What's on your Saturday menu?

I'm really not much of a fan of corn dogs unless I get them at the fair which I haven't in YEARS!

Good mornin everyone! I'm up and at em unfortunately but I'm trying to make it productive. I'm going to wait for the cleaning until morning but I'll get my head lamp on and chainmaille some. I'm hurting a lot but hey...what's new? Lol. I'm trying my best to be positive but it's hard for me. Just taking it bit by bit so please forgive me if I sound whiney sometimes.

the next week is a busy one for me. Two medical appointments. One the dreaded eye doctor that's usually at least a 3 hour visit of waiting. The other is with my new provider at the mental health clinic. I'm also dreading that, it's my 4th provider in a year. I like consistency. At least my case manager is the same for about a year now. That's been unusual for me, they have a pretty high turnover rate I guess.

We have to run and get some pork steaks to BBQ and my mom is wanting something else but I forget, oh they have free bell pepper today, up to two with a 10 dollar purchase...even the red, orange or yellow ones. Free is good! I might make another batch of pumpkin soup here in a few weeks so I'll put em up in the freezer.

QOTD: what's the one thing that you do that calms you down and takes it down a notch? I'm kind of struggling with anxiety right now. Tips would be appreciated!

For me lately it's belting out Pantera's Walk or Atreyu's watch me burn. Great songs and let's you get it out of your system.

B: protein egg and chicken bites from Sam's and coffee...lots of coffee

L: chicken thighs fried in the air fryer(found the recipe on CNN.com of all places)

D: hoping to get more lettuce for a salad...probably with chicken on top

Mel, I don't have anxiety so I know it's not the same. When I get situationally anxious/depressed/overwhelmed, I am big on distraction - doing something that takes all my focus so my brain stops spinning. Scarlet O'Hara wasn't wrong about everything, Tomorrow is another day. I also like music and walking or getting in some exercise, a good ***** session with my bestie or my sister, a long hot bath and an early bed time. Sometimes I will have an entire conversation in my head (usually in the bath) saying all the things I wouldn't actually say and that gets it out of my head too. I also try to keep in mind that everything changes, including the bad things. There's also an escape into a good book, I have comfort books for just that reason, lol. Hope some of those ideas can help you.

Oh and lately I spend a lot of time watching videos of baby ducks on Instagram and forwarding them to family members. You can't be sad with a baby duck.

Thanks for the suggestions! I have been seeing a lot of videos of the hairless cats and oriental shorthair cats on my Instagram. Mostly kittens. Like ducks you just have to smile!

I am currently obsessed with Penny the Talking Cat and look for those videos when i want to relax. I also tell myself that I am privileged to be alive to enjoy another day and hopefully more years.

I hope your day has improved, Mel. I do find that full-volume renditions of some songs are a wonderful release, particularly during commuting. On the calmer side, I literally get outside and do breathing exercises. Or make a fancy cup of tea from my reserves and focus on the experience, since that's a special treat. And for me, hug a dog is on that list. Exercise helps, too. I always feel better after the fact...but different for everyone.

Trying to figure a few things out for me, and had another incident Friday. The acute part had passed by about 10pm last night, which was good. I'm glad to have follow ups with both GI doctors this coming week. Have my trusty list of suggestions and questions. Think I'm going to ask about the bile binding medication to give that a go, and see whether that could mean not taking the PPI for a while. Hypothesizing that the changes could be good!

Soft foods and lots of walking. Same tomorrow but I'll take my supplements. I skip them on days like today. Water, water, more water.

Cheers.

For some reason I had been wondering how you were, I'm so sorry you're dealing with issues still. Many good thoughts being sent your way.

Thanks, Mel - same good thoughts your way. :) I'm truly grateful for every day. Some are just more of an adventure than others lately!

Mel- another early morning for you. Sorry about that. Keep trying to be positive that's all you can do to stop from spiraling into depression. I feel for you. That is a lot of turnover having 4 different MH providers in one year. That is hard especially if you're trying to establish trust.

Today my weight took a jump up since I was off workouts for 3 days and diminished accountability when out of town. I need to be very disciplined with my eating and workouts this week. Made it to yoga today. I have a massage this evening. Some house cleaning. I am trying to get together with my sister but it appears our schedules won't mesh. We will see. I just saw her earlier in the week when I was I. Seattle. Tomorrow DD and I are going to Blue Beetle for the $4 movie.

QOTD: activity to distract me, deep breathing exercises, audio book. I am wanting to try guided meditation. You could probably find an app for that.

accountability: good

usual meals

E: yoga

I'm so sorry you re in so much pain. I have some bad days, but my body tolerates opiates so when I really hurting I can take that and "get stupid". Because more than minimum amount of opiates - makes me stupid.

As for anxiety stuff, there are a few things I can do: good movie, good audiobook or real book. Cheess calms me down (the casein in cheese binds to receptors and stimulate dopamine release). Supplements- l-theanine is great for that, and taking a mixture of caffeine with l-theanine d lifting but calming effect on my system. Too much l-theanine and I'm out, so I've got to be careful with that.

Hugs...