[uranium_death]

About 10 years ago the behavioural issues with my brother exploded.
He was always developmentally behind (I am his twin - and I'm apparently "normal", though I still dispute that to this day...that being both points) and has a recognised learning disability, but he also has a bad temper. A very bad temper.

We had some bad times and our coping has been through exposure and basically knowing what triggers the behavioural episodes. Sometimes they are unavoidable.

From a personal point of view, it exploded when I was doing my Year 12, so it was a stressful time.
As time has gone on and I have had the means to be independent (working full time and having a car and my own computer is brillaint) and disassociating myself from his issues has been my coping mechanism.

My parents (well, my old man actually) have sent him on courses every Wednesday at Holmesglen TAFE to learn about life skills and looking after himself.

This is in preparation for my parents buying him a house and him living a monitored yet semi-independent life.

My parents carry a burden still and their freedom is very restricted currently, but we have all learned.

Personally, I've had anxiety for much of my life and it has really become quite bad this year - with the last two months being a difficult time.

A lot of how we cope is through experience.
During the bad times, having a support network is crucial. Even if they aren't directly aware or we cannot share everything, having the security blanket there is a comfort.

The key is not to bottle it in. It does feel good to talk about things - ignore those damned fools that say it isn't manly to share your issues - that's crap.

That is why I am posting this. I hope that it helps somebody in some way, sometime.