Life Upheaval

So sorry you & your family are going thru all this, hope all goes well. Be kind to yourself, major stress you're going thru right now. Many blessings to you & your family.

First of all, please be kind to yourself and take life just one day at a time.  You are super stressed over your dad's health, understandably.  Do not beat yourself right now for your slip ups.  My thoughts and prayers go out to you and to your entire family. 

Gwen, I'll keep you and your father in my thoughts & prayers! Remember to take care of yourself along the way. Let me know if you need anything.

I admire you for being there for your dad and your mom. The surgery we had requires a lot of mental strength and you're obviously a very strong person. I'll say a prayer for your family tonight.

You are too young to be going through this at 18.   I'm going through something similar with my parents and it is a big-time struggle!  I'm 50 and feel like I should have a lot more time with them.   It is so difficult.  

Do what you can and ask for help when you need it. 

I am sorry that your family has to walk this path!  It sounds like your family really pulls together. 

Good job on keeping up with a lot of the good habits you have cultivated!  It is crummy to have to swat back some of the old bad habits.

~Shel

Gwen- one step at a time.  I am older and have been through this with my family.  I can tell you one thought that helped me when my mother was very ill- will eating this make me feel better in the end?  I could not control what was happening to her but I could control what I put in my mouth.  However you are able to handle this, best wishes.  You will have peace in your heart knowing you were there for your parents.

Nancy

I'm so sorry your family is going through this.  It is totally crappy and scary and sucky that our parents age and get sick and there's not much we can do.  You're a great daughter and you're obviously doing everything you can to make this easier for your parents.  I totally admire that.  It's really hard, but you have to make a little time for yourself - even if that time is only 5 minutes here and there - so that you can stay strong.  Do the best you can with food and exercise and be forgiving with yourself.  If you have a bad day, try to put it behind you and move forward.  Take care - your dad will be in my thoughts!

Gwen,

Sorry for your troubles.  It's tough to see our parents who were so young and strong and in charge of our lives, need us and become the ones who need caring for.  You are doing the right thing by being there.  You will never regret it.  My advice would be to not worry about the exercise and make a mindful effort to snack on healthy options.  If you need a cookie, measure out some animal crackers (they are surprisingly not that bad) or a lower fat version of chips if salt is your thing.  I'm not endorsing eating poorly, but let's face it - sometimes we all falter and it's best to make some not so bad choices and still satisfy that need for comfort.  Good luck to your Dad.  Hope his surgery is a success.

So sorry for your heartache. Sending positive and calming vibes your way. Take this one day at a time and know there are a lot of OH friends praying for your father.