Gratitude for the positive side in a negative situation.

[CMF]

Hi all,

So today didn't start to well. Hopped into the car to take little miss to school and the car wouldn't start...flat battery. Great, my anxiety starts to rise, questions start, what ifs pop up. How will I get her to school? Why didn't I know it was going flat? Car was serviced a month ago, why didn't the mechanic check it? Why didn't i ask them to? What if I didn't have RACV? How much will it cost? What if it happened on a day I had to work? What if it happened after work when i had to get back to pick her up from aftercare?

You get the picture yeah?

As I sat in my state of anxiety I started to look at the what could have occurred versus and what actually did occur. I started to counteract the negatives and realise that despite the inconvenience I was sort of lucky. For example;

The battery could have gone flat when on a day I had to work - The battery went flat on a day i didn't work.

The battery could have gone flat after work or while I was out and had to get back to pick up my daughter - The battery went flat first thing in the morning so I was not really stranded anywhere too far away.

How would i get my daughter to school? - Fortunately her dad was able to pick her up and take her before work.

What if I didn't have RACV?- Well I do have RACV so i was lucky and they were quite prompt.

How much will it cost? - Sure, it was an added expense i didn't need but it goes with running a car and fortunately I have worked some extra hours the last 2 weeks so that will help with the cost of a the new battery.

As I sat and thought of these things i thought to myself that it actually worked out ok for me. I wasn't going to or at work, my daughter was still home with me and her dad was able to take her to school, I've done extra hours at work , I have RACV. All these things made me realise my situation was not as bad as it initially felt.

I looked back and felt grateful, so very grateful.

Do you have a story to share?

CMF x

[jess334]

Hi CMF,

Thanks for your post. That is a great coping mechanism.

I'm glad that you have found a strategy that allows you to move forward.

I started writing a gratitude journal at the beginning of the year. I really enjoy spending a few minutes every night reviewing my day and writing down the good things. It really helps put things in perspective and I get to end the day focusing on all the good things.

Kind thoughts, Jess

[Quercus]

Hi CMF (and a wave to Jess too).

What a great idea for a thread. I hope it takes off.

My anxiety went on a catastophising bender last night. Autoimmune arthritis has been flaring up badly and I've been waiting desperately to do my injection.

Finally the evening arrived and I laid down to try sleep. Tears leaking out. What if it doesn't work? What if my movement stays restricted? What if the pain never ends? Hubby and I have been fighting... Pain makes me short and angrier. He will leave. He'll take the kids.

You get it.

But then hubby woke up and asked me what was wrong and in his no nonsense way asked questions and organised a plan of attack.

I realised....

1. The meds do work. They may only last a week but they do help enormously.

2. My rheumatologist is there for a reason and wants to help. She is happy to answer emails and try other meds if needed. And she is very good at her job.

3. Hubby. He is a problem solver extraordinaire. When I am overwhelmed he talks through the practical steps of what we can do.

4. It has been worse. Even though the pain has been awful it has nothing on the numbing hopelessness that was undiagnosed pain. We know what this is and that is powerful.

5. I am stronger than I think. Yep pain wears me down. Fear wears me down. But I got through the worst (newborn and not being able to walk or sleep well), I can deal with this.

Thanks CMF. I hope others join in too and that your car is reliable from now on.

[CMF]

So tonight i found myself in a panic. Boom gates down on my way home from work so i cannot get across and therefore will be late to pick up little miss from aftercare. I'm panicking, making calls. Notify aftercare i will be late, her dad still at work, M (partner) offers to go to the school and wait for me with her. I think I'm gonna be sick, my worst fear...being late to pick her up. I arrive 5 mins late, aftercare coordinator calls to see if i'm ok and tells me not to stress, M arrives just after me. It was an awful experience but i got there, it could have been worse.

I am trying to find the positives;

1. It was only 5mins and stuff happens

2. when i realised the gates were not going up i was next to a side st so it was easy to turn off and go back around a different way. I could have been in a spot where i couldn't turn around i.e right at the boom gate or at a traffic island, but i wasn't. I was at the side st intersection.

3. i got a good run once i got past the freeway exit ramp.

I still feel a little rattled and sick but we are home, safe and warm.

cmf x

[romantic_thi3f]

Hello,

This is an old post but I wanted to bring it back because it feels more important than ever. With the coronavirus things feel pretty hopeless and there is so much uncertainty so it's been really hard. One thing that does work for me is trying to be grateful for as much as I can even when so many things are going wrong right now.

Anyway, here's a bit of my list.

1. There is a little bird bath outside of my window and the birds love it and it's so wonderful to watch them flap about and it really is the cutest thing watching them have a bath and shake it off to get dry 🙂

2. That I have access to the internet so I can talk to people like you. It can be really hard when there's news everywhere, but there's also really cute and funny youtube videos and interesting things to read.

3.There is some nice things happening right now. Given everyone has to be isolated, apparently the water in Venice is as clear as ever and places like Audible are giving free access to audio books (it's on my to do list).

rt

[Blufftuff]

I was diagnosed with vertigo it was so bad I could not get out of bed

Specialist told me he knew it was my left ear and he needed remove ear canal making me permanently death in this ear we agreed and signed the forms for operation.

A day or 2 after signing form I came off my bike cracking my neck and back .

During this time in hospital (which could of resulted in me being in a wheel chair. )

I got my positive out of this negative situation.

A Trainee walked past saw me having a vertigo attack asked me what was going on and he immediately said it is not your ears but the medication I was on for Epilepsy.

Had this trainee doctor not walked past I would have my ear canal removed.

How amazing is this,

I have more stories like this but one at a time.

[CMF]

Hi all,

Glad you found my thread. RT thanks for the kick start.

Blufftuff, that is amazing. You were meant to be there, the trainee was sent to you.

It certainly has been a testing time. I have been able to slow down a little, learn how to relax. I've painted my house, taken more interest in cooking. I think I'm becoming a little bit better at putting things into perspective and how to challenge my anxiety.I've started meditating, stretching, and stop and breathe when feeling overwhelmed at times. I'm starting a gratitude journal.

These are all things I was 'too busy ' for. Hopefully i will continue with them.

Cmf x

[SapereAude]

Hi CMF,

Thanks for sharing. I love that you are trying to find the positive even in a negative situation

Great work and a nice thread bump!

Take care all!

[Jesicca]

Hey romantic_thi3f,

I agree that now is better a time than ever to practice gratitude.

Something I have felt incredibly grateful for during this time is my boyfriend. He has been incredibly supportive when I have felt a little lost (having lost my job due to my work temporarily closing) and I have realised the importance of telling people you are grateful for them because it's such an uplifting compliment that is based on their personality and their true character. I have been struggling a bit with my sense of self and especially my body image more than usual during this pandemic and its making me realise that if there is one thing I would want to tell everyone in the world it is that they are more than their physical appearance. I am so grateful for my loved ones and I think everyone has someone they are grateful for that might not even know it. So I hope everyone reading this considers that they are probably one of those people that don't always know it, but definitely should.

[Blufftuff]

Thanks for sharing your post was great to read

I have had many times where I have been situations with my health where I have slipped into depression.

During these dark times it was the strength of my Wife that got me through the dark times

This is something I am so grateful for

All the best finding a job