• CaptainEffort
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    10 months ago

    I have the same thing with my dog. I made an attempt when I was 18, then got a dog at 20. I’m 24 now and still struggle a lot with depression, wishing the attempt had worked and all that, but would never do it now because I can’t imagine leaving my dog all by himself.

    • KnitWit@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Commenting in both of these comments so y’all both see it, but be careful with having a living thing as your safety net. It’s tough to think about, but at some thine they will pass and the ground will fall out from under you. Speaking from experience here.

      Edit: Sorry, not trying to darken an already dark topic.

      • CaptainEffort
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        10 months ago

        No, you’re totally right. My hope is that I’m in a more stable place when that day comes. I’m already doing a lot better, so here’s to hoping.

        I appreciate you saying that tho, I think that’s important to hear for a lot of people in similar situations, because it’s absolutely true.

        • KnitWit@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Right on, best of luck and be safe out there. I was on the fence of whether to post anything or not. Mainly was afraid I’d get the response that I did from the other commenter. If I learned anything from that experience, and closer to what I originally wanted to convey but don’t think I did, is that it’s important to not rely on one thing to keep you going. Having a pet to help keep you going is great, but my mistake was having my dog be ‘the only thing’, so losing him also lost the last thing that was keeping me going.

          Anyways, have a good one and give your puppers a hug.

        • KnitWit@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Yikes. I don’t know a better way to phrase it, but I sure as hell wish someone had said that to me 10 years ago; before my dog who was my safety net got a brain tumor out of nowhere and had to be put down. What do you do when the only thing that’s keeping you afloat becomes an anchor? Animals are absolutely great and I’m not saying they shouldn’t have them or even use them to help mental health. But having a living thing that is the only thing stopping you from self-harm is dangerous.