Month: August 2024

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One Step forward, two steps backwards

Created 28/08/2024

The title explains the situation I find myself in today..

I haven’t been able to keep myself and my thoughts together very well over the last couple of weeks. Work and the reality of finding a new role has weighed heavily on my thoughts and really affected me.

The current work market for contractors in the UK has changed dramatically over the last couple of years and I now find myself struggling to to get any type of role at present but I will keep trying, I have to.

My thoughts have caused me again to shut myself of from family and friends. I don’t know why this happens, I wish I knew and I hope to be able to get my brain to stop thinking this way.

Being positive and being present in every day is something I am going to strive to be good at. Some days are a lot easier than others but for the most part I really struggle to be positive. There is a definite connection between my mental and physical health and my ability to see the world and all it contains positively.

Two weeks ago I grabbed the issue with both hands and decided I would make the necessary changes in my life to gain some control over the affects that my past and childhood abuse has on my daily life and outlook.

It was easy for the first week, I managed to eat 2 – 3 times a day and I started exercising again. Meals were breakfast and dinner or lunch and dinner, on 2 days I even managed to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. That’s a massive achievement for me. I definitely felt better in myself. Then my thoughts started to drift back to the worries about money and my next job and my appetite dropped of completely. I have been cooking for the family each night but not looked forward to eating.

I also started concentrating on doing more physical exercise, nothing to strenuous, just some press-ups and squats to get the blood flowing. This was going well, I noticed that my strength and endurance had increased and I was enjoying it until I hurt my right shoulder. I don’t know if it was a strain from the press-ups or it was a golf injury but it has definitely been a set back.

I have continued to do the squats over the past few days but I feel guilty for not doing any press-ups. I didn’t know what had caused the pain in my shoulder but pushing and putting pressure through my right arm has been quite painful. There was no issue with turning or extending my arm and shoulder so I did manage to play golf this weekend but it was nothing like the game I had nearly a month ago.

Its still slightly painful but I have told myself that I will be back doing press-ups this evening. It feels ok and I need to push myself physically and mentally to be a better person.

If I don’t push myself to do things then I will never get better mentally. I have been doing a lot of reading lately on the benefits of a positive mental attitude and I cannot let a small issue like this affect the overall journey of gaining some positivity. If I feel better about myself then I will project myself as a better and more positive person to the rest of the world.

It is a constant and enduring struggle to be positive and project myself as a normal person to the world when inside I feel like I have nothing of value to contribute. I have felt this was for nearly forty years. I know I can be the person I want to be, I just don’t know how to do it. Everyone has an opinion, everyone thinks they know the best way to do it.

I don’t, so I am going to start from scratch and see how far over the next few months I can get to being the person I want to be and hopefully a lot less stressed and happier in the process.

Whilst looking back on my past, reliving what happened to me and how this has affected my life and thought processes, a quote popped into my head the other day. It came up thru the mass of other thoughts and emotions from my past. The quote was, “you cannot be physically strong without being mentally strong and vice-versa”.

So I am going to use this as my main thought for the next few weeks and see how this affects my mental state, thoughts, attitude, mood and family life. Something has to change, I have to change and I need to throw myself into it with full commitment. I know I can be better, I know I will get better. I need to be better to enjoy the rest of my life with my wife, children and family.

Otherwise, what’s the point…

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Trying to start looking after myself

Created on 12/08/2024

My thoughts have been all over the place the last few days, trying to make sense of how I feel and how I can get my life back on some kind of positive path.

I have eaten more in the last two days than I have for a while, its strange and I know I will start to fell better if I keep this going but I’m finding it hard. My brain keeps making excuses for me to not eat, i.e, you don’t need to do that right now, you can do it when u feel hungry.. problem is, at the moment I don’t feel hungry

When my anxieties and depression take hold I am starting to realise that I mentally shut down. Things that seem normal everyday tasks are placed to the back of my mind and all I seem to do is worry and stress about things out of my control, rather than concentrating on simple things that I can control

Making breakfast and eating it seems to be a task I cant complete, sometimes, even knowing I’m physically shattered and mentally tired I just cant seem to get the motivation to do so…

After that last paragraph, I went and made myself some breakfast.. 3 boiled eggs and 2 pieces of toast and a fresh black coffee.. And do you know what the strangest things I’ve just noticed are? I was anxious making my breakfast, I didn’t know if I would eat it. But, I took my time eating it, didn’t mind if the last piece of toast was cold and the egg wasn’t soft, I actually enjoyed my breakfast.

So why is that different from how I feel everyday, I don’t know but I am already feeling a bit more positive and brighter about this day. That’s a great thing for me. Normally I don’t feel bright and struggle to be positive. I usually dread most days but not right now.

There’s ever chance that might change but I’m gonna try and not let my mood change now.

I need to start looking after myself or the sake of my wife and kids. It doesn’t matter how I feel, I need to be there for them. I love them dearly and need to make a drastic change..

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Goal setting

This is hard -2

Created on 02/08/2024

I have really been struggling over the last month since starting this journey. I hadn’t realised just how much until I look back on what’s happened..

Its the little things that start to build up, they start of as very small issues and gradually grow into problems. My health has definitely suffered over the past month and these have been some of the affects that my anxiety and depression have caused

Sleep deprivation is the major factor, its hard to get up and motivated when your only getting 4 – 5 hours of broken sleep ever night.

My appetite has been severely affected, even to the point where I don’t want to eat. This doesn’t help with my energy levels but its all so a major sign of depression. I know i should force myself to eat, I need to eat to stay healthy but that’s easier said than done.

My eyesight is being affected by my lack of eating, i am really starting to notice this. As anyone with anxiety and depression will tell you its tiring in so many ways

Sometimes I cant be bothered to eat, look after myself or just help myself to get better. Its a sort of ” what’s the point” attitude. Again an issue. I’m kind of used to it but its becoming a problem now as friends I play golf with have made some comments recently, they started off as just asking if I’m ok but its becoming noticeable that I’m not doing well. A few have noticed and mentioned my weight loss.

Of course I try to hide this but when your playing golf as badly as I have have for the last month then its very noticeable. There’s no hiding in the game of golf

I started playing golf again as a way to help myself with my mental health. I used to play when I was much younger, nothing serious but it was enjoyable.

Fishing was my main activity for years but I finally realised that sitting by the side of the lake for a weekend, waiting for the fish to bite was not good for my mental health. I had to much time to think about my life, fishing was enjoyable and i did enjoy all that time on my own. Unfortunately, my thought process did not help and this would eventually drag me down.

I still enjoy fishing, I don’t spend whole weekends doing it by myself, my wife and my youngest son occasionally go to a local lake for a day and enjoy the outdoors and if we catch fish even better. It normally ends a little earlier that expected as my son eventually gets bored. Hopefully we may manage an over night fishing trip this summer.

So I took up golf again, joined my local golf club and have been an active member of the men’s section since 2015. I have won a couple of board competitions and have my name on two trophies.

Golf is a mental game more than a physical game, there is so much going on whilst trying to play that any distraction will affect the next shot. I’ve not had any real peace in my head since starting to document my journey. This is hard and really affecting my golf game. This makes me sad and I question things. Mostly I think my bad golf is due to not eating and having no energy. Again this is a side effect of my anxiety and depression.

My concentration has also gone recently, I find my mind fliting between thoughts all day long but never seem to get anything done.

One of my biggest issues at present is my self confidence and self esteem. I have a distinct lack of both and that’s becoming noticeable to my golf friends. I enjoy playing golf as it should be a 4 – 5 hour period where I can block out certain thoughts and feelings and concentrate on the game of golf.

This has not been the case recently, there’s no jokey or laughing anymore from me. I’ve shut down as a person, apart from the odd remark and I’m not enjoying the game I love.

I will take this as a warning sign that things need to change, not just 1 or 2 elements but all elements of my life need to change. I need to eat, I need to sleep, I need to exercise, I need to believe in myself that I can do those basic things and then I’m sure I will start to feel better about myself and that will help my anxiety and depression.

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Mindfulness

A good evening

Created 29/07/04

Yesterday I was in a good place after eating and I think this was very helpful. I wasn’t as tired and I believe this also helped level out my anxiety and depression. I had a productive afternoon at work, I went out and played golf in the evening with a friend and for once I actually managed to play well.

I know its simple, I need to eat to survive. I need good quality meals to help my body function well. I need to drink more fluids and I should be eating 3 times a day but my brain doesn’t think that way when my anxieties are taking over. I think its the thought of making myself eat instead of looking forward to enjoying what I eat that’s part of the problem.

This just goes to show how the effects of not eating regularly, looking after myself and not being able to relax has so much of an impact on my mental health and outlook on my day.

I tried to keep a positive attitude yesterday afternoon before going out to golf and this definitely helped keep my thoughts in a positive direction.

There were no intrusive thoughts that made me overly anxious, I will admit I was worried that I wouldn’t play well, trying to keep these worries out of my mind and relax took some doing but after the first 3 holes I settled down.

Using positive thoughts about myself instead of negative thoughts and not being over critical on my golf game, remember I haven’t been playing well for a few weeks and I’m still unsure of the issues, I decided to try and play confidently and play within myself. Controlled and rational thoughts did make a big difference. I made a few silly mistakes, didn’t always concentrate as much as I should. This is something I will definitely work on as I try and get better in my golf and everyday life situations.

I am happy with how I played, some good golf and some bad golf but overall happy with how it went. I will try and keep hold of this positive thought for my next round

We have a club golf match away at another golf course this weekend. Unfortunately I cant make it due to family commitments. I feel like I have let my fellow players down as I am the current vice captain. I haven’t missed a club match for ages and I feel bad about this and have explained to the captain. He has been understanding but I know I should be there to assist.

I will try and not dwell on this issue and keep positive, even this small thought can develop into a worry and can take my anxiety up several levels. Lack of self confidence and worrying abut how I act, how people see me really affects me. I’m always trying to hide this, I don’t want people to see how self conscious I truly am. It sounds daft but a small worry for one person can be easily blown up by my mind and the way it works.

I felt good last night as I went to bed, I wasn’t able to sleep for a while and eventually drifted off this morning. There were no overpowering thoughts of dread or worry for my mind to over analyse before I fell asleep.

Overall this has been helpful. I am starting to realise how much my health is affected by my mind and how much I need to fight thru and help myself realise I need to take better care of myself.

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What a strange few days

Created on 06/08/2024

Wow.. What a strange few days I have experienced since my last post..

Its been a real rollercoaster of emotions this past week and weekend..

Friday was a very strange and upsetting day to start my weekend, just when I thought I had got a slight handle on my anxiety and depression when I was slapped in the face with the knowledge that my work life was going to change dramatically

There had been talk a couple of months ago about my contract being extended as there was enough technical work to keep me on and assist my current contract employer with a new project.

I haven’t received an official update via my contract agency but people talk and the confirmed by senior management rumour is there will not be anymore work for me. I have been there for the past 3 years, and have previously been working there before on other contracts.

Initially I didn’t let this news worry me, I know there is always a chance that things will change from a business point of view.

As the afternoon went on I started to lose my concentration, dwelling on the fact that I will need to look for another role, my enthusiasm dropped and I started to feel quite sad.. This sadness slowly grew into a feeling of dread and desperation and although I tried to keep my emotions in check I had a panic attack.

I started feeling uncomfortable sat at my desk and continuing to work, my adrenalin started flowing and my body temperature increase and this made me feel slightly sick. Even concentrating on my breathing and attempting to regulate my body with calming thoughts couldn’t stop what was about to happen.

Within a very short time my mind went from slightly worrying about getting a new contract to catastrophising that I wouldn’t find a new role, I would end up losing my house as I couldn’t pay the bills and the thoughts that I would have let my wife and kids down.

These images in my head flashed before me and they got so bad that I started to shake and feel physically sick. A full on panic attack like I have had many times before, from a minor thought about money worries.

I can only relay this type of reaction as being linked to the way my brain works and the effects that my childhood sexual abuse has had on my way of thinking. I can not explain this type of reaction as being from anything else. Why should and why would I panic like this. I really thought I had some control over myself, this is clearly not the case.

After walking away from my desk and calling my wife, she was away camping with my youngest son and friends, my wife managed to calm me down and helped me see that we would be ok. It might be hard but I will get another job and we as a family will be ok. Our phone conversation changed and we talked about how good her week away was with friends and my youngest son, this was really helpful and changed my mind set. I managed to calm down enough to stop shaking and really used my wife’s affirmations to help me get back to a relatively calm level.

My evening was quiet, my oldest son, as usual was in his room playing video games all night so after I had done my exercise, (just some press-ups and squats), I settled down in the hope I would get some sleep after watching some of the Olympics 2024 coverage/highlights. I took my medication and hoped I would be asleep at a reasonable time as I had a busy day ahead of me.

Sleep eventually came sometime after 1am.. My medication is supposed to help me sleep, its one of the more specific medications for anxiety and depression and ptsd symptoms. My brain would not switch off. There was no dwelling on earlier events, I was trying really hard to keep my mind focused on positive thoughts but it wouldn’t switch off and let me sleep. Normally my medication acts within 1 hour or so..

Saturday started like most days, I had woken with a start during the night, this is a usual occurrence. I don’t remember having a nightmare but sometimes I do, even though my medication is supposed to help me sleep thru. Myself and wife’s friends husband travelled to assist the ladies and children pack up from they’re holiday and we towed the caravan back and helped out. My wife and youngest son gave me a massive hug when they saw me. Saturday after their return was mainly chores, unpacking from holiday and clothes washing.

I did manage to sleep Saturday night, not the whole night thru but I did manage a block of 4 – 5 hours, this is good sleep for me

Sunday morning comes round, I have been awake from 5 am, cant get back to sleep as my alarm will be going off shortly for golf so I just try and clear my mind, trying to imagine a good game of golf today, I haven’t been playing very well recently.

Lets try something new today was my thought process for golf, I grabbed a sandwich, snack and drink on my way to golf.

We tee off, myself and 3 other members of the men’s section for a stableford weekly competition, I have a putt on the 1st hole from 30 feet for par. Be positive is my thought process and I hole the put for par, wow..

2nd hole par 3, be positive with my thoughts and I sink another putt for the par.

3rd hole, par 5, I’m making sure I stay positive and commit to my shots, I end up with a birdie, yes, get in.

The story of my golf on Sunday was amazing for myself. I concentrated 100%, put full commitment into my golf game and stayed positive, even though it was very hard and I was starting to panic towards then end.

I shot 73 on my home golf course. Its a par 70 course.

Last week I shot 92 on the very same course and left there after having a horrible game feeling depressed and not happy with myself.

This Sunday was different in so many ways. I had shot my best ever round of golf since I have been playing this game. I did drop 3 shots in the last 2 holes, I was mentally tired and very emotional.

My friend, I will call him G said to me as we walked up the 16th hole, I was level par at this point, that it had been a pleasure to watch me play golf today. I almost cried and had to walk off to the left so he couldn’t see.

The last 2 holes were two wrong decisions. I could dwell on this but I am not going to let two slight and silly mistakes affect what for me is a massive achievement. Every member of the men’s section who were there have personally congratulated me on my best ever round of golf.

Another member who played with me and marked my card even took a picture of my card and put it on the members chat for all to see. I have received a lot of congratulations from other members of the men’s section for shooting my 73. I feel so happy that I have managed to keep my head together and make the score I did.

My confidence in my own abilities, who I am, how others see me and managing my thoughts has grown massively from Sunday. Its always going to be an enduring struggle with the way my mind works, how I feel, what my brain thinks and managing my emotions.

This weekend as definitely a rollercoaster emotionally, but I am very happy with how I managed myself and my thought process.