 Hey what's up you guys! So today I'm going to be talking about misconceptions surrounding relapse. I decided to do this video because I haven't actually made a video talking about this. I've talked about relapse before but I've never talked about the misconceptions of it. So let's jump in. Welcome, hi, hello. Welcome to Diary of Lydia. Hi, I'm Lydia. I make mental videos as I talk about my life and sometimes I do weird shit. My self-esteem just took a shot. Let's jump into the subject of relapse misconceptions. No, don't, oh shit, it's on one percent. Let's take a sledgehammer and whack him. Let's not do that. Ow, it's each other. A big myth about relapse is that it's inevitable that it's going to happen. If you have that mindset, yeah, it will. Relapse is not something that is set in stone. It also doesn't mean you're a failure. It happens when things get too overwhelming and exceed the coping skills that we already have. It's not a sign of weakness. Relapse does not equal failure. Some people find it actually improves their ability to fight even harder for recovery. I know for myself, whenever I fight relapse, I'm like, I just push even harder back at things and I fight things even harder. And bam, I probably wouldn't be alive if I didn't do that. Big myth. You haven't relapsed if it's something new. Like you're in recovery from drug abuse. Just because you're using a different drug does not mean you haven't relapsed. Relapse is setting back into old habits. So if you're self-harm-free and you self-harm, you relapse, but it's okay. You don't need to be ashamed of that. Big misconception is that relapse is that person's fault, which is so incorrect. People who relapse often get called attention seekers. I have myself. I know plenty of people who have. When you relapse, it's hard enough without people saying, oh, you're doing this for attention. When you relapse, you feel at your worst. Nothing else can replace that feeling. You feel like you've failed at everything. The last thing anyone needs is to be told that they're attention-seeking. Relapse is not about attention. No one wants to relapse. No one injuries. You should have grown out of it. Don't fucking say it. Just don't. Age and mental illness have no correlation whatsoever. Just because I have PTSD does not mean I can't be young. I've had people say it's true before. Not even just about physical health, like mental health stuff. I was going to physio around three years ago and I walked in and then this old woman, she's like, what are you doing, K? You're young. You should be healthy. And I'm like, I have arthritis. Do two youngs have that condition? I didn't know it had an age restriction on it. Damn. Mental illness doesn't discriminate. Any people, any background, any social class, any age, any gender can be affected by mental illness. Big misconception is that there are no warning signs. There are always warning signs of relapse. Whether you notice them or not, there are always signs. Whether it's your mood decreasing, your appetite changing, not bothering with medication, not bothering with self-care. It can be anything. There's always signs that someone's relapsing. It doesn't matter if you don't realise them. If you relapse, it's okay. I keep saying that, but it's true. You just have to seek support, talk to someone and fight back because you are worth it. You're worthy of life. Believe me, I've watched a lot of people throw their eyes away. Drug use. I've watched people die from suicide. I've lost people to suicide. And I've lost people some death. You know, death is never too long. But it's what we do in life that really matters. One of my favorite people ever, at Claire Wynland, who sadly passed away, had cystic fibrosis. She was so inspiring and her work is unbelievable. They've relapsed, so they must be more dangerous now, right? That's so fucking rude. Mental illness does not mean you are dangerous at all. Yes, some people with mental illness can be violent. If any get people with mental illness and will like to be victim or hurt themselves, then they are others. Often people who hurt others haven't actually got the intention of hurting others. It can be because of voices, it can be because of hallucinations, it can be because of delusions, all these things that they're beyond person's control. I'm not saying people shouldn't be held accountable for things because, you know, there are ways and means of managing these things. But when people are ill, they're ill. And I feel like that's something that just needs to be said. So I'm going to leave this video here. If you do have anything you think I've missed or would like to add to this, comment it down below because, you know, you'll be helping the community out. Also, if you are new to the world's movie, you could hit the subscribe button. I'm aiming for 5k by the end of the year. And also, while you're down there, give the like button a little tickle if you feel less alone. So yeah, thank you for watching the video and I'll see you guys tomorrow with a new video. Bye!