Hellooo

Hey Hollie!
Welcome to MiLO!
Hope you find the friendship and support you need here. We're like a wee online family
Stay strong x

Welcome to MiLO Hollie!

TRIGGER WARNING: Although I hope it doesn't, my post talks about my life and I don't know if it may worry some people with similar conditions, I really hope not.

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Hey Hollie,

Your story sounds so familiar to me in a surprising number of ways. From what age you got ill (I was 12) to the school situation (I left school at break times and lunch times, eventually bunking off altogether until in Year 10, I dropped out without any GCSEs), I was bullied too (which wasn't as bad as the bullying today but certainly added to my much bigger problems) and I too have Social Anxiety Disorder and I also live in South East England

I can understand why you're worried about your life because I've been there. I'm still there to a large degree. I left with no qualifications and I dropped off the face of the Earth when I was 16 and became housebound around the age of 18. I've stayed that way for nearly ten years now and I've lost my teenage years and most of my twenties without experiencing life, being able to drive or have a girlfriend.

At the moment, the main advantage you have is that you're young and you do have time on your side.

I refer a lot on my posts to a Mental Health Organisation that I visit on here and up until now, I haven't named them because it's very personal to me.

As your illness and history is so similar to mine, I'd like to ask though if you'd mind me sending you information about them via Private Message. They're not Doctors or Psychiatrists, so they don't offer therepy and you'd have to go to your Doctor for help with that, but they're helping me at the moment in other ways.

Although they are South East based, they are a relatively small organisation that are mainly in London and Kent, so I don't know if they stretch as far as Surrey in all honesty. Still, it'd be more information about what's out there anyway.

First though, I really want to say that:

* There would be zero pressure from me or anyone else on here for you to contact them.

* Neither I, or anyone else on here, would ask if you had contacted after I'd given you their details

* You wouldn't have to reply to my message at all

* I'd also include Bex, the founder of Minds Like Ours, in the message when I sent it so she could see what was said.

It'd genuinely just be a message so you had their information and knew about them. If you'd really rather I didn't contact you though, absolutely no problem at all and you can say so without any bad feeling whatsoever.

I remember all too well what it was like to have people pushing me into things and putting me on the spot when I just wanted to be left alone.

Finally, welcome to Minds Like Ours. It is what it says on the tin.

Thanks everyone! it is really good to know I can come on here and rant and people will understand where im coming from

Hi JC, it sounds really interesting and if you could send me the details that would be great, your story sounds a lot like mine!
I have to disagree about your comment "I've lost my teenage years and most of my twenties without experiencing life"- I do get where you are coming from (I would love to be a normal teenager and go to uni and parties etc) but when you come out the other side of this- wether thats in 2 years or 20, you will be a much more sympathetic, strong, well rounded person because of everything you have experienced- and I definitely dont think thats a waste of all these years!

hey hollie! i'm fairly new to milo too and can relate to your anxiety, panic attacks & depression - woo!
also toootally relate to the way you're feeling a bit lost about what to do with your life and low about it; despite the fact i'm half way thro a degree, i feel exactly the same, so qualifications ain't everything!
hope you settle in nicely