With coffee .... without coffee. A place for us coffee lovers and coffee!

hi @Gazza75 are you ok? How is your weekend going? Are you at the farm, watching some sport?

My car broke down yesterday, had to be towed to the mechanics so no hiking for me today. I've done 2hr walk with a bit of jogging & now off to do some grocery shopping on foot! Hope your ankle is ok, I think you're very wise to rest it. Have you been able to do upper body workout or does it not work like that? (I don't know I've never done gym worK)

Hi @BryanaCamp, I have spent the weekend on the coast.

I have to put my car into the mechanic this week for some overdue work. I am real sorry to hear of your car dramas. Hope its nothing to dramatic or expensive.

I am a bit up and down, to be honest. I am coming off more meds which probably isn't helping. I have been watching and listening to a lot of sport. Working out a fair bit as well, ankle isn't to bad, just can't use the machine that caused the issue. I hardly use it for that reason.

How did your wine day go? Were your friends appreciative of your efforts? It's nice to hear from you again. Bit of short reply as I am not very good with my phone.

Take care

Morning @Gazza75

My winery plans were ruined by my car breaking down as I was supposed to be driving 3 friends. Most of my friends were really kind, caring & supportive which kind of surprised me as I'd been so tense about the whole event. We may reschedule. I don't want to have to chase 2 girls for their rsvp's that's what stressed me last time. If they don't respond to my invite I'll just let them go.

I'm sorry to hear you're up & down. Hope your weekend was restful? That's brave to taper off your meds. I know you feel very strongly about that and want to halt the metabolic side effects as soon as possible so I totally understand why you've made that decision, I support you! I guess you will be experiencing withdrawal so try not to be hard on yourself if you mood or motivation takes a dip. It sounds like you're pretty good at managing those moments. Well done on working out, that's great!

Did you get a chance to message your friend on Instagram?

Hope you're feeling ok today, take it easy & enjoy your coffee

Morning @BryanaCamp , that's a real downer about your even and your car. I was hoping the breakdown happened after your event. These things never seem to happen at a convenient time. I'm glad your friends were kind and supportive of you, going through vehicle troubles is not the most pleasant of experiences. Been there more than once myself.

My weekend was quite good. I got some extra naps in as I had a few late nights watching the tour de france. I don't think it's all that brave tapering off the meds, i've been stable for a long time and it really is a health issue more than anything else. It's a bit of a risk, but, one I'm willing to take at this stage.

I've contacted my friend on Instagram, I'll have to check to see if she has got back to Me. She has probably left on her trip already and I doubt she will be on there much.

I'm feeling pretty good today, I have a fairly straight forward week ahead at work. More meetings than I'd like, but, I can't change that right now. I'm certainly enjoying my coffee and I hope you are to.

Are you able to get to work ok this week while your car is getting fixed? I have to borrow the parents care tomorrow while mine is in the mechanics. Public transport around here isn't the best and impossible for me to get to the farm without a car.

Have a good day Bryana, I should be round if you want to chat about anything.

Take care

Hey @BryanaCamp , thought i'd drop you a quick note here rather than on the other thread. A few people there are irritating me a bit lately. I don't like it when they put people down.

I hope your car isn't going to be to expensive, it sounds like you should be okay if its a minor part, hopefully they don't take to long to change or fix. Your hard work better spent on other things besides that 🙂

My nephew just got a new car (2nd hand), its his first. Went 4wd with his mates and did nearly a $1000 worth of damage. I saw some video of his efforts and gave him a few suggestions on how to cross water. Told him to take his friends car next time.

Do you plan on rescheduling your wine day soon or going to give it a little time first?

I'm feeling alright today, the rest day at gym might have given me a bit more energy. Also the nicer days are a factor I think. It's nice to start feeling strong again, I'm not pushing like I used to at the gym, trying a slightly different approach for a while. I've got to try and keep up the cardio more than I do. Find the weights fairly comfortable, but struggle with that side of it.

Just heard about my car now, not going to be ready till thursday and more expensive than I'd hoped. Oh well, can't do much about it.

I saw a few new pictures from my ex work friend. Quite a few people I work with are in Europe right now and its nice to see them having such good times. One just got back from Canada and made me remember some of my travels when I was there. Seems so long ago now.

Hope you are having some good coffee and maybe one of those choc cookies you mentioned 🙂 Take care Bryana

Gazza

hi @Gazza75 thanks for your messages, I feel better for reading them, as always. Yeah, I know what you mean about the other thread. Some of the negativity is so intense it scared me off the forum for a day or too. I just dont' get it, everyone here is vulnerbale or even fragile so why be so mean? I don't know what to do as giving honest feedback went pear-shaped last time I tried so I guess we just have to duck for cover.

Hey, that's fantastic that you're feeling well. Well done. I'm so pleased for you & glad your weekend was nice. That's annoying about your car, they are such expensive things to run. Hope it goes ok with your parent's car & doesn't get too expensive. Mine is fixed & I'm back on the road, I'll have to ask a family member to help pay for it. I haven't had any work shifts this week so my car trouble was good timing, I need to take cat to the vet tomorrow so glad I don't have to get a taxi. Now that it's all better I can see that it's lucky I broke down on a quiet street & not on a highway on the way to work at 100kms/hr!

I'm a bit lost without work shifts but I guess that's the nature of the casual worker, gotta just wait for shifts to come in. The free time has left me no excuse but to exercise!

Well done for contacting your friend on instagram, I'm a bit shy but always think it's good to extend the hand of friendship so they know you care & most often they feel the same too. That's lovely having friends in Europe & Canada - sounds like you have fond memories of your time there. Such a good feeling, I love nostalgia. I've never been to Canada but the people seem so nice & the wilderness awe inspiring. I went to Europe when I was young & the architecture & food were pretty amazing. Are you feeling any little bites from the travel bug...

Good on you for working out. You're so persistent and it's a good idea to vary your routine a bit so your body keeps changing & doesn't get to used to one workout. You're doing a great job of withdrawing & managing that whole process with your full time, high end professional job. What's the timeframe with your meds, do you have a date for the end goal or is it too far away to tell yet?

I hope your arvo goes smoothly & the meetings don't drag on too long, I know they can! Take it easy my friend

@BryanaCamp, thanks for your post and support. I agree that we are all fragile and vunerable. I wasn't on the recieving end this time, but, it made me feel uncomfortable and feel horrible for the person that it was intended for.

It's annoying about my car, but, not too unexpected. I've put it off longer than I should have. I don't want to drive something that is unsafe for too long. I'm glad you are back on the road again. I hope you pick up some shifts soon so that you have some cash coming in to pay for things. Fingers crossed your cat is alright and it doesn't cost too much at the vets.

Sounds good that you are motivated to exercise and maybe get some of those famous hikes in. My ankle is feeling better so I may even get out for one myself soon.

I definitely enjoyed my time in the US and particular Canada. They are both such amazing and diverse countries and to travel them by road was quite the journey. The wilderness is definitely awe inspiring. I always thought the colour of the water in Canada was a bit out there, like how could the lakes look so green and beautiful. Photo's really don't do it any justice at all. I am definitely feeling some nibbles from the travel bug. I've been saving for some time so I might actually get around to it soon. I need to build up some holiday hours at work or talk to them about taking leave without pay.

Thanks for encouragement with the gym and everything else. You are so kind and thoughtful. I don't really have a timeframe with the meds. I'm taking it pretty slow and carefully and so far it's going well. I've been keeping your thoughts in my head about being patient and kind to myself and to not get frustrated with things. It's hard as I'd like to see and feel more immediate changes. It's probably going to take me a year or two to get back to where I want to be, maybe longer.

I'm glad you broke down in a safe spot rather than a highway.

Arvo should go pretty smoothly, I'm watching some training modules on buillding resilience. I'm onto a 2nd one now. It's something I want to work on as I'm determined never to falter like I did last year. As long as I sleep properly I don't think I'll fail with it.

Have a wonderful afternoon, hope you can catch sunshine in your adventures. It's a beautiful day where I am.

Take care 🙂

hi @Gazza75 hope your working day is going well. I can't believe you work full time, so many work hours.

It's good you're getting your car done, you drive long distances to the farm so you gotta be safe. It's always a pain in the butt but just one of those things.

It's lovely to hear you're having a few thoughts about the future and possible travel. I'm really excited for you! I think that's a really good sign that you're doing so well with your recovery and the withdrawl process. Are you thinking about anywhere in particular yet or is it just a general feeling? I went on a road trip in the US years ago, around San Fran, the sequoias and Yosemite, Utah & Salt Lake City.

I've got loads of shifts for next week now so am just resting & enjoying my freedom. Yeah, we've rescheduled the winery trip for a few weeks away so that's nice, fingers crossed I don't get a shift on that day. It's tricky giving a whole month's notice in advance of my availability to my employer. I want to be busy but don't tend to have social plans in place until the week before, plus the pay is better on the weekends so that's attractive.

How did all you meetings go, & your appointment with your psychologist?

That would be cool if your ankle is better enough to hike. I might hike tomorrow as my weekend is full with social stuff, will try to take some pics.

The resilience training sounds interesting. Anything inspiring jump out at you? I dont' think you'll falter, I think you were just overwhelmed with multiple, extremely difficult stresses last year that most people couldn't cope with. You've learned a lot and have made an amazing recovery & are super high functioning and doing all the right things every day to keep improving in the future. I think you can't see the forest for the trees cos you're in your life but from where I'm sitting you're making excellent progress.

I totally get the results thing. I need instant gratification! I think thats why I hike, cos I feel like I'm getting somewhere, covering distance, whereas working out I'm in the one spot. I'm sure your health is improving - it's hard to see cardio health and lean muscle development, you need tests for that.

Hope the rest of your arvo behaves itself & if you head off to the gym good on you, every bit helps.