FESTIVE SEASON STRUGGLES

Doolhof · ‎15-11-2016

Season's Greetings everyone.

We have a lovely cheery Christmas and New Years thread started up in the Social Zone. Hope you can drop by there and share some joy and happiness.

This is the alternate thread, where you can share the not so pleasant memories of Christmas or the concerns you may have for Christmas 2016.

For me, my depressive brain decides to hassle me about Christmas in November! That is so unnecessary! I need to break this habit!

So on this thread you can share the negative and hopefully find a positive at the end.

You might like to share what the worst present was that you ever received, or how sad and miserable you are at Christmas.

By sharing, we may well be able to help and support each other through a time that can be very tough for some.

This is the place to vent, the thread on the Social Zone is also waiting for you to add your happy thoughts and memories of Christmas and New Years.

Thinking of you all, hugs from Mrs. Dools

kombitop · ‎04-01-2017

Hi cmf,

Thanks for that. Yes I found it.

kombitop · ‎04-01-2017

Hi Yo-Yo, how are you?

I don't have family or friends available at this time, hence the isolation. Just another day sometimes works, however most of them are lonely too. Even with people around, it's difficult to relate unless their on the same page! Thanks for your best wishes, and likewise in return.

YoYo_Steve · ‎04-01-2017

Hi Kombitop, I'm doing OK.

I agree with you about finding people who are on the same page. It can be tough for people who haven't been through depression or other mental health issues to understand what it's like.

It seems like you're already talking to a few people here, so that's good start anyway.

Doolhof · ‎05-01-2017

Hi YoYo_Steve, Kombitop, Mauzy, Moon. CMF and everyone else,

The Festive Season can certainly be a struggle for lots of people. I am wondering if you feel the same about other significant days/celebrations like birthdays, Easter, Valentine's Day and so on.

Another not so pleasant day for me is Mother's Day as it just reminds me that I am not a Mum. I do try to make the most out of the day though by remembering all of the wonderful children I have had in my life over the decades.

For those of you are fairly new to the forum, I do so hope you manage to find your way around okay, thanks CMF for explaining how to find the Social Zone. With my mixed up brain I would have had to go through the steps myself first and then write down how to do it! Ha. Ha.

Yesterday I was in tears and so frustrated because I could not work out how to use a different program to work on a course I am trying to do on the computer. Thankfully once my husband was home, he was able to assist me.

I do so hope you all feel welcome here, no matter where you venture on the forum.

Hope you all have a reasonable kind of a day as well.

Cheers for now from Dools

Shred1106 · ‎06-01-2017

Happy New Year to all

Arrived back from my trip last night and it was an eventful time away. Thankfully it was reasonably easy to manage the day itself and we were on an island that was quite nice too, plus I didn't have to cook!

I still had several occasions of anxiety come up but put into overdrive all that my therapist and I had been working on (plus meds) so got through them thankfully with time.

Now that it is over and we are in a New Year I am going to try and put some new strategies in place. The last (or first anniversary of the year) which is probably the most difficult of all for me, is next week on Wednesday and I hopefully will be doing some yoga with a dear friend of mine who has been a wonderful support through all of this hell.

Cheers and good wishes to all

Shred out

Doolhof · ‎06-01-2017

Hi Shred,

Welcome back! Must have been lovely to have a break from cooking. Did you have some meals you would like to try to replicate?

It is wonderful you have plans made for Wednesday to help you through.

Sounds like the dogs were very happy to have you home again. Animals are cute aren't they! We had a cat that ignored us for about a week after we had been on holidays. The cat we have now, goes into every room of the house once we let her out of her travel box, then to her food bowl.

It's wonderful you were able to use some strategies while you were away. That is excellent.

Cheers for now from Dools

Shred1106 · ‎08-01-2017

Cheers Mrs Dools

I am afraid that coming home has helped to reopen some "wounds" for me. Not doing too well since arriving back.Trying to get in to see my psychologist..

Good to hear from you

Mauzy · ‎09-01-2017

Hi Dools, for me it's just the Xmas thing that gets up my nose. All that expectation for one day,NY Eve (not a fan of that either) and then the prospect of the long hot summer looming YUK! Much more of a winter girl thankyou very much. But as I type this I realise it's just a season isn't it, summer I mean? I guess I think back to my childhood when we rarely had holidays, being stuck in a hot house for the school holidays. Some friends tend to have family holidays every year, something my partner and I have never done, so I guess there's an element of sadness about that. I can't change it now but I regret that we never developed a tradition like that, money having long been an issue.

Doolhof · ‎09-01-2017

Hi Mauzy,

Thanks for sharing. I'm wondering if there are things you can change to make Christmas a better time for you. I am already thinking about ways I want to change the whole festive season bit this year.

There is little we can do about the weather! I too greatly dislike the heat. Thankfully we have air conditioning. Hot summer days are currently filled with reading books on all sorts of topics and trying new crafts while my husband watches the cricket.

Money can be an issue. I'm currently unemployed so get that. I look around my area and see what kind of things I can do at a low cost or for free. A girlfriend and I will take a simple picnic lunch to a park, go for a walk and chat and have lunch.

Maybe you could plan outings and day trips. You just return home at the end of the day and save on accommodation. That has worked well for us in the past.

You have the opportunity to change how you do things! Take out pen and paper and make a list of things you would like to do. See what is available in your area.

Cheers for now from Dools

Doolhof · ‎09-01-2017

Hi Shred,

Coming home from holidays can be a bit like a slap in the face hey! Getting back to reality takes me a few days to adjust. While on holidays everything can be so different.

If you would like to or you need to share, here is a good place to do it. You don't have to go into details. Just saying you are having a rough time of it is enough. I get that. As I am sure many others do.

My mind has been a little scrambled lately so I have been reading books, being creative with craft, doing Sudoku Puzzles, catching up with friends and working in the garden.

No gardening for me right now as the rain is coming down by the bucket load! Excellent! That will certainly refresh the plants that were cooked by 40 degree heat yesterday!

Wishing you well Shred.

Cheers from Dools