Mental health and modelling

Mental health is one of those weird subjects for some people. Unfortunately for me it hits close to home.
Some of yal know I had a Traumatic brain incident ( T.B.I.) a while back. That causes allot of issues .
Well for me , I retreat into my models and build like a madd man , no pun intended.
I have been very active on here and really enjoy seeing all the great builds and comments . Hopefully this all will pass soon and I can get back to commenting and being a more active member .
It is strange how having never met the members here , I find myself missing the camaraderie while at the same time not having the mental bandwidth for it.
So just as a fair warning I will be back to harassing everyone with comments and questions soon, as long as I can get the headaches under control as well.
Remember be good to your brain , you only get one.

12 Likes

I’m glad it helps. I’ve had no trauma so can’t relate personally. But when I’m on the floor battling the carpet monster with my brightest flashlight, I wonder whether this hobby is really good for my mental health.

2 Likes

Carpet monster aside, anything that helps you to relax and relieves stress is good both physically and mentally.

2 Likes

Sad to hear you had a traumatic brain incident. Nice to hear that model building can help you with your rehabilitation. keeping your brain busy in a relaxed way is making progress.

my employer just fired me and my mental state is not optimal. I have a long way to go for searching another job but making models works relaxing for me and keeps my stresslevel lower than it is.

Get well soon and keep on building :wink:

4 Likes

Take your time and get better we should still be here when you come back.

2 Likes

Sorry to hear about the head trauma. It’s something my dad has made very clear I don’t want to get, so it sucks to hear that others I know have suffered it. I hope things get better from here!

2 Likes

Thanks guys. It actually happened several months ago and the effects are something I live with now . It just comes in spurts.

2 Likes

Chris I used to joke about model building being my therapy for many years becaused it calmed me. Well there came a time when I could not keep m interest in the hobby. I went to the doctor and he gave me a quite simple test. He came back and told me I have HDADD! WHT. I thought this is aquired as a child? The Doctor yes this was when it was typically discovered.See I’m60+ years old ADDHD wasn’t seen until the 80s. put me on cymbolta and had my old drive o build again. Look at building as a therapy session and take your time .

2 Likes

I agree it is therapy . It was before this all happened .
To be honest I was being a whiney little B/@+(# when I first posted this . To be honest its difficult to forget something after 10 minutes , not be able to drive , have horrible headaches and only feel normal when I play styrene hermit and spend the day in silence with models , my dog and the people on here .
Dont get me wrong there are good days , just going through a rough spell and I will stop whining and start making jokes again.

2 Likes

Chris, I hope things level out soon and it’s back to good days in the very near future. You’re an excellent member, I enjoy seeing your projects and commentary. Looking forward to next model build update when you feel like posting it.

2 Likes

Hope things improve for you soon. Having dealt with panic and anxiety that stemmed from a gallbladder attack around 40, I can say that not having your brain working normally is one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with. Mental health is so important so yeah I feel kind of stupid for all the times I got drunk in my twenties. My poor brain. :frowning:

2 Likes

I think there’s a lot of common ground across many of the shades of Depression, and mental health related to actual injuries. All I know is that this hobby provides me with (additional) reasons to get up in the morning, goals, mental exercise, enjoyment, and at least sometimes satisfaction. These forums offer a whole swag of extra benefits, and as Chris mentioned most of us would probably agree it can be a welcome refuge too.

I guess the only thing it doesn’t offer is outdoor physical exercise (apart from doing battle with the carpet monster) which is another important anti-blues component, although when things aren’t going right my default cure is to walk round the block a couple of times. Often things don’t look half as bad after that.

I’ve noticed that my friends have hobbies too, whereas acquaintances & family members who seem to have no identifiable hobbies & reasons to be in regular contact with like-minded people (particularly in Retirement) don’t seem to travel so well in Life generally. The fact that we’re here & talking about it is a big step in the right direction & I’m proud of everyone who has the guts to express it - bravo Chris & all other posters :clinking_glasses:

3 Likes

Sorry, I’m afraid you can’t be: that’s my job around here. I’m a non-building kit collector with no good reason for being so. I’ve never experienced any significant physical trauma or any mental strain beyond that which is part of an unremarkable average life which never involved putting on a uniform of any sort. I’m just a depressive aspie of the nervous kind. I am in awe of those members of this and other groups/boards I infest who carry on their hobbies in the face of many greater challenges both physical and mental, and who mostly do so with good humour. It was once pointed out on a Post-Apocalyptic group how it was a little odd that so many of us with depression liked to relax by contemplating the end of civilisation as we know it… I lurk, heckle, make off-topic posts and unhelpful (or incomprehensible) suggestions to communities which have so far proved remarkably tolerant and supportive, for which I am most grateful.

Best wishes,

M

2 Likes

@Chris_Bryan , it takes balls to talk about it! Well done mate!! Regardless if you know the people you are talking to or not, its a great step. It may be easier talking to anonymous people, but keep the model building going and communication open.

After an f’d few years for everyone, unfortunately there is always someone in a worse position. I find the forums an outlet and an inspiration, which the credit goes to you reading this and creating the new topics.

All the best to you Chris and everyone else!!

Happy modeling

3 Likes

hi Chris,
modelling is definitely a part of my own Sanity therapy- no brain injury (as far as I’m aware). I use it as my decompression after the day of stupidity that seems to be the norm in my job these days.
I live in the UK and there also a group here called “Models for Hero’s”, which is basically a social modelling group for veterans with both visible and not so visible trauma/injuries. I’m not myself a veteran but have tagged along to one or two meetings/events to share my limited modelling knowledge. Been an humbling experience.
Stay Well.
P

3 Likes

The scale modeling community is a wonderful place to go for me. I am a certified introvert and have suffered from anxiety and depression on and off for many years. When I sit at the bench and immerse myself in the build, with a YouTube video on oil paint rendering or kit reviews, or maybe one of the many great podcasts chatting away beside me, I can feel the stresses of life just melting away.
I have been a member of the Kitmaker Network since June 2009 (with the auspicious Subscriber #007), and I would hate to try to calculate the number of hours that I have spent here trawling through threads, learning new techniques, sharing information and stories, and most of all building a great network of friends around the world. I would not regret a single minute of that time spent here.

Model on folks, and keep the lines of communication open.

Cheers, D

4 Likes

Well the responses have certainly been overwhelming with support.
Its getting better for a bit. Just had to throw myself into modelling for a bit.
6 different therapies each week and family in town all last week was more than the old grey matter could handle . I wont even go into the really bad parts of this whole ordeal.
I believe the overbearing tide of brain fog and general mental disconnect is receding for a bit now .
So to quote those famous words … " Im back".

5 Likes

The title is a double edged sword. Modeling can drive you batty working on a 1200 piece kit that is not going well. However it can also imply an activity that can reduce stress.

1 Like

Cheers,

M

2 Likes