To ask how you stay positive?

[malificent7]

Tips please.

Painful past...abuse, alchohol, breakdowns, anorexia.
Perimenopausal...hrt started.
Teen dd (14) ...lovely but v. hard work
Retrained for nhs job. Mediocre salary...love job but relentless, exhausting.
Own house which I am grateful for as spent years renting/ on benefits.
My dad and i have a rocky relationship...his love is conditional.
Not a big fan of people...have been burned too much and prefer my own company.

I do love arts and crafts, nature hiking but I feel so flat.

This is a bit" woe is me admitedly" but how to feel less exhausted, meh and ground down by life?

You're dealing with a hell of a lot. I can relate to much of it

We're all told that we need to keep our chin up, and 'think positive' and 'create your own happiness' and all the rest. It's totally unrealistic, and puts way too much pressure on people. It's normal to have moments of feeling positive/ content / joyful, but also to feel sadness / anger/ despair / fear and all the other tough stuff. Even moreso when you're dealing with past hurt and trauma

I take good care of myself re nutrition, exercise, sleep, hydration, as well as buying nice things and treating myself well. I speak to myself kindly. I spend time doing stuff I enjoy. I still have moments of bleakness, darkness, sadness etc. I lean in to it these days, cry it out, make space for it instead of fighting it. It passes - it always does. I was in therapy for a long time and that was life changing for me - very hard and painful work, but it helped me to process and face the pain I was carrying with me

I wish you peace. Please go easy on yourself