Power Of Positive Words – I

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Margaret Tidwell

The power of positive words is life giving. They build me up, and provide me with encouragement. They have been known to empower me, giving me the confidence I need to face something difficult. Beginning with the letter A and ending it with Z….I am going to make a list of one word for each letter (A-Z) and include why this word makes me feel positively happy.

Interested – This word makes me feel positively happy because I enjoy being interested in the world around me. Checked out, there but not there, nobody is home, are just a few phrases that could be applied to my state of being during the time before I began depression treatment. I was not all that interested in what was going on, or who was involved in it. I tried to be, especially when my daughter was talking to me. More often than not, my mind would simply wander off while I was listening to her. Same thing would happen when I tried to read, listen to music, and even watch TV. Being interested in what is going on in the world, and my family makes my life more full, and interesting. Being interested makes me an active participant in life.

I would love to see what you come up with for the letter I!

My dear friend, Margaret of The World As I See It, began her own list of Positive Words. I encourage you to check it out! If you decide to do this exercise on your own blog, let me know. I would be more than happy to put up a link, directing people to it.

Seriously Blah!

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Margaret Tidwell

This picture is an accurate representation of how I have felt the last couple of days. I am exhausted. When I wake up, I feel like I have not gotten any sleep, and no amount of coffee is enough to get me moving. All I want to do is crawl under the blankets on my bed and not move. Of course, with the way things are sometimes, even my bed is not a total guarantee of rest. Night sweats have been plaguing me as well.

At first, I thought what I am feeling was totally due to being physically tired, and sore after all that furniture moving I did the other day. However, after thinking about it, I have come to believe that the way I am feeling is a combination of physical, and mental exhaustion. I do not think it would be inaccurate to say that part of what I am feeling is also the physical manifestation of a few depression symptoms. I think with all the emotional ups, and downs – as well as dealing with someone else’s irrational behavior – what I am feeling is probably normal.

Just because it is normal, does not mean it feels good. I really dislike this complete, and total exhausted feeling. I do realize that it is a sign that I need to do a few things to get myself back to feeling like I want to. Now that Christmas and New Year’s are over, I think life will slow down a bit. I will use that time to re-energize. I will work very hard to surround myself with positive thoughts, and people. I am also going to continue taking steps to eliminate the extreme drama that is going on as a result of “other people’s behavior”.

Blah!

Power Of Positive Words – H

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Margaret Tidwell

Hope – This word makes me feel positively happy, because having hope – in the face of difficulties – is life altering. I have been hopeless. It is a very lonely, and sad experience. It is also very scary. For me, having no hope means that there is nothing good, positive, wonderful, and peaceful about life. Once I began to have hope, everything – and I mean everything – began to change. Life was no longer a burden to bear. I was no longer half way between death and life. Hope has added flavor, and zest to my life.

I would love to see what you come up with for the letter H!

Making It My Own

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Margaret Tidwell

New Year’s Eve was a very busy day for me. I organized my room, moved a great deal of furniture around, and helped my son carry a couple of things I wanted in my room. I decided that while I was doing all of that, I would decorate my room and “make it my own”, turn it into a comfortable place for me to hang out in. Fortunately, my mother has loads of stuff around her house that can be used to decorate – if you think creatively. I did run into a couple of challenges, so the moving project took a bit longer than I intended.

The most horrible thing I moved was the bed. Seriously! Whoever put it together, forgot to put the wheels/sliders on the feet of the bed frame. I went to move it – pushing as hard as I could – and realized that the top mattress was moving, but the bed frame was not. I had a jarring stop, and now my back and my left knee are hurting me. Advil is helping take the edge off of the pain.

While I was organizing my room, I realized something about myself. I can create an immense amount of clutter in a short period of time! At least it is picked up…for now. Another thing I realized is that I am not quite as young as I used to be, and my body is letting me know that. The third thing I realized is that creating my own space did me a world of good. In some ways, I have felt like I have had little control over my life lately. I have been feeling emotionally battered, and bruised. I have felt frustrated, anxious, and sad. Although I did have a room to go to in order to spend some time alone – recharging myself, – it was not working efficiently. Organizing things, doing away with the clutter, and creatively decorating it has allowed me to create a space that will help me recharge emotionally, and mentally when I need to.

Here are a few pictures of my newly decorated room: