Healthy eating/gardening/anxiety

[rainbowninja]

Is anyone interested in joining a thread about the impact of healthy eating on their mental health?

I've suffered from anxiety for years but it's been a lot worse since I became a mum.

With lockdown in the mix I just feel physically and emotionally depleted.

I've had some tests done and I know that I am low in certain vitamins etc. I've been recommended supplements to take and to 'eat the rainbow' (basically eat shed loads of veg). I want to give it a go for my own sake and my daughter because I know I'm not being the best mum to her. I'm anxious and irritable.

It feels quite overwhelming but I am quite interested in learning about nutrition, I also quite like the idea of having a go at growing some of my own veg as I've been enjoying being outside lately and I know it helps me.

I don't want to do it on my own though so I wondered if there were any other anxious mumsnetters out there that would be interested in learning/growing with me. No pressure to change anything overnight, maybe we could just cheer each other on for drinking an extra glass of water or something?

That all sounds fantastic Rainbow. I haven't heard of lavender capsules.

I've nearly settled in at work. My sleep has finally improved and I feel more relaxed. I just need a bit more time to get to know all the names, where everything is stored and learn the new way of doing paperwork.

My pottery class didn't go well on Saturday. I just couldn't get the hang of it and remember everything. This was before my sleep improved, so maybe next class will be a lot better.

Other than my pottery class, I didn't go anywhere at the weekend. Lack of sleep finally caught up with me and I felt dreadful. Did you have a good weekend?

Hi @Lokikitty,

Yes definitely allow yourself some mistakes as you settle in! I always remember saying that to myself when I started a new job.

We saw friends at the weekend and then my in-laws and there were nice moments but overall I found having company quite overwhelming. I can't concentrate on anything on TV this evening which doesn't
feel great although it occurred to me that it might be alright if my nervous system just needed some quiet time. I get a bit caught up in wanting to be productive/active sometimes even if most of those things are at home.

My husband made turkey burgers for dinner tonight which I had with a microwaveable rice pouch. Not the most exciting meal but I'm proud of myself for sticking with it.

Hi Rainbow, I thankfully haven't made any mistakes yet. My concentration wasn't great last week due to lack of sleep. Doing much better this week though.

Sorry you had a overwhelming weekend. Have you managed to have some downtime?

That sounds like a boring meal. I actually cooked a proper meal on Tuesday. I made spaghetti bolognese. I made brownies with dates and plain chocolate last night 😋

@Lokikitty it takes a while to settle into a new job doesn't it? Yes have managed to have some downtime this week, have done less study but not too concerned as I'll go back to it when I'm ready.

Love a spag bol! We did one with turkey mince in the week, it was lovely.

Hope the brownies were good? My neighbour popped round with some Ferraro Roche yesterday to say thank you for trimming our adjoining hedge. I wasn't tempted to eat any - let my husband and daughter enjoy them but it did remind me that I do love a sweet treat. I might try making something with cacao soon, apparently some people are ok with that even if chocolate doesn't agree with them.

Hi Rainbow, glad you had some downtime. It's good that you've had a break from studying. You'll be more focused and motivated when you go back to it.

The brownies turned out lovely. I was really pleased with them. I took them to work and everyone loved them.

You did well resisting Ferraro Roche. They used to be one of my favourite chocolates. Hope making something with cacao goes well.

My pottery class this morning went well. I had the option to roll out clay and make a box instead of using the pottery wheel. This was easier and went well. I made a round box and decorated the lid with a flower. My daughter was adventurous and made a coffin shaped box.

Hi @Lokikitty, yes I'm back on the case with my studies. Been getting my head around how the kidneys work today!

I used to love it when people brought baking into work, I'm sure your colleagues appreciated it 😊

Glad you enjoyed pottery, I've been finding myself feeling a bit tempted to get into something creative again. It helped me a lot last winter.

My 2 younger brothers came for lunch yesterday and they are both vegan so that helped me on the healthy eating front. We had roasted vegetables in wraps with a red lentil dip that I made. The red lentil dip was quite similar to hummus, nice to try something a bit different.

Hi Rainbow, glad you're doing okay with your studying. It sounds interesting.

Hope you find something creative to do. What did you do last winter? I finished doing a paint by numbers that I got as a birthday present in January. It's taken me a long time because I found it quite stressful. Never again!

Your lunch sounds good. I like the sound of the red lentil dip. I'm finding that I'm cooking a bit more now that I'm getting home earlier from work. I made fishcakes yesterday.

I've had a stressful few days. I had a nasty leak at my flat, which has been sorted out this evening. My tax code is messed up, so I need to sort that out as soon as possible. This has happened before, it gets a bit complicated because I have 2 jobs.

Hi @Lokikitty,

I did a mixed media art course last year which was brilliant. I might look at courses by the same provider to get me inspired. Sorry to hear the painting by numbers got stressful!

Good that you're getting home from work earlier and having more time to cook. Hope the stress has alleviated a bit and that the leak didn't cause too much damage.

I've felt quite anxious the last couple of weeks but I don't feel like I've gone back to where I was before I started eating more healthily so I'm motivated to carry on. The high levels of stress affect my stomach a bit so I think I'll stick with plain foods to try and get a handle on it. I'm taking magnesium and lavender capsules which are hopefully helping take the edge off it.

Hi Rainbow. The mixed media art course sounds good. What kind of things did you do on it?

I did cooking and baking today after work! I did roast chicken with vegetables. I also made brownies again for work. The leak didn't cause any damage, just a lot of stress as I waited 5 days for my landlord to sort it out.

Sorry to hear that you've been feeling anxious. Hope you find something that helps and start feeling better soon. Having struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember, I understand how hard and limiting it can be. I find people assume that anxiety is worrying a bit too much but it's so much more than that.

Hi @Lokikitty, the mixed media art course was lovely, it was subsidised by the local council and we did things like creating a nature sketchbook.

Roast chicken with vegetables sounds good, I'm trying to eat more vegetables at the moment. I made a 'carrot cake' smoothie bowl for breakfast today.

Thanks for your understanding, I'm having a mix of good and bad days at the moment so it's not all down hill.

How is your weekend? Did you do pottery today?

Hi Rainbow, there was no pottery class yesterday. My pottery teacher had to attend a family event. I did agency work at the special needs centre instead. I had a bit of a hectic morning. I'd accepted the shift at the start of the week and didn't hear from my agency, so assumed that they didn't need me. Then I checked my email and saw that I was given a shift! I had to dash off and get to work as quickly as I could!

Today wasn't any better. Was meant to see family but they didn't end up coming. I also had to help my mum with something which ended up being more complicated then I expected.

What was in the carrot cake smoothie bowl? Glad you're having some good days. Sometimes you just have to take the good with the bad. I almost panicked on Saturday but managed to turn it around and tell myself that I was proud of myself for coping with a difficult morning.
How was your weekend?

Hi @Lokikitty,

Sounds like you did well on Saturday finding out you were needed at work at the last minute. Hope you get a bit more quality time to yourself next weekend! Mind you I never know what to do with 'me time' when I do get it!

Are all your family nearby? I have quite a large family but they are all a reasonable distance from me and since I haven't been getting out I'm reliant on them coming to me.

The carrot cake smoothie bowl was blended cooked carrot, dates, ginger, cinnamon and walnuts. It was a bit like a porridge I guess. I had plum compote this morning with yoghurt and nuts.

I've been doing some little walks out the house again to try and expand my comfort zone. So far so good, I'm taking it really slow this time.

Hi Rainbow, next weekend should be a quieter one. I'm only planning on going to my pottery class and to my mum's. I know what you mean about me time. It feels like it should be something nice and enjoyable but I never know what to do. I just end up bored most of the time.

Most of my family are nearly. I also have family in London. Sometimes you can be too close to family!

The carrot cake smoothie and plum compote sound yummy and healthy. I have a lot of yoghurt and berries.

Well done on getting out for walks. Glad it's going well. Sometimes with anxiety it takes a while before things get easier. I sometimes think that practice doesn't always make perfect! It's more about being ready & being in the right place for the next step.

Thanks @Lokikitty,

That's such a good point, I'm feeling really hopeful that it's the right time this time 🤞🏻

I popped out my back gate earlier and bumped into someone I knew and hadn't seen for ages and it made such a difference to see a friendly face, it was lovely.

We had a chicken curry tonight but I had it with vegetables instead of rice, that's my main focus right now, to just eat more veg!

Hope you're having a good week so far ❤️

Hi Rainbow, how are the walks going? Has it got any easier?

It's lovely that you bumped into someone and had a chat.

You're doing so well with your healthy eating. I've had a bit of a break from it. This week has been hard. I've struggled to get enough sleep. My sister was down from London for the week. I went to see her at my mum's twice after work, which messed my normal routine up.

I've had problems with my landlord. He's really hard to deal with and I've had enough. I should move but dreading the stress involved.

I started counselling yesterday evening. It was really upsetting talking about the past and how it still affects me. My counsellor was really lovely and understanding.

Hi @Lokikitty,

I hope you're having a good weekend and it's totally understandable that the healthy eating has been harder with a change in routine and additional stress. It always frustrates me that stress seems to make us crave the opposite of what we need 😩

I've still been going for my walks, just going for a slow build this time and so far so good.

I'm having salmon for tea tonight, been trying to include one fish meal per week at the moment.

Hi Rainbow, I've had a busy weekend. I went to my pottery class. I'm still finding it really difficult. Then met a friend for lunch, which was nice. Met my mum straight after for a bit of shopping. I found a nice cardigan in a charity shop.

Caught up with some housework on Sunday and had my second covid vaccination.

It's good to hear that your walks are going well. I try to have fish once or twice a week. How was your weekend?

The weekend was nice thanks @Lokikitty friends came over for Sunday lunch and they are on board with healthy eating as my friend has a heart condition. She's one of the people who has inspired me and been really supportive.

Hope you felt ok after your second jab?

I've found myself craving sweet things again a bit this week so just going to keep an eye on that. I seem to be ok with cacao rather than chocolate and you can buy energy balls and cacao coated almonds which are nice.

Hi Rainbow. That's really good that your friend is supportive. It makes a big difference when people share your healthy diet. Glad you had a nice weekend.

I felt fine after the second jab. Just had a sore arm. I was very lucky with my first jab. I didn't have any side effects or a sore arm.

It's hard when you crave things. Sometimes you just have to give your body a bit of what it wants. I'm back on track with my healthy eating. Having plenty of fish, fruit and vegetables.

Hope you're having a good week @Lokikitty, well done on the fruit, veg and fish. Your body will thank you for it!

I'm going to make a vegetable soup for lunch today.

I'm learning about sugar addiction on my course, it's very interesting!

Hi Rainbow, hope your vegetable soup turned out nice. I'm rubbish at soups!
It sounds like you are enjoying your course again.

Had my second counselling session this evening. It went well. I feel like the counsellor really understands. I went for a long walk afterwards, which I haven't done for a while.

I've been practicing origami for an art club that I start next week. I didn't realise how much I've missed doing crafts.

Hi @Lokikitty,

I'm enjoying soup more than I used to, I think having less sweet stuff is making me appreciate the flavours more.

I've got a bit of good news actually, I took my daughter to a dance class today. It was in a hall that is within sight of my house so it wasn't a huge deal but even so, I wouldn't have done it a few weeks ago.

Glad the counselling is going well and I love the sound of the origami, is that what you'll be doing at the art club or is it a mix of things?

That's great news Rainbow 😊. I'm so glad to hear about the dance class. I bet your daughter was happy . Well done for doing it.

I could happily do origami every week but not sure that the children and parents would be 🤣. I'll do a mix of things like pipe cleaner crafts and masks. It's not far from Halloween, so will do something for that.

I did a roast chicken dinner after work on Friday. I've been walking every day since Thursday. The weather was surprisingly warm and it motivated me.

Thanks @Lokikitty, you were up late, hope you're sleeping ok!

Oh I get it, you're running an art club at the school? I love seasonal craft activities! Really looking forward to Christmas already!

The weather has been lovely hasn't it? Roast chicken sounds fab, I must plan a roast again soon. We had a Spanish stew tonight - chicken, peppers and onions in a tomato and paprika sauce.

I've been learning about sugar addiction in my course, helps me understand why I've always struggled with craving carbs!

Hi Rainbow, I haven't slept properly for 2 1/2 months. I am getting a bit better though. I've started meditating before going to bed.

I practiced my Halloween bookmarks today. Hope the children enjoy making them tomorrow.

The weather has been lovely and mild. I went for another walk today. Hoping to get back into walking every day.

The less carbs you have, the less you crave it. Protein and healthy fats are much more filling and your body's preferred fuel.

The Spanish stew sounds like good comfort food and very healthy.