As mentioned previously, I'm supporting www.mentalhealthcartoons.com and Chato B. Stewart's cartoon-a-thon for Mental Health Month. Above is the cartoon for Day 4 - great work from Mr Stewart! Stay tuned for my caricature later in the month...
The last few days have been blah. There's a lot of it going around, methinks. I have been struggling to get out of bed, feeling fibromyalgic for the first time since I discovered Reverse Therapy in 2006/07. Back then, with my wonderful therapist Maxine, and a lot of work, I recovered from FM, and I know using the same techniques again will help me. If only I had the energy. It's a Catch 22 similar to that I experience in CBT -- the therapy is brilliant, and works, but applying it requires commitment and strength that is sometimes beyond my capabilities. Well, it's NOT beyond my capabilities but it FEELS beyond them. Let's face it, showering is more than I can cope with on cripplingly tired days (like today).
I need to exercise, I need to drink more water, I need to stop eating crisps while watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer. My mother goes to Laos (a country near Vietnam and Thailand) for ten days as of tomorrow night which leaves me with primary responsibility for shopping, cooking, cleaning for my nanna and my stepdad. Is that the approaching foghorn of HMS Panic?? Today is the closing date for my Dream Job, so the decision will be made tomorrow or Wednesday. It's clear to me, even clearer as I write this, that my Taken Abed-ness is a direct response to these extra pressures. Once I move into the "Doing: One Step At A Time" phase I know I will gather enough momentum to remain upright for as long as necessary. My mantra is Hope For The Best, Prepare For The Worst.
