Share your achievements, small or big!

[Beltane]

Another nice little topic to chat about 🙂

It's really important to those of us with mental issues to hold on to our achievements and successes, especially the ones over our illnesses. Each and every achievement, no matter how small you might think it is, is so important. We should celebrate and take pride in each achievement- because each one is a step towards recovery.

So in this topic I'd like us to share our successes. You can post as often as you like, every time you have an achievement or success you'd like to share (even if you think "but it wasn't that big a deal"). Yes it IS a big deal! Fighting an illness is hard work, so lets celebrate all our achievements!

When i first fought my anxiety, my very very first challenge was to drive to the local shops. And I achieved it, and boy did I celebrate. Might not sound like much to someone else, but to me it was like climbing Mount Everest while wearing shorts and thongs (i imagine). So you better believe I went home and danced around my house celebrating my success!

My most recent achievement I am celebrating is: I attended my first job interview in 3 years that i did NOT take any anti-anxiety medication whatsoever for. Every other interview in the last 3 years i've needed strong anti-anxiety medication. But after much therapy and hard work, i learned more and more coping skills. I was nervous about not taking the medication as I was so used to doing it, but not only did i get through the interview but i did it calmly and kept my anxiety well under control. I'm pretty proud of myself!

(Also I got the job- yay- but unfortunately i cant accept it due to other reasons. But I'm still celebrating being offered a job!!!)

So lets hear it! Whats a recent achievement, positive step or success you made? Take pride in it and celebrate it!!

[Guest_322]

1. Getting out of bed (mornings are hard for me)

2. Attending classes

3. Made a new friend (that's more of a nice thing than an "achievement" but I want to mention it either way)

[blondguy]

This is a great thread and I am happy that ChrisB has revved it up. I have some achievements 🙂

• understanding that true and calm acceptance of anxiety is better than 'fighting' it
• realising that medication works (after 12 years) as a healing platform better than natural cures ever could
• being able to sit in a boardroom comfortably after 6 years after diagnosis and regular therapy

[Doolhof]

Yesterday my husband and I started to chainsaw down a tree that blown down in our garden. Actually, it seems to have just rotted away at the base and fallen over! Not sure if it has a bug in it or not, look completely healthy otherwise.

Back to the achievement bit, the biggest achievement is that my husband did not cut off any human limbs...his or mine while chain sawing!

I also managed to dodge all of the flying branches being tossed here and there.

My husband was also not decapitated by branches leaning over the fence that were flung up in the air when cut from the main branches.

One tree cup up...sort of. Two human bodies still intact. A huge achievement.

No arguments either! Yah!

[james1]

Yesterday, I had two achievements which I wanted to share.

“For there are many great deeds done in the small struggles of life.” – Victor Hugo

Yesterday, I ran the 14km City2Surf and I set myself a target of 90minutes since it was hilly and hot. Instead, I smashed my target and ran it in 77min.

But that’s not the achievement I wanted to talk about.

During the race, I saw lots of different people running in BeyondBlue singlets.

What struck me was it didn’t matter who we were or even the specific issues in our private lives. Because whatever time we got, whether we walked or ran, all that mattered was that we were here, living in this run, on this sunny day.

So that made me think: the greatest achievements are our small or big struggles with life and doing things, whatever they are, to keep going on. For a lot of brave BB fundraisers yesterday, that was a 14km run. For many others, it will have just been to get up in the morning to face the day.

“I'm not a stranger," I said, and pointed to his book. "I'm someone who reads the same authors you do.” – Lemony Snicket

I was on the ferry yesterday and there was a lady close to me with the sun right in her face. I’d been feeling really isolated after the run and I wanted to say hi, but part of me was afraid that it’d turn into an akward silence if we had nothing in common.

I gathered the courage to ask if she wanted to borrow my sunglasses. Long story short: no she didn’t, but she was up for a chat on the way home. We spent a good 45 minutes talking on the ferry then part of the train ride, before she got off at her station and we parted ways.

I wanted to share that because I think we treat everyone else as “strangers”. But the truth is we all have something in common and all we need to do is find that common interest, even if it's just a book we've both read.

[Guest_322]

1. Got out of bed (I've said this before but I'll say it again, mornings are really tough on me these days. Irony is that I'm normally a morning person so that kind of sucks).

2. Up to date on my lectures (so far)

3. Had lunch with friends yesterday instead of opting to isolate myself and have lunch alone.

4. Tute classmate talked to me today (friendship potential- he seemed like an interesting guy). Okay, so that's not an achievement but it's something nice ha, ha.

[james1]

Well done Dottie! You're doing it tough but refusing to let that drag you all the way down. 🙂

[Guest_5218]

My achievements this week? Two of them I think:

1. Going back onto my anti anxiety medication because I now accept that I am better on it than off

2. Getting through my (hopefully final) session of EMDR therapy for ptsd yesterday

Lovely to read of everyone elses recent triumphs as well. Big or small, they are all important.

Sherie xx

[blondguy]

You are a legend Sherie and good on you 🙂

I bought my 81 year old dad a new basic microwave which was an achievement .....but he doesnt know how to use it...even though he has always had a microwave...anyhow...

Its my 20th year on anti-anxiety meds...Yay 🙂 They have helped me help myself be successful at work and to have a reasonably good sleep...:-)

Love you all xx

[Guest_322]

Thanks James! 😊

[f0rb1dd3n_d0nut]

I went into my Uni placement yesterday - even though I didn't want to and hadn't prepared properly.