This week my favourite thing – the thing that I’m loving is…
A few months ago it was probably pretty apparent to all my regular blog readers that I was doing it tough!! Our lifestyle (and by that I mean the fact that my husband often works away for 4 weeks out of 5, we live overseas from both sets of family & we have 2 small children!) is not an easy one – and I think it was fair to say that I’d just about had enough of it!! (the circumstances – not life – lets just clarify that!)
I spent the first half of this year sinking deeper into depression, which was driven primarily through anxiety & stress. Unfortunately, because it happened so gradually, it took me far too long to recognize that I had a serious problem & needed to take action!
Since recognizing that I had a problem I have been spending the last couple of months rebuilding my mental health. It has not been an easy task, and I wouldn’t exactly say that the journey was over, but I guess you could say that I’m much further down the road to “recovery” and feeling more relaxed then I have in a long time!
The last month in particular I have been feeling SOOOOO much healthier mentally. I don’t know if you have noticed a change!?
… I can tell by the dramatic increase in my motivation to do things, my overall mood, the fact that I am not waking up overwhelmed in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep, I don’t yell at the kids (as much), I can love my husband more, I’m way more creative, and most importantly I’m not having a constant attack of anxiety!
Well first we took a lovely long holiday…
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| Didn’t we travel light!! |
Secondly (and pretty large reason!) – this guy has been home more…
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| Lately I’ve been feeling like it’s ME being held up there on his shoulders!! |
Not having my my other half missing has been huge! He’s a super star! Such a great husband & father, and he really looks after us girls well!!…
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| A heart egg he surprised me with, with breakfast in bed earlier this week. Sometimes it’s the little things in life that show the most love! |
So it’s been so nice to have him home for the last few months & we just found out yesterday that we will get another month of his presence at home too. All the better!
Not to mention the extra help around the house when he is home is always greatly appreciated!
Thirdly – these little pink pills have been a big help…
I hummed and harred about whether to say anything – but yes, I did have to go see my doctor and we decided to try some medication… I’ve been on it just over a month now and it’s made the world of difference! Hopefully it’s very short term (as in just 1 more month short term) but we’ll just have to see how we go…
So there you have it – that’s my favourite thing this week… pretty darn important to life I’d say!!
To celebrate my return to mental stability (no smart comments from the cheap seats please 😉 ), as well as to assist me in my destash efforts, I am going to be celebrating with a week of giveaways for my followers to thank you all for your support… I really appreciate all your kind words of encouragement as you walk this journey with me!! If only you knew how much of a positive impact blogging, and you lot, have been on my life…
So if you “follow” then pop over to this post to read about the giveaways…
And have a fantastic weekend!!
Linking up today with…
So pleased to hear that you took some action! Well done you. And I am sooooo glad that you are feeling much better. It can really creep up on you can’t it, but I’m glad you recognised the signs and went to the dr. Welcome back!
Good on you for recognising that you needed help Kat and for following through on it…I am so proud of you and yes I have noticed a positive difference!!
Keep moving forward friend.
x
Fabulous Favourite – Sure does make your surroundings much brighter when you have good mental health. Hope the recovery is fast and long lived.
Oh Kat, it is so brave of you to tell it like it is. Bless, I am proud of my friend on the other side of the world. Big smiles and hugs. I’ve been where you’ve been and struggled to reach ‘normalacy’ again. I describe that time as grey. It is the best word to cover how I felt, how the world looked, what my days seemed like. You are a strong person and the sun is shining back in your life again. And YIPPEE! you get an extra month of loving support from your husband. What great news. (And remember there are always people out here willing to listen – privately if you would like to email me and vent/talk.)
Glad you are on your way and you recognised what you were going through and got help. Having littlies can be isolating even when you have close family so it must have been tough without help.
Fabulous favourite and good reason to celebrate, Kat! Thanks for sharing your heart today. From one who’s been where you are, I wish you much success in your journey. ☺ Happy FTF!
PS…Zoloft was my Miracle Med that broke through my depression. Good for you for seeking medical help! I know that wasn’t an easy call to make. ☺
An excellent FTF! Glad you are feeling so much better. I was reading an article about depression today (I have more than a passing interest. I was on medication for a couple of years. Off it now, but still have my down days.) which said that people with mild depression feel better if they do something good for someone else, or write a thank you letter, or count their blessings. Something we all sort of know, but this study showed that it helped people. Hope you have an excellent weekend!
Thank you for sharing that. Many of us struggle with depression and anxiety and can totally sympathize with you. I’m glad you’re feeing better.
So glad you’re feeling better! Hooray for modern medicine, I say.
Glad to see that you’re doing so much better! I hope it only continues to get better!
I think that your mental health is a wonderful thing to celebrate! You have been working so hard at it, and sometimes we all need some help – and some ‘better living thru’ chemistry’.
My friends have a website to help raise awareness for mental health & it has links to other mental health organizations – http://www.jasontennies.org . In May we held a Walk for Mental Health to raise money for research – it was pulled together in only about 4 months and they sent a check for nearly $15,000 to NARSAD (the brain and Behavior Research Fund)! As the bracelets we gave to the donors & walkers said: “Imagine….No Shame”
Wonderful – love that you have come through and I really love what you said about not noticing yourself sinking into depression as it happened gradually – a wake up call for all of us to make sure we keep a check on our lives/stress etc. xoxo
How brave and bold of you to share with us. I am very impressed. I have my own little pink pills that don’t always work, and I understand so much. God Bless.
Great favorites! Glad to meet such a brave lady! Blessings!
Kat, you sound so strong and so healthy and full of vitality – you clearly made the right decision for you. xo
Thank you for sharing, it’s very brave of you and hopefully will encourage others to seek help if needed or realize that it’s not a bad thing to be open about mental health. I think the more people talk about it and share openly it will take away the stigma attached to mental health. So pleased to see that you are feeling much better.
This is my favourite post this week Kat . I dont usually name my favourite out loud but I want you to know how much your post touched me. You sound strong and brave and kick arse awesome, and I know you’re going to go from strength to strength!
Thank you for sharing this with us. You’re simply fabulous.
You go girl! So proud of you
That is great news! I first started reading your blog a couple of months ago and you had just posted about how hard it was with your husband gone so much. I am so glad to hear that things are looking up for you, and I can’t wait to read your future posts.
Yay! So glad that you’re doing better.
Kat this post I can totally relate to. I suffered years of anxiety and eventually got help when I went off the rails a bit a few years ago. Going thru hormonal changes at that stage of life just made things worse but I too was prescribed a little pill and now looking back things are so much better. I took up knitting again, conquered my fear of my horses which an accident had given me and the house is running so much smoother. I have taken up more exercise in a bit to get rid of the tummy from sugar overload and have given up sugar. I am hoping to get some natural help for menopause and get off my meds. I have tried a few times but the anxiety just comes back and I get really scatty. Give yourself time and be kind to yourself. You have done the hard part. PS Blogland has saved me as well….couldn’t live without all the support of my bloggy friends, they have been wonderful
So glad to hear your feeling better! Neil being home will definatly lift your spirits as well