I am glad your mental health is doing better, Lauri. I will note that a couple of days ago you said your mental health was doing poorly. I am wondering if you are in any way tracking your moods, by journaling or maybe with an app? There's loads of apps that serve as mood trackers and they can be really helpful. I am not discrediting your feeling better, or saying that it's inauthentic or not real somehow, but I have noticed you tend to post a lot of up and down. It might be helpful to try and figure out what is causing such frequent shifts and if there's anything you can do to mitigate it.

There's this book I love called The Usual Error. It's about communication and relationships but it has a lot of insights into personal growth, too. Basically, the "usual error" is that we all assume everyone thinks just like us. I find that's an easy mistake to make and I think it may be what's going on here, for you. It's awesome and amazing that you were able to get through hard times without the mental hospital, but that doesn't mean everyone else can do the same. Sometimes a stay in the mental hospital is direct prevention for hurting oneself or others. If someone really feels they're at risk for harm it's important that they should go. That's what they're there for, even if someone goes multiple times. I understand you are doing your best to be encouraging but I think it's important to note that just because you could do something a certain way doesn't mean everyone else can.

I know you have a compassionate heart and I hope you continue to work on improving relationships with yourself and others. I hope your mental health continues to stabilize, too. It's always nice to feel like one is stable.