The positive mental health thread:-pt 5

[tobee]

How's that?

@benji13 yay!

I saw a beautiful peacock butterfly on my run today, though I couldn’t get a picture. And I managed to plot my route to perfection, my watch pinged 6k exactly as I reached my gate!

Sitting in the sun now, debating getting my foam roller out. Lying down and going to sleep feels more tempting...!

Hi ladies I'm having a bad day today. Honestly can't stop crying

So Dh has been "furloughed" - this means he will lose about £25000 a year. We will still be able to pay bills but literally only just. My biggest fear is if he loses his job ..he is a project manager for a smallish house building firm they build private and housing association houses

But if they lay him off he will never ever get the same money he's on now. Particularly in an industry that I think will really suffer in this. He's 48 as well which I worry will go against him. I can't work as I am a self employed cleaner plus got 3 dc at home. (Altho obvs as soon as I can I'll go back to work but my earnings are a drop in the ocean to what he was on)

I feel angry and cheated in a way. We have both spent most of our adult lives skint as fuck and struggling. And it's only in the last couple of years since DH landed this well paid job that we have finally been financially comfortable. We bought a beautiful big house last year after years of saving up while living on a crappy council estate in a tiny house. and now we're gonna struggle to pay for it.

I know it's bad and selfish to feel this way when people are worse off than us and with how many have died.

I hope this isn't inappropriate for this thread as it's so depressing. if anyone wants me to ask for it deleted that's fine x

I’m sorry @DianneWhatcock that is really hard.

I’m sorry @DianneWhatcock that is so incredibly stressful on top of everything else.

Hugs @DianneWhatcock I’m not surprised you can’t stpp crying, that sounds really tough

Having a bad day and just found this thread ,my oh finds out next week if he is being furloughed we will struggle and be left with about £300 a month to buy food and gas and electric
To the outside world I look confident and out going but my anxiety is going through the roof I need to do a food shop I normally have my oh or daughter with me but now it's not possible as my DD doesn't live with us and my oh has a huge abscess on his face, I'm sat here thinking if I cause a row I won't have to go but I know the shopping is needed and I've done too good a job at hiding this until now

The only thing any of us can do now is take one day at a time and say "I can get through today". If a day is too much, then maybe cut it up into hours?

I am sure that you can do this food shopping; it's really hard, but you can be really harder....

Good luck! I hope that everything you want is in stock.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

That is a very good way of looking at it

I have also been trying to think, today we are ok, today me and my family are well, today we have food, today DH has a job, today we can pay the bills etc. When one of these changes, that is when I will worry. In theory anyway!

Talking of teddies I'm currently sleeping in the living room sofa as Dh is extremely vulnerable and we all have to social distance him at home. This is my substitute Dh for the duration. I bought him a few years ago. He's not dissimilar in height to Dh but Dh has a slightly less daft expression:-

• on the living room sofa. Not in it. That would be weird.

Dianne, we will definitely still need houses building after this so try not to worry too much. Just look forward to when your husband’s back at work and this is all a bad memory.

Thank you the hugs. They helped! I have no soft toys but do have a weighted blanket and will dig that out and squish it and see where that gets me.

I actually live in an annexe at my parent's house just now (long story). I usually see them once a day as we share a kitchen. I am grateful not to be fully on my own but our relationship is very complex and they aren't very loving in lots of ways. It makes things hard. They try their best but they aren't the type to give hugs or show masses of interest.

StCharlotte alas no but happy to be your new virtual friend. Going through difficult things can make you very close to people who have been through the same can't it? I'm glad you have your friend.

So sorry to anyone struggling today or if you're facing serious consequences as a result of the virus. It is all very scary.

I love the idea of you living in the sofa tobee. Like a borrower perhaps!

lots of people sleeping on sofas at the moment @tobee My dh is unwell and is on ours and my friends hubby who is vulnerable is on theirs. A spare room is a precious thing at the moment!

Yes my sofa is surprisingly comfortable! I feel very lucky in lots of ways and Dh has access to a separate bathroom and is working from home, able to go into our tiny back garden and has set himself up a music studio type thing! We can also have FaceTime dinners as a family together!

With my sofa set up (it's not a sofa bed) I put sheets and proper pillow and duvet on it and then make it up as a sofa again each day! Best of all I have access to The Big Telly!

Re zoom business meetings, WhatsApp video chats, virtual pubs, virtual classrooms etc etc, it's pretty amazing the technology available!

@Bunnyflop I'm amazed daily by Henry's thighs!

@Alsohuman I also had a toastie for lunch I went for chicken slices, cheese and onion I really wanted another after!

Hugs to everyone having a tough day today. We all go through them, don’t we?

I have found the BEST webcam site ever.

explore.org/livecams

Live webcams from around the world, mostly animal related. DS and I have spent the afternoon watching elephants at a waterhole in South Africa, labrador puppies in Maryland and eagles feeding their chicks in Iowa. You will waste hours. Be warned.

I also this you tube video linked to on the BBC website, it's the driver's perspective of a train journey across Norway. Strangely hypnotic.

youtube.com/watch?v=_9ZVqdmaBvs&feature=emb_logo

Ooh thanks for the webcam link @pineappledanish , I love those!

@tobee Henry has just had his dinner and is doing his post dinner lay down- here is a meaty thigh shot for you.

Have had a better day here. Went out in the garden first thing and had an hour to myself weeding, mulching, clipping the box and watering. And then ds came out and we had breakfast outside. All three of us went for a neighbourhood walk earlier. Amazing what a difference that makes. Plus we just had roast chicken with yorkies and lashings of gravy for dinner.

That sounds like a lovely day, Bunny ❤️

I want to give you all a hug. It’s time to repost this, I think. The bloke’s been in the spare room for two weeks now and I really miss him. I bet when he comes back his snoring will drive me mad again after about three nights!

We’re both feeling rough today - achey, lightheaded and spaced out. No cv symptoms though. I’m probably feeling better than him so I did the dog walk, took her out at sun down and it was lovely. Hope we both feel better tomorrow so we can sit in the garden.

Hi everyone,

Sharing a positive news story - the London Nightingale hospital in the Excel centre is not being used as soon as expected, which means hospitals are coping better than expected.

Here is a link, but just a warning some of the info lower down the piece is a bit grimmer: www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/03/nightingale-emergency-coronavirus-hospital-london