Far and Away

Hi @Former-Member @Snowie .... 👋💕 ..... good to see you both here.

I am glad to hear that the TMS is going well for you @Snowie, and I can hear how much you are looking forward to going home now.

@Former-Member I saw you on the other thread just as I was dozing off .... I was so tired ! Have you put together a coping box ? We might be able to help you do that.

❤️ @Zoe7 ..... 🤞

Time for me to head off @Faith-and-Hope @Snowie

Car packed ✔

Dinner eaten ✔

Babies fed biscuits ✔

Early morning alarm set ✔

Bed made ✔

Rubbish and recycling taken out ✔

Need to wash up, finish my maths groups and pack my bag then I can head to bed. Will hopefully have a little snuggle time with Toby before I fall asleep (he is currently sound asleep on the back of the couch )

Goodluck for tomorrow Snowie and I hope you have a great day at uni F&H. Goodnight to you both

Hi @Faith-and-Hope , thank you.

I don't know, it doesn't matter about the coping box I guess, but thanks. I'm too down to care really, I wish I wasn't alive. But this is your thread, not mine, so I apologise to you and the others here

Hi @Wenna , @Faith-and-Hope , @Zoe7

Sorry have not been around , no computer

Car trouble and more xx

@Former-Member

@Former-Member @the threads here don't belong exclusively to anyone, even though we may be sharing our story on them, or being one of the main users ...... everyone is welcome and we need to interact respectfully with all thread visitors or main-stays ...... so please try not to worry about that. I am glad to see you here, and I am sorry you are feeling so down.

A Coping Box is only one tool we can use to help support our mental health. If you haven't heard of one before, it's a box of your choice - plain or decorated, repurposed or new - that you place a few things into which are meaningful or helpful to you when you are feeling really down, usually self-care things like a beautiful hand cream, or a favourite music CD / USB, iTunes card to purchase some new music, favourite photos, a recipe you might want to make, a stress ball, some slime or adult playdough (lavender scented is nice), a heat pack, a perfume ...... things that are sensory are a good choice.

It is a good time-out or distraction-from-hard-feelings activity, or simply a self-care moment.

Putting together a Coping Box is a self-care activity itself.

It was a late dinner again for us tonight ..... it's become a habit, but also something I am enjoying. Just finished the clean-up, and listened to one of my baby dragons piano practice ..... ✅✅✅

I have missed you heading off to bed @Zoe7. Well done on getting everything sorted for tomorrow. I hope you sleep well and enjoy your day.

Oh dear @Shaz51. A bumpy evening for it seems. Can you stop and put your feet up for ten minutes with a cup of tea ? The heat is soothing for your hands hiding the cup, and for your mind .....,

In will be here for a little while yet @Former-Member if you would like someone to sit with you.

Has it helped you @Snowie? Have you had any negative effects from it?

When did you go through the full treatment? How long did it last before you needed further treatment? How many cycles of treatment, have you had thus far?The reason, I am asking, my dr suggested it to me, I am not sure if I want to do TMS.

Hope your last treatment has helped you...

Hi @oceangirl

I would say overall it has helped my mood. I am not feeling as depressed as I was. Unfortunately it is not helping my C-PTSD symptoms which I knew it never would, I need to try EMDR (well that is what the pdoc is suggesting)

The most negative effects I have had was a little tired and sometimes a headache. Side effects to TMS are very minimal. It is not invasive at all and all you need to do is sit there for around 40-45 minutes.

This was my second cycle of treatment. Initially I did 20 rounds and have just completed another 30 rounds. I know you can do it as an outpatient or inpatient. I did it as an impatient because I had other issues going on.

It didn't magically take away my depression (I also suffer from Major Depressive Disorder) but it did improve my mood. I am not sure if I will have the treatment again, I guess that just depends on how my mood goes.

If you are on the fence about whether to do it or not I would suggest you give it a go. It can't hurt to try it. At worst you feel no difference (it does not work for everyone) and at best it improves your mental health.

Happy to ask any more questions, sorry for the essay!!

Hi again @Snowie

No need to be sorry, thank you for your response and sharing your experience with me. I really appreciate it. When did you have your inital treatment? Have you almost finished this round of treatment? I hope it really helps you.

In terms of your mood- can you elaboroate- in terms of the positive effects of the treatment? Did it help with sleep? Anxiety?

Thanks in advance. Hope to hear from you soon...