The positive mental health thread:-pt 5

[tobee]

How's that?

Sorry if the above link has already been posted but it gave me a little glimmer of hope.

The telegraph link worked but didn't seem to be quite like the other telegraph links you've posted on other days.
It seemed to have slightly less on it.
Don't know if that's just how it is today or if it's the link

I liked reading the links for the positivity

It’s not usually me who posts it purple. Apparently it’s gone behind a paywall but the bloke subscribes so I can see it. It looks as if I’ll be the Telegraph monitor now! Everything is there.

Thanks @Alsohuman I've been linking to them quite a bit!
Mind you my mobile network are offering 2 months free subscription so I might go for that ... wouldn't normally read the Telegraph but I like this feature.

Thanks for the guardian link @EsioTrot there is so much content linked in that I've emailed it to myself for reference!

Good stuff in the guardian link there. I’ve been feeling horribly anxious today and like I’m giving up hope, but that gave me a tiny glimmer.

Well, all your good wishes seem to have done the trick!

I actually spoke to my mum on the phone today! She seems to have made a Lazarus-like recovery and they’re talking about letting her go home tomorrow!

Fantastic news @Pinkarsedfly really happy for you!

Amazing about your mum. Thank goodness.

Hm. Good news? Have a look at these charts. It's Germany, Italy and Spain. However tough things have been, the virus is going in the direction we want/need it to there. If we hang on in there, we'll be the same. People are staying in. That is going to have an impact. I had to pop out this morning and my normal bustling town was deserted. People are working really hard at making things better. In one month our rates will have dropped off hugely as a result.

Germany is my hope right now. Germany is showing the rest of the world how doing lots of testing saves lives. They have been able to catch asymptomatic people and get them to self-isolate and are seeing far fewer deaths as a result. We might have not done that so far but the fact they are controlling this puts massive pressure on our government to follow their lead, particularly as we move past the peak and start lifting restrictions.

Have a look at the hammer and the dance article again too. That has been keeping me sane. medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-the-hammer-and-the-dance-be9337092b56

It's ok to have big wobbles. This is all really tough. Do you all have some treats planned for Easter? We will be ok

Oh Pink, that’s wonderful. So pleased for you.

Thanks @Noooblerooble
Just to add our city is now testing NHS staff and family members which they weren't doing a couple of weeks ago (they were all having to stay in for 14 days before) which shows that progress is being made with this generally.

@Pinkarsedfly wow that is absolutely amazing news I am so so happy to read that

Thank goodness x

@nooblerooble

Not sure if I'm missing something but personally I am struggling to see anything good in that hammer and the dance article. I've had to stop reading

I am so glad to hear that Pink! You must have really been through it; hope you are able to rest and care for yourself today now you can relax a little.

Sorry Dianne, you need to scroll down to the dance section. I had forgotten the first part of the article is looking at the impact if people don't go into lockdown etc

It explains how if you can go into lockdown and get your spread rate below 1, you can control the virus and life can go back to a degree of normality with waves of smaller restrictions keeping things at bay (like testing people and finding the people who've been in contact with anyone testing positive). We are at a spread rate of about 0.6 now I think. When the article was written that wasn't the case, it was just hoped that we could move towards that but now we're at a number under 1, it's about waiting out the peak then moving into the dance phase. So it's really positive. Our number is only at around 0.6 because people have been so good at staying in.

The article is about saying 'if we follow this strategy we can make things ok again' and a few weeks on we are following it.

Pink that's great about your mum.

for Dianne, Also - and everyone really!

I need to get my sleep under control, it's awful at the moment. I keep staying up late reading and then veering into MN or Twitter or news pages. It's stupid and I need to have a word with myself! Thank you to everyone who posted the breathing/grounding exercises, am going to try those.

Has anyone ever used a "habit tracker"? I've re-started one today, I used to always do it as part of a bullet journal but I stopped for some reason. But I thought it would be handy these days when there doesn't seem to be much/any structure. I've just put things on there that I want to do most days, eg, 8 hours sleep, reading (books not news), exercise, etc so I can keep tabs on myself and try and keep things ticking over. Otherwise the days are just drifting by and at the moment, it feels like one unhealthy day after another (mentally and physically). Hopefully it works again!

@Pinkarsedfly I’m so happy for you!!

Pinkarsedfly, I am really pleased to hear that. In fact I am dancing a small happy Snoopy-dance. Hurrah for your Mum!

(Hey, I was right about everyone being delighted. I think we all are.)

@nooblerooble aha I totally get you now apologies!! And thank you x

@Pinkarsedfly That’s wonderful news! I’m so happy for you and your mum

DS and I have just spent an hour building his latest Lego model, and he’s now watching Wallace and Gromit while I mumsnet. DH is checking on his dad and picking up a prescription for him, which means he has also got me some Epsom salts for my bath! Ddog has the most evil wind and is periodically emitting smells which are off the scale bad. 😷 We’re also going to swap some seeds with our next-door neighbour - I hope that one of the lasting effects of this might be that we all get a bit closer to the people living around us. She left a bag on our gate earlier, going to do some sorting and leave her some tomorrow.

We went for a lovely long walk this afternoon and then laid blankets and pillows on the lawn to have a lovely chill out session. One of the neighbours of playing feelgood tunes and ds has been dancing around. The bees are visiting my blossom tree. Right now things are good.

PrivateSpidey I’m with you on the sleep issues. I’ve been up til the small hours internetting a lot recently, after I lie there for an hour not managing to drift off...

Two things I’m doing from tomorrow:

1. I’m putting an alarm on again so I get up at the same time every day. I thought it was great sleeping til 8.30 initially but then breakfast is late, the morning feels weird, everything feels messy and I think it’s partly why I don’t even feel ready to get into bed until past 11 (pre-lockdown I was 10.30-6.20 most nights)
2. I’m scrapping the second coffee of the day. I’m having two double espressos at the moment, second one usually 2/3pm and suspect that isn’t helping. Really love the ritual of making myself a nice coffee but think I need to just stick to one in the morning.

Just realised I would have needed an alarm anyway tomorrow morning to go and do Easter bunny duties... but will probably be up late tonight making something to put out for the hunt - the eggs I put out last year were found by the mice that live in the garden walls, so thinking cardboard markers or something this year!

@Callybrid I went decaf when I was having sleep problems last year and honestly, I don’t miss it. I have a mini-cafetière of decaf at snack time and a mint tea with breakfast and at other times of day. I really feel the effects if I do happen to have a standard coffee these days!

@Pinkarsedfly that’s fantastic news

I’m flipping knackered, I’ve jet washed one of the patios (we’ve got two, lucky us 🧐) and it took 2.5h and a lot of scrubbing as it was manky
Then OH mowed the jungle of a back lawn, so I helped him by raking the grass up.
We’ve also been for a nice walk

DD made pavlova for dessert and it was chewy and lovely ❤️

I haven’t watched the news all day but my mum’s friend’s mum, who’s v elderly has survived CV and she’s thriving. We’ve also had an elderly man discharged from a local hospital, I’ll try and find a link