BJDs as therapy...

I got into dolls after being diagnosed and treated for depression, so it's hard to say if they help, exactly, or if I'm just doing better in general, but they definitely give me something to look forward to and get excited about ^_^

 

Generally I use my hobbies as a form of calming therapy when things get too stressful or hassle, and thinking of the character I want for my doll is no exception. ^_^

 

I've got a story to add. ^-^ Over the years I have had severe anxiety, paranoia, and psychotic episodes. I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder a long time ago, and no amount of medication really seemed to help me in the long run. Prescriptions can be expensive, and longtime use is never recommended. Not only that, but general therapy gets outrageously expensive here in the states. I paid $40 a weekly session with my psychologist, and that was with a 60% discount thanks to connections. Needless to say it didn't last long.

I was never really a doll collector or doll enthusiast of any kind. They never interested me growing up. My parents bought me Barbies and Polly Pockets and Bratz, but I just didn't like them. I used to rip off the dresses they came with, throw the dolls in my toy bin, and dress my rubber lizards and Bionicles up with the outfits instead.

Plush animals, blankets, and other toys have always been a therapeutic measure for me to use for my anxiety and paranoia. I've added personalities to all sorts of inanimate objects and have spoken to them aloud just to relieve my irrational fear and delusions. Sometimes I even feel that I connect more with inanimates than I do people. I once ripped my shoe off and threw it at a guy that my wife and I had had a fight with. I missed him, but the shoe hit the wall really hard, and I burst into tears because I literally thought that I'd injured my shoe and that it would never forgive me. (I couldn't care less about the guy.)

I got into BJD collecting feeling that my Zenith would simply be a lovely expensive art piece to show off to friends and family when they came to visit. Goodness, was I wrong... Every time I take Zenith out of his case, I feel this rush of relief, as if he's saying to me, "Don't worry. I know exactly how you feel." Maybe it's his constant worried expression or his familiar resin smell, but I relate to him on a level that I have never related to any other therapy object I've ever used. And Zenith is so much more than an object now. People may say BJDs don't really have personalities or sentience, but I strongly believe that we give our dolls sentience and personalities the more we interact with them.

Caring for another being is one of the ultimate forms of therapy in my book. I feel better whenever I care for my daughter, and Zenith gives me the same feeling. I feel like an innocent kid again when I have him around, and he helps me keep my thoughts from diving off the deep end.

 

I have most definitely found myself happier since purchasing my first BJD. I suffer from bad undiagnosed depression, and I often don't have the desire to do anything at all. I get my dolls and it's like BAM! Suddenly interested in photography, carpentry, and sewing. Granted I'm a novice at all these things, but that doesn't matter to me. I haven't felt this content in a long time.

 

My work is very active, i'm a workaholic and enjoy it i usually tried to do some physical work to give some rest for my brains. but i found our that bjd hobby is the best relaxation for me, as i can release a little (deamon ) artist sitting inside me