An A to Z of PND.

Alphabet: The modern English alphabet is a Latin alphabet consisting of 26 letters – the same letters that are found in the ISO basic Latin alphabet. The English language was first written in the Anglo-Saxon futhorc runic alphabet, in use from the 5th century. This alphabet was brought to what is now England, along with the proto-form of the language itself, by Anglo-Saxon settlers. Very few examples of this form of written Old English have survived, these being mostly short inscriptions or fragments.
(Wikipedia)

So, a week on from taking my last tablet and I’d just like to start this post by saying that I didn’t start my blog to focus solely on post-natal depression, but recently it seems that this is where my writing has mostly wanted to be, and my blog has been overloaded with PND posts and poems. It has been helping me to voice everything I’ve gone through and have been feeling, and I hope it has also helped those of you who have read it and have also suffered, or know someone else who has. So I’ve been going with it, and writing as honestly about my experiences as I could. For now though, as I have taken my last tablet, I think this might be my last post on the subject for a while, unless there is demand for more honesty! It is an A to Z of my post natal depression (in a not all doom and gloom kind of way, but as always, in a very honest kind of way!)

Let’s begin…

A is for…let’s start with an obvious one…antidepressants. Where would I have been without those little pills of loveliness. Yes, they take WEEKS to work and they’re a bugger to come off (brain zaps anyone?) but when you’re feeling so low you want to go sleep and never wake up again they are amazing. For me anyway, I appreciate they’re not for everyone.

B is for bastard, bugger, bitch. All delightful words I’ve used regularly to describe this delightful illness.

C is for catastrophising. A phrase I didn’t even know existed until PND took its hold. I’d have a cut on my leg which I was convinced would turn into a septic oozing sore that would eventually lead to blood poisoning and death. Or an ulcer in my mouth that was actually cancer which would lead to death. Or a stomach ache which was appendicitis, which would obviously burst, and lead to death. You get the picture. Not only did I catastrophise about illnesses I’d do the same with the safety of my children. My 3 year old would be at the top of a slide and I’d be screaming inside ‘be careful, hold on, sit down, go slow’ because I thought somehow he’d fall off, break his neck and this would lead to… I’d jump to the worst possible conclusion about everything. Seems silly now, now I’m thinking rationally, but at the time it seemed like a distinct and real possibility. Danger was everywhere. Disaster was always about to strike. (Thankfully it never did, long may that continue!)

D is for dreams, crazy, vivid, bonkers dreams. I’ve dreamed entire film plots (and even the credits when it was over and time to wake up) I am amazed at the things my subconscious brain can conjure up in the middle of the night. I have two recurring dreams that vary from night to night. One is needing the toilet. Desperately needing the toilet, but for some reason I cannot go. The toilet is blocked, or too high, or someone is watching me. The other recurring dream is about my Grandma’s house. There are secret rooms I didn’t know about, or someone is chasing me there and I need to hide. Last night I dreamt it had been renovated for students to live in. Random, and by far not the weirdest dreams I have had, but undoubtedly the most frequent. Haven’t quite worked it what my subconscious brain is trying to tell me through them! Any dream interpreters out there?

E is for eating. I CAN.NOT.STOP. At first I couldn’t eat a thing (which was great for post pregnancy weight loss, but not so much for breastfeeding) but now I am ravenous, all of the time. Burning acid in the stomach ravenous. I could eat one of my children ravenous. Food has always been my comfort and never more so since I became ill. I have tried dieting, and it did work for a while, but food is just too delicious and life is just too short at the moment for me to worry about it. So there.

F is for f*** you. F*** life. F*** everything. I have never sworn so much at my poor husband. Or just muttered swear words under my breath when out and about and irritated and frustrated by absolutely everyone and everything. Swearing at the television and all of the irritating people on it. Swearing felt like getting all of the crap inside my head out. I’ve always loved a good swear, but it’s definitely upped a notch or two. (Not around the children of course, well not every day anyway ;-))

G is for guilt. Guilt for being a rubbish mum, a rubbish friend, a rubbish wife. Guilt for breathing in oxygen that could clearly go to someone more worthy. Guilt for being ill. We all feel guilty as mums, society (and as I’ve said before social media and manuals) all conspire to make us feel useless, to doubt ourselves, to make us feel guilty for not doing things ‘properly’ or as well as others. Gah, one day I WILL write a book encouraging mums to trust their instincts, ask for support from trusted sources, and hopefully relieve some of the guilt we all are made to feel.

H is for hypnotherapy. Solution focused hypnotherapy to be precise. Absolutely integral to my recovery. Helping my messed up brain get back into the intelligent part and not the primitive cave man part that only operates through fear, anxiety and anger. It has saved me, and given me invaluable techniques and skills I can use in the midst of an overwhelming panic attack. I urge all of you who suffer to seek it out, and I know it can be expensive. I was lucky enough yo have free treatment from someone who was training, so it didn’t break the already broken bank!

I is for isolation. Oh now isolated I felt, even though I was surrounded by people, big and small. Isolated because no-one else was responsible for this little pink person. No-one else could breast feed him, no-one else could settle him like I could. He would only sleep on me, and only stay asleep on me. The minute he was handed over to someone else those little brown eyes would ping open. And then the anxiety would begin. I was convinced that if he didn’t sleep well during the day then he’d be overtired and wouldn’t sleep during the night. I spent my days struggling to get him to sleep and then desperately trying to keep him there. Because if he was awake he would cry, and I wouldn’t know how to stop it. I didn’t have any confidence that I knew what to do. I didn’t recognise what cry meant what. I couldn’t make it stop. When he was asleep he was peaceful and so was I. Isolated because I didn’t want to go anywhere, going out was too much of an effort, it meant having a shower for starters. Isolated because I felt trapped in my own head filled with these voices telling me I was worthless, that I had nothing to look forward to…and I couldn’t find the words to explain that to anyone so I was alone with those feelings and thoughts. Looking back it was probably the least isolated time of my life as I was surrounded by so many wonderful people. Horrible how your brain can make you feel.

J is for journey. Everyone talks about your journey with depression. Your journey to recovery. Your journey as a mum. Journeys in my opinion are meant to be fun, this one was not.

K is for kitchen. I used to hide in mine. Often eating. It was the only place in the house where I couldn’t hear my baby crying. I used to escape there, only for a few minutes, the guilt of leaving him crying would soon kick in and I’d be back upstairs rocking him to sleep once more. But those few minutes of peace and alone time were precious.

L is for love. Love of friends. Love of family. Unconditional love from my children whether I am happy or sad or crying or laughing. I am so unbelievably fortunate to have some of the most amazing friends there are, ones who know just the perfect things to do and the perfect things to say. They have helped me more than words can say. And I love them completely.

M is for mum. My mum. We’ve certainly had our ups and downs but there’s not doubting that she has always been there for me, trusting her instincts and encouraging me to do the same. And since I have been ill she has been worth her weight in gold. Couldn’t have got through it without her.

N is for neurotic. I guess I’ve always been neurotic, even before this all started! People have always marvelled at how my thought processes work, and how I reach conclusions they never would have reached in a millions years. My neuroses kind of make me who I am I guess. I just need to learn to control them, and to live with them.

O is for on my own. Which is what I wanted to be most of the time. All of the time in fact. My suitcase was often packed in those dark days, and I knew exactly where I was going and when I’d go. I just wanted to escape as it was all just too hard. Looking back, it was the days when that suitcase wasn’t packed that should have worried me more.

P is for pull yourself together. Oh, is that what I need to do, silly me! I didn’t realise it was that simple, I just need to pull myself together. Actually, do you know what…no I cannot f***ing pull myself together. F*** off.

Q is for questions. Why do I feel like this? Why can’t I feel better? Why am I such a bad mum? Why me? As any inquisitive Toddler would say…why why why? And there are no real answers, not for me anyway. Life’s just a bi*** sometimes.

R is for Rescue Remedy. Oh how I love this stuff. The sweets, the chewing gum, the drops. I had them all. If you’d opened my bag it was like a Rescue Remedy party bag inside. We all have safety behaviours and having Rescue Remedy with me at all times was one of mine. Placebo? Maybe. But who cares, it worked.

S is for well, what else but stigma. Yes I was afraid to be a mum of three on anti-depressants. Scared people would think I’d had one baby too many and couldn’t cope. Scared people would look and me and wonder what on earth I’d got to be depressed about and think I was just looking for attention or feeling sorry for myself. Not realising it’s an ILLNESS, and I had no control over how I felt. Another reason why I’ve chosen to write so honestly, to help smash the stigma.

T is for talking. If you read my blog you’ll know I’m a wear your heart on your sleeve kind of girl. I have no secrets. Everyone knows everything about me (which is a bit embarrassing at times!) and talking my way through this illness to anyone who wanted to (and yes even those who didn’t) listen has helped me to recover. Especially talking to those who have also suffered. It’s so true to say that unless you’ve ever experienced something you can never fully understand what others are going through. And whilst PND is different for everyone, I’ve met many people who have felt the same as me. Talking to them has undoubtedly helped, both myself and hopefully them as well.

U is for understanding. Sometimes I wish people would stop trying to understand. I think if you haven’t suffered you might never be able to understand fully. Just listen and help me, don’t make it about you needing to understand, you don’t need to I promise, you just need to be there.

V is for vile. I felt vile, I looked vile, I thought vile thoughts. I said vile things.

W is for withdrawal. Ah off those little pills of loveliness I mentioned earlier. Having been cushioned from really ‘feeling’ for the last nine months, I am now firmly back in the real world. I think I’m lucky (or ready) because although it’s not been easy, it’s not been half as bad as I expected. I’ve had a few unpleasant withdrawal symptoms but I am able to be rational and know that that is all they are, that I’m not getting ill again and that in time those symptoms will disappear. (they’d bloody better!) And boy am I looking forward to being able to have more than one glass of wine of an evening lol! (An inappropriate reason for wanting to come off them I know!)

X is for X marks the spot. The spot of PND that will always stay with me, but will hopefully never take full hold of me again. (Although if it does, I won’t be too ashamed to admit it, and I will ask for help, and I will take it!)

Y is for yesterday, days of yore, and letting them go. It physically and mentally hurts to think about how I felt after my last baby was born. I never, ever want to go back there ever ever again, and in order to recover fully I need to move on. Let it all go. It happened and I can’t change that, but it doesn’t have to define me. It’s changed me undoubtedly, but it doesn’t have to control me. I can beat it, and I will.

And finally…
Z is for zzzzz, sleep. Lack of it, too much of it. At my worst I was totally and utterly obsessed with sleep. Mainly because thanks to insomnia and a newborn baby I wasn’t getting any. My bedroom (which was the spare room because after those very early weeks I could not sleep with anyone else less than 100ft away from me) smelt like an old lady’s boudoir, with lavender spray, pillows, mists, candles. I would count to the minute the amount of sleep I was (or wasn’t) getting. I would go to bed at 8pm, terrified that if I went any later I would run out of time to get some precious shut eye. I’d also have to nap during the day, and still do regularly. (But to be honest, I’ve always done this!) Sleep comes a bit more easily now, and I am back in bed with the other half (ears plugs in tow!) I’m still up in the night with the baby, but have learnt not to look at the clock, it does me no good!!

So…that completes my A to Z of my post natal depression, and for now my ‘journey’ (haha) with it. I hope that writing this may help others who are suffering or who have suffered to not feel that they are alone PND. You are not alone, and you can and will get better, promise x

Thanks for reading xx

Today’s #Prose4T has been inspired by my three beautiful babies. I’m pretty sure I am not having anymore children, and realising this made me reflect on their births, and how magical and precious those first moments are.

My Favourite Moments

The last push,
The first cry,
My favourite moments.

Skin to skin,
Pain forgotten,
My favourite moments.

Eyes open wide,
They meet mine,
My favourite moments.

A new person,
A new life,
My favourite moments.

A new name,
A new identity,
My favourite moments.

Personality showing,
Character building,
My favourite moments.

Family larger,
Family closer,
My favourite moments.

First introductions,
Spreading the news,
My favourite moments.

Clasping fingers,
Feeding now,
My favourite moments.

First night together,
Neither of us sleep,
My favourite moments.

So much hope,
So much to share,
My favourite moments.

Our future together,
A new family created,
My favourite moments.

Lullaby: A lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process. As a result they are often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the ancient period.[1] (Wikipedia)

Today, it is a privilege to be able to join in with the link on @Edspire’s blog to promote the launch of the FSID changing their name to The Lullaby Trust. I know so many of us have been touched by the loss of the beautiful star Matilda Mae, and it is a true testament to her and to her amazing family that her legacy is being extended every minute of every day. I have no doubt she is smiling down on us all and loving our blog posts, written to help raise awareness of FSID’s new name. http://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/

So here is my contribution, a lullaby, sung to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Rest Now Under Stars and Moon

Precious baby close your eyes,
The day is done, how time flies.
Dreams will come to soothe you soon,
Rest now under stars and moon.

Rock you gently, cuddle tight,
Keep you calm till morning light.
Dream of what we did today,
Dream of all the messy play.

Dream your dreams of love and joy,
Dream of things we both enjoy.
Know I’m here all through the night,
Help to soothe, restore the light.

Sleeping baby peaceful now,
Could gaze at you for hours, wow.
Beautiful baby still and calm,
Nestling in my comfy arm.

Precious baby close your eyes,
The day is done, how time flies.
Dreams will come to soothe you soon,
Rest now under stars and moon.

Xx

I wasn’t going to blog today, but this post was inspired by a Twitter conversation I read earlier, and made me wonder why we mums do ourselves a disservice sometimes. Being a mum is a tough, but fantastically rewarding job. We are all amazing and need to big ourselves up! We all need to support each other a little bit more, and respect how others choose to parent their children. It wouldn’t do for us all to be the same, but one thing we do ALL have in common, is that we ALL rock!

What am I?

I am a nurse
I am a friend
I am a confident
I am a party planner
I am a stylist
I am a hairdresser
I am a comforter
I am a support
I am a counsellor
I am a crisis negotiator
I am a chef
I am a cleaner
I am an educator
I am an organiser
I am a comedienne
I am a taxi driver
I am a swimming instructor
I am a secret keeper
I am a personal shopper
I am a helper
I am a carer
I am an artist
I am a writer
I am an IT technician
I am a record keeper
I am a bank
I am a musician
I am a photographer
I am a singer
I am an entertainer
I am a role model
I am a motivator
I am an inspiration
I am more than just a mum.
What are you?

My Battle with a Bicycle

Bicycle: A bicycle, often called a bike[2] (and sometimes referred to as a “pushbike”,[3] “pedal bike”,[4] “pedal cycle”,[5] or “cycle”[6]), is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other.[7] A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.

Wow, Monday again already! The weeks at the moment seem to be flying past so quickly. Not that this has been a bad thing with regards to the cold weather recently…bring on summer and some long need warmth and sunshine I say!! (Optimistic much!?)

So today’s #magicmoments is a tale of personal achievement. But not so much in the overcoming PND kind of way which I’ve been blogging about so much recently. No, this is a very different kind of achievement!! Of being forced to step out of my comfort zone and succeeding!

Last week I bought a bike. (If anyone reading this knows me, then yes, you are allowed to laugh out loud at this!) I haven’t owned a bike since I was a child and I haven’t ridden one for several years. But looking ahead to this hot and sunny summer (there’s that optimism again, is it getting annoying yet?!) I had the idea that we would be a family who embark on numerous cycle rides. And picnics. And time together. And loveliness. So, we went and bought me a bike, with a seat on the back for the baby, and one of those fancy seats for me with a hole in it for my special lady parts. Not entirely sure why they do that, but was I willing to go with it. The idea was that over the next few weeks I would go out on short journeys and practise, regain my cycling legs as it were.

I was excited to go and pick it up on Wednesday and have a little ride once we’d got it home. Except…we hadn’t bloody thought it through very carefully had we. For an accountant and a teacher we were pretty thick. The bike obviously wouldn’t fit in the car would it, and with five of us in the family we do actually have quite a big car! Home was four miles away and there was only one option, I had to ride the damn thing back. All four miles back. Sh**. My husband at this point was laughing at me, stood there in my helmet literally sh***ing myself at what I had to do. Ride a bike…on roads…uphill…on my own!!!! His mirth soon turned to concern and then he, ‘Mr Pro Cylclist I taught Sir Chris Hoy everything he knows’ proceeded to give me a lecture on how to ride home safely. Then he got in the car with the children and drove home. Leaving me there with my bike, alone. It was about half past six and I figured I had an hour before it got dark. My bike had no lights, so I needed to get moving. And move I did. I WALKED alongside my bike up the first hill feeling (and looking I might add) like a total twonk. After about 5 minutes I thought, ‘sod this, I can’t walk the entire 4 miles home’ so I tentatively got on the bike, and then promptly fell off. Then I got back on again, and actually cycled, swearing under my breath the entire time. It was bloody freezing. I swear there is no colder place on this earth than on top of a bike, cycling into a bitingly cold wind. My eyes were streaming, my nose was running, my hands were turning blue. And I still had 3.9 miles to go.

The next part went ok, all downhill which helped. But after a downhill comes an uphill, and I though ‘right you bugger, I will cycle up you, I can do this.’ And do it I did, but when I got to the top I had to stop to cross a road and my legs turned to jelly and I fell over again. In front of lots of people, bike landing on top of me. At this point, as you can image, I hated my f***ing bike. Would quite happily have thrown it in the nearest bin. Cycle rides this summer were a stupid idea, who was I kidding, I’m a lazy cow at the best of times and it was probably going to rain the whole sodding time anyway. Anyone who saw me at this point must’ve wondered what the hell I was doing. I had on the wrong clothes, my nose and eyes were still streaming in an extremely attractive fashion, and I was swearing as I walked, actually make that hobbled, alongside my bike. What a picture!

The next part was downhill again and although there was space in the road for bikes I chose the pavement. What a mistake. Not only was I nearly decapitated by a rogue sign, but I was also bashed and scratched by bushes and twigs sticking out over the pavement. This only added to my gorgeous appearance. Still in a foul mood I vowed to ring the council as soon as I got home and tell them, in no uncertain terms to cut the damn things back. So, I was nearly home by this point, one last bugger of a hill to get up, which I of course walked, and bashed the pedal on my left shin causing me to cry out in pain and making me hate my bike even more now that it had physically hurt me.

The last mile was down the back lanes behind out house, sheltered from the wind and away from the view of so many people. I could see my house in the distance and it was then when I began to feel quite chuffed with myself. I’d nearly done it. (I still hated the bike though) It was getting dark and I could hear my phone ringing, which was probably my expert cyclist husband checking I was still alive, wondering why I wasn’t home yet as it would’ve only taken him five minutes. But it was here, when I finally felt that I could do it, not that I had much of a choice. So I stood up, (I know, stood up on a bike, get me!) and cycled hard. And I made it! Huffing and puffing and looking minging (bright red cheeks had now added into the mix) I’d made it! After arriving home all the horrors of the last hour were forgotten, I’d done it! I felt like I had cycled from Lands End to John o’ Groats! I felt I could teach Sir Chris Hoy a thing or two myself!

I had been forced to go out of my comfort zone, something that hadn’t happened much recently as I’ve been playing it very safe, and I’d done it. I’d cycled four miles. (Okay, probably only three and a half, hobbling for the rest!) And yes, I’d winged and moaned and hated every blasted second of it, but I’d done it…and that to me, for so many many reasons…is magic!

Tablet: Tablet (pharmacy), a mixture of pharmacological substances pressed into a small cake or bar, colloquially called a “pill” (Wikipedia)

So, it’s Sunday…and today is the day I take my last anti-depressant. Today is the day I am meant to be officially cured. No longer trapped and isolated and broken from PND. And although I feel ok, I don’t think I’ll ever be the same person I was before this vile illness took hold. A little bit of my confidence will never come back, an edge of anxiety will always be there in the distance, and the unbearable threat of the illness returning will always surround me.

But, for now I’m lucky enough to be ok, and to celebrate this last tablet (yes, for me it is definitely a celebration!) I am going to share with you a letter I wrote to myself several months ago. I was very very lucky to be put forward to go to a local art therapy group for mums suffering with PND. It was, as we all in the group felt, a lifeline. We all lived for Friday mornings, where our children were in the crèche and we were given time, and space, to talk, and be listened to. To not be judged. To not be made to feel like we were terrible parents. Where we drank tea, ate cake and got creative, each of us finding our own favourite creative tools. It was during the first of these sessions that we were asked to write a letter to ourselves, a wish list of everything we wanted, needed. And when the sessions ended it would be posted, for us to read.

My letter arrived in the post last week, and I haven’t opened it yet. It was so many weeks and emotions ago when I wrote it that it’s contents will be as fresh to me now as they are for you reading it for the first time.

So, today, after I have just taken my last tablet….here goes….

Dear ***,

I wish these things for you…

*child free clothes shopping
*the gift of acceptance (to not try and control everything)
*the gift of reading a book, uninterrupted
*some quality time with each of my children, independently
*8 hours of uninterrupted sleep
*the gift of just being, without analysing and criticising myself
*some quality time with my husband
*waking up when I am ready, not be woken up!
*confidence to go back to work
*quality ‘child-free’ time with friends
*an uninterrupted bubble bath
*time to exercise; for hobbies
*spontaneity!
*to wake up looking forward to the day ahead, even if I’ve nothing planned
*to feel good about the way I look
*to feel positive
xxx

Okay…wow…that was actually rather lovely, but also very eye opening to me. It was like reading a letter from a completely different person, and it’s so hard to believe that I wrote it. What first strikes me as I read this through is how trapped I must’ve felt, and how I felt I couldn’t do some of the things on the wish list, things which now I actually take for-granted. And as I read I notice how such trivial things are written next to some really quite serious things, but at the time there was perhaps no differentiation, all of these things seemed like desperate needs to me. Amazingly, I have been lucky enough to have been granted many of the wishes I wished for myself all of those weeks ago. I have done so many of the things I wanted to do. And I don’t feel trapped or isolated anymore, I don’t feel like everyday I am trudging through treacle in a midst of panic and desperation for it to be bedtime again so I could sleep and not feel anything, not have to struggle through.

Reading this letter has shown me how far I’ve come. And has granted me one last wish, the knowledge that I really am recovered, it has shown me I am one of the lucky ones, and that those little tablets which held me together for so long are now gone. And now I know…that last tablet…really was my last.

Red balloons

Balloon: A balloon is an inflatable flexible bag filled with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric, while some early balloons were made of dried animal bladders, such as the pig bladder.[1] Some balloons are used for decorative purposes, while others are used for practical purposes such as meteorology, medical treatment, military defense, or transportation.

Right, it’s ranty Friday, and thanks to a few sleepless nights and PMT I’m ready to rant!

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to be positive? (Ha I hear soooo many of you cry!) So many things conspire against us, least of all, as I am finding out at the moment, other people and mostly people I don’t know. As you know I’m weaning slowly off anti-depressants and am trying to remain positive (I know, I know, sometimes it’s not that simple and our brains won’t work like that just because we will them to, but I’m trying, I have to, and I really am trying) Recently it has seemed to me that everyone around appears to like to moan, and whine, and feel like they are so much more hard done by than everyone else. Not just people I come across everyday, but even in the news which at times seems so bizarre that I can’t believe it has actually made the headlines. And mostly this angst is over such trivial things that don’t, in my opinion, warrant such a bad mood. For example when driving….people can become sooooo unbelievably aggressive and cross, mostly about the simplest of things ‘Ah you haven’t let me out, YOU HAVEN’T LET ME OUT, how could you do this to me, why haven’t you let me out, ah that’s it, my day is ruined, RUINED I tell you.’ *offers a finger or two* Or in the supermarket ‘You are blocking me, I cannot possibly say excuse me so instead I will ram your trolley and give you an evil glare because you are in my way and I need to get past, I NEED to get past, oh I cannot believe your trolley is there, you must be doing this on purpose, my day is ruined, RUINED I tell you.’ *huffs and puffs and shakes head* It’s the rudeness that comes with the perceived ‘unreasonable’ action that really upsets me. I’m a nice person, I don’t go out of my way to upset people, yet perfect strangers seem to treat me with contempt, as if my only aim in life is to make their lives miserable, simply because let’s say, my pram might be in the way. Say excuse me….it’s not hard!!!! If I don’t know you’re there or that you need to get past I won’t know I’m in the way! Maybe I’m being over sensitive or unfair, I don’t after all know these people, they might just be taking their justified frustrations out on me, you never do after all know what goes on behind closed doors.
But everyone to me seems to be fighting to prove that they have it harder than everyone else, they seem to go out of their way to find things that wouldn’t normally cause concern to groan and moan about. I’m not talking serious illnesses, or redundancy or anything major obviously, people that suffer these fates have my every sympathy and I am always there to listen and help in anyway I can. No I’m talking about things like I mention above, and the unnecessary rudeness that comes with it. Whatever happened to common courtesy. To a bit of politeness and respect. To sticking together, supporting each other…helping each other out when things really are tough. We should look out for each other not battle against each other. We should be quick to assist, not judge and condemn.

I was becoming so overwhelmed by strangers reactions to me in various circumstances, that I often ended up in tears in public places. I had to find a way of letting things go. It’s not until I started to try and let these things go myself and put them into perspective that I noticed it in so much more in others. I needed a technique that was going to work. So…I started something new, and irritatingly am now advising everyone I meet who groans over insignificant stuff to do the same. Life is simply too short to hold on to these things. It’s simple, you just put the problem in an imaginary red balloon and send it off, floating up into the sky. And it’s gone. (It bloody works as well I promise!)

When someone doesn’t say thank you, red balloon. When someone sees me struggling with a pram and a toddler and doesn’t hold the door open, red balloon. When someone pushes in front of me, red balloon. You get the picture. I do admit that once I was so incensed by someone that not only did I put them in a red balloon, but I also floated them up to the nearest electricity power cable so the balloon popped and they fell swiftly to the ground, but you know, it was fair, they’d really upset me!

So, is there something in your life that you could red balloon? And send floating away so it doesn’t take up any of your precious head space? Right now for me, I am appreciating the irony of my blog post, and of my ranting…so into that red balloon it goes…… 😉

So, it’s Thursday again, and I just wanted to start this post by saying that this week’s poem for #Prose4T could be interpreted in a number of different ways. It was not necessarily written from my perspective (although throughout different parts of my life it very easily could’ve been) but it could also have been written about me, when I was ill with PND, or by someone else completely. Thank you, as always, for reading x (Oh and next week I promise to write something more uplifting 😉 !!)

Count to 10, and Walk Away

Your words go deeper than you know,
Hurt inside deep down,
Childish words said out of anger,
Pure nastiness behind the frown.

Said to cause me so much pain,
To cut me when I’m weak,
Uncontrolled outpouring of hate,
Whenever to me you speak.

Is it because you feel so guilty,
Because you don’t know what to do,
Is it because you hate me,
Because I really feel that you do.

You never offer comfort,
Your words are never soft,
They are nasty, mean and horrible,
From across the room they waft.

Make me feel it’s my fault,
That I’m not worthy of your love,
Make me feel so horrible,
They envelop me like a glove.

You know just what to say,
Just what will hurt the most,
And you make me a shadow of my former self,
A tiny, insignificant ghost.

You don’t know when to stop,
You can’t control your voice,
It’s as if you are possessed by evil,
As if you don’t have a choice.

But it’s when the children hear you,
When they see you be so cruel,
That I feel I’ve let them down the most,
That I feel like a total fool.

They shouldn’t be around it,
Shouldn’t hear those words be said,
They should only hear words of kindness,
Only have nice things in their heads.

So please next time you hate me,
Or don’t know what to say,
Bite your tongue, keep it closed,
Count to 10, and walk away.

Sunshine is sunlight, the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Sun, especially in the visible wavelengths. (Wikipedia)

So today is Monday, and this week’s #magicmoment is brought to you by sunshine. (Sunshine, what’s that? I hear you cry!) Well, it’s a lovely thing that comes from the sky, and brings with it light and warmth. It makes everything look more beautiful to me. And it gives me hope.

Yesterday was my middle child’s 4th birthday. He’d already had his party (Bleurch, read previous post lol!) so the day was going to be a simple family day. Just the five of us, plus my Mum up from Cornwall. The birthday boy wanted a Wagamamas for lunch, and a robot cake. Simple. As the clocks had gone forward that night, getting up at half past seven hadn’t seemed so bad. (I tried not to think about what time it really was as I am NOT a morning person at all) We came downstairs, he opened presents and had a lovely breakfast together. Simple. We played with the toys he’d been given and then my mum arrived. Still simple, still so very lovely. We all went off to Wagamamas. Lunch was eaten and then we returned home. Simple. And it was after we returned home that for me, the magic happened.

For those of you who have read my blog you will know that I have recently been quite poorly with post-natal depression, and thankfully am starting to come out of the other side. In just over a week’s time I should be completely antidepressant free. It’s been a tough few weeks reducing my medication, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, and for me, yesterday was another giant step forward. Another moment when I realised, and believed, that I really am getting better. And it was all because the sun came out. Tentatively at first, peeping out behind a few stray clouds. And then slowly it became stronger, and warmer, and out for longer stretches of time. There is always a temptation when the sun is out to quickly rush out of the house, to go somewhere, to enjoy every second of it and make the most of it whilst it’s here. Get our bikes, pack a picnic, hike up a hill. All wonderful things to do, but I forget that I actually have a perfectly lovely place to enjoy the sunshine not more than two metres away from me most of the time. A place that doesn’t require hours of planning, endless packing and organisation and more often than not a lengthy car drive. My garden!

So into the garden we went, and as we sat there, in the sunshine and for the first time in what feels like such a long time feeling warm, I felt a huge sense of optimism and hope. I watched my children laughing and running around and I felt hope for the future, for a summer full of sunny days (We are ALL most definitely due one!) For a summer where I can spend time with my amazing family in my garden, and in the sunshine, and actually enjoy it! Last summer was swallowed up by a giant black cloud for me, both literally and metaphorically, and I was unable to really enjoy any of it. I mostly spent it crying, panicking or trying not to run away and never come back. But this summer, when my youngest will turn one year old, I know that I will truly be back. The magic of the sunshine yesterday made me know that I will be the person I used to be, before the b**** that is PND took me away.
Simple.