Moving forward

[Appleblossom]

I have tended to write things down .. maybe put up a list of activities you can do .. in your bathroom or bedroom .. its the only way I could remember my positive activities ... I could never manage a rigid daily structure ... but at least if the activities can be done on your timing .. that helps a lot ..

Yesterday I took down a list that had goals for 2013 ... ok so now its 2016 .. but it was good to know that I had achieved those goals ... Another list I loved was everything I learned from a dog .. or a cat .. have you seen those lists??

build in lots of time flexibility in planning ... short ...medium and long terms goals ... chip away .. the making you feel better is the ultimate aim .. so there is no point whipping self ... eg it took 3 years longer for me to get around to taking my list down. Big deal.

I put up Desiderata in its place

[TAB]

..we el . lot's of things were born of the 'Great Depression' re poem..do the 'classics' have anything to offer or where they more preceptive, well written, and timeless? ..just sayin,,,prob wiser kinder well, easily more eloquent words from the Ages .. whatever works ,, hey .. do a John West was the thought ..don't settle ..for second best.....

[Former-Member]

Gosh @Appleblossom, you sound like me sometimes. 3years is a while to overlook a plan haha Do it often here. Do you have a bit of DID? Sometimes I wonder if I do. I discover whole systems I've started & forgotten. Like Christmas finding them sometimes, the memory of it returns (and the frustration of 'this is where I put it'), but the memory is a fog, like a past life. All very weird. my GP says its the C-PTSD. Just do the best you can.
BTW, I have Desiderata on my wall too. Love the song, do you 🙂

[Appleblossom]

Well I guess some of the wiser kinder quotes have stood the test of time ..

My ex loved to rubbish the classics .. cos I played classical music .. and bought son a book about computer game classics ... I wish he had helped my son gain mastery over the puter ... (copyright probably @Former-Member's kids and others of that generation??)

But the truth was that I was also a girl of my time and loved new & radical ideas too.

[butterfly101]

so true

[butterfly101]

what u do when feeling lonely

[Faith-and-Hope]

Hi @butterfly101 ..... 😊

Are you new here ?  Nice to meet you ....

If you're feeling lonely, chat on here for a while .... you will meet some interesting people  

[Appleblossom]

I am not blessed with a stack of loyal family of friends.  I doubt it is my fault, it may be the lack of others in being able to understand my circumstances.

So I accept myself as a bit of a loner .. the best thing has been taking public transport ... I used to love public transport when I travelled 30 years ago .. where people talked to each other .. it has taken a while ... but if I am in the mood of the need or see a need .. I strike up chatty conversations on the train ... I dont cling to them ... some may want to keep contact but nothing has ever eventuated ... but in the last 3 years I have had heaps of wonderful genuine friendly conversations with all sorts of people  .. well dressed poorly .. Asian Caucasian ... it helps cheer me up .. and give me a sense of where people are at .. keeps me in touch ... I found that people are often relieved as they see the enforced intimacy when we seat in those little train booths .. silly .. if we cant even utter a word to each other

[Former-Member]

@butterfly101,
Sorry you feel lonely, I feel the pain of it a lot too. I think loneliness is just as debilitating as MI can be. These forums help take my mind off the emptiness of it all, reading everyone's stories & engaging some beautiful souls.

@Appleblossom 's idea of public transport is good. Also, I find sometimes just ducking u the corner shop & exchanging the weather can make a big difference. The first time I realised thid i cried with relief afterward. Also it made me appreciate there was a place for pleasant shallow conversation, that I didn't have to share anything about myself to feel better, andcthat i still had the xapacity to make someone else smile.

Another thing that helps sometimes is walking around the block & talking to anyone that's receptive. Talking about the weather is a good icebreaker. There's this little old lady a few houses up often in her garden who's always good for a chat. Sometimes, if i tend to my front garden at the right times, people walkinf by me often say something, its nice.

But those days I feel agrophobic or too fragile to risk people - I ring lifeline for 10min, pray, Journal - Rounding off my day in a journal before bed helps. Journalling is good when your mouth just can't find the words, or the breath.

ABC radio TalkBack shows are helpful. Common interest groups are good, i really have to push myself sometimes but for me there's craft, church, bible study & i hope to join a community choir again, maybe.

Wanna hear something funny, I just realised that my telemarketer phone calls & unknown numbers more than triple callers I know (since being sucked into a scam online last month) My phone has a soft ringtone now & usually ignore it, unfortunately. Genuines will leave a message. This is funny because the daily telemarketers are helping me not worry if my phone is broken & made me realise its OK to draw boundaries lol

I do understand loneliness.

Are there any times you were glad you reached out?

[butterfly101]

thank u