The positive mental health thread:-pt 5

[tobee]

How's that?

Thanks Bunnyflop! He is truly a sight to behold!

Hoping everyone keeping well physically and mentally this weekend I've just drunk a glass of beer. What? It's Saturday night!

Today DD and I planted our first vegetable seeds (she was surprisingly gentle and only ate a tiny a bit of soil xD), made a white choc chip brownie loaf and posted a homemade card to my Granny. While we were out posting the card she insisted on sitting on a bench and shouting HI at everyone who passed.

Tonight I think I’ll have a bubble bath while DH has a gaming night.

Feeling better and calmer :)

Hope you’re all having a nice weekend!

@riotlady oof that loaf looks to die for!

@Bunnyflop thanks! It turned out really nice given that it was a bit of a random one- got substituted white choc chips in our delivery and don’t really like white choc cookies (which was the original plan). Found a basic brownie recipe and subbed coconut sugar for granulated and stuck it in a loaf tin as it was my only appropriately sized pan xD

Hope this works

That's lovely purpleme12 and very true.

Hi everyone, I’d like to join if that’s ok. I’ve just read the last couple of threads and they were wonderful and I’ve made a promise to myself to stop obsessively checking the news, stop reading the other boards and just stick to this thread.

I’ve been missing my family enormously. They are 200 miles away which usually doesn’t feel like too much, we see each other as much as we can but obviously not at the moment and I miss them. My sister is an icu nurse. I am so proud of her but very worried for her too. My mum is still working as she is also a nurse and I’m finding it hard being at home and not being able to do anything practical to help them. I feel so homesick and miss them so much.

But trying to stay positive. Today we spent a lot of time in the garden. It’s quite small and the patio is old and broken and a bit dangerous for my 2 children but very glad to have a bit of outdoor space and it was lovely and sunny here today. I’ve planted sunflower and tomato seeds in yoghurt pots with ds1 (aged 2) and looking forward to them coming out.

Loving the bunny pictures. I have one cat who looks beautiful but she is pure evil and scratches anyone who comes close enough.

I’m popping on to say thanks to whoever mentioned Curable on here - I haven’t downloaded app but found their podcast Like Mind, Like Body and have been finding that really interesting.

Was listening to ‘how to turn a downward spiral into an upward spiral’ or something yesterday - need to do something like that now I think. Feeling a bit downward spiral-y. Even typing this out difficult - keep typing stuff and deleting it - like that feeling IRL of not wanting to see people/ feeling like you have nothing of worth to say.

It is the positive thread so I am trying to think of my positives for today... I enjoyed the most recent lockdown edition of Gardeners Question Time - it was comforting as usual but acknowledging the current situation, which made it feel more normal and ok somehow. Also saw a goldfinch sitting on the wall right outside my window this morning, which was pretty cool.

@PineappleDanish love it! Love the Labrador puppies

Hi everyone was wondering if it would be ok to join this thread? I've been reading for a couple of days and it's really brightened my mood. The news is just too much at the moment, and every other thread seems to have brought out the nasty in people.

I work at the local hospital in A&E as a housekeeper and everything's so crazy at the moment. Really feel like I need to try and think more positively. My husband has been furloughed which i am very happy about tbh as it really helps to have him with me and our 2 year old.

Anyway, sorry I'm rambling on. Anyway, some positives to add to the thread: everyone at work is very upbeat, which is really great as I only work part time and it's nice to get to socialise a bit, even if I'd rather not work where I do at the moment. DS gave me the loveliest cuddle when I got home today, we just squeezed each other for ages. The supermarkets here seem to be returning to normal, and I had a lovely quiet, calm shop yesterday for essentials for us and my self-isolating parents. Also, just found out Killing Eve is back in a week! That's my evening tv sorted once DS is asleep.

Hope everyone is feeling ok today.

I like that thing @purpleme12. I didn't do much today except sat outside in the blazing sunshine and read a book. That's all. On a Saturday. No pressure to get out there and 'do something' with the day. It was rather wonderful having no pressure. Oh, and watched a lot of Gavin & Stacey which always makes me feel warm and happy!

I quite liked it too. When I see all these posts on Facebook about home schooling or what they've all done I do feel pressure and like I'm not Doing well enough. All I actually want to do is sit and cuddle up with myself. I can't do that as I've got a little girl however we have actually been doing very little really. I'm scared to go out now. So I guess it spoke to me, more than the others

Lovely to hear from you @Beachybum !

For dinner tonight I made Cuban pork with rice. It's really yummy and marinaded with lime juice, cumin, paprika and rum and served with capers and artichoke and I added tins of bamboo shoots and water chestnuts which I seemed to have a strange amount of in my store cupboard.

Just popped back on to say a huge thankyou to @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime what was a huge negative early today turned into a positive as I did the food shop ,my hands were sweating and shaking at the same time I completely lost my head and couldn't remember half of what I went in for until I stood for a few seconds Infront of the chocolate and told myself ' I can do this it's just food shopping ' so again thankyou

It was particularly good because I only used one large pork chop for 3 of us !

I had to get petrol last night @moolady1977 and it was ridiculous how scary it was! I wore vinyl gloves when I used the pump and used hand sanitiser afterwards and was able to pay by app.

So strange to find mundane things like food shopping and buying petrol something you have to plan in advance and steal yourself to do!

Welcome Minai and Beachybum!

I hope these threads will benefit you as much as they've helped me and so many others. They're so uplifting

Tonight's, tomorrow night's and Monday night's dinner is a mighty lasagne or Lazy Agnes as we call it in our family. I'm dreading the day I make something hideous that we've got to eat for three days

@riotlady Hi can I have that recipe please for the brownie loaf that is right up my street

Hi, I’m really struggling with my mental health right now. Can I join this chat please.

@gingerbreadslice it was loosely based on this one :) I beat together the butter and sugar first to make it a bit cakier and subbed in white choc chips and coconut sugar

thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/chocolate-brownies

Welcome @Whatsmyname26 this is a lovely thread that’s really helping me. Calming and lovely people. Keep hanging in there day by day. Sending a hug 🤗

Love hearing about what everyone’s had for dinner! We had spicy bean burgers I made for yesterdays dinner and had some left over. Dh made some potato wedges to go with them. Also some bread rolls ds1 and I made from scratch. I must say we are getting a lot more inventive in the kitchen these days.

@moolady1977 I am so glad that something I said was some use! I sit here feeling useless, because I am supposed just to sit in the house so that I don't catch it, and not do anything for anyone, so you have helped me right back by telling me I did a good thing. Thank you.

And well done you: you beat it, and you did what you intended. A good solid victory. (I hope you bought yourself a congratulations-bar of chocolate whilst you were there?)

Next time will be just a little easier, now that you know you can. And next time, we'll all be closer to the end of this chaotic time, and heading towards the summer.

Hello @Whatsmyname26!
And @Minai and @Beachybum !
Welcome and join in!

@purpleme12 don’t worry about not being a massive home schooler. I felt like you did a week ago, a few months ago we moved ds to a new school which happens to be in a posh village (we do not live there!) and some of the mums are super keen to do a full school day at home and then send the teacher the work to mark! I mean, good for them, but a lot of us are just kind of moving day by day to get through this stressful time. We get ds doing about an hour of maths using books bought from amazon and an hour of English/ handwriting practice and that’s all we can manage. I have health problems and dh is working full time from home so we just do what we can and sod the rest of it. There has never been a time like this before and to an extent it’s about survival. Who knows when the kids will go back or how the schools will approach catching up? Because they will have to, with all the will in the world no parent is as good as an actual teacher. So don’t worry about it and just get through this.

Well everybody, last night I took my last dose of cocodamol. I was put on those fuckers six years ago so this feels like a momentous occasion! I threw the rest of the packet in the bin.

Welcome to the newbies, grab a cuppa and pull up a chair ❤️

Well done, @Bunnyflop I hope the withdrawal isn’t too bad

It’s a lovely day here, blue sky and sunshine, but I’m snuggled in bed with DD and don’t want to move. Should probably take a coffee in for OH and see if George wants to go out to play. He loves the mornings, then snoozes on and off all day. The ponies will enjoy the sunshine too, they’re going out naked now

Nose rubs for Henry ❤️