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Positive Changes

Claire Margaret
Hi, Sadly, 1 in 5 people experience a mental illness each year. This October, I'm walking 40km in One Foot Forward to help Australians impacted by mental illness and suicide. My goal is to raise funds for Black Dog Institute to put ground-breaking new mental health treatment, education, and digital services into the hands of the people who need them most. Please sponsor me and support my 40km challenge: https://www.onefootforward.org.au/fundraisers/clairesweeney Together, we can create better mental health for all Australians. you can also scan this QR code or simply comment on this blog post with your email and i can send you the information and details.
Thank you. Claire Hello, it has been a few months since i posted a new blog. I have been so busy working on my mental health and managing my living skills with supports. so about 4 or 5 months ago i got a job but by the third week in i had a mental health relapse. I went into a manic state and my treating psychiatrist and mental health case manager tried to catch it in time before it turned into full blown psychosis, however it was only a few days later when i slipped into a psychotic state completely unaware of what i was doing and the difference between real and fake. But this episode was actually a blessing in disguise because whilst i was in hospital for 3 and half weeks they changed my medication to a monthly depot shot called paliperidone and i responded extremely well and it is now my new thing, so it is a anti-psychotic drug that gets injected into either your arm or your bum once a month, it is only used as a treatment to those who suffer with either schizophrenia or schizoeffective disorder. So back in January on another hospital admissiin that lasted nearly 4 weeks i was also put on a mood stabiliser which is also used for seizures and that specifically treats bipolar 1 disorder, however it took about 4 months until i really noticed the changes between the extremitues of mania and depression. Anyways after all these years of trial and error i am finally feeling better than i ever have, my mind is so cler and my mental health treating team can not believe the change also, one of the clinicians actually said that in the 8 months of working with me this is the most engaging they have ever seen me where as before i was in this constant state of dissasociation and depersonalization and paranoia with irrational thinking. I hate it when some people will say "medication is just a bandaid" well for some of us with complex indepth mental illness its actually a life line for us. Anyways i also have extra support with a support worker who i see 3-4 times a week, and she is a life saver! My support worker supports me in everyday tasks that most people my age would find no difficulty doing such as shopping or making phone calls , getting out of bed on those hard days , taking me to appointments ect. because i suffer with severe anxiety and sensory procession issues, as well as attending groups like cooking classes and movie outings, photography group all with other support workers and their clients all expenses paid, i honestly dont know how i functioned and coped before she came along, in reality i couldnt and cant manage my life without support and im not ashamed to admit that. I also got approved for disability support pension which has helped tremedously. i am also linked in with a occupational therapist and we are working on identifying feelings as well as my anxiety and sensory overload issues. so i have been busy over the last few months with many posituve changes happening to my life and thats why i havnt posted. Also there is a link in this blog post for mental illness and suicide awareness fund raiser for the month of October 2025, i will be walking atlesst 40kms for the month of october this year 2025 to help those battling mental illness and suicidal ideation as well as those affected by suicide and/or watching a loved one go through their own battle, so please donate to my fundraiser, it doesnt matter if its $5 or $100, every little bit helps, my goal is to raise $1,000... obviously i am very passionate about this cause as it is dear to my heart having battled mental illness snd suicide ideation my whole life. I will also be posting regular updates on my 40km walk starting october 2025. Oh and also as you can see by the photo i got my oldest daughter a customized box and called it her 'strentgh box' filled with little notes and coping mechanisms and tools for mental health as she opened up to me about a few things couple months ago and i never had someone at her age help me learning healthy coping mechanisms and tools for my mental health https://www.onefootforward.org.au/s/223366/263065 talk Soon Xxx

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