GRRR that is so frustrating and it happens so much with mental health conditions. I do not know if the desire to trivialize it is the reason, or if its some way of connecting with me,but I feel it is passive aggressive. Its almost selfish really because you share something and instead of listening or validating, the other person makes it about themselves. I have heard it all about my bipolar. Sometimes the topic has come up and its" Oh I have mood swings too!" or " I am always up and down" "i have crying days too". " I know! Its just sooooo exhausting!" I'm like no-no-being moody is not the same as bipolar. Do you get so "down" that you forget to shower, eat and speak? Do you get so high that you start to reorganize your entire filing cabinet at 2am and then leave it unfinished on the dining room table for two weeks?
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Originally Posted by WishfulThinker66
I have a friend whose response to my mentioning my anxiety is to suggest she gets anxious too. I don't wish to invalidate her feelings but it is obvious that her level of anxiety in no way reaches that which we here all describe as something debilitating we are going through. In a way I feel she is trivializing the disorder. Supposing she does have anxiety in her life it is certainly not debilitating or all life consuming to her. She doesn't appear to be sick in the way I have been for months. She also has a tendancy to discredit anxiety by saying things like, "You just have to be strong.""You just have to stop thinking negatively." I feel she is poo-pooing my problem.
So I have stopped confiding in her my problem(s) and how it is impacting my life.
This is a shame as it is affecting what has been a very good relationship. And yes, I find myself calling her an aquaintance more and more.
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