Check-in - July 4th to 8th - Depression Support
Let's reflect on the past weekend and what it told us about our emotional health.
And what we expect to achieve this week.
Today's check-in questions are:
- How have you been feeling these days?
- How was your weekend, overall?
- Which were your best times this weekend?
- Which were not-so-good times?
- What do you wish to achieve this week?
All questions are optional. You can add any comments you wish, as they come to your mind.
I look forward to your answers!
As a final note, if you find it interesting to join the Depression Support team, learn more about opportunities, requirements, and how to join, by clicking HERE.
I wish you all the best!
Tagging check-in subscribers: [phantom-tagged check-in taglist]
If you wish to be added (or removed) to the check-in taglist, press HERE
@HealingTalk
How have you been feeling these days?
Like crap, honestly.
How was your weekend, overall?
Ups and downs.
Which were your best times this weekend?
A random road trip with my partner.
Which were not-so-good times?
Everything else.
What do you wish to achieve this week?
Survive.
@OneErased
Hello again!
Thank you for checking in!
I appreciate much your unconditional, absolute honesty with yourself.
You don't deceive yourself nor sugar-coat your true feelings.
That's part of being authentic which, as I told you, I deem much more valuable than being happy.
Phony happiness is overrated. Authenticity is almost forgotten these days.
Being fully aware of our reality, even if it's pain, is an amazing privilege few people, and an infinitesimal of entities in the Universe have.
Besides, you are very lucky to have a partner with who to share good moments out of simple things in life. And both being able to appreciate those good moments.
"The mediocre man rejoices only in extraordinary things, but the Sage rejoices in the most humble everyday things" - Tao Te Ching
Congratulations on that!
All the best!
Marcelo.
@HealingTalk
I have not been feeling my best these days. My grandmother’s birthday is on the 4th so it’s hard for me to be happy and celebrate because she isn’t here in person. As of yet, I don’t wish to achieve anything this week..
@fairmindedFriend3493
Thank you for checking in!
I am sorry that you have not been feeling your best these days. Not the best but not the worst, seems ok. And better days will come, for sure.
I hope you have been as close as possible to your grandmother's heart on her Birthday by talking on the phone or even a video call.
I hope you can plan to meet her in person when circumstances allow it, and express to her your love while being fully present with her.
I wish you have a nice week, and can find some moments of calm and peace, without the pressure of having to achieve a specific goal.
All the best!
Marcelo.
Thanks Marcelo for your kind words.
If only I had long distance to Heaven I would…. I wish that a phone call or a video call was possibly but it not. My only option is to
look at photos and think of all the memories I have of her.
@fairmindedFriend3493
Thank you for your kind words!
And sorry for my confusion.
Now I understand.
It's sad when the birthday arrives of a very loved one that is no longer with us.
It's a time for remembering her, expressing our love for her, and honoring her memory.
How have you been feeling these days?
Ugh. Exhausted. I've been doing NaNo for the last three days, and that's great, but I have to start focusing on doing laundry this week too.
How was your weekend, overall?
My weekend was fine. My aunt and her aunt came yesterday and brought my father's urn. They didn't really want to stay for very long because my aunt still has the cold she caught from her granddaughter. I understood that and told her that I hoped she got a chance to rest and relax.
Which were your best times this weekend?
I had a lot of fun yesterday writing my 1613 words. I also enjoyed brewing a couple of cups of decaf coffee so I could share a cup of coffee and a cookie with my father, then I laughed because it was like the adult equivalent of playing tea party with my stuffed animals as a child.
Which were not-so-good times?
The not-so-good times came when I woke up yesterday morning and realized how worn out I was from the last few days of high activity- just lots of leg pain that sucked. I took my ibuprofen and trudged to the store to pick up what I needed to make my stove top potpourri, cleaning supplies, and discount cookies.
What do you wish to achieve this week?
I want to do a couple loads of laundry. For Camp NaNo I also want to reach 16,129 words by Sunday, so that's 11,290 more words.
@integrityblues
Hi!
Thank you for checking in!
Congratulations that you could focus for so long on writing during these days.
And that you enjoyed it so much.
Writing is such a very high-value activity, that it deserves every minute spent, and all the effort.
But of course "There is a time for every activity under the Sun". A time for Nano and a time for Laundry...
They might complement well each other, as they demand so different kinds of effort and each gives its particular sense of satisfaction.
How touching and heartwarming that your aunt came with such a strongly moving purpose! It must have been a very emotive moment.
Again, congratulations that you keep your passion for writing and doing your best for the NaNo challenge!
Those target word quantities are demanding goals, challenging, but must be very motivating.
So, keep pounding and pounding your PC keyboard!
I wish you much luck in the NaNo challenge.
And all the best in life!
Marcelo.
I have been feeling very foggy in the brain. Like im not really where I am. I've been angry and irritable and sad. My weekend was boring... unsatisfying and lonely.
I spent some time outside laying in my hammock it was a different thing to look at.
All of the moments in between doing things to distract myself from how sad and depressed I've been.
This week my goal is to get back into my exercises to become healthier.
@leadboots420
Hello!
Thank you for checking in!
I am sorry that you felt that foggy sensation. I imagine that it might be confusing. disconcerting and annoying.
Thankfully, despite being a bit down, you had the great idea of spending some time outside lying on your hammock.
Lying on your hammock, outside, is the icon of relaxation.
I love hammocks, they are very relaxing and enjoyable to me.
I am glad that you created that fun and relaxing moment despite all.
Your goal of getting back into your exercises is very wise.
Exercising will help you a lot to feel better, less irritable, and in a better mood.
And to sleep better, which in turn helps to feel better the next day.
So, play the music you like the most, and "Just do it!" ✔️
It will be great.
Then, I invite you to come back here and tell us how it went.
To motivate the rest of us, all couch potatoes... 😀
I wish you the best of the best!
See you soon!
Marcelo.
hi everyone!!!!!
i'm okay these days. Been clean from self-harm for over 1 year!
my weekend was good. I had lots of good food and spent time with the fam.
my not-so good thing was that i felt really lonely and overwhelmed with everything I have going on.
One thing I already accomplished this week was that I went back to school today after a five year break. I've finally started my science classes to get me on track for a career switch. I was nervous but my professor is pretty chill and he structured class in a way that's easy to understand.
One goal I have for this week is to study for my test coming up next thursday and to make flashcards to help me out
@BrokenAngelxx
Congratulations, ☀️ congratulations, ☀️ congratulations!!! ☀️
That you didn't SH for so long is not just an act of will but means that you are much better in deeper aspects of your life.
That's something to celebrate! 🍸 🍸 🍸
Also that you went back to school after a five-year break is a great accomplishment. 🏆
I admire you for that!
I am glad that you have a good professor for such a difficult subject as Science. Someone that will present things in a clear manner and explain until you understand is almost a luxury to have.
You might know there are many free resources online, the best known is Khan Academy, and many others mostly on youtube, that explain clearly difficult subjects, and you can rewind and watch again until you understand.
This is the "Science" area of Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/science
Also in Coursera and EdX, there are courses, mostly at university level.
Anyway, the important thing is that you are back in the classrooms, and this is amazing. Let's celebrate that too! 🍸 🍸 🍸 🍸 🍸 🍸
For flashcards, I have used Quizlet with very good results https://quizlet.com It's also free and other users share their card sets, so some might be useful to you. These are for Science:
https://quizlet.com/subjects/science-flashcards
And it has free phone apps that sync the cards with the PC website https://quizlet.com/mobile
Maybe you already know all of this, but I tell you just in case...
I am glad that you had a nice weekend with your family.
But somehow you also felt lonely and overwhelmed.
Remember to come to Cups when you feel that way. You know that here you won't be lonely, ever.
On my part, I invite you to chat with me in those moments, You can reach me by sending me a message from here: https://www.7cups.com/@HealingTalk
You are a wonderful person, that is doing much effort to improve and move forward, you deserve all the support in the world.
I wish you much luck in your next exam!
All the best!
See you soon...
Marcelo.
@HealingTalk
yeah microbiology isn't too bad. He's only giving 5 exams and they will be multiple choice and he prints out the notes each week for us, which is nice. I have a good feeling that i won't fail the course. He taught the course lase semester and he said all his students got a's and b's and no one failed.
anyway, thanks for the encouragement.
I just have to take breaks when studying and not to cram the info and i'll be fine. I only have like 6 more classes to take after this so it shouldn't be too bad as long as i take one science class at a time.
I also got into a medical office program which starts mid september, so i'll be getting a break from the science courses since i'll be doing that for 10 weeks. The plan is to get certified to be a medical office assistant and find an evening job while i finish the rest of the science prerequisites. Then once those are done, quit the office job and go to nursing school full time.
@BrokenAngelxx
How good there are all those factors that make you confident you will pass the course!
In passing, you learn about those amazing tiny creatures that we can't see but are all around us (and inside us). How vastly complex are these microscopic beings. How they live and reproduce based on purely chemical processes. It's all amazing. a vast part of Life and of Reality, so important, but we can't see nor recognize as sharing this Earth with us.
It's a privilege to learn about them and be aware of their amazing existence.
They are very important for healthcare too of course...
To take healthy breaks, so you don't burn out, you might download a Pomodoro timer to your smartphone (you might have done it already) and follow the 25 minutes study - 5 minutes break sequence. Or adjust it to your liking. Here some free PC and phone Pomodoro apps:
https://www.jotform.com/blog/best-pomodoro-app/
It amazes me how meticulously and rationally you have planned all your moves until you reach nursing school.
Nursing is such a superb profession! I have a cousin who is a nurse and I admire her a lot. Here, during the peak of Covid, every day everybody would open the window or step outside at 8 pm and applaud the nurses. All over the country. It was very moving to hear that daily massive applause of love and recognition to the nurses.
Nurses are the most crucial component of the healthcare system. They are the ones that stay in permanent contact with the patients. It has been proved that hospitals and clinics that give more responsibility and initiative to well-trained nurses, have the highest rates of success in treating and healing patients.
Besides being the most compassionate and loving career (you have a very compassionate personality to have chosen to be a nurse), nurses are in high demand everywhere. You can choose any city in the world, and you will find a well-paid job as a nurse there. And even in the most restrictive foreign countries, you will be given full residence. I don't know of any other profession with such high demand and so valued worldwide.
Coming back to the present, I wish you much luck in your exam tomorrow!
All the best!
Marcelo
@HealingTalk
1- I think I'm feeling better, coping better.
2- I spent it at home and just taking care of myself.
3- nothing in particular.
4- Not so good times, are having sleeping issues.
5- this week I'm trying to focus on enjoying things instead of avoiding doing them in the first place.
@Here4good74
Hello, Jane!
Thank you for checking in!
I am glad that you are feeling well these days
Taking care of yourself is the first priority in life.
Spending some peaceful time at home doing self-care is a wise use of your precious weekend time.
Sleeping issues are annoying. They bother and create anxiety when time passes and you can't fall asleep, and also impact our wellbeing the next day.
Anything that you can do to have better sleep is well worth it. In my case, I have found out that going for a long walk or exercising during the day helps me fall asleep at night.
Actually doing what we have to do is a great source of satisfaction.
As you imply, with the right attitude and awareness, almost any activity can be a source of enjoyment. Even decluttering, cleaning the floor, or doing the dishes...
Thank you again for checking in!
All the best!
Marcelo.