So weary that even my soul is feeling it lately!

@NotHappyButOk

Hearing you ..." I am so weary, both in a physical sense [which is easy to handle and figure out] and in an emotional sense [this is never easy for me to figure out].

I can really relate to a lot of being busy and doing the work of getting through the low spots.

I do hope your joy comes back soon.

Hope others are around to chat...

Thank you for reading my thoughts, i appreciate that so much. At some point, i should kick back into gear but its the ground hog day scenarios that never end. I hope you find some down time for you as well and reset your own joy spark in your own self care bubble too.

Hi @NotHappyButOk,

Just dropping in to say I hear you and can see you're trying your best. Self-care bubble sounds comforting..!

It sounds exhausting.

The society we live in today is moving at a crazy speed as it is and it further makes it difficult for the neurodivergent brain sometimes.

The other side of the coin is the creative and inspired superpower that you have to bring joy to so many with your award winning fudges!

Having to keep busy all the time sounds overwhelming and the thoughts that don't stop sounds overstimulating too.

I'm about to carefully use the wrd 'mindfulness' here as I am not suggesting meditation.

ACT by Russ Harris has some relatively straightforward practices to follow to help achieve that peace and quiet (available in short clips on youtube)

It might be difficult to attain and hold long bouts of peace and quiet though it seems like something your being craves. Perhaps little bouts of it throughout the day could help it from accumulating this big need for a massive bout. And, over time, practicing these tiny moments could build the muscle for longer more accessible bouts of peace and quiet.

Do you drink tea? Next time you make yourself a cup/mug, find a comfy spot to sit in. Engage each of your 5 senses at a time, focused on the cup of tea.

Run your hands around the cup, notice how it feels - the textures and sensations (temps)

Visually notice any patterns or colours on the mug. Notice the smoothness of the lip, the curve of the handle, the colour of the tea and the swirl or different tone where its near the teabag or leaves..

If you have milk or sugar in it, notice the swirl and sound it makes when you stir the tea

..

Bring the cup to your lips but pause for awhile to let it linger.. breathe in to smell the fragrance of the tea..

notice the warmth passing through your nostrils as you breathe in.. the steam, the sensations, the smell.. feel the heat on your lips as it lingers above the cup.

Then slowly take a little sip. let it sit in your mouth and notice the sensations.. the warmth as it starts to get cooler.. the taste and smell.. how it feels to sit on your palate..

Then mindfully and slowly swallow, noticing the same things again...

How did it feel to take part of conscious noticing and engaging of all your senses on the experience?

you can apply this to many parts of your daily life - eating fruit, having a shower, gardening, baking..

they are little moments throughout the day to take a break from the external overstimulation and bring your attention inward.

It's ok if another thought pops into your mind. you can observe it and let it float by while you continue noticing during this mindfulness exercise..

i hope this helps and I hope your joy returns soon x

@NotHappyButOk Hello it’s very nice to meet you. We are really glad you chose to come to the forums and you are so very welcome. There is no need to apologise for expressing how you feel. This is a space where we encourage you to be yourself and say the things you are feeling. There’s a lot of really caring souls here and we find people really understand because they’ve been in the same place or are recovering. You’re not a burden there is no need to apologise at all. At the moment the forum is filled with people with lived experience.

I am sorry you are struggling right now. I’m glad though you reached out here because we can help and support and even distract you. I can relate to feeling a lack of joy. Sometimes this can be anhedonia but not always. It will not last forever. Basically it can be a symptom of auADHD, depression, PTSD, anxiety etc. where we can’t find joy in the things we used to enjoy even when we try really hard. It’s a really difficult feeling to live with. It is not permanent. There’s a thread on this. I’ll get the link and post it up for you.

I can see you are a beautiful soul and the world right now is a mess. People can be very selfish and use people who are caring and giving. What do you mean by weakness? To me you sound like a really strong person going through this and surviving each day. Reaching out here is a sign of strength too.

My mind also is going and going but my thoughts are not good ones. I try to self talk by saying these are just my thoughts and thoughts are not true. Sometimes doing this gives me some relief.

I love how you make fudge and do it so creatively. I like to indulge in some fudge myself. 🙂

I am sure other people will also provide support and maybe even good suggestions.

There’s different threads in the forums too so take a look around.