Monday Morning. We can all do this.

[WingsofNylon]

I find the anticipation of the coming week hard on my mental health. I'm going to guess that others do too.

Whatever you are facing, you do have the strength. Even if you don't feel it yet.

I can do it, you can do it, we can all do it!

Come and share words of encouragement and your Monday aims.

I'm going imagine I have a team of enthusiastic cheerleaders behind me all day. Backing up every positive decision I make.

Yes and despite feeling awful during the therapy process now it's over I feel a lot lot better - the anxiety does not have a bottomless pit, it just relates to day to day situations and doesn't lead to feeling out of control anymore.

@Wingsofnylon thanks for asking! I’ve got three days of resting, two days with my sister, two days seeing friends, and then two more days of resting.

Can’t wait! For me resting means yoga and some hobbies and a lot of staying in bed with books and iPlayer 👍🏼

Friday! I'm going a Friday giggle. Giggle giggle giggle.

Haha I'm not giggling too much today. Got physio in a bit and he really hurt me last week!

We changed cars yesterday for a cheaper one as the finance on ours was so expensive and we were going to struggle now I've resigned. Managed to get enough from the sale to buy a still quite nice car and pay off the outstanding loan so we should be in a bit better position financially. Although I'm dreading driving it to the other side of the city for my appt Cos it doesn't have built in sat nag like my other one :( I just know I'm gonna end up lost!

I've also applied for a few self employed courier jobs this morning which would be good Cos I can fit it around childcare and not have to sit in an office feeling all panicked.

I wrote that half asleep and in the dark. I have no idea what it is supposed to mean! Glad to hear that you have freed up some money.

Well you sounded happy 😂 hope you have managed to giggle today!!

Just got back from my physio appt and I didn't get lost!! Not even once!

Happy Friday evening everyone. I have a nice glass of wine and chilling out.

Hope you all have a peaceful weekend x

Happy weekend everyone. Ended up with a busy afternoon but am trying to not worry about missing or forgetting something at work.
Mindfulness helps with acknowledging my feelings/ worries/ concerns in the background but staying present as well.

I'm so nervous about my first day next week. I don't know what to do to manage my stress levels. But they won't expect me to know everything the first day right?!

Good morning! Sounds like we could all do with sharing a coping mechanism that works. I'll start with two that love.

The first is counting. If my thoughts are spiralling I start counting and carry the untill they calm down a bit. Usually take till 100. But sometimes I do it for longer. For example, the whole journey into work. If I'm counting I can't worry about the day ahead. I can't fix anything while I'm driving so why worry about it?

The second is a newer one that my current therapist gave me. She had me think of a creature/patronus/Daemon/spirit animal/guardian angel. Basically the image of something that you feel you would like by your side. (It shouldn't be another human, I first chose my husband and she said no) it is more an extension of you. The best and strongest bits of you. Take you time to decide what they look like, what they can do etc. Then imagine them beside you when things are hard. Imagine them giving comfort when you need it, strength when you need it and a nudge in the right direction when you need it.

I was so sceptical at first. I don't really do fantastical imagination. But over the last 3 weeks it has really helped.

Hi everyone, I know it's not Monday, but this threat is great - it's really sustaining.

@NewYoiker I hope that your first day went well.

@cricketmum84 How are you getting on? Courier job could be good for getting out and about and not being in an office environment.

My holiday is not as relaxing as I expected it to be. My three days of resting has gone by so fast, I've done a few jobs round the house and so on, which is good. But mostly my thoughts are a bit dominated by the juicy work problems that were making me so stressed before my time off came around. I keep checking my email although best not to reply as this sets up an expectation with my colleagues so I try just to read it and let the new information percolate. Inside I feel as if the place might burn down without my keeping an eye on things, which is bananas because I had lots of medical leave in the past few years and whilst it was inconvenient for some people and projects I don't think anything terrible happened due to my absence.

Today I am starting four days in a row of seeing various friends. I am hoping that this will represent a good distraction and take my mind off things. My sleep has been a bit crap as well, and my eating. I need to get those back in line ASAP. Sometimes being with others makes this easier, I do a lot of meeting friends for dinner!

Not great to be honest! Its early days I suppose but applied for quite a few jobs but not heard anything back as yet. I set up a Facebook business page yesterday to advertise what I do in a freelance basis. I need to do some targeted advertising to small businesses but I have no idea how to go about it?

On the plus side my anxiety is a lot lower this week - but I've just seen there's only 9 Monday mornings left until Christmas which is making me panic about how we are going to manage money-wise!

I can’t help with the small business piece but there’s a relevant board here on MN where someone might be able to offer pointers.

Christmas is coming up fast, it’s true. If budgeting is tight you’ve got a bit of time though to think about how to work out what to do. My sleep is fucksd, I’m going to have to cancel plans with my friend tomorrow and just take the afternoon off instead I think as sometimes an afternoon nap can work if I’m not sleeping so much at night.

I feel like it is all a bit too much of a struggle. Called the doctor yesterday as I am getting to the stage where I feel some medication would help. Have an appointment for next Tuesday. Feels a long way away.
Have told my manager things still aren’t great and said I may end up needing some time off. She has said she doesn’t think that would be best for me. Feel like what I think seems irrelevant. I just want some breathing space really.
Went to sleep about 10:30 last night and woke myself up at 11 screaming .
DH is Away this week. DC have been with their dad from Monday which is both good and bad as it means I miss them but I also don’t have to do things for them etc (they are 14 and 13 so shouldn’t be so bad but the mental load at least is there).
Something I’ve been looking forward to in November may not happen and I’m having problems dealing with it.
I don’t feel it’s ok to be me. Or who me is any more. Plus the house is a mess (should probably get up and deal with it but am too tired as well).

Sorry to hear that @MirandaWest, especially the work piece. Those conversations can be so difficult I think and the decision to take time off work can be a difficult call to make.

Do you have anything small you can do over the next few days to act as a little stepping stone? It is okay to be you, in case that needed saying.

Thank you Is good to know someone is here although not good for you that you’re awake too.
I need to just keep going on really. So I will. Do just feel really trapped at the moment but everything passes doesn’t it?
Is so different from when I’ve had mental health issues in the past. This time I don’t feel that it’s all right to stop and so I can’t.

It’s the power of mumsnet innit. I’m always a morning person, for me 5.30 is pretty standard for mnetting.

Sounds really tough, maybe your GP will be able to help you to come up with a plan RE work? A GP becomes instrumental as they handle the fit notes after more than seven days absence.

If you feel as if you can’t get through until Tuesday another option is to ask for an earlier appointment if you feel as if that would be helpful.

Mumsnet is good .

I phoned up yesterday hoping I would get an appointment sooner (like yesterday for instance) so I’m a bit discouraged. Will see how the day goes. When I saw this doctor 3 weeks ago they didn’t mention anything about work apart from asking if I did work so I’m not feeling confident in them agreeing to me having time off either.

DH May be able to come to the appointment on Tuesday which is a reason for waiting until then. Work has said I’m not to do extra work at weekends which feels about as good as it gets at the moment!

I’m probably waffling on now. I do work from home which I suppose is at least better than having to go somewhere.

I don’t like working from home myself, my thoughts get stuck in my head. If the GP and you cannot agree on a way forward regarding work you can always see a different GP at the practise. It’s kinda weird to me this system of fit notes to be honest although I don’t have a better one to prevent misuse of medical leave. For MH health stuff especially, I tended to end up back at work when in hindsight I should have stayed off because I wanted my normal life back even though I wasn’t ready. There was this constant sense that because one has to be well enough to work the opposite logic holds and if I was in work I was well enough. This was by quite a long shot not always a good strategy, a person with MH problems in the workplace can be a management challenge.

My work is full time from home (which generally suits me) but I can see that at the moment if I were in an office maybe someone would notice that working may not be best for me at the moment.

I’m hoping that if DH is there at the next GP appointment that he can help me get my point across better. I did say yesterday when speaking to the triage doctor on the phone I didn’t mind who I saw but it seemed I had to see the doctor I’d already seen.

I have managed to put on some washing and the dIshwasher which feel like small
Triumphs

Now to do some work (I start at 8)

Congratulations on your small triumphs, feel free to check in on this thead during the day for a small boost if needed !

I dyed my hair bright pink yesterday just to cheer me up 😂

My husband hates it but my kids LOVE it!

I have an interview tomorrow for a care job visiting people in their own homes. Will have to explain it's a temporary dye for my holidays and I'll be back to blonde by the time we are back lol!

@MirandaWest hope you have a good productive day today.

My boss used to say similar to me... telling me I would feel better at work and being at home would make me worse. What is it about Mental Health that makes everyone else feel that they know what's best for you??? Drives me mad! I actually turned round at one point and said "with all due respect you are not a doctor so please stop trying to tell me what will make ME better!"

Thank you cricketmum

Feeling Ok at the moment which I am OK with.

I am a bit surprised at just being told that she doesn’t feel it would be good for me to have time off. Was in an email so harder to turn round and say anything. I almost feel like comparing with the broken leg that is always compared with mental health (the “would you struggle on with a broken leg” one and ask why mental health is different but I suppose I am keeping on going...)

DC have been with their dad the past two nights so will be nice to see them after school. I am usually better at keeping a brave looking face with them around.

I had to pull myself together a bit this morning.

My 14yo DS has been struggling a little with anxiety over the last year. He has had some therapy which has helped but he has panic attacks every few weeks where he just sits in bed and cries. He has already missed a lot of school and he really needed to go in today.

I sat with him for a bit and talked. I said he needed to fight it and not let it win. We then shouted "FUCK OFF ANXIETY" as loud as we could (we were the only people in the house), I made him a full English and a coffee and then the attendance team from school came out to pick him up and he is working in the "safe space" today. Promised a very very very weak shandy and an episode of top gear when he gets home.

I know it's not the most conventional way to deal with anxiety but it seems to work!!