Lived Experience Forum

[Jo-anneJoy]

@HopefulWarrior 

There are some wonderful poets out there scribing down words of wisdom....this is one of 

my touchstones... How to Start Over by Maya Stein.

1.
resist the temptation to wipe the slate clean entirely.
you cannot do this.
you are where you are.
but you can dust. you can mop. you can cleanse your belly
of all the heavy cheeses you ate at last month's holiday parties.
you can initiate the day with decaf.
you can rake four batches of leaves from the lawn.
you can sing, loudly, in the car to no one
but the man on the radio who is singing with you.
you can decide that the apple pie you are craving
will not come from your hands, your oven, your kitchen,
but from the bakery aisle at your neighborhood grocery.

2.
ignore the titles from the self-help shelves and glossy
women's magazines, with their sound bytes of colorful insight.
you do not need a makeover, a diet, a religious conversion.
you do not need to get more in touch with your feelings.
you do not need potassium, or St. John's Wort, or a colonic.
you need a walk, communion with shore birds, a rainstorm,
a glass of wine in front of a fire, lip gloss, a whole evening
of the novel you read only incrementally, at night, before bed.

3.
ignore the calendar, the clock, the larger itineraries
ticking their niggling bits of time.
you will sleep when you need to.
you will know when it is time for water, for a shower,
for a phone call, for a kiss, for solitude, for Indian food,
whatever nourishment you need for your throat, your ears,
the palms of your hands, the hunger just under your skin.

4.
imagine, despite your unbearable faults and fissures,
you are still a thing of beauty, a rare creature, a snowflake,
a singular, spectacular atom circumnavigating the tangled astronomy
of your life the only way you know how.

@Guiding_Light  @outlander  @Trikarri @Tay @Appleblossom 

[Appleblossom]

Needed to read that @Jo-anneJoy 

or even apple crumble from the freezer.

[Former-Member]

I really like this @HopefulWarrior 

Sometimes it so feels the same wheels keep rolling.
I've found myself in highs and lows and then confusion and loss.
At the moment I feel unsure where life, and relationships are going.
I'm tired of covid which has prevented me getting another MH plan. 
I know Time Tells. Some day's it's just hard.
And then to not allow negative view invade self thoughts.
I remind myself, I can't help that it's them. Not me. 
I hope you have found some clarity admidst the caos.
Nothing is ever as it seems.
May we see lighter moments soon. 🙂

[Jo-anneJoy]

@HopefulWarrior  @Former-Member @outlander @Guiding_Light 

I wrote this down donkey years ago. It's misattributed to William Gibson so I'll claim 

authorship of it until the end of May and then you can all take a turn for the rest of

the year, k?

Before you diagnose yourself with depression or

low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not,

in fact, just surrounded by a***holes.

Note.  two asterixs for americans, three for aussies & kiwis. 

[Former-Member]

@Jo-anneJoy 

Oh gosh this made me laugh.

Brilliant.

I think a valid viewpoint for sure. It's the sitting through complete garbage at times isn't it!

However it does make me look closer at people's agendas etc.

Once you have got this. It becomes easier to know when to give and when to let go. 🙂

[WriterMelb]

@HopefulWarrior 

I had a similar situation when I split from my ex. I felt like I was stuck. My life was gone, not seeing my kids much, dodgy job. My ex was going fine. I wallowed around in my own misery for about six months and then decided I like to be in a happy relationship and slowly moved into a different space and a new relationship. That was then. Three years go the meds stopped working and I was stuck again. Now after multiple admissions to hospital and so on things are beginning to settle and improve. Painfully slowly. As one sufferer to another there is no way to sugar coat these experiences. THEY JUST SUCK. I feel your frustration and sadness. 

WriterMelb

[Tay]

4 - ive never allowed myself to think that way

[HopefulWarrior]

this is a beauty !

[HopefulWarrior]

life sure can be tough, especially in the current climate

creating distance by stepping back certainly sounds like good self care

have managed to not get too caught up in the rabbit hole - partly due to all the other shite going on but also just being able to realise that yes we are on our own journeys.

[HopefulWarrior]

thank you @WriterMelb for sharing your story
agreed life can just suck sometimes hey?!
starting to appreciate as to not question why why why but deal with what you have to in the present moment - day by day - sometimes hour by hour if necessary