Mental Health Issues

[Vanhellsink]

<br />A major contributing factor I believe as to why I prefer to be a loner and lead a nomadic life is the ability to withdraw from people whenever I have the the need or urge to do so, which is regularly, I've never really felt that comfortable around others for any extended lengths of time, and roaming alone allows me to avoid any closeness to others. Mostly the reason for this self imposed exile is the battle against mild depression and &nbsp;I feel it is much more dignified to wallow in self pity alone as apposed to sharing the sadness with others. There also continues to be a stigma attached to mental health issues that still to this day frightens and confuses many people, and it is often better not to have some exposed in any way to the condition as it can make them uncomfortable, some people I'm sure believing they will collapse into a fetal position and start sucking their thumb at a hand shake.<br /><br />The small confines of vanliving, tenting, and other accommodation destinations in Lonersville offers to me a place of security and protection to ride out the stormy waters when times get tough, and during these times I don't feel as exposed or vulnerable to the big bad world with all my perceived inadequacies - this is my view on a bad day anyway .<br /><br />I was curious if any others have adopted a vandwelling/nomadic lifestyle/displacement primarily because of some type of mental health issue, inability or difficulty functioning in normal society and this way of life offers some kind of refuge or coping mechanism.<br /><br />Cheers<br />Vanhellsink

 

[cyndi]

Bob wrote 2 great blog posts with regard to depression<br /><br />http://cheaprvlivingblog.com/2012/09/dealing-with-depression-and-death/<br />http://cheaprvlivingblog.com/2012/10/a-cure-for-depression/<br /><br />Depression and isolating go hand in hand and feed off of each other. I do believe that isolating can be healthy, too, in moderation. For me, personally, it is a coping mechanism.

 

[ttpadilla]

I'm not sure...&nbsp; Is it considered a mental health issue, to be sick and tired of listening to traffic, car alarms, helicopters, sirens, trains, booming stereos, screaming kids, neighbors' fights, ice cream trucks, the incessant yapping of uncared-for-dogs?&nbsp; Is the ever present urge to escape the crush of the crowd and the constant demands of society a mental health issue?&nbsp; Is the longing to look out your window or door and be able to see for miles, rather than a view of your neighbors living room, considered a mental health issue?&nbsp; I think so, for if I do not soon escape this environment, my mental health is in jeopardy.&nbsp; <br /><br />

 

[cyndi]

I'm not sure...&nbsp; Is it considered a mental health issue, to be sick and tired of listening to traffic, car alarms, helicopters, sirens, trains, booming stereos, screaming kids, neighbors' fights, ice cream trucks, the incessant yapping of uncared-for-dogs?&nbsp; Is the ever present urge to escape the crush of the crowd and the constant demands of society a mental health issue?&nbsp; Is the longing to look out your window or door and be able to see for miles, rather than a view of your neighbors living room, considered a mental health issue?&nbsp; I think so, for if I do not soon escape this environment, my mental health is in jeopardy.&nbsp; <br /><br />

<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: xx-large;"><em><strong>LIKE!!!!!!</strong></em></span>

 

[joey]

I'm not sure...&nbsp; Is it considered a mental health issue, to be sick and tired of listening to traffic, car alarms, helicopters, sirens, trains, booming stereos, screaming kids, neighbors' fights, ice cream trucks, the incessant yapping of uncared-for-dogs?&nbsp; Is the ever present urge to escape the crush of the crowd and the constant demands of society a mental health issue?&nbsp; Is the longing to look out your window or door and be able to see for miles, rather than a view of your neighbors living room, considered a mental health issue?&nbsp; I think so, for if I do not soon escape this environment, my mental health is in jeopardy.&nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;

WHAT SHE SAID...!!

 

[Vanhellsink]

Hey &nbsp;cyndi - Thanks for the links. I certainly find it much easier to deal with bouts of depression if I am not surrounded by the mayhem of congested living such as those described by tt in her post. Being able to work through these periods alone without the intrusive, though generally well intended concern from others, is a positive action I can take that brings a haven for relief , although for others this course of action may not be effective.<br /><br />tt - Hi there. I feel your pain. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />&nbsp;Everything you have mentioned drives me absolutely bat sh%t crazy as well.&nbsp;I do believe some people are naturally predisposed to quieter living and for these people most modern living environments can possibly contribute to periods of frustration, hopelessness and possibly depression. So glad you are being pro-active in finding the place and lifestyle that resonates with you and a happier life.

 

[mockturtle]

I hear you, Vanhellsink! I never feel isolated when I am <em>truly alone</em>.&nbsp; While I do like people, I've always needed more time apart than do most.&nbsp; Depression may play a role but it's also a part of my nature.

 

[dborla01]

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Interesting topic, folks. I have dealt with mental&nbsp; health issues all my life. I sometimes wish to have been born in a later era or to parents, father actually, who showed me more love, and not his neurosis. My wife and I have discussed these matters many times, with her having come from a society and parents who raised her with love, but also training in the maturing years, thus she functions in a calmer, more centered manner than I. It is interesting that so many spend their first adult years making mistakes and the last decades correcting and trying to be better human beings.<img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This is an excellent thread and Bob and others have addressed the heart of the matter as pertaining to why some adopt this life style and others continue with traditional living with an eye toward diversified ways of living. Darrell&nbsp; <img src="/images/boards/smilies/idea.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /> PS. I like that emote.

 

[Guest]

Hi vanhellsink and all,<br /><br />I think that it shows a rather healthy mindset to want to live closer to nature, really. This is what the environmental folks have been saying about the wilderness and other wild places.<br /><br />Something that has not so many advocates and the thing I have heard so often is that you can't figure a value for it monetarily. I think it has a value much beyond anything monetary and is vital to our collective sanity to have places...many, not fewer, that one can go and recharge their heart, emotional self and brain.<br /><br />In my case, I do have a mental illness. I became sober and clean and worked for 16 or 17 years on clearing my wreckage up, taking care of personal business and was still having some mental issues (from childhood) that did not help me be with others or be there for others...I still have them but they are helped a huge amount through a small daily dose of a medication. I did have to give up altering my mind with substances long before I could, with professional help, find out what the problem is.<br /><br />I personally would NEVER try to offer any advice to someone who is having mental issues....they need to be treated by professionals....<br /><br />I would say though, if van or RV dwelling helps you, it sounds like a good start toward a solution...<br />Bri<br /><br />

 

[Vanhellsink]

<br />Hi Joey - tt sure did wrap up pretty nicely what many of us dislike about the confines of city or suburban living. So well in fact I laughed out loud. She did nail it.<br /><br />Hey mockturtle - Back at ya. Although I am often isolated both physically and psychologically from others, I also never feel I am alone. There is definitely something comforting and reassuring about being detached from it all (maybe another issue there). Interesting you believe withdrawing is part of your nature as I wonder if everyone has a component to them that requires removing themselves from time to time. Unfortunately if that is the case, few iy seems get the opportunity to experience distancing themselves from anything and everything as there is so much required from them to live a "conventional" life. So they press on to keep afloat eventually drifting further away from what may offer some fulfillment and peace to there lives.<br /><br />Greetings dborla01 - &nbsp;We certainly are the result of our family environment, gender role models and societal conditioning, and it's a wonder after so many years of reinforced behavior that any of us get to see the truth of who we really are, or at least develop the insight to really inquire of ourselves, or realize we have a choice to pursue a truer meaning of self. It must be wonderful to have a wife that has such a well developed set of life skills. It is also commendable that you are able to identify and acknowledge them.<br /><br />Hi ya bk2 - Your advice on not offering advice to someone who may be having issues is something that only a person coming from personal experience would understand, I think. These areas, as you say, are best left to professionals.

 

[mockturtle]

I know people who need to be around other people pretty much all the time.&nbsp; And they seem very content with their lifestyle, just as I am with mine.&nbsp; Face it, our needs are different!&nbsp; Personally, I am happy that so many want to stay in the confines of 'civilization' because it keeps them out of my space. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

I have been a loner since I was a child. Didn't feel like depression, just wanted to be by myself, I do enjoy the company of others from time to time, but I mostly prefer my time, sitting beach side listening to waves crash, long drives when my mind can wander. Even when I work I kinda hate it when my worker wants to talk to me "sometimes" , i work in deep thought, and I am very happy when I am in this mode of living. but like I said , I can hang out with people too, catcha movie, play cards, sit around BSing....etc. I may have been very stressed from time to time, but I'm not sure what depression should feel like... I love so many things in life, and I have come to make the best of life no matter where I stand. I am happy I know how to listen to my heart, and accept the times when I don't follow my gut in pursuit of a direction this isn't quite right, but more accepting for others, and I accept this, no real biggie. life is a bunch of lessons in disguise, you will reach where you need to be when you see the lesson and accept it for what it is worth....<br /><br />PS: There are times when I love the city life, I enjoy seeing how others live life, and I love the country... and no matter where I land I'll be fine!

 

[sl1966]

<span style="color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; font-size: xx-small;">There's a lotta things about me you don't know anything about. Things you wouldn't understand. Things you couldn't understand. Things you shouldn't understand.&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #ffffff; font-size: xx-small;">You don't wanna get mixed up with a guy like me. I'm a loner. A rebel. So long,<br /></span><br /></span>

 

[josephusminimus]

30-40 years ago I went through bouts of black depression, a place I couldn't find my way out of.&nbsp; Eventually around the age of 35 I found a way to free myself of it and it's never re-entered my life.&nbsp; I don't think being a loner was the result of depression, or the depression was because I was a loner.&nbsp; They just peacefully coexisted, both before when I still experienced depression, and afterward when I didn't.<br /><br />But I do find solitude a satisfactory way to spend my life.&nbsp; Depression, however, wasn't.

 

[Seraphim]

I'm not a people person. I'm extremely introverted and the longer I work with the public the less I think of humanity in general. Ive grown extremely tired of them expecting me to solve normally trivial problems which they often generated for themselves. So I'm extremely asocial. Not anti-, just a- . I can join a party and pretend, but I never really enjoy it. I want out in a very short time. I want a life away from people as much as possible. They are at best a distraction and more often a source of stress. The best I can say of humanity is they are a source of job security, although I often have to bite my tongue. "So you sent 500 dollars to a person in India to pay the 'winnings' tax on the $100,000 you allegedly won from the Malaysian lottery before they actually sen t you the winnings? Tell me, doo you remember ever actually ENTERING the Malaysian lottery?"
If people ever developed common sense, I'd be out of a job. But when I'm away from people, I'm relaxed, stress free, and almost ready to join the human race.

Almost.

My son is 100% the opposite. He's not happy unless he's with a small crowd of friends, of whom he has many.

Everyone's different.

 

[joey]

There's a lotta things about me you don't know anything about. Things you wouldn't understand. Things you couldn't understand. Things you shouldn't understand.You don't wanna get mixed up with a guy like me. I'm a loner. A rebel. So long

<br /><br />expiallidocious ????? it isn't showing up.

 

[angeli]

I've lived with a mentally ill spouse for almost 20 years now. &nbsp;I've also grown up in a family where two members were bi-polar and undiagnosed until well into adulthood.<br /><br />I think there is a component of sensitivity to others or to one's environment that goes into the desire for isolation, sometimes. &nbsp;We can get so numb to life if we are totally immersed in the 'daily grind' at a level that is considered normal. &nbsp;This world we live in does not necessarily promote self-reflection or connection with nature or even balance.<br /><br />Sometimes a desire for a thoughtful life necessitates isolation, or at least the option of isolating in segments of time. &nbsp;I believe this to be a very healthy alternative, along with meditation, prayer, fasting. &nbsp;Simply observing. &nbsp;<br /><br />This is almost opposite the accepted norm of working, running, getting, accumulating, constantly moving in pursuit of goals (whether healthy or not). &nbsp;<br /><br />To me, the mobile life can provide a chance to be still and listen.<br /><br />I agree that mental health issues mostly need to be dealt with appropriately by folks who are trained in that field, but I also do not believe that modern psych has ALL the answers. &nbsp;Sometimes our own spirits are wiser than we will admit.

 

[sl1966]

expiallidocious ????? it isn't showing up.

<br /><br />it does if you quote or highlight it. I quoted pee wee herman from pee wee's big adventure.<br /><br />

 

[sl1966]

Trying to live in civilized society has just about driven me completely mad. I figured I would put myself someplace with pretty scenery while I still have the presence of mind to appreciate it.&nbsp;<br /><br />

 

[She]

I'm not sure...&nbsp; Is it considered a mental health issue, to be sick and tired of listening to traffic, car alarms, helicopters, sirens, trains, booming stereos, screaming kids, neighbors' fights, ice cream trucks, the incessant yapping of uncared-for-dogs?&nbsp; Is the ever present urge to escape the crush of the crowd and the constant demands of society a mental health issue?&nbsp; Is the longing to look out your window or door and be able to see for miles, rather than a view of your neighbors living room, considered a mental health issue?&nbsp; I think so, for if I do not soon escape this environment, my mental health is in jeopardy.&nbsp; <br /><br />

<br /><br />I was so thinking of this today among the kid who threw a football at my company car..another one who gave me the finger when I tried to do the right thing &nbsp;and the old ladies who should NOT be driving anywhere there are people. All I could think of was quiet today. Thank god I can take my hearing aids out at the end of the day...but I still SEE them.