Inclusive words - to apply to all

Just some th'ots for today:

How it is said - can make such a difference:

How things are said can range from cajollery between mates to bomb blasts with others as @Former-Member, @CannonSalt (@The Title "MentalAs" is so innapprapriate), @Appleblossom and @AlienBP2 seem to have atested.

Have also experienced that receiving some things (even as 'friendly banter') can become tiresome and eventually stressful. Learning to essentially say please stop has helped like, 'Hey, be nice.' or 'Hello... my name is ____ , I prefer to use that thanks.'

"My chemical factory is currently _____" (fill in blank)

eg in need of an overhaul, undergoing diagnosis, having a tune-up, firing on all cylinders. The choice would proably be influenced by which circles are being addressed, so it's neither too flippant or off-putting, ie consider the audience. This applies to non-suffers too of course.

Turn the lemons into lemonade - Ownership:

Having experienced some darker side of downs than non-suffers, I'm getting to accept anxiety and depression as another health condition (which they are) knowing that whether they pass or not - and they can, can be managed. Resouces such as Medicare's Mental Health care plan and associated items have been good. The difference to other health conditions for me is that it's required help from a number of/various good practioners whom to others, I refer to collectively as my Health Care team.

In addition to that, have found that it's much more demanding/draining than any other illness I've ever had - (maybe like Cancer suffers??) ie it's taken time and energy (mentally and physically) out of my life, and others who care for/about me.

But hey, the downs have helped me to appreciate feeling better and look for ways to get there, no matter how seemingly trivial the task (wash that 1 cup, pull out a weed or two). The Prizes along the journey? - Being able to enjoy more positive times with others.

So thank you SaneForumists, being able to share and receive have been like special tokens to help me on the way.

Yes, words can be very hurtful and more so when we’re feeling vulnerable. Wish the old phrase "Sticks and stones…" really was the magic pill it was well meaningly coined for.
It is very kind and understanding you don’t think of others as failures, and guess what… you deserve the very same too!
That’s not to say we don’t fail – we all do, at something or another or we wouldn’t be human - even machines fail 😮
So thank you @Former-Member for sharing. Here’s a quote that's a timely reminder for me from Andrew Matthews' book "Being Happy!".

"Change is difficult..."
"As we start out on the road to self-improvement, the tendency is to keep replaying the old patterns of blame, guilt, and self denigration. Here are some suggestions for things that you can do to boost the way you feel about yourself –- ACCEPT COMPLIMENTS – always say thank you or words to that effect
- GIVE COMPLIMENTS – one of the easiest ways to feel good about our selves is to recognise the beauty in others.
- ALWAYS SPEAK WELL OF YOURSELF – when you do something right, give yourself a pat on the back. Acknowledge your value.
- SEPARATE YOUR BEHAVIOUR FROM YOURSELF – realise that your behaviour is not connected to your self-worth. If you do something silly, like smash into another person’s car, it doesn’t make you a bad person. You simply made a mistake. (Love the sinner, hate the sin).
- TREAT YOUR BODY WELL – it is the only one you have got. Everything we do affects everything else. Exercise and nourish it well.
- LET PEOPLE KNOW HOW YOU EXPEC TO BE TREATED – in particular, set an example by the way you treat yourself and them. Nobody should accept abuse from anybody!
- GET AROUND GOOD PEOPLE
- WORK AT HAVING PLEASURE WITHOUT GUILT *USE AFFIRMATIONS
- READ BOOKS WHICH GIVE YOU IDEAS AND INSPIRATION
- ALWAYS PICTURE IN YOUR MIND HOW YOU WANT TO BE, NOT HOW YOU ARE. YOU WILL THEN NECESSARILY GRAVITATE TOWARD YOUR DOMINANT THOUGHTS."

Haven’t looked at it for a while, but I like Kipling’s poem "IF" too.

p.s. please excuse spelling mistakes for attest (atest) and practitioner (practioner)…. and goodness what else in my posts – and that’s OK, as they don’t make me a bad person!!