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My day so far

My day so far

I have been awake since 7am. My depression is better but my anxiety is very bad.

I went to my appointment at the community mental health service. They can't help me because I'm not acute, ie. I'm not psychotic, suicidal or in danger of harming myself or others. They offered to refer me to PARC but it's too far away and my car has broken down and I don't want to be there without a car. And it would mean organising for my Pug to stay with someone and I don't want to be away from him. So all they could do was refer me to a psychosocial mental health service, and I'm already in the process of referring myself to one.

I did some shopping at the supermarket and I have all the ingredients to make a baked brown rice risotto tonight. I'm not sure if I will use chicken or tuna but I'm going to use onion, garlic, basil, lemon, baby peas, kale and Grana Padano cheese.

I also went to the chemist and picked up my antidepressants.

I have been eating healthy food all day and I took my vitamins this morning.

I'm going to have lunch now and then I will hang out my washing. And then I will take my Pug for a walk.

27 replies

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In response to: My day so far

Re: My day so far

Hi @Arizona, It sounds as though you are making some positive changes in your life and looking after yourself. Well done! No wonder you are anxious, dealing with change is difficult but it should get easier further down the track. Pat yourself on the back for what you have accomplished so far and continue to grow. Wishing you all the best, Lost9

In response to: Re: My day so far

Re: My day so far

Thank you very much @Lost9 . That's so kind of you.

I have decided not to take my Pug for a walk because it's too cold. I just feel like drinking lots of cups of tea today.

In response to: Re: My day so far

Re: My day so far

@Arizona

Hi,

I've been drinking lots of tea today too. It gets like that when it is cold but I have made a list of all the things I want to do or achieve and I am slowly ticking them off in between lots of cups of tea. Stay warm and treat yourself with something nice. Perhaps a warm bath? I'm off to see what my father wants for dinner and when he want it. He has dinner usually at 5pm. We eat early here and I need to start preparing. Hope you have a great rest of the day and give your Pug a hug from me. I love dogs and I have had the privilege of raising two Labs who have since gone to rainbow bridge. All the best, Lost9

In response to: Re: My day so far

Re: My day so far

@Lost9

I had a beautiful purebred black Labrador. She died in 2016. I just have my Pug now.

In response to: My day so far

Re: My day so far

I think I can see the palate you're going for there with the dish you're doin'. Nice balance. Interesting how we use appetite as sort of vitamin self-prescription.

I've been going remote for my therapy. Good thing that happened by accident is the vid chat went down. Happened twice and both times we reverted to phone. Phone was a great way to do it. Completely comfortable, any outfit, staring right into space like on an old-school analyst's sofa. For me, it turned access problems into an advantage. No visual cues to read but no reason to have that guard up either. I tentatively recomend, but it might not be your thing.

In response to: Re: My day so far

Re: My day so far

@Arizona, I’m so sorry for your loss. I love Labs. We had a yellow female called Sandy and when she died we got another female yellow lab called Sally. I loved them both to bits. We also had a male ginger and white cat who thought Sandy was his mother. When she died he pined and became ill dying a couple of years later. I love all animals but will always have a special fondness for Labs. Enjoy your wonderful pug. He/she would be such a joy in your life. Lost9

In response to: My day so far

Re: My day so far

I have been lying awake in bed since about 3am. I'm in a horrible state of anxiety and my body is all tensed up with pain.

If it were summer and I had my bike I would go for a ride. This used to really help me. I enjoy riding at night because it's so quiet and it's like you have the whole world to yourself. Everything looks different and you have to keep your senses sharpened. It's really fun. Sometimes I would ride on the gravel trail through the forest. I have a very bright light on my bike. It's as bright as one car headlight. I have other flashing lights as well for riding on the road.

I can't wait to get my new bike. We're in lockdown again, and it looks like it's going to be extended indefinitely, so I will have to wait and see when I can pick up my bike.

I didn't make my risotto tonight because I was too tired/depressed, so I just had muesli with soy milk and yoghurt for dinner. I will try and make it tomorrow.

I'm going to make a cup of tea now and look for a documentary to watch on YouTube. The documentary about dogs on Netflix made me feel sad because there were some episodes about stray dogs in South America. In one country there are 2 million stray dogs. They have basically no laws there to protect dogs at all. I think it's so sad the way humans treat dogs. I can't help all the dogs in the world but I can do my best to look after my own dogs and make sure they are cared for and happy.

@Lost9 and @wellwellwellnez I will reply to your posts as soon as I can. I'm not in a good space right now.

In response to: Re: My day so far

Re: My day so far

@FridoKahlo I’m so sorry you are feeling low. Your new bike to look forward forward to sounds lovely and I’m glad you look after your dog well. As you say you can’t save the world but you can look after what you have access to. Keep looking after yourself. My thoughts are with you. Hugs, Lost9

In response to: My day so far

Re: My day so far

Sounds really nice... You can cook well for yourself. Whenever I have to eat out I am disappointed 90percent of the time because the food is either lacking in something such as olive oil or not fresh enough or doesn't have enough herbs. I always prefer to eat at home. I might try your recipe for baked brown rice... Thanks.

In response to: Re: My day so far

Re: My day so far

Hi @Swansong

I will tell you how to make the baked brown rice risotto. It is very easy to make. I got the idea for the recipe here:

https://cookieandkate.com/easy-brown-rice-risotto-with-mushrooms-and-fresh-oregano/#tasty-recipes-23019-jump-target

My recipe is slightly different. This is how I make mine...

1 tbsp olive oil

100g brown onion

75g carrot

50g celery

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp dried thyme or

1 tsp dried basil or

1/3 tsp dried basil and

1/3 tsp dried oregano and

1/3 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp Herbamare organic seasoning salt

Ground black pepper

300g uncooked brown rice

1 litre water

Olive oil spray

50g frozen baby peas

50g frozen kale

2 tbsp olive oil, extra

75g Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese

Then choose from...

200g poached, shredded chicken breast* or

100g asparagus and

100g Beretta prosciutto di Palma or

200g tuna in olive oil (drained) and

Juice of 1/2 a lemon or

200g roasted pumpkin or

200g Swiss brown mushrooms

Or whatever you like.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a large baking dish with olive oil spray (you can just use oil if you don't have spray). I use a 23cm x 32cm Pyrex baking dish.

Finely chop the garlic in a mini food processor. Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery (you can chop that in the food processor too if you like).

Cook the onion, carrot and celery with the olive oil on a medium low heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. You don't want to brown the onion etc. Just soften it.

Take off the heat and add the brown rice, dried herbs, seasoning salt, ground black pepper and water (and lemon juice if you are using it). Stir well.

Pour everything into the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 70 minutes.

While it is cooking steam the frozen baby peas and kale for 5 minutes. (If you are using asparagus, steam for 3 minutes.) Grate the cheese in a mini food processor.

When it is ready it will be very hot, so be careful. Use a spatula to transfer it to a large bowl. You might need another person to hold the baking dish while you scrape it into the bowl.

Add the olive oil and cheese and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes. This will give you the consistency of risotto.

Add your other ingredients and stir well to combine.

Also, sometimes I just use 1 brown onion if I don't have any carrot or celery. And sometimes instead of dried herbs I use 1 sachet of Gourmet Garden semi dried herbs.

*I can tell you how to make the poached, shredded chicken breast. This is very easy to make as well.

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