What's on Your Mind

[IanSaysHi]

So there's a history and there may even be a pattern. Reaching out for confidential help and getting some clarity on the recovery will definitely make you a force for change in the culture surrounding you. You sound as though you will have a great "voice" for it. It is very perceptive to appreciate the value of getting it all off your chest. I survived this kind of life through younger years, isolated and toughed it out, and as age zapped my resilience I had no choice but to find real answers toward stronger recovery. I am fully confident you will make it happen and send you a sincere hug and bravo for taking some action. Lastly, the components of health and wellness, both physical and mental, lie in the restorative biological truth of the power of sleep. Rest? Yes for sure. Sound sleep with real autophagy to heal and renew? PRICELESS.

Thanks @ChadCoxRox. Yeah there’s history and I realise that it’s an ongoing process. I will go through similar in the future but it’s just about recognising it and getting suitable help when it happens. It does help to know other people have been through similar experiences and I’m not alone

[IanSaysHi]

Sorry to hear you have been through a rough patch mentally @IanSaysHi. It sounds like you were really burned out and your body and mind needed to shut down to recover. It is so so easy to not talk and shut yourself away, it is similarly so hard to talk to others and not feel like a burden, I get that. I always tell other people it is best to talk about struggles with other people and not keep it bottled up - but then find it hard to actually do this myself. I am great at giving advise but not actually putting it into practice myself. I think you have said the same is true for yourself. I guess that is the anxiety in action. I am really happy you are reaching out and feel better again, and you shared your experiences in this post.

Big   man, good to have you back!

Thanks Si, yeah I am a prime example of giving advice but not listening to my own! My friends at work have also repeatedly said how I always help others there no matter how busy I am yet never ask for help myself. It just seems so hard to ask for it.

[Jay]

Besides having a full time job, I have two other side jobs. My first side job is as a baker. I sell baked goods because I love to bake. My brand is called Seriously Brownies. Started out baking for fun and brought to office. Didn't expect people wanting to buy them.

Initially Seriously Brownies was meant to focus on selling brownies only. But I have demand for cookies and cakes as well. So I decided to sell them too. But brownies are my hot seller.

However, I'm beginning to rethink on what to sell and focus on. I would like to scale down and focus on brownies only. To go back to the root to sell different types of brownies. 

The main reason why I would like to cut off cookies and cakes of my menu is because I don't have a lot of time to spend as I work full time. This week I received an order from a customer to prepare four trays of brownies. I was happy but was dead tired after that. Additionally, getting rid of cookies and cakes would scale down the cost as well.

Seriously awesome

I baked a little during the first few months of the pandemic, a couple of cakes or Blondies, but not regularly, because it’s all sweets. Blondies are brownies with white chocolate and since I love white chocolate I went for it. The results were quite disappointing. Flat, dense, greasy slices that only tasted good fresh from the fridge. Unfortunately I can’t recommend them, or my baking skills weren’t up to the challenge. Have fun.

I've done a few blondies before but my family and friends prefer brownies because brownies are 'chocolatey'? They just prefer chocolates. So anyway I did an experiment. I baked blondies as usual, sliced them into 2inch x 2inch squares and tossed them back in the oven under a very high temp for 5 mins. Basically toasting them out. In the end, I got crispy blondies. They taste almost like crispy/soft cookies. I served to my parents. Crispy blondies kicked brownies off the top position.

[Jay]

Speaking of what's in my mind.

Is it me or GS is no longer as active as it was before? I mean a lot of regular/old GS members are no longer active and around.

[Bookworm]

@IanSaysHi

Ian, accepting that you need help, and asking for it, is half the battle. Sometimes you need to be a bit selfish with your time and energy in order to stay sane, and not burn yourself out. 

I've been in the same boat recently during lockdown; been taking on so much more work for colleagues that are still off on furlough, and working pretty much in isolation from home still. It's not healthy. I reached a tipping point too and ended having to have a long deep chat with my boss about how it was getting to me, and affecting me emotionally. It really helped and relieved a lot of the pent up stress I was feeling. I didn't want to admit I was having problems as I didn't want people to think I couldn't cope. In the end there's only so much you can get away with before you blow a fuse. Reaching out for help was the best thing I (and you) could have done.

Like you, I hate asking for help but sometimes we just need to be honest with ourselves about how things are, and communicate that to whoever needs to know.

Take things easy tomorrow and just ease yourself back into it gently.

[IanSaysHi]

@IanSaysHi

Ian, accepting that you need help, and asking for it, is half the battle. Sometimes you need to be a bit selfish with your time and energy in order to stay sane, and not burn yourself out. 

I've been in the same boat recently during lockdown; been taking on so much more work for colleagues that are still off on furlough, and working pretty much in isolation from home still. It's not healthy. I reached a tipping point too and ended having to have a long deep chat with my boss about how it was getting to me, and affecting me emotionally. It really helped and relieved a lot of the pent up stress I was feeling. I didn't want to admit I was having problems as I didn't want people to think I couldn't cope. In the end there's only so much you can get away with before you blow a fuse. Reaching out for help was the best thing I (and you) could have done.

Like you, I hate asking for help but sometimes we just need to be honest with ourselves about how things are, and communicate that to whoever needs to know.

Take things easy tomorrow and just ease yourself back into it gently.

Sorry to hear you’ve been through a tough time too *hugs* It took the last year of lockdown for me to realise that despite always thinking of myself as an independent person who sought my own company, actually I need other people. This time last year I was working from home, living alone (which I would have dreamed about years ago) and gradually started to get more and more down and lonely. I was waking up, walking round the corner to my makeshift desk, logging on, working 12 hours then going back to bed. I started obsessing over things like the noise my neighbour made (to be fair it was bad, and usually involved playing music at 3am). Eventually (when I could) I started spending time with the family and working there. This year I moved house, have a garden and moved in with a friend. I don’t see him that much, he is a heavy gamer and spends a lot of time in his room but it’s nice to just know someone else is here and has helped a lot.

[Chase]

I'm beginning to hate how rejection letters almost always begin with the words "Thank you" and some generic buffer sentence before saying no. Just skip the fluff already!

[Adam88]

I'm hungover af. It's 9AM. Why am I awake?

[Chase]

My life is getting better, I'm hoping it stays that way.

Well, that didn't last long.

[IanSaysHi]

My life is getting better, I'm hoping it stays that way.

Well, that didn't last long.

Sorry to hear this @Chase, hope things get back on track soon!