10. Messages of support (Hospital and Me and BPD)

I had five steady visitors who supported me while I was on Stanage,  but another level of support I also had was a constant stream of messages from friends. 

I didn’t say anything on Facebook about the fact I was an on a psychiatric ward, as I felt that maybe I’d be judged quite harshly on there. I was more open on Instagram, and whilst I didn’t post loads about why I was there or what it was like, I did say where I was. From this, and from word spreading between my friends, I started to get lots of messages coming in.

Two friends (Michelle and Jonathan) live quite nearby the ward, and were in touch regularly offering to bring me cake and chocolate (sorry I never took you up on this, guys), others sent little gifts in the post for Tom to bring in, and some responded regularly to the stories I posted on Instagram, sending love after particularly bad nights, or when I was feeling really hopeless.

My sister, Lynne, sent me loads of photos and updates about my niece, Emma. Seeing their faces in photos made me smile and cry in equal measure!

One person stands out in my memory more than any other during that time. My friend Marie texted me every single day I was in there, about anything and everything. She’d ask how I was but also report on what crazy things her kids were doing, or how things were at work. She also sent me excellent photos like this selfie. She’s an absolute legend. And now she’ll never let me forget I’ve said that.

It meant the world to me that people didn’t back off when they heard where I was. I guess it would have been easy to sort of think ‘Oh I don’t know what to say’ and therefore just avoid contacting me altogether, so the fact that so many people reached out really kept me going and helped me to feel like I was still a person, just a poorly one.

That lack of judgement for anyone with a mental health problem means more than you’ll ever know. Thanks, guys.

Sarah x