rough time

You have been doing really well on the forum @outlander - you have wonderful advice and experience to share and are verty supportive - but yes - like many of us - we can spend too much time here and not enough actually doing things irl. That is where balance is important - and also being mindful - what I mean here is when you are on the forum you can 'be here' - not anywhere else and when you are doing things irl then concentrate on those - this allows you to compartmentalise things in your life and provides some sense of structure also.

I don't want to discourage you from doing more study but think seriously if you can do it or not - you have the group starting soon and maybe the stress of study would be too much right now with everything else you are dealing with - that is something you need to think about yourself - is study a good distraction or a major stress when you are not well?!

Thankyou @Owlunar - it does help to hear sometimes that I am being heard - too many times in my life I haven't been - so I do appreciate your kind words

it took me a little while to get the hang of and practice stepping back @Owlunar but now it comes more easier. still have quite alot of improving to do but i am alot further than where i was to start with and a little progress is better than no progress hey

Yes - I do hear @Zoe7

It is very helpful to be acknowledged too - I know this - I always appreciated feedback

Dec

You’re doing well @outlander ..... I have read back a little through the thread, and I agree wholeheartedly with @Zoe7 .....

Keep swimming Hon ..... think carefully about the new course, then make a decision,

💜

A little progress is fine @outlander - and it adds up as time passes

For instance - my little court yard has vines and with the heavy rain and hot sun we have had lately everything has gone rampant - so most days I go and cut a bit back - not a lot but that little that adds up

And it is noticable over time

But you are doing okay - I have every faith in you

Dec

thank you @Zoe7 much appreciated

i think im getting better at the balancing act now. when im doing other things and am out and about i hardly look at my phone unless for obvious reasons but not to come on here etc. sometimes ill use here as a small goal. i find it very hard to get motivated to do things so ill set up little check points say do 2 or 3 house chores then i can come on here for a little bit (often no more than half an hr) then log off and do the other things or will do it all then allow myself to come onto here.

thats the tricky thing with studying. i really enjoy it, and find that it can be really helpful as a bordom buster, or distractions. i find if i have too much time to think then i start to go down hill but a good way to keep myself distracted is by having a job to do or work on. however in saying that it can be really hard to study on those bad days and around the difficult times very hard to be motivated to do so and stressful.

i will be starting therapy up again in february as well and have gone for DBT therapy. i want to learn those skills before if/when i decide to go back in time so am opting that so im not sure if that would also work in favour of studying as ill be learning better coping skills too?

the social group only runs once a week for a few hrs and while i may make some new friends i wont be with them 24/7 either...

thank you @Faith-and-Hope the course doesnt start until the 13th of feb but if i dont do this one now, then it also runs in May and then again later around November. there is 2 that im most interested in doing but only one at a time. so i dont have to decide right now and also know they run a little later in the year too

thank you @Owlunar

sometimes things cant be done all at once so has to be broken down, i find alot of people do the same thing here too. every little step, no matter how small, has to count towards something doesnt it

What is the course you are thinking of doing @outlander ?