Under Construction - MHWA Retreat

It's weird for me. My mental health is at its best right now, because I'm in a unique situation where my employer has allowed me to work from home. I'm in my "man-cave/office" every day, alone, and it's wonderful. I've had the best attitude and I'm more productive. I've always been a solo act, and I thrive on solitude.

I've always done better living alone, too. My anxiety (that's my biggest mental health issue) gets triggered easily when there are too many people around. I live with two other people (and two cats) at the moment and it gets a little rough sometimes. My girlfriend is amazing, which is why I'm allowing myself to co-habitate with her, but it's always a struggle. This is why I need to have my room, which is a converted garage, to retreat to.My preference for living alone is one of the big reasons I was single for most of my life. I'm powering through it, because I think it's worth it.

It's funny, because I'm actually a social person. I like being around other people but only for short spans of time. A night out here and there, a get together at a friend's house, those are all great and I enjoy them but I need my recharge time which requires me to be alone.

So, I guess my answer to the question is that my mental health is at its best when I can control my interactions with others and be left alone to do what I need to do. It's at its worst when I'm forced to be around a lot of people for extended periods of time. I don't work well when I have someone constantly looking over my shoulder.