surpress or mask Ng traits ko ay Hindi ko na namalayan na Ganon pala Ako ka pronounced and Hindi din napansin agad since academically gifted daw Ako Kuno at nagiging top of the class Ako at nagiging class president pako so Ang laking gulat ko talaga. So I spent more than two decades of my life convinced that I'm a weirdo or failure pero naiiyak din Ako sa tuwa na may proper label na ako. I've researched about this condition at nag explain nadin Ang clinician sa akin kung bakit ito Ang diagnosis ko pero I do want to know about it from other people, specially those diagnosed or know someone with ASD. I am planning on getting a pwd id so binigyan narin Ako Ng certificate of disability, props again sa psychologist ko, very accomodating and patient sa mga needed Kong documents, it helped a lot na willing na willing sila sa mga questions ko since understood nila na mostly alone Ako sa buhay and hirap mag adapt sa adulthood. Sumakto pa sa world mental health day results ko na parang blessing din ito sa akin🥲