Just needed to be heard for a little while

Waves_and_Smiles

That's wonderful elsien, I love it! Awwww, I made it to a beach again! It does feel a little bit like I was there, as silly as that sounds.

Thank you for being proud of me, I am a bit proud today too! My partner checked I wasn't imagining it as he knows how long it has been since I made it to answer the door. I am only slightly shaky about it now which was helped a lot by him being a very nice man. The more I think about it the more realised how horrified that he had disturbed me he was, he was far more concerned about me than the job he had come here to do. I wish him well and hope he has a good life, I like him.

whitewing

He'll probably think of you when he goes past.

We went to the park and it rained as soon as we got there so we sat in the shelter and ate lunch. And even with our brollies we got soaked coming home. DD was just giggling delightely all the way home. She thought it was great.

Pyxis

Waves_and_Smiles wrote: »

That's wonderful elsien, I love it! Awwww, I made it to a beach again! It does feel a little bit like I was there, as silly as that sounds.

Thank you for being proud of me, I am a bit proud today too! My partner checked I wasn't imagining it as he knows how long it has been since I made it to answer the door. I am only slightly shaky about it now which was helped a lot by him being a very nice man. The more I think about it the more realised how horrified that he had disturbed me he was, he was far more concerned about me than the job he had come here to do. I wish him well and hope he has a good life, I like him.

What do you think about dropping him a line to say thank you for being kind? Like this thread, if it helps one more person to have a better understanding of MH problems, and the different ways it presents itself, it would be worthwhile!
Or better still, to his superior officer. It might take a bit of research. I expect he came from your local police station, and they would have a record of who was sent out last night.

Waves_and_Smiles

Hahahahaha I would have loved that! One of my happiest memories is eating fish and chips at the beach in the middle of autumn, sitting in a sheltered seat on the seafront and watching the waves crash as the rain poured down.

The most ironic thing is that I am afraid of swimming and travelling over water. You would think that I would love it.

That's a wonderful idea Pyxis! I have done that with a policeman once before, I have no idea why I didn't think of it this time! He deserves recognition because he was honestly so kind, I am sure he would have sat with me if I needed him to do so. I am going to do that!

Solarjunkie

I echo Pyxis' idea. The police get a lot of bad press, it would be good for them to know they got something right! If you just give the date & address I am sure they can find out who was on duty to that event.

Now that you have opened the door, both literally and figuratively, hope about doing it again? Arrange with WaSP that he will knock (or is it ring?) and not come in, you can then open the door to a surprised and delighted OH!

And you know the other thing

Pyxis

Good on yah, WaS! I'm all for showing appreciation of kindnesses, courtesies, helping hands, etc. it balances out the complaining!

Take driving. People get penalty points for bad driving. I think the police should be able to award star points when they see instances of really good driving! The more points you get, the lower your insurance premiums!

thriftyemma

*de-lurks*
WaS, I have been following your thread from the beginning, and I am amazed and delighted at what you, and others on here, have achieved. I too struggle with mental health issues, and it is refreshing to hear such an honest account of what you are going through.
I hope you don't mind, but I had a little play around with illustrating one of your imaginings. I hope you like...



*returns to lurk in the shadows*

whitewing

We love pictures and photos on the thread. It's lovely thriftyemma, I was impressed that you'd found a picture of bunnies on sand dunes - I'm even more impressed that you created it.

Waves_and_Smiles

This brings up an interesting subject about police and mental health.

I have had quite a few encounters with police over the years and fortunately I have always found kindness. I know that this isn't the same for everyone who has mental illness. The first thing I have always done is immediately tell them that i have mental health problems. No one should need to do this but in my case it helps them understand why I do not use eye contact and can be very distressed and speak oddly. I think it is fair for both of us to be aware of it so that we can work out a situation that is comfortable for us, remember the police do not know whether someone might be dangerous anymore than a member of the public does. Again, that shouldn't be an issue but someone in psychosis can look dangerous or drunk or high even if like me they wouldn't hurt a fly, I have always found it easier for everyone to be aware of the situation right from the beginning.

I have had differing reactions, all meant with kindness but...different. On one occasion the policeman began talking to very slowly and loudly bending down to look in my face. Despite my distress at the time I found this amusing, he meant well but quite why he thought I had suddenly become deaf or unable to understand words I am not sure. Another policeman was very awkward, he smiled a lot, and was a bit lost for words! Again, he was kind but not quite sure what he should do, I didn't mind.

My favourite policeman was one who discovered me feeding the ducks at 3am in my nightdress. He pulled his car up and walked over saying, "Don't do it, its too shallow to drown yourself, you'll hit your head on the bottom!" Making me laugh was a good start. He sat down next to me and I explained that I was mentally ill and sometimes others took control, a little one had wanted to feed the ducks because I had scared her. He nodded and introduced himself by his first name and asked if I was hungry? That took me by surprise but I said that I could eat and he sent his colleague to a local garage and he came back with a sandwich and a can of drink for both of us. He asked if I liked birds, I said that I liked all animals and he told me about his family pets. Eventually he said "Those arms look a bit sore". I had self-harmed very badly shortly before going to the pond. We spoke some more about how he used to take his children to feed the ducks when he was little and then he quietly asked if I would let him take me to the hospital so that they could make sure my arms were ok? I said I was scared but would go if he stayed with me. He said I wouldn't get rid of him now. We walked to the police car and he took me to hospital and stayed with me until the nurse saw me.

I sent a letter to the station saying how grateful I was for his kindness a week later. About a month after that I was in a pub surrounded by acquaintances I knew from there when he walked in with his friends. I froze in horror, the people I was with had no idea that I was mentally ill at all. He smiled and came over and said it was good to see me and offered to buy me a drink. I walked with him to the bar and he asked if things were better now and thanked me for the kind letter I had sent. He was careful not to say anything in front of anyone that implied how we met.

I have never forgotten how kind the police have been to me over the years. I felt so safe with them in the end that when I felt things were out of control I would go to my local police station and ask for help. They would sit me down and call an ambulance and in the meantime phone the crisis team so that I could talk to someone while I waited. On a couple of occasions they bought me a cup of tea and sat with me.

I believe I got this reaction because I was always totally honest. I would tell them from the start that I had mental health problems and sometimes tell them that I wasn't dangerous and wouldn't hurt anyone. They usually smiled at this and reassured me that they didn't think I would. Some called my partner for me and let him know what was happening. Due to these experiences police make me feel safe and I wouldn't hesitate to go to one again if I was in crisis and had no other option. I do believe the key though was telling them I was unwell from the start.

Waves_and_Smiles

Awwww! thriftyemma that is amazing! I have no words! It is beautiful! You have absolutely made my day, I am just speechless! It is more than perfect, just what I had imagined! Just... no words to say how touched I am...