Overview

It sounds like you had a great day.

@InspireDaddy, thank you for your informative reply. I was really stressed the other day and I thought of your post and took a cold shower. It was hard at first but it moved my mind from manic-panic/meltdown mode to just breath mode. I think a cold bath would have been even better. I plan experimenting more and seeing if integrating this habit as a regular thing will help me access that parasympathetic state mkre easily. Thank you for your help! ~💛 Pichu

🩷 I'm greatful that I chose to go to work today and it was a good day. 🩷 I'm greatful that my co-worker is so kind and accepting or me. 🩷 I'm great full that my tummy is feeling better and now I can eat. 💛 I'm greatful that my Dr. moved my appointment date to sooner so that I can get the support I need.

Thanks @BabyPoppy, for you honest and heart felt post. What we tell ourselves is so important. Often times it's out own voice that is loudes and it's so easy to let that voice be critical or negative. Being Autistic and expirencing bipolar 2, I tend to have big emotions over seemingly small things or over nothing. Affirming to myself that I am capable of going through hard emotions is helpful as well as choosing to have a positive out look on the day a head. Here they are: ✨️Today is a good day to have a good day. ✨️ 🩷I can see the good in every situation. ✨️These are not my thoughts (for when i have dark scary thoughts).✨️ 🩷I don't have to feel good to do good. ✨️I am strong, courageous, and resilient!✨️ 🩷It's hard moment not a bad day. ✨️I've done this before and I can do it again! ✨️ Thank you again Poppy for you post. I'm so glad you and your mother were able to have such an honest and vulnerable conversation. Sounds like there has been alot of growth and healing to get you there. I am so happy for you. ~💛Pichu

I had a few affirmations tonight I wanted to share, but I need to share a little bit first. About a year ago, I was talking with my mother and she asked about what happened when I was young. She was finally able to hear some of it. She apologized and said someone had shared with her recently about him and she was so shocked! She was so busy raising us, she never thought anything could happen to me. She wanted to fix it. I listened, too. I told her I forgave her and she asked how she could forgive herself. I told her I wanted her in my life and that I loved her. I am thankful for the sacrifices she made to raise us. It's not easy single parenting 3 kids. We've talked several times over the past year and this issue always comes up in our conversation. So tonight one of my affirmations is about this issue. As I look at them, maybe all of my affirmations are about this issue. 1. Rest is healing. 2. It is healthy to work on me before I look for a partner. 3. Forgiveness is about my heart and moving on. It is not about letting bad people back into my life. My mother asked me what I would do if he would message me. I said, "he's blocked. I block a lot of people who are unsafe in my life. I need to do that to stay safe. I am unable to say no yet, so blocking them is the best choice I can make." There's no guilt or shame in that statement, only strength. Another affirmation... I will not talk to unsafe people. Affirmations are so powerful. They help change thoughts and feelings, which mold behavior and actions. Always remember how powerful your mind is and it can take you any where you want to go! Poppy 💕

Hi @andy332 We met on the other forum. Hope you're feeling better about things recently. You can message me any time, here or there

@PocketDove I'm very glad you find this thread helpful.

Thank you for your kind words I really wanted make a space for people to take a moment and enjoy the good around them no matter what they are battling.

Happy to hear your knee is feeling better. Also I love your diorama. I'm glad you and your kid were able to bond.

I'm happy to hear you were able to do some problem solving that got you into a more manageable situation. 😁

I'm greatful that, I'm feeling better this evening than I did yesterday. I'm having fun with daddy watching cartoons and he got me ice cream. I'm greatful that we gotta hangout with family. They made me happy.

I am just chiming in to say I really enjoy this topic and appreciate it being covered. I have a few overlapping diagnosis that are relevant here and I always need reminding to attend to them fully. This type of thread helps a lot. Thank you!

I found out something I was taking to help me was actually making me sick. I still have some struggle but it's *more manageable now 😺

Idk probably not

May is always a difficult month for me. It's the end of the school year and as a teacher, it means saying good-bye to my students. I know it sounds a little silly, but I spend 4 - 5 days a week with those tiny humans and I learn about their families, and pets and homes and celebrations and things their parents don't want shared. I love them so much, and I have to let them go. I send everything home, and shred anything left over. It's heartbreaking. (This year I did not get to say good-bye as I have not been in the classroom). The same week we say good-bye to preschool, we have a huge weeklong celebration in our community Tulip Festival, that celebrates our Dutch culture. It's a beautiful way to celebrate the community and people come from around the world, but it's emotionally and physically draining. Then comes Memorial Day. My family has always celebrated this as far back as I can remember. I'm a member of the American Legion Axillary, a women's group who supports soldiers and their families. It is our honor to help plan the services for Memorial Day and support both our Veterans and active duty personal throughout the year. I remember walking with my family when we presented the flag for my grandpa after he passed away over 20 years ago and just last year, we presented the flag for my uncle. Both men were father figures in my life, and it was an honor to be part of their ceremonies. This year will be challenging to be there and know that they are not with us anymore. I miss them so much. I will keep the tradition going and I have the ingredients for the cool whip cake with berries... but it's not the same. I miss them, the steady rocks, my harbor in the storm, the men who loved me even at my worst, even when I was an ignorant teenager lol they simply accepted me. Sometimes it's not the bad stuff that's difficult, but the good stuff. The good memories hurt more than the bad sometimes. I want to go back and watch one more baseball game with Grandpa in the announcer's booth. Or go golfing one more time with my Uncle, even though I never keep my head down. Or make super and set the table with the women while they both grill out back with my brothers. It was the simple things that made me who I am today. With both joy and sorrow, Poppy

Today I am grateful that my knee is feeling better so I could get some chores done!

Thank you @BabyPoppy So kind and thoughtful as ever, and such uplifting thoughts for us all, whenever we may struggle or doubt ourselves, This is a beautiful community, full of beautiful people, reminding each other that it's okay to be ourselves, that we're fine as we are, even when it doesn't always feel like it.

I am so greatful for my Daddy! This afternoon was rough, but I was able to make it through bc of him. He cuddled with me and played music to help me calm down. He doesn't judge me or make me feel ashamed. He is always there for me. I'm greatful that I got time to spend with my god-sister. She so funny and fun. Her bright personality made me feel happy. I am so blessed to be connected to her. I am greatful that I am getting better with my mental health. I'm not as depressed as use to be. I can honestly say that things are getting better and I believe that my future is full of laughter and joy. Thank you all for your sharing your gratitudes it made me happy to know that good things are happening not only to me but to people within the community I care about. 💛

Today, I have a lot to be thankful for: - Being one year older - Grown kids who love to help out and take care of me as much as I try to help them - AC as its like 90 today - the ability to see doctors when I need to.

Thanks @BabyPoppy!!! You have definitely helped me before with affirmations. 💜

@BabyPoppyThank you for sharing such a genuine and heartfelt message. Life Struggles It’s comforting to be reminded that none of us are alone in what we carry, even when life feels heavy. Your words encourage honesty, compassion, and strength, and that can mean so much to someone who’s struggling. In addition to reaching out to someone supportive, a simple affirmation that may help someone keep going is: "I am stronger than this moment, and I will get through one baby step at a time." Thank you again for posting something so real, thoughtful, and encouraging. Keep up the good work!

you can also find some really great affirmations on pinterest! i put lots in my journal too :3 it's a great place to look when i'm feeling sad and struggling to say the words myself.

Many of us struggle a lot in life. In fact all of us struggle with something. It's something we all have in common! We all have struggles, frustrations, pain, suffering and it is hard for everyone to face. There are so many cliché things people say to others when they want to help them feel better, but sometimes it's our own words that mean the most. Affirmations! I use affirmations daily, well most days, to help me stay focused on my growth and to stop comparing myself with others. There are several ways affirmations can be done. I'll list a few. - Goggle a list and write the ones you need. Read them daily to yourself in a mirror while looking at yourself. (The Cleveland Clinic is a great resource!) - Write your own list of 3 - 5 affirmations. Read them daily to yourself in a mirror while looking at yourself. - Write a new list daily of 3 - 5 and read them aloud to a partner, friend, or in the mirror. - (I do this one) Write a new list of 3 - 5 daily. Write each affirmation 5 - 10 times each. Send proof to a friend on days you are struggling. - (I do this one) when feeling overwhelmed, anxious, uncomfortable, write preplanned affirmation 10 - 20 times to refocus attention. (I use "I am safe" "I am accepted" "I am likable" "I belong here" "I am lovable") I write one, then take a deep breath. - I taped a postive job review to my bathroom mirror and read the comments outloud as affirmations, too. This is a practice that has helped me get out of some dark places recently. I thought maybe we could share an affirmation that helped us below. Or maybe how you use affirmations to help you grow. Here's my favorite affirmations. "My past does NOT define me, it makes me stronger." "Being little is safe." "I am likable" "I am capable of...." (changes often) "Rest is healing. I am taking care of me."

Hi @babypichu5, I'm so pleased to see this topic covered so well with practical and helpful solutions. Exactly the kind of thing a community is for. I can't help with direct experience, but here is some information I thought might be helpful for you and others. - Some of the things you mentioned you like when stressed sound very related to Vagus Nerve Stimulation. If you don't know much about the Vagus Nerve here is a quick very simplified summary: Basically you can imagine that there are two competing nerve systems that manage how stressed or relaxed you are at a given time. The Sympathetic Nervus System is your 'fight or flight' response. Stimulating the Sympathetic Nervus System makes you more alert/active but also puts your body under more stress, increases heart beat, and raises blood pressure etc. The Vagus Nerve is the primary driver of the 'parasympathetic nervous system', which means it counters it. Stimulating the Vagus Nerve calms you down, slows down heart beat, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, reduces anxiety etc. Basically all of the examples you have been given of things to do are highly likely to work by stimulating the vagus nerve. Another example would be Ice baths, which are well know to stimulate the vegus nerve. Submerging your body (or even just your head if you can't do a bath) in cold water triggers 'The Diving Reflex' ancient survival mechanism that immediately slows down your heart rate and promotes calm. People who use ice baths believe they can actual improve their 'Vagul Tone' (care, this phrase is over used) by regularly exposing their body to the cold like a workout for their nervus system. Making them more resilient to stress over time, just like building bigger muscles at the gym. - I hope this information is helpful to you. I would love to know if you try it and it works for you. Many people ice bath once a day as a habit to stay destressed. Don't worry about it being an 'ice' bath from day 1, a cold bath run just from the cold tap is probably enough for your first try. It is something you ease into. A big bowl with water and ice may also work well for dunking your head. Enjoy hacking your nervus system. Wishing you all the best. ID

What a lovely idea and a great reminder for us all that, even when we are in a moment of weakness or a darker place, we can still acknowledge those sometimes simple pleasures that help to keep us afloat and see us through to the next day of sunshine. I'm grateful for my sweet babygirl who has changed my life forever and gives me such love and devotion each and every day. She's continues to be a light in the darkness❤️ I'm grateful, too, for finding a warm and friendly place such as this, where we are made to feel so welcome and at least a little bit understood, and all of the great people on here, especially all of you littles who may not feel that you are so great at times, but are stronger and better individuals because of how you face the world and face the pain that life sometimes gives us all. 🤗 Finally, today I am grateful for the food and shelter I can enjoy, and being able to look out of my window to see the sky, trees, birds and flowers. 🌳🐦🥀