Minor/major accomplishments

[Newyearnewme2020]

Restarting the thread from earlier this year where we share our accomplishments which may be minor to others but for us mean a bit more.

It might be a good time with the new year coming and push us to try and achieve something small each day.

Im coming through postnatal depression and am finding myself unmotivated a lot but this morning I have washed, dried and straightened my hair (something which I haven't done for over a week ) and I'm just about to put a bit of make up on. My dp won't recognise me when he gets home

Please share any accomplishments no matter how small.

Great idea!

Today I have so nearly finished a craft project, that I wanted to give up multiple times due to hatred of anything I touch.

This year I 'survived' two very nearly lethal suicide attempts this year thanks to intervention... Going into a new decade let's hope for bettering recovery 🙏🏼

I tag @erinaceus and @cakeandchampagne

Hi @PurpleFrames thanks for joining

That is great that you persevered with the craft project and are so near the end. Is it something you can share a picture of once it's complete?

I'm glad you had 'intervention' to help get you through the year. Hopefully we are facing a more positive 2020 for us both.

I will try and upload one today as I think I will finish it today! It's going to be a gift too so will have to be a bit secretive hehe.

How was your nye?

Also struggling majorly with PND and for the first time in a month I brushed my hair yesterday 🙈 I had two clumps of matted hair I just pulled out... I need to remind myself to look after myself more. I really struggle to do anything after looking after the kids.

I have made my bed, put my washing away and used a spray of my christmas perfume. Haven't brushed my hair yet though .

Saw something on another thread about trying to walk/run a mile a day so am going to hop on the treadmill.

Im inspired by you two ladies above I can't imagine battling illness with small children.

Here is the scarf- there's a lot of mistakes but I'm trying to let it go.

I'm not sure if you will be able to see this @cakeandchampagne

I’m coming out the other end of a depressive episode and today I took my daughter for a walk on the beach.
8 weeks earlier I couldn’t leave the house as it was “too big” outside.

Totheletter- I recognise the "too big" feeling. Hope you had a lovely walk on the beach.

Bed made again here- discourages me from crawling back into it after breakfast. This is going to be a major achievement if I can keep it going next week when I'm back to work.

Another squirt of perfume and we are off out to visit the spot where PiL's ashes are scattered.

I have made a list on my phone called '2020 fix me list'. I spend too much time on Facebook seeing others do things that I don't feel capable of. Even a walk on the beach when I'm feeling down seems too much hard work. It's good to have a plan, but also not make the plan too hard or it will be unachievable resulting in me feeling a failure

@PurpleFrames What a beautiful gift! So now you’ve started on the matching sweater? Well done!

@OneTooManyBathtimes completely get the looking after your kids and not yourself. My therapist asked me what I do for myself and I genuinely don't know, I don't even know what I like anymore.

@Rowanberries did you manage to walk the mile? I also joined that thread but haven't started yet, I should have gone today on my lunch break but instead I'm sitting here with coffee on MN. One step at a time, enjoy your time off now and think about work when the time comes to it (Or So my therapist says)

@PurpleFrames that is very impressive and a very thoughtful gift

@TotheletterofthelawTHELETTER I've been the same, kind of afraid of leaving the house, it's a horrible feeling. I'm glad you got out and enjoyed your walk.

@babasaclover good idea making a list of achievable things you want to do. You will get a lot of satisfaction when you can tick things off the list.

I came back to work this morning after my Xmas hols, stopped and bought a diary on my way so I'm going to try and be organised. I've been very forgetful so this will definitely help me.

I wanted to go for a walk on lunch but just not feeling right. At least it's only two hours now until I get to go home.

@TotheletterofthelawTHELETTER
I love the seaside- did you find any nice pebbles?

@Rowanberries
Sorry to hear about your bereavement.
Is that a return to work after the holidays or illness? How are you feeling about it?

@babasaclover
Do you feel like you could share any of the list? I want to do something like that but have literally 0 inspiration.

@Newyearnewme2020
Well done for making it through your first day back (nearly!). How are you feeling?

X

Finished my first day back at work and I'm feeling positive. I changed my hours to start earlier and finish earlier and I think it suits me better. I'm home now already and have everything ready for tomorrow and the baby is up in bed (he'll have a dream feed at 8.30ish and that's him asleep for the night).

Also had a conversation with my boss that id been putting off. I asked about working from home and she agreed to one/two days a week working from home. It should make things much easier for me with less travel and a not so early morning.

Tomorrow I am joining the gym .
I told dp last week that we should join together and he agreed but now that the time has come I want to back out

Newyearnewme2020 - I did a mile on the treadmill yesterday and we did 3miles of a lovely forest walk today. I'm not joining the proper thread as I know I won't stick to it . Would much rather stick to this thread where if I do it even once it's an achievement (if that makes sense). I've struggled to do anything recently so I need to focus on small goals as I suspect if I aim too high I'll crash (again).

PurpleFrames - I basically had a nervous breakdown and have been off for a few months. Am very lucky and can return on my own terms so doing very few hours but it is still a majorly stressful job. Sertraline is helping and just started therapy. Am feeling much better at home, but work is a massive hill to climb.

Fantastic news about your flexi hours @Newyearnewme2020
Do you really need to go the gym right now? Maybe you'll feel more like it once other things are more settled :)

I'm sorry @Rowanberries I didn't mean to be insensitive in any way. Are you needing to go back for financial reasons? Or did you feel like it's the best thing for you right now with recovery?

I've had a few cried today. I feel like a huge fat disgusting whale. Been thinking about my exH and his newW again..

have started a thread for SI if that is of interest to anyone?

Oh bless you PurpleFrames, not insensitive at all. I'm starting to realise that I've not been ok for a while and would have been a lot better to admit that in the beginning than to try and push through and then crash spectacularly. Am lucky there is no financial pressure- I just need to get back for me.

Sorry you had a rotten day yesterday. It sounds like you've had a rough time. Have you got something small you can do for you today? I found it helpful to think what I'd do for someone else if they'd had a bad day and do it for myself, rather than feel guilty about not coping which is my usual trick! Like a hot drink while sitting in the nice armchair in the sun. And straightening out the room a little while the kettle boils because I wouldn't want someone not feeling great to have their nice hot drink in a messy room.

I'm currently battling with depression, I have no self esteem or belief in anything I do. I was talking to a friend, who is actually someone I am honored calls me a friend, I have so much respect for her, she is my hero. She knows I used to make string art a lot and it did help with reducing stress, and asked me to make her a piece to make me try and de-stress, she gave me one word to work with as I wasn't confident with a completely open ended brief. I actually finished it and then got up the nerve to actually send it to her I was convinced she would think it was tacky. She asked for something Japanese.

We skipped the gym today. I was awake for hours last night, just one of those nights where I lie awake worrying about pointless things. Then had to get up and go to work with a huge headache from not getting enough sleep. I wanted to leave and go home to bed but I stayed and got through the day with plenty of coffee and paracetamol.
Does anyone know of anything to help with sleep on nights like that?

@PurpleFrames I hope you are feeling at least a little better today, it sounds like you have been through a really tough time.
Can you link to the thread?

@Rowanberries I know what you mean about feeling pressure by joining a walking group. And you are right just to do it whenever you Can, whenever suits you. A walk in the forest sounds so peaceful.
Can I please ask are your work aware of your breakdown?

@sugarplumfairy28 that is really very impressive . Did that take you long to make?

Newyearnewme2020 it took me longer then it used to which started to knock me back. A couple of afternoons to pin it out, then a couple of hours for each section. I tried to push myself with this one with the extra fine string for all the feather details, but it was so fiddly I very nearly didn't finish it.

Wow sugarplumfairy, that's amazing!

Newyearnewme- work are aware and have accepted they contributed to it. They are paying for support for me alongside what I'm getting from the NHS.

Hope you are feeling better today PurpleFrames.

No mile today- really bad head today so didn't feel up to it. But I made my bed. And I've started putting the christmas decs away. I have a lot of decorations so I'm categorising them to make it easier to get them out next time. December me will be very grateful.

@Rowanberries
do you have a return to work date?

I had a much better day today- ate good food (I have an ED) and watched a film with my mum on tv. That was my self care..

The next 2/3days are going to be a bit stressful so I'm trying to mentally prepare without total panic mode.

@sugarplumfairy28
Wow!! That is genuinely amazing. I like to do creative things for distraction too but I don't do anything as good as that. I made a knitted gift recently and it genuinely took me 4months so I'm proud on your behalf of your work.

This is my recent thread I mentioned...
Can we talk about self-Injury?
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/feeling_depressed/3784585-can-we-talk-about-self-injury

Forgot to say newyear- well done for staying in work. That's an achievement itself. Afraid I'm probably not the best for help with pointless night time worrying although sertraline has massively helped.

Glad you had a day looking after you. That will help over the next few days.

Starting monday but it might only be a couple of hours. I usually work between 45 and 60 a week. I'm not doing my full duties, just a small self contained bit of work so there's no temptation to get sucked back into everything.