Hey there!
I'm trying to gather stories and resources of all kinds of poultry and how they aided people's mental health. I know mine certainly have... a story which will be shared in my synthesis essay for my English class this year. What I ask of you is to tell me your name (or any name you feel like giving), roughly your age, and your story of what poultry did to aide your recovery and continued stability in your respective mental illness journeys. I am probably going to post the finished essay at the conclusion of this thread, but I encourage you to not only share your own stories but others, links, articles... anything.
So for me...
My name is Sean Wonder. I am in high school. I have major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder-- one of the most two common diagnosis's of all time. Before I got chickens I was listless... I barely ate, slept, or did any school work. I hated myself, and felt I had nothing to live for. I had no confidence and generally felt lonely regardless of how many people I was around. I ended up getting hospitalized and put on medication, and was getting better... then, for my birthday, my mom blessed me with seven perfect little chicks. I had been begging for chickens for roughly 5 years before this birthday. The original chickens are now 1 year old as of last March, and we have four new additions, 3 of which are 2 months and 1 of which just turned a month old yesterday. My chickens were entirely my responsibility, and I loved it.
Through my chickens, I learned coping skills for when I have suicidal thoughts. Even on bad days, I am able to motivate and inspire myself to do the very minimum for my chickens... which always leads to me doing more than I intended, and finally taking care of myself. My chickens have become a gateway out of my depressive episodes. Some nights when I can't sleep, or after school when I'm too nervous to focus, I snuggle a chicken. My chickens seem to know when I don't feel okay... they often purr while I cry, and fall asleep in my arms or on my chest when I'm feeling too crazy to breathe. They give me something to focus on. I often encourage myself using my chickens... if I can just take a shower, or eat this breakfast, or do this schoolwork... then I have more time for my animals, the creatures I love beyond all reason.
My chickens have taught me life is simple, and nothing is perfect-- that God is forgiving, and always loving. In the span of a year since I've got these chickens, I've become socially active, exercising more, eating more, stressing less, and a nearly straight A student. I've become more confident with my looks, and feel less shame for the things I love to talk about... mostly, my chickens!
What's your story?
I'm trying to gather stories and resources of all kinds of poultry and how they aided people's mental health. I know mine certainly have... a story which will be shared in my synthesis essay for my English class this year. What I ask of you is to tell me your name (or any name you feel like giving), roughly your age, and your story of what poultry did to aide your recovery and continued stability in your respective mental illness journeys. I am probably going to post the finished essay at the conclusion of this thread, but I encourage you to not only share your own stories but others, links, articles... anything.
So for me...
My name is Sean Wonder. I am in high school. I have major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder-- one of the most two common diagnosis's of all time. Before I got chickens I was listless... I barely ate, slept, or did any school work. I hated myself, and felt I had nothing to live for. I had no confidence and generally felt lonely regardless of how many people I was around. I ended up getting hospitalized and put on medication, and was getting better... then, for my birthday, my mom blessed me with seven perfect little chicks. I had been begging for chickens for roughly 5 years before this birthday. The original chickens are now 1 year old as of last March, and we have four new additions, 3 of which are 2 months and 1 of which just turned a month old yesterday. My chickens were entirely my responsibility, and I loved it.
Through my chickens, I learned coping skills for when I have suicidal thoughts. Even on bad days, I am able to motivate and inspire myself to do the very minimum for my chickens... which always leads to me doing more than I intended, and finally taking care of myself. My chickens have become a gateway out of my depressive episodes. Some nights when I can't sleep, or after school when I'm too nervous to focus, I snuggle a chicken. My chickens seem to know when I don't feel okay... they often purr while I cry, and fall asleep in my arms or on my chest when I'm feeling too crazy to breathe. They give me something to focus on. I often encourage myself using my chickens... if I can just take a shower, or eat this breakfast, or do this schoolwork... then I have more time for my animals, the creatures I love beyond all reason.
My chickens have taught me life is simple, and nothing is perfect-- that God is forgiving, and always loving. In the span of a year since I've got these chickens, I've become socially active, exercising more, eating more, stressing less, and a nearly straight A student. I've become more confident with my looks, and feel less shame for the things I love to talk about... mostly, my chickens!
What's your story?
