Three Good Things Today Part 8

[Moondance]

Such an inspiring post Blueberry. I am genuinely thrilled for you and am cheering for you!

      

[Blueberry]

Thank you Moondance  

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From yesterday
1) Had a really good physio appt, different practice where I'll be going back because she was so knowledgeable and gentle. She worked on my legs and feet through my clothing. Even when she briefly touched a hardened muscular point on gluteus maximus, I knew I was safe with her. No flashback And instead of having to jump up at the end of my 20 minute appt and get out so the space is free, as you normally do, I was told to remain lying for another 5-10 minutes, which I very gratefully did. They obviously have enough rooms to allow this

2) I went to choir practice and it was really good. Different choir director from normal and he is better - our usual choir director says this herself because he has far higher training etc. So it was a good time for me to restart after so long. I noted that I hadn't gone back to square one with singing technique (body memory works for helpful, non-traumatic stuff too    ) and I enjoyed the singing and hearing the other voices behind and around me.

3) Yesterday I listened to lots of singing on CD and then Youtube and joined in too. My CDs were certain favourite hymns mostly and then somehow on Youtube I got onto traditional songs and music from one of my native countries and that was just wonderful.

4) On the way home from choir I got closer to deciding to concentrate on Wed choir practices and putting Tues on hold because 2 per week is too much. That would possibly enable me to keep going at all

5) My new washing machine got delivered and hitched up to water pipes etc AND then the installer showed me how to use it and got me to try it out, which I did manage. And then when he realised I was going to throw a load of laundry in right away he turned around and came back and walked me through the steps again! That was so wonderful because using new machines can be triggering for me in a number of ways and usually causes a lot of anxiety. Not yesterday      In fact, I got 2 loads done.

6) Delivery, installation and demonstration are all covered by the price of the washing machine and the price is OK too

7) Now with the new washing machine, things can start flowing again. When they're dry, I'll have clothes to wear again and I've obviously reduced some of the huge mountain of laundry in and on and around my laundry hampers

8 ) I dropped by the farm at the market and was entrusted with looking after the stand for 'a few minutes' including selling (!) while the one and only person could run a few errands. This is the farm woman with those Little Furbabies I know so much about. Years ago she didn't entrust me with much, but she's turned around a lot, but trusting me with selling - woah. Not because of the money, that's never been an issue, but just as I don't cook at the farm, I also don't do the market - it's just not possible, I can't retain all the information on the products, and then all sorts of other stuff, but it still felt good to be trusted, sort of like - you're now even more a part of our farm community. Fortunately, the only customer who dropped by said she'd come a bit later. I put my own stuff together though, did one part of dismantling the stand (it was almost end of market) and then get going on a job I do Sun eve when I'm up at the farm

9) I finally got hold of my godson by phone and we've mostly arranged for him to come for a few days next week (autumn holidays). Since he is very active and very much an outdoors type, I was upfront about my feet and legs, but he still wants to come, which is nice.



Today
1) A lot going on internally, i.e. recovery steps
2) I allowed myself a very long nap because I needed it
3) The sky cleared somewhat and I had the impression a little watery sun appeared - it was nice to see but I didn't attempt to 'should' myself into doing anything outside as that would have involved getting out of bed and I still needed my rest
4) I have been outside twice today briefly
5) Drinking nice hot tea with milk rn
6) It's done me a lot of good to write these Good Things, I've been smiling broadly and the more I wrote, the more I remembered. I feel more awake now too    

[Blueberry]

Last time I wrote "...the more I wrote, the more I remembered. I feel more awake now too." Let's hope that works today!

From yesterday
1) It was warm for fall and it wasn't raining
2) I allowed myself rest until I wanted to get up and do something
3) I did a pile of garden work, including beginning to clear two different beds so I can get stuff planted before the winter.
4) My feet held up pretty well, surprisingly. When I noticed that both my feet and me as a whole were getting tired, I stopped
5) While I was working, I noticed a sweet smell, it was coming from a still-blooming flowering plant a friend had passed onto me
6) Before my garden work, I was looking for a particular piece of documentation. I didn't find it, but I did find other stuff I hadn't seen since my move. I did feel an urge to unpack more and put it in the proper place aka find a proper place for it.

Today
1) It's warm in my apt so I'm warm
2) Drinking nice hot tea with milk
3) I allowed myself to lie long in bed dozing and reading
4) I'm following some of my own suggested steps on what to do when things are really hard, e.g. do get up eventually, look through the window(s), look at garden and nature through those windows, drink, eat...  (I recently wrote two lists of Resources, basically things that do me good, in occupational T and taped them up where I can see them from my bed)
5) In fact I've just opened the window to let a wasp out, so I've looked out the window as well as looking through. Some sort of wild maple is outside - orangey-yellow with a few flaming-red leaves. Not just a Good Thing, but Joy.

Writing here worked! I'm smiling now, which I wasn't before, and I came up with more than three things per day, which I didn't have in mind before I started. 

[Blueberry]

Yesterday:
1) Saw a rainbow
2) Had a nice cycle
3) Autumn colours are more muted, not so bright as a month ago but still pretty
4) Lots of rushing water in streams and little rivers that I passed while cycling
5) Went to church for the first time in a while and it did me good
6) Nice sunny afternoon so I did some garden especially lawn clean up and it all looks better
7) I had a delicious piece of apple cake.



Today:
1) I got up reasonably early tho I would've preferred to stay dozing in bed

2) I can see a bit of blue sky from where I'm sitting at my computer

3) I made myself a hot cereal for breakfast. It tasted good, was filling, halfway healthy and I had the wherewithal to add more than the basics that is to say I added cinnamon and chopped apple. It seems a long time since I last made myself anything warm to eat because that's something I'm having trouble with in this new apt but this morning I did it and it all went easily!  

4) I had an impulse to listen to music so got some CDs together but then realised none of them were the music I needed. I needed nursery rhymes and lullabies so that's what I listened to and sang along with and danced around a little to while cooking my breakfast. Some small Part of me possibly needed that yesterday so it's good I noticed the need this morning.

[Bermuda]

I will do the last 24 hours...

1. I was out last night, and dispite despite not enjoying myself and the CPTSD pitfalls and shortcomings , I was able to regularly check in on myself. That's not something I am usually able to do. I even felt myself trying to answer that I am fine, and I kind of pressured myself to see what I actually felt. It sounds silly to type out my internal conflict.

I needed a bit of a break, so after cycling the snow, over frozen canals, and past city lights, I thought I'd take the kids out of school today....

2. So I woke up before anyone else and made forest berry and winter spiced pancakes, and messaged their school to say they were having a snow day.

3. I got them dressed up and we were the first kids to jump in the piles of fresh snow. We had such a good time, and we really needed the break from 'order', and I had a much smoother day parenting. Even though I used so much energy outside, the parenting bit felt lifted off me and he kids had a really good day.

I really needed fun.

[Blueberry]

Bermuda, a few days ago reading your post especially the bit about your kids and you having fun in the snow was a joy for me, a Good Thing.

Today

1) I managed to leave the house and collect my bicycle

2) Finally collected my new reading glasses. They'll make things easier tomorrow morning so it's good I collected them today

3) Going to peace prayers today helped me out of my depression. It took me a while to get up the courage to speak, but I did, and prayed for something that helps me - for some greater power to help me not give up when the world seems so bleak internationally. But really it's about me being helped not to give up - it's asking for the blackness, the depression to lift. It did somewhat too.

4) With being at peace prayers, I saw and spoke to other people and I sang, which was all helpful

5) Number 4 helped me remember why going to church helps me and why choir is even more helpful

6) Stopped by a drop-in group meeting with social worker on the way home and got a hot dinner with rice and veg and sauce

[Blueberry]

1) Went to a Christmas party today which I go to every year
2) Very enjoyable this year. I felt relaxed, happy, sociable
3) We sang English language carols and enjoyed some Xmas foods from the anglo world
4) Afterwards I went on to a church service where I used to sing in the choir. The choir was singing tonight and I enjoyed singing along from the pews
5) I still have some of the tunes and words in my head and I'm moving my body a little bit along to them, as I was also doing in the church service

[Blueberry]

1) Went to choir practice this evening for the first time since before the summer holidays
2) I know most of the carols and hymns that are going to be sung on Christmas Day so I intend to sing with the choir on that day - it's OK that I missed so many practices
3) I had a good session with my occup. T this morning

[Blueberry]

For the past 24 hours:
1) I woke up this morning to the sound of singing in my head and the singing is still going on

2) I'm smiling after having read through all my old posts and some of Bermuda's on this thread

3) Yesterday morning I made it on time to my physio appt AND I was able to reschedule the next 2 appointments to a time that suits me better

4) Yesterday afternoon I was able to cycle back down into town and I did all 4 things on my little To Do list. Phenomenal atm because for what feels like weeks or maybe even months, I've mostly been able to run only one errand at a time and certainly not able to go into town centre twice in one day for appointments and errands!

5) Yesterday at peace prayers I was brave enough to openly pray for calm in my heart due to anxiety. I didn't mention the reason for the anxiety which had been teenager behaviour at the beginning of the prayers triggering me, but it felt good for me to leave the anxiety there in the room and not take it home with me

6) How could I forget?   I can now read all boards on the forum when I'm logged on, so I will be able to respond to them too!    At some point or other last year, some glitches in my account developed. When not logged on, I could see all the boards (except private ones obviously), but when logged on there were various boards from all over the forum which 'disappeared' so I couldn't e.g. respond to a mbr's post on SI/SH although I would've liked to, I couldn't respond under Announcements e.g about Book Project tho I was writing something for that Project and I couldn't find some of my old posts on a particular board tho I often re-read my own posts. All that made me feel confused and useless-at-computer-stuff. Whatever those glitches were, they've now been repaired by the IT guy from OOTF    

[Dina]

What a wonderful post! I'll give it a go:

1. Finding this positive post in this already wonderful forum
2. Getting on the treadmill and run for 30min even though I woke up very low
3. Putting a stop to my self-critic and allowing my feelings to show up without overthinking or judging, which is huge for me!

[Blueberry]

Way to go Dina! Those are great things you listed. This thread is very valuable to me, very helpful. Hope you find it that way too

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1) I got my hair cut today and it looks so much better which also means that I look so much better too. And I didn't get triggered either. In fact, I like my hair being washed and my scalp being massaged a bit when I'm at the hairdresser's

2) Nice sunny day today and with some snow lying outside it looks pretty too

3) I sat in my living-room in the sunshine eating my lunch and listening to some music. It was good that I 'bothered' to do that - leave the cold and shady kitchen, put the chair in the sun...

[Dina]

Thanks Blueberry! Your list sounds lovely too! 


My glimmers today were:
1. Having the mental capacity to work on a current assigment due this month.

2. Sitting on the couch and do nothing for almost one hour and not feeling guilty about it.

3. The warm feeling in my heart when one of my sons hugged me this morning.

[Blueberry]

1) It's 1pm and I'm allowing myself my second break of the day

2) I've accomplished a number of things, like laundry and hanging it to dry, tried to get a doc appt, some tidying, picked apart my vase of flowers into a) compost    b) separate little vases    (And that's not all )

3) It's sunny and I've been enjoying the sun both in my apt and when I've briefly been outside

4) I've done a little stretching, even just upwards for a number of seconds, but it's all a start and better than nothing

[Blueberry]

1) I feel good today - fairly optimistic and hopeful, also more sorted than sometimes so it's easier to organise certain tasks

2) The sun has been shining all day

3) Occup. T was good, I got on with one of my creative projects and while I was about it told my T about the many developments over the past 5 days or so as well as plans and ideas for the next while

4) I came home from OT with the energy and will to get on with certain things. Did a bit of cleaning here and there. Did a load of laundry and hung some of it out. Have a second load in the machine

5) Hung up one of my creative projects, tho it's not completed. I'm putting paper pictures of mine that I really like onto a freebie calendar whose pictures don't appeal to me at all. I always have newspaper and magazine cuttings, and other pictures lying around that I like to look at. Well, now some of them are covering up the ugly/boring pictures on this calendar which is hanging properly on the wall and there will be more, June onwards still to do. Much better than piles of newspaper cuttings and other pictures lying in piles. 

6) I have the impulse to do a few specific things today in my apt, setting-up kind of things.

[Rosa Lin]

1. Finding this forum to take the time to shift my thoughts and energy towards something positive.
2. hugging my dog
3. watching corny movies with the kids and making memories.