Open: And they're gonna bend their branches down to lay their fruit upon the ground

[vineleaves]

Dionysus is in a kitchen, apron tied over a purple dress with vine details, singing to himself as he uses a melon baller to scoop out a watermelon. The large bowl next to him is already full of honeydew melon and cantaloupe, and he's got a few other ingredients nearby ready to add in once he's done with the watermelon. Mint leaves, some honey, some lemon juice, and some lime juice.

It has been quite an eventful time lately, but overall his life is pretty great right now.

Comments

[vineleaves]

He just barely manages to not say, 'it's how healthy your mental state is', because that's definitely what first pops into his mind, and it's also definitely not helpful. "It's the health of your... emotional state, I suppose, is a way to describe it. Your emotions are controlled by your brain, right?" Well, more or less. "And your brain's part of your body, so like any part of the body, it can be varying levels of 'healthy'. So, when people are suffering from depression, or anxiety, or what have you, that's all part of the mental health umbrella. I'm -- ah, well, I'm actually sort of the god of it, to be completely honest. Because of -- ah, struggles I had growing up. Ended up becoming the god of it."

[lanselos_du_lac]

"I see," he says -- which is a good indicator that he doesn't quite get it. He frowns a little, considering this.

[vineleaves]

Dionysus is getting the idea that Lancelot maybe didn't really understand him. "Sorry, that wasn't -- the best explanation. What d'you have questions about?"

[lanselos_du_lac]

"Dost mean... is it about one's feelings? Emotions?"

[vineleaves]

"Yeah!"

[lanselos_du_lac]

He makes a little sound like hrmmm as he thinks this over.

[vineleaves]

"You've still got questions, I can tell. What's on your mind?"

[lanselos_du_lac]

"Well," carefully, still thinking, "I think I understand some of that, though most of those terms are new to me. Susan and I have spoken of such things. I-- now and again, if things are not quite right, I... Susan has said it is called 'traumatic neurosis.'"

[vineleaves]

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry to hear that," he says, reaching to place a hand on Lancelot's shoulder and squeezing slightly. Language, and how things are defined and classified changes so often, but that doesn't change the fact of what Lancelot is going through. "What sort of things tend to trigger it? --Ah, not that you have to tell me, if it's -- uncomfortable, I get it."

[lanselos_du_lac]

Lancelot makes a little face that is more thoughtful than anything else. "It is uncomfortable, but-- it is nothing terribly secret, I suppose. It also has not happened in some while. Usually, though, it is when I am reminded of why I left court-- and how I felt around that time. With what took place at Corbenic."

[vineleaves]

"Ah, yes, that... that would do it, I suppose..." He realizes that must sound either incredibly cryptic or incredibly rude to Lancelot, so he clarifies, "I mean, what I mean is that -- well, when people have been through similar things as that, it's common for them to -- ah, to be affected in the same sorts of ways."

[lanselos_du_lac]

"Is it?" He looks both thoughtful and sincerely curious. "I suppose it isn't only Corbenic, though."

[vineleaves]

He waits patiently, since it does seem like Lancelot is planning on explaining further.

[lanselos_du_lac]

It feels quite vulnerable to talk about this so frankly with anyone who isn't Susan, but Lancelot trusts Dionysus.

"It has happened, once or twice, if I think I have misstepped or upset someone I care for."

[vineleaves]

"Can I ask -- when you get like that, what do you do to try and come out of it?"

[lanselos_du_lac]

He reacts with something like puzzlement, "I did not think there was anything to be done."

[vineleaves]

"Oh, no, sweetheart, there's -- well, there's lots of different things people do to try and help with panic attacks -- that's, ah, that's another word for it. What I usually do is just focus on the sense of being where I am. So, y'know, think 'what do my feet feel like in my shoes right now', and then 'what are my legs doing?' and go from there. Or you can focus on how it feels to be breathing. Deep breath in - really feel it, and pay attention to that feeling, then deep breath out, same thing."

[lanselos_du_lac]

"I thought one had just to-- wait." Lancelot pauses, thinking over the suggestions Dionysus has offered. "I suppose, perhaps, that breathing carefully and focusing on what is in front of me has helped, before."

[vineleaves]

"Essentially there's two different aspects at work, when it comes to -- ah, this sort of thing. There's the mental side of it, stressing you out by remembering the awful things that have happened. And then there's the physical side of it, you know, the elevated pulse, the heavy breathing, that stuff." He holds out one hand to illustrate the 'mental side' and one to be the 'physical side'. "They like to work together against you, in these situations," he says as he brings both his hands together, lacing his fingers together. "Sometimes if you stop one side, the other will soon follow. So if you can think about where you currently are, the concrete sensations of being in the current moment, instead of either imagining terrible things that haven't happened yet, or remembering awful things that did, that might slow down your breathing and the other physical manifestations of the panic attack. Conversely, sometimes if you're able to just force your body to slow down by regulating your breathing enough or whatever, it can often make your mind slow too, and you'll come out of it that way. Doing both at the same time generally has the best results, of course. You know, sometimes people, in the time period I'm from, they'll get big dogs who are trained to know when they're going through a panic, and the dog will just sort of... sit on their chest until their breathing returns to normal."

[lanselos_du_lac]

"I see," still thoughtful. "But sometimes, when it has happened, I did not know why. Is it to do with the unconscious mind?"

[vineleaves]

"It can be. It's common when you're dealing with a lot to sometimes just get a panic attack out of nowhere, unfortunately."

[lanselos_du_lac]

"I think it is more-- it surprises me, sometimes. And then I realize that perhaps there was a reason, after all."

[vineleaves]

"Do you usually realize the reason afterwards, or are there lots of times when you can't figure out why at all?"

[lanselos_du_lac]

"I believe that usually I do, eventually, realize, yes."

[vineleaves]

"Oh good! That's a good sign." He assumes, anyway. He might be the god of mental illness but that doesn't mean he's a licensed therapist.