Black Dog Gang 7

Chrissy
I was a volunteer at Colchester Mind for some years. We never did craft work. Mostly talking therapies and sorting out benefits. We helped a few women access placement in women's refuge.

Annie so pleased your visit went well. How lovely that she said she is your career and you will continue to see her. Have a good day. x
Nonnie Caribbean restaurant sounds fun. Invest in a couple of JML Magic Layer Women's Soft, Breathable & Fast-Drying Thermal Vests to keep you warm. They are so thin used for skiing fit under the slinkiest of dress. What patience to knit such a big throw.
Doodle I hope your finger heals quickly. I find Steris strips useful when using a rotary cutter!
Chrissy good luck at the dentist let us know how you get on. I hate going into a room first too and it takes a lot of effort to join a new group. Let’s hope that support is up and running again soon.
Bluesky any problem needs to be addressed. Physical conditions we adapt to. Mental problems are the challenge and often harder to deal with. That’s why we are all here under Annie’s wise council.
Lavender you poor love sorry you are in a lot of pain hope the arm improves soon. X
Meryl thank you for your time at Mind. I found they were the only organisation prepared to help sort finances + W.R. It must have been demanding as a volunteer.
Got a C/H boiler being fitted today, it has been out of action for months. Workmen just arrived.
Today is the 1st day of the rest of your life. Enjoy.

Hi all x

Chrissy. Good luck with the dentist x

lucyanne hope the fitting of the boiler isn’t too stressful x

Doodle has you finger healed ? X

I would like to explain my mini tornado being my carer , two
years ago she heard I was looking for a cleaner, she said ‘I will do your cleaning’, my reply ‘thank you but no, I am not having my granddaughter clean my bungalow’ her reply -
‘You have looked after me for 19 years , I want to help you now’. Where she lives came under lockdown yesterday, the rules are only leave for work or if you care for a family member, so I now have a carer .

Morning everyone.MerylStreep At the branch of Mind that I go to they occasionally have talks on therapies etc but the actual drop-ins are mainly craftwork. You can sit at smaller tables if you just want to chat but virtually everyone does crafts.
Thanks lucyanne. Appointment not until 2.30. I always ask to go first thing in the morning because of my nerves but unlucky this time as they’re trying to catch up on appointments missed because of COVID so had to take what I was given. You must have been cold without a boiler.
Annie how lovely that your mini tornado can act as your career
lavender I hope you’re feeling better today.
Have a good day everyone x

Morning all x Annie that’s good that your DGD can be your career and therefore will be able to visit even in lockdown!
Lucyanne You are always so positive, I like tour quote “Today is the first day of the rest of your life” so true!
Yes the sun is coming through after a grey start so indeed let’s enjoy! x

Chrissy you and I sound alike. I worry about things and make them something they are not. It sounds as though your Mind group was helpful to you. Hope it starts up again at some point.
Annie I am so please your DGD came yesterday. If she is studying online, does that mean she will not be at uni. That will be a relief for you if that’s the case. She is worth her weight in gold ?
I am so sorry to hear Lavender is in pain. If your reading Lavender I hope you feel better soon.
Lucyanne thank you, my finger is on the mend. My own fault. Are you crafting anything in particular at the moment?
Good luck with the boiler. Be good to get it installed before winter.

Morning Bluesky (you have such a positive user name ?)
Hope you have a good day today.
Take care all x

Hi all.
Flutterby so glad you had good news and hope that the next test goes well too.
Lucyanne bet you are happy the boiler is being fitted - just in time for the winter. Glad you had the sunshine yesterday it was cold rainy and windy here so bad I didn,t even go for a walk .
Nonnie I think the film where the woman talked to the wall was Shirley Valentine. Caribbean restaurant sounds great - lovely sunny yellows and oranges to wear and thermals underneath . Well done finishing the throw you must feel such a sense of achievement - your DIL will love it.
Doodle hope you are healing now - what some people will do to get out of washing up!!
Annie so happy for you that your mini tornado was able to see you. She is a very kind and resourceful young lady and it’s wonderful she can continue to see and care for you.
Lavender hope yo7 feel more comfortable soon.
Chrissy good luck with the dentist it will soon be over.
Bluesky the sun is out here too - hope it stays awhile

One of our My friends sent me an article written by a lady doctor who had extensive experience in War Zones and traumatic situation . She said after 6 months in stressful situations she always hit a wall and felt very down. This had happened to her many times but always after a few weeks you readjust and start coping again. This made me feel better as the last week Although getting on with things I am feeling increasingly scared inside and worrying about everything.
Hope you all have a good day love to allx

Hi Doodle yes I would like to be always positive like my name but I’m often GreySky!

Craft work . 1977 I was being treated in a mental hospital, there was the usual treatment, medication and talking therapy but also walking , weather permitting , and craft work were compulsory. I knew the head of the occupational therapy dept,
we chatted and she told me craft work was so important for those with mental health problems, the mind concentrating on which ever craft chosen and the feeling of accomplishment
when the project was finished.

Our local MIND has painting groups, knitting and stitching groups, weaving groups, even a gardening group, they have an
allotment and also carry out work on hedges and paths on the
mountains for the National Parks.

I definitely believe in working with your hands, not cleaning!
adult colouring books, painting on pebbles is fun, think of all
the ladybirds , spiders webs etc, we can paint ,

Can it be ‘the devil finds work for idle hands’ not only means
idle hands lead us to do naughty things ?

Lucyanne
My first day was certainly an eye opener. A young girl came in who was a cutter ( a person who self harms) she had not long cut herself.
My manager then began to educate me as to why people harm themselves. Very sad.

Thanks BluSkyI don't always succeed!

Yes, Doodle sent a photo to DS and he is sure she will love it. Other another Dil has now set me a fairly big task but it is aran so won't take as long.

Chrissy it takes a lot of courage to join a new group but it gets easier the more times you do it. I had to represent my company at a function so took my courage in both hands and went to speak to a man, he snubbed me! I then went and spoke to someone else straight away and it was fine. Now I find it a lot easier to speak to strangers because I ask myself what is the worst that could happen? Not a lot when I think about it, if I don't know them now I still won't know them. Good luck with the dentist, ours is only seeing emergencies.

lucyanne thanks for that, I've made a note and will look it up

annie that is lovely, you are very blessed. Glad MT is being positive about uni and understanding we are all affected not just students. I would like to be good at crafts but the only things I can do are knitting and crochet and no one uses the latter these days. I can do essential sewing and make curtains but that is about it. I have half a sewing machine, dil has the other half. A friend is making me a label to go in the throw, she is really good at sewing and can knit too!

Bad night last night, woke up with a nose bleed, went to sleep, woke up with another and couldn't get back to sleep. As soon as I was up I did a very brisk 30 minute walk into town to pay in a cheque (can't remember the last time) and bought some jeans in M & S. Cheered a little when the assistant who was helping me brought out a size smaller than I think I am . Home now and very tired.

nonnie there are many crafts, do you want to make things which are useful ? I love cross stitching , not at all useful but fun as gifts. I have 7 pieces lined up, my elder granddaughter loves the film ‘Gone With The Wind’ we talked about the ending and what we thought Margaret Mitchell meant by the last line,
I am stitching a wall hanging for her ‘after all tomorrow is
another day’. I know it will give her laughter.

Doing two works for future great grandchildren’s nurseries,
‘Cariad’, means loved one.

Do look on Etsy for ideas of craft work x

Hi everyone, Been to the dentist and all ok so yet again I’ve done all that worrying for nothing. I keep saying that I’m not going to get in a state anymore but needless to say I will, it’s such an entrenched part of me that I need to accept it’s part of who I am. I start the acupuncture on 22 Oct so hoping that it will at least lessen my anxiety.
Doodle Glad your finger is getting better. Awful isn’t it when you can’t control your worries. I look forward to the Mind drop-ins starting up again.
Scaredycat I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been feeling scared and worried about things. I hope you feel more settled soon.
Annie In the 80s I was a day patient at a mental health unit, I had to go every week from Monday to Friday all day. They said if I didn’t attend they would section me. There was lots of activities available and some were compulsory. That was the only time in my life when I struggled to eat anything. For some reason I just couldn’t bear to put food in my mouth. They made me sit at a table to eat and one of the staff would sit watching me. I know for me I should try and do things to take my mind off my worries but sometimes it’s just so hard to actually start doing something. The saying ‘The devil makes work for idle hands’ definitely applies in that if we don’t find things to focus on then our minds will go into overdrive with things to worry about.
MerylStreep I’ve met people who self harmed, unless you do it yourself I think it’s very hard to understand. You’re right it’s very sad.
Nonnie I still struggle with meeting new people. The only reason I actually walked into that room the first day was that one of the staff met me at the door and introduced me to a couple of people. I have no idea how you dealt with representing your company at a function. Hope you have a better night’s sleep tonight.
Hope everyone has a good evening and a restful night x

Chrissy, good news from your dentist.

When I said ‘the devil finds work etc* I wasn’t referring to the
evil, I was thinking mental health problems are devilish .

I am so sorry you feel you have to accept your phobia x

Good night all x

Chrissy
In my time with volunteering and then employed to work with people with mental health issues I helped many people who had gone into a serious panic attack with deep breathing.
It was shown to me many years ago.
Have you ever tried deep breathing?

Scaredycat ? Yes a good excuse for not washing up.
I think that we all have down periods and then gradually pick up again as we accept things or things improve. Hope you feel better in yourself soon.
Annie it’s true that doing something with your hands does take your mind off things, I love my crafting sessions and I can lose myself in my painting or sewing for hours.
I love the word Cariad. ?
Nonnie sorry you had a bad night. My DH sometimes had nose bleeds. Not nice. Hope they stopped quickly. I read somewhere that the best thing to do was bend forward over a sink and just let the blood flow for a while and then squeeze the bridge of your nose tightly until it stops. Don’t lean back.
Hope you have a better night tonight.
Chrissy we never learn do we ?. I’m always so relieved when something comes out ok I forget how much time I wasted worrying about it.
Do you have any hobbies at all?
Meryl so kind of you to come on this thread and give us some good advice.
Bluesky. We all have our grey days but the clouds always clear and the sun shines again even after the worst storms. Hope you’re ok.
Sleep well all x

Hi all x

How is everyone ?

Morning all x I’ll start by complaining that I don’t sleep well, can’t quite put my finger on it, I used to blame high BP but that’s now a decent figure, my blood tests are fine so I can’t say it’s sugar or kidneys etc. My stomach problem has cleared but as I had it before, I’m now waiting to be investigated. All I can do is put it down to anxiety, stress and depression as usual. Annie when you had your ulcer did you feel not 100% in yourself apart from the stomach discomfort? Hope everybody else had a restful night, have a pleasant day x

Morning everyone
Annie I know you didn’t mean the evil, I just realised that the saying related to mental health in that, if you sit and ruminate (idle hands) then the thoughts can run away with you.
MerylStreep I have tried deep breathing in the past but I found that after the first couple I found it hard to stay focused. There’s so many different ideas on how to do it like the counts for holding your breath and breathing out. I’d be interested to hear the method you used.
Doodle You’re right, we never learn. I read quite a bit and listen to audio books. I did start diamond painting but haven’t done any for ages and so far haven’t managed to get back into it.
BlueSky I was a terrible insomniac and the GP and Psychiatrist both thought it was down to not being able to shut my thoughts off at night. The only thing that worked for me was changing my anti depressant to Amitriptyline. Of course I don’t think that everyone should take drugs to help them sleep but I was already on an AD so just swapped it for a different one. I hope you start getting some decent sleep soon.
Have a good day everyone x

BlueSky in what way do you mean ‘not 100% in yourself ‘
my love ?

Chrissy are your days busy because you have family around?

The stress everyone has been under and still are is causing so
many problems.

My younger daughter telephoned me at the weekend, I found
chatting difficult, nothing to talk about . I now realise I have
become so use to messaging and emailing , only face to face
talk is with my mini tornado and this only every 2/3 weeks,

Morning all.
Bluesky sorry you don’t sleep well. My DH is another with stomach problems that we can’t identify that wake him up at night. If it’s not that then it’s restless leg syndrome. I don’t think he has slept solidly thorough the night for years. Some nights are much better than others though. He takes a considerable amount of mediation for his various health problems so it could well be one (or some) of those causing the problem.
Chrissy how funny. I am doing diamond painting now. I enjoy it. Have to concentrate really hard though. I have a friend who does jigsaws and sewing. Reading and audio books are good but I find if I am not actually doing something with my hands my mind can still wander.
Annie how’s the cross stitch coming? What a lovely idea to do some for future generations.
lavender hope you are feeling better today x
Have a good day all x

Oh Annie I tried, I really did but I am rubbish at cross stitch! I was at a fund raising thing and wanted to buy something, anything, so bought 2 cross stitch packs and I was very bad at it!

Chrissy so glad the dental visit was good, one less thing to worry about in the short term.

BleSky if you ever find a solution for insomnia you will make a fortune but please share it on here first

Instead of beating yourself up about not doing things try to simply start something, you don't have to finish it. There are times when the task looks too big but really isn't and there are times when it is big but just starting makes you feel you have achieved something. Baby steps.

Thanks for asking, yes had a better night because it was the sleeping pill one, I take it alternate nights. Proud that I have got it down to half the original dose.

Printer ran out of ink part way through a 52 page document, why couldn't I fit the new cartridge? I don't usually do helpless but after getting ink on my fingers I asked DH to do it, he did it straight away.

All dressed up as Caribbean as I can ready to meet a friend for lunch, she will see me coming!

Good morning friends. Firstly thank you for all your kind messages re family members test. Much appreciated. Still waiting on test 2.
Annie your mini tornado is just a star. She is is caring and loving towards you. Hope she is doing ok. I was once told that working with your hands was excellent for dealing with anxiety etc. Never got into crafting so maybe I should try.
Nonnie Carribean restaurant fab. It brings back memories of a wonderful holiday my DH and I had in Barbados many years ago so thank for reminding me.
Doodle I do hope your finger is healing and you are having a good day.
Chrissy well done at the dentist so gold star for you. I get very anxious going to the dentis too.
Bluesky and then a greysky think that’s sums up many of us. Remember the days when we were children living in the present moment - bliss.
Lucyanne thanks for reminding us of that quote.
Lavender sorry to hear you have been in pain. I hope it’s settled a bit now. Just about to book my first flu jab and I am bit anxious about it. Did you,have a reaction?
Scaredy Shirley Val is a great movie.
Worry is a terrible thing. If only we could be like we were as children and live in the present moment (that is when it’s a nice moment). Hope you are feeling bit better.
Take care all. Sun is shing here today x