struggle
ˈstrʌɡ(ə)l/
verb
gerund or present participle: struggling
1. make forceful or violent efforts to
get free of restraint or constriction.
"before she could struggle, he lifted her up"
And it's not like when people use 'love' in different ways and to different people.
“I’m struggling” is something I’ve said a number of times in my life - like,
a countless amount of times. But slowly, over the course of my mental health
journey - I won’t say ‘recovery’ because I’m currently sectioned under the
Mental Health Act and in a Psychiatric Hospital; so ‘recovery’ is debateable
right now – that word that sentence, has begun to change it’s meaning…
When I first got mentally unwell, in 2009, “I’m struggling” meant that I
was hearing voices, wanting to self-harm, wanting to overdose, and close to
being sectioned and/or hospitalised.
Next, “I’m struggling” meant maybe I could do with some PRN medication –
like Lorazepam.
And then “I’m struggling” was code for ‘I-feel-a-bit-anxious.
Support
verb
verb: support;
3rd person present: supports; past tense: supported; past
participle: supported; gerund or present participle: supporting
1.
bear all
or part of the weight of; hold up.
"the
dome was supported by a hundred white columns"
synonyms:
|
hold
up, bear, carry, prop up, keep up, bolster up, brace, shore up, underpin, buttress,
reinforce
"the
roof was supported by massive stone pillars"
|
o be
capable of fulfilling (a role) adequately.
"tutors gain practical experience which helps
them support their tutoring role"
2.
give
assistance to, especially financially
Another phrase/word that’s changed has been ‘support.’ In the beginning,
‘support’ was all about being sectioned and the Crisis Team, and then it was
about my Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), and now it’s about my community
support; Richmond Fellowship, my Mum and family, and my friends.
I thought it was really interesting – the thought that something so simple and so common, could change its entire rationale and definition, over the course of a few years. I mean, a lot has changed in a ‘few years’ – but still!
I guess that as people grow and our vocabulary grow, it’s only inevitable that our definition of words, phrases, and sentences, change and grow too.