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When you are unhappy, do your dolls cheer you up? (Emotionally dependent on them?)

Nov 5, 2004

    1. Well, today I feel like talking. About me, and dolls, and how it helped me throught a bad time in my life. I want to know if anyone else has gone through anything similar.

      I suffer from depression and general anxiety. I got bad around the second semester of 2004.
      I started therapy, and later on, medication. While the medication did help, one thing was essential for my mental health. A hobbie!
      It started with Pullip dolls. Then, came Jillian.
      [​IMG]


      Having these dolls, and the simple act of sitting down, changing their outfits and taking some pictures.. it helped me get away from reality for a little bit.

      I am now medication-free, and currently adapting to it.

      I've recently had a really close friend confront me and call me insane, imature and childish for spending money on such things... but little does she know that this saved me. It upset me immensly to hear such things. I'm sure some of you might have dealt with people like this.

      I just want to thank everyone in this forum for introducing me to the world of BJDs, and welcoming with such open arms into this wonderful hobbie.

      That's it, and sorry if it was too long.

      Please feel free to share your own experience. :)
       
    2. Hi,
      I am happy for you tat u are mediciation free..
      I dun have experiences..
      but I do think they can be a great comfort or listening ear...
      esp when u are down or feeling low.. :grin:
      I used to think dolls can protect me when i was young..
      to tell u the truth.. I still think they do.. :grin:
      anyway take carez =)
       
    3. I'm glad you shared this. I consider myself lucky because I've not had too many bad experiences. Not to mention I'd probably give my friends a piece of my mind if they were to make remarks.

      The way I see it, you're allowed to be happy. As long as you hobbie dosen't hurt you or another living thing, you're allowed to be happy. I'm very glad to know that you're still enjoying your dolls.

      As for my friend, is I had one who said those nasty things to me, I think I'd keep the dolls and loose the friend. A real friend will support you. He/She dosen't have to agree with everything you do, but a true friend will support you and celebrate you for having the guts to be the person you are.

      I hope you tell your friend that, and then kindly go out and buy another expensive doll...

      Christal
       
    4. thankyou for replying

      yeah we've exchanged a few nasty e-mails (she is in brazil, my home country)
      after a while she seems to have understood
      but i will keep it to myself now, i'm chosing who i talk about dolls with
      :P
      funny thing is, after all the stressed she caused me, i dealt with it by playing with my dolls ;)
       
    5. Hi :)

      I can relate to you alot, I too have anxiety problems and also obsessive compulsive disorder.

      I have found this new interest in BJD's very distracting and comforting in regard to my OCD and anxiety.

      I used to feel like I wasn't happy to do things on my own, without my friends or family, without feeling lonely and bored/unhappy and this has really given me something I CAN do by myself, comfortably and happily

      I actually feel more independant and confident because of it. I totally know how you feel!
       

    6. you understand exactly how it is, thankyou for replying!
       
    7. oh, wow -

      it's so nice to find out there are other people out there like me (the depression, anxiety, the OCD, heck for awhile doctors even thought i had schizophrenia - thankfully not!)

      i know exactly what you mean (tho i'm still on meds) and the dolls and my pets have kept me from killing myself(sorry if that seems so blatant, but it's true!)

      when i have my dolls around me, i don't feel alone any more... like there are people who really care about me (other than my family - they've been supportive too!)

      but the dolls also helped me out in another area - i also have gender disphoria... and so having dolls that i could switch bodies on helped me to... well, live out my dreams... if that makes sense. and while i am lucky to have supportive people around me, some how i just never believe it until i see my dolls' smiling faces. it's amazing how much a little innocent face will cheer you up! somedays, i wish i could carry one of them around with me, but i get enough strange looks already that make me uncomfortable.

      it was amazing as well that my mom actually got me into the dolls as a way to connect with me better because at the time, i was fading fast and probably would have killed myself if it weren't for this hobby and the effort my mom put into spending time with me. i'm sorry if this is long and off topic, but it makes me feel a lot better letting it out and knowing about others with similiar feelings.
       

    8. i really am glad that this hobbie helped you too
      though some people might not understand it and find it 'creepy', i believe it's a very healthy hobbie!
       
    9. I am really happy that your dollies helped you during the hard times in your life. And about your friend.. look at it this way. You don't need her approval to enjoy something like BJDs. You have only one life, so treating yourself once in a while is good, especially in your case, where dolls have a therapeutic value. And I don't think it's really, well, her business, to tell you how to spend your money. Makes me think she herself needs a dolly or two to be a happier person? ^___^
       
    10. I am a liitle hesitant to reply, because i am always afriad to talk about any mental problems I have. I am currently and several meds, for Genreal anxiety disorder, mild bi-polar disorder, OCD, Post Traumatic stress disorder, and panic attacks.
      There are aspects about this hobby that help me, like crocheting clothes for them, I find that particular craft very comforting and relaxing.
      Unfortunatly, i have to sell my dolls because of financial difficulties, but i am hopefull to have one again, soon.
      The biggest thing about this hobby that has helped me is this forum. I have found friends here, nearly all will respond to me and that helps, but some have turned into real friends, that I can really talk to , and that is a great help. Most of the time, my anxiety is either about security, or I think no one cares. The people here go a long way towards filling that need for me. Thanks, DOA.
       
    11. I'm glad that this hobby has been able to help you, as well. :)

      It has also helped me in a lot of ways. I have anxiety and panic attacks, situational depression, chronic migraines, and marfan syndrome amongst many other things. It's very depressing to be at home all of the time, only getting out of the house to go to appointments (I have an appointment to sign up for Disability today).

      But these dolls help me a lot - to get out of the house and go to doll meetings (rarely, but it's still nice to go), and find a group of like-minded people that have come to this hobby for either the same reason or their own reason. It's always nice to hear other's experiences when bonding with these dolls.

      My dolls are a way for me to express myself as well. Each of my dolls represents a part of me, a part of my persona. I take them with me when I see my therapist, and explain which part of me each one represents. It really helps me to open up about myself to my therapist.
       
    12. I'm glad how much bettter you are. I'm only sixteen, and I've been through quite alot in my life as well.
      My brother is severely mentally ill, he;s a completely different person then he was three or four yers ago.
      I have depression as well, and it was to a point where it was so bad it mimiced Bipolar disorder. I am also a cutter. I have been cut free for eight months, barring a minor setback a week ago. You never really get rid of that. I am therapy and drug free.
      And I think after moving twice and setting up shop here in tennessee, I'm the happiest I have ever been. Mostly all of what I talk about is dolls this and dolls that, and so and so on DoA is sooo nice, and he DOES NOT LOOK LIKE A SKINNY GIRL MOM! Lol.
      One great thing about the doll is it's a control. You have it, you pose it, you clothe it. It helps.

      Much Love
      Cat
       
    13. I suffer from the same thing as you, and have been med-free for several months now. I find creating and such keeps me busy, and if I get stressed or upset, I have something to turn to for comfort. I'm glad someone else found the release I did :)
       
    14. Dolls have helped me too. I was depressed, having a lot of emotional problems, just totally a failure of a person when it came to interacting with others without pissing them off, always had been the 'weird' and bullied one. I never went to the hospital for treatment, though my doctor said I should, because my parents (here we go again) thought I was 'exaggerating' and would be 'wasting money'. I was trying hard to get better, but I'd keep hitting new lows. I couldn't ever figure out anything that could help me.

      Then finally, just recently, after I got my doll, I suddenly felt like my whole life had been put into perspective. My doll gives me a reason to exist, he justifies my existence. And I've really stopped being so sensitive to others remarks. I really feel happier than I've ever been before. He makes me happy.

      I guess...it's the power of love? Love between you and your doll. :daisy I'm really happy now, I feel like all those things I used to be are really now properly gone with the arrival of my doll!
       
    15. My dolls have turned my life around also.
      I have a stomach disease called Gastroparesis as well as an ulcer. It's so unheard of that it took me 4 years to finally be diagnosed because no doctor around here even knew about it. Luckily the GI specialist that actually discovered the disease moved to a hospital nearby and I was able to go see him. I had to be put on a waiting list for 8 months to even get an appointment. I have had alot of mental anguish because of all this. When I was so sick and yet no doctor could find anything wrong with me my friends and family thought I was making it up. People started avoiding me because I was always too sick to do anything fun. My husband was the only one who stood by me during that time. (Luckily I have since made several close friends that understand my problems and are far more compassionate.)
      I have never been through anything as horrible as being so violently sick every single day and no one baing able to find out why. It made me literally want to die rather than suffer another day of feeling this way.
      My dolls came into my life about 6 months ago. I have noticed a big difference. My medical condition hasn't changed all that much but my ability to cope with it has. I am far more optimistic about life. Alot of times when I feel particularly bad I don't want to be around anyone. At times like that I can go sit queitly with my boys and play with them or even just sit and hold them. It's definitly better than any therapy. In fact it kind of IS therapy.
      Before I got sick I was very social and was hardly ever at home. So being stuck at home so much really got to me. Now I look foward to spending time at home with my boys. I would like to add though that I DO have a social life. I have more friends now than I have in a long time, in fact. My boys are not a substitution for that. But they do mean a great deal to me and I wouldn't be the same without them. They are definitly a major source of happiness for me.

      (Sorry that got so long-winded. XD)
       
    16. 'cause I can't express me so well in english.... my message in portuguese ^^'

      Meninuxa! É lindo ouvir isso, é algo que eu não sabia... esse povinho que fala essas besteiras pra gente é foda... eles não entendem o quanto faz bem... eles não entendem a diferença.
      Na família do meu pai depressão parece ser algo comum e talvez seja genético. Se for, eu peguei isso dele...
      A Choco me salvou muitas vezes de me enforcar ou coisas do tipo... - isso é algop que quase ninguém daqui de casa sabe...
      Eu me tornei muito mais alegre... eu me tornei mais viva... e todo mundo nota isso!
      Eu passei a me importar mais... passei a lutar mais..
      Ela e o Mika se tornaram os meus lindos amigos imaginários que não tem preço, por mais que todos tentem esfregar o preço deles no meu nariz... eles valem mais! Muito mais!

      Beijos, espero que ela possa te fazer cada dia mais feliz!

      Cacau

      P.S: I'm sorry... but I express myself better in portuguese.. so..... forgive me. I know the one that the message is to, will understand.
       
    17. Naturally, dolls cheer me up, and have been something fun and positive to focus on during challenging times.
       
    18. *raises hand* Angst connected with strong asthma and allergies. I'm currently going through a pretty hard treatment for the allergies, that might help me a lot or make me even worse than before... and my doctor is a self-righteous asshole that thinks the whole decease is in my head, which makes the situation even worse.

      The doll is something to look foreward to, to make me hang in there as well as being a prize for not telling my doctor how much I hate him and that he can go f*** himself (he is the only specialist who works with the treatment I want, so I have to go to him or move across the country to find another...).

      As for positive affects from playing with the doll... I'll get back to you in a month's time
       
    19. Meant to reply earlier but then got bombarded with things to do *_*

      Ignore people who are negative towards your dolls. It's human nature for people to pick, prod and poke at what they don't understand or connect with.

      If someone loves and cares for you, they don't need to understand the dolls. As my husband has said to me on several occasions, "I don't get the dolls. But I get that they make you happy, and that's all that matters."

      And Cacau.. such strong language! :lol: I was surprised when I plugged it into the online translator.
       
    20. I have a few chronic medical conditions, and a few mental conditions, all of which I'm medicated for. I'm also in therapy. But I find my two boys are an immense comfort to me. They're so sweet and pretty, I love taking photos of them and creating little photo stories that humour me, so I definitely agree that it's a bit of an escape from reality.