Um. Halp? :D?

[tree_talking]

As some of you know, I have not been having a wonderful few weeks. My issues are parti-colored and diverse, and I have more of them than National Geographic. And...I'm really not up for discussing them.

Tomorrow is the ten year anniversary of my mother's death, and this coming Sunday is Mother's Day. Neither of these days is my favorite, obviously. It's no wonder that my depression/anxiety issues are at an all time high at the moment.

I'm trying to take on a whole different workload, not at work, but at home. My husband is working fourteen hour days five days a week, and six hours on Saturday. I have to learn to cook, and I need to figure out how to adjust my workload to accommodate taking care of a house, my kid, and a cat.

And then, there's the fact that I haven't written anything in my novel in months and months and I haven't touched my harp in a long time either. I'm dying to perform in front of people (and not just at church, which I don't consider 'performance' per se), but have absolutely NO opportunities to do so. I have not picked up a book since last summer, and my attention span for that sort of thing seems non-existent.

I barely do my hair in the morning. Makeup? Yeah, right. I haven't bought new clothing in ages. And...that's not really an option right now. I'm struggling to eat right and exercise.

I'm struggling with everything.

Now, I'm planning to use flylady.com 's system of 15 minute chores to deal with a lot of this stuff. However...

I'd appreciate any suggestions from my better-organized friends. Suggestions, encouragement, amusing anecdotes, whatever you've got to help me get back to me would be appreciated.

Thanks, guys.

Comments

[aisforamy]

Honey, I am right there with you on having a crappy past couple of months. Mother's Day is the anniversary of my father's death, believe it or not, and I know how hard it can be. *hugs*

As for learning to cook, there are TONS of easy things you can pick up at the grocery store to make it easier. Many frozen veggies come in bags that steam cook in the microwave and turn out well, and there are some things in the frozen food isle that you can just dump into a crock pot and leave until you're ready to eat. YouTube can be helpful too! Just type in "How to cook..." and whatever it is you want to cook, and there is a good chance there will be a tutorial!

I am a terrible housekeeper, but I like the idea of fifteen minute tasks. Also, if you make a "chore list" of things that have to be done on a daily basis to help you get into a routine. Make sure that you put "take a break" on that list, more than once, even! It's easy to get overwhelmed and then feel guilty for taking time for yourself, but you'd be amazed at how much better your outlook can be after a little downtime (even just ten or fifteen minutes).

You might ask your doctor if you can increase the dosage on your anti depressant meds, and if you're not already taking an anti-anxiety medication, maybe ask for that too, to take on an as-needed basis. Even a low dosage can take the edge off of the overwhelming feeling when it gets to crisis point.

I wish I was there to give you a hug in person, but since I can't, see icon!