Emotionally Exhausted

I am exhausted, emotionally exhausted. Last week was an emotional roller coaster, and – even though it is only Monday – this week is not starting off any better. I am so over the emotional ups, and downs. It is using all the self-control I have to not break out in a fit of screaming, and ugliness.

Despite the emotional ups and downs last week, it ended with me being full of hope, and excitement. My daughter had finally agreed to come visit me. She was to stay until the 22nd of February. I was really looking forward to being able to reconnect with her. I did not have anything exciting planned. Just a few things like introducing her to her niece, taking her to a store or two in the mall, and maybe going to the local swamp.

The drive down was pleasant. She seemed to be in a good mood, there were a few jokes, laughs between us. We got in about 9:30 or so Friday night. Saturday my daughter-in-law brought the new baby over for me to watch while she ran some errands. My daughter was so great with her niece. Except for when she and I ate supper, and when I had to change a very smelly diaper, she held the baby. In fact, she would not even hand over the baby when I asked to hold her. It really looked to me like she was enjoying the time with her niece. That evening things began to change.

My daughter mentioned to me that Joe Bob had called her five times – each time asking if my mother had given her the digital camera she had bought her. We had been there less than 24 hours, and most of the time my mother had been in bed because her legs had been hurting her badly, so the opportunity had not presented itself to give her the gift. Around the time my daughter mentioned the phone calls – and their subject matter – she began to express her desire to go back home. I told her I would take her home on the 22nd as planned.

I called Joe Bob, and politely asked him to quit calling her about whether or not she got the gift from my mother. He said he would. My daughter continued to state that she wanted to go home, and she was bored. By the time Sunday evening arrived my daughter had worked herself up even more. I tried talking to her to find out exactly what the problem was, but she could not tell me anything concrete. For example, I asked her if anyone had “lectured” her – she HATES being lectured. She let me know that no one had, but she “could tell people wanted to”.

I will say that she pointed out no one was saying much to her. We are in a difficult position with her though. She has a very bad habit of taking something we have said to her, or things she has overheard, and twisting the truth just enough to make things sound different than what was really said. She then takes her version of the truth, and tells it to her father. Invariably, she twists things in such a way that what Joe Bob hears usually makes him angry, or he can use it as some sort of “ammunition”. Even with as cautious as we were being she did this more than once on Saturday, and Sunday. Of course he was angry about her “story”, and also angry because – even though we had only been here less than 48 hours – my mother had not given my daughter the camera yet.

My daughter, and her father kept calling each other. I tried to get him to agree to telling her to stick to the original plan. He would not. In the end, he decided to drive four hours down here, drive four hours back to his house, and then working – driving a logging truck – the next morning. My mother decided having a tired logging truck driver on the road would be dangerous to all the other people on the road, so since she and dad had business in the area decided to let take my daughter with them. They met Joe Bob, and left my daughter with him. Before they left my mother gave my daughter the camera.

Part of me wonders if his constant calling created a situation where my daughter wanted to go home. I have no idea. I do not know what they talked about. What I do know is that neither one of them gave me a chance to really spend any time with her, and it hurts. I believe I have done everything I can do to reconnect with my daughter. I am at a loss on what to do next. The only thing I can think to do now is to give her some time with no pressure to visit me.

Right now I feel as if I am struggling a bit. I am sure the pain, and sadness I feel are “normal” for the situation, but that really does not give me any comfort.

Power Of Positive Words – R

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 making a list of words for each letter (A-Z) and include why each word makes me feel positively happy.

Please feel free to list your own positive words for today’s letter. You are also more than welcome to “copy” this idea, and create your own list of positive words on your blog.

Release – This word makes me feel positively happy because it reminds me to release my worries, and stress. I have a very difficult time not worrying about things. I have a hard time letting go of sad, and hurt feelings. Not letting go of those things creates a huge amount of stress in me. It also creates the perfect environment in my mind for depression symptoms to reside. If I can remember to let go and release those feelings, and worries to God then they are no longer mine to deal with. God will make sure I am safe, and okay. I just have to remember to let Him.

Thankful Five – Letters To People

I have been so busy the last few weeks that I forgot to do my weekly Thankful post. I usually make a list of five things I am thankful for, with a brief description of why I am thankful for them. The other day I saw an interesting idea on my friend Margaret’s blog. She wrote a few short letters to specific people, letting them know why she was thankful for them. You can see it here Thank You . I decided to borrow her idea for this week’s Thankful Five.

Dear Mom,

Thank you for being my best supporter, and cheerleader for the last few years. I do not think you know how much your support has meant to me. You are one of the reasons I am doing as well as I am. You inspire me, and challenge me to live the best I can each, and every day. Thank you for your generosity. You make me feel loved.

Love,

Melissa

Dear Dad,

Thank you for your love, and generosity. Thank you for the laughter, and support. Thank you for the respect, and kind words you give me. I have really enjoyed getting to know you better. I enjoy our relationship. Thank you for always giving me a soft place to fall.

Love,

Melissa

Dear Terri,

Even though we have not known each other all that long, I want you to know how much a value our friendship. Thank you for being such a good friend to me. You have given me a shoulder to cry on, someone to laugh with, and someone to share my joys, and sorrows with. It has been a long time since I had a friend in real life that I felt so comfortable around.

Love,

Melissa

Margaret,

Thank you so much for your constant support, kind words, and friendship. You inspire me daily. Your continued struggles with your own health issues – especially given how young you are – are awe inspiring. You are such a kind, warm, and loving person. I know that God placed you in my life for many reasons. I hope that I can meet you in real life one of these days.

Love,

Melissa

Dear Chrissie, and Susan,

Thank you so much for your forgiveness, and acceptance. I have missed having you in my life. It means so much to me that even after such a long absence you two are so supportive, and loving.

Love,

Melissa

Power Of Positive Words – Q

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 making a list of words for each letter (A-Z) and include why each word makes me feel positively happy.

Please feel free to list your own positive words for today’s letter. You are also more than welcome to “copy” this idea, and create your own list of positive words on your blog.

Quality – This word makes me feel positively happy because it reminds me that I deserve a quality life. My life does not have to be full of harsh words, sadness, depression, and anxiety. I have just as much right to a quality life as anyone does, I just have to make the choices that will allow me to have it. It means letting go of anger, hurt, frustrations, and unforgiveness.

  Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Melissa Shell

Power Of Positive Words – P

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 making a list of words for each letter (A-Z) and include why each word makes me feel positively happy.

Please feel free to list your own positive words for today’s letter. You are also more than welcome to “copy” this idea, and create your own list of positive words on your blog.

Progress – This word makes me feel positively happy because I am amazed, and pleased at how much progress I have made toward being as mentally healthy as I possibly can. Almost two years ago I wanted to die. Now I see that my life is full of potential, peace, and promise. I am very excited about all the possible directions my life will take.

  Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Melissa Shell

Power Of Positive Words – O

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 making a list of words for each letter (A-Z) and include why each word makes me feel positively happy.

Please feel free to list your own positive words for today’s letter. You are also more than welcome to “copy” this idea, and create your own list of positive words on your blog.

Okay – This word makes me feel positively happy, because I am okay. I really am. I have faced some really difficult things in the last few days, and I am still okay. I have decided that being Okay is a good thing.

Trapped

I have been feeling trapped. Part of me feels like I am stuck in a situation I cannot escape from. I have let it make me feel depressed, and anxious. All I want is to be able to move forward with my life, but I feel like I cannot because of the horrible, destructive thing I am tethered to.

I had high hopes that the consultation I had with an attorney on Monday would help alleviate some of that trapped feeling. It did not. In fact, I left the attorney’s office feeling much worse than when I had gone in. Not only was the trapped feeling stronger, I felt as if I was the world’s worst parent.

I know that I have not been the parent to my daughter that I have needed to be, and not just because of the years of depression. I was not a healthy person, and I was not a healthy parent.  I have worked very hard during my depression treatment to change how I parent, and do a better job with/for my child. I wish that I had more time with my daughter – in order to show her that I can be the type of mom she deserves.

The attorney made it very clear to me what he thought of me as a parent. He also told me that the courts would not see me as someone having an illness. Instead, my years of depression would be viewed as just me being a bad parent. Hearing someone say that to me made me feel absolutely devastated. I feel absolutely horrible for having done such a great dis-service to my child. As he continued to talk a sinking feeling developed in my stomach when I realized that getting a divorce is not going to be the easy thing that I thought it would be.

When I left the attorney’s office all I wanted to do was escape. I was on the verge of having a full blown panic attack, and my thoughts started sliding in a direction they have not gone in for a long time. I knew that I needed to reach out for some extra support, so I went to my counselor’s office.

My counselor was able to slide some things around, and spend a great deal of time with me. She gave me two names of attorneys that are “mental illness friendly”. Meaning they do a great deal of work with people who have mental health issues, and might be a better fit for me. In our conversation, she reminded me that in the past – when I felt trapped – I attempted to take my own life. She went on to let me know that since that time I had not experienced that feeling so I have not had the opportunity to apply any new tools to resolve it. She told that it was not surprising that my thoughts went in that direction. She pointed out that this time when I had those thoughts, I reached out for help rather than let them take hold in my mind. I cannot say that I felt better when I left the counselor’s office, but I did feel supported and my anxiety levels were greatly decreased. I think I mostly felt emotionally drained, and worn out.

When I left the counselor’s office, I headed back to my Grandmother’s house. I spent most of the rest of the day, and night in bed – sleeping on and off. I realize that was a type of escape. It was a way for me to avoid some of what was going on, and how it was making me feel. However, I am okay with my decision to do that. I felt so physically drained because of being emotionally worn out that I needed to do that. When I woke up Tuesday morning I felt refreshed, and in better control of my thoughts.

I have come to the conclusion that there is no reason I have to rush, and make decisions. It is okay for me to take my time to find the right attorney. There is no rule stating that I have to start divorce proceedings now. Maybe taking my time – instead of rushing to decisions – is better for me. I think it might help keep me from feeling trapped, and overwhelmed.

Power Of Positive Words – N

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 making a list of words for each letter (A-Z) and include why each word makes me feel positively happy.

Please feel free to list your own positive words for today’s letter. You are also more than welcome to “copy” this idea, and create your own list of positive words on your blog.

Normal – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have come to realize that there are no normal people in the world. Everyone, and I mean everyone has problems. I used to believe that there was no one who could really understand how my emotions, and physical health affected my mental health. I felt alone, and like I was the odd man out. One of the most amazing things I discovered in the last year and a half – through blogging, depression treatment, and social media – is I AM NOT ALONE. That realization has been a source of comfort. I also learned that everyone is just as odd as I am!

Power of Positive Words – M

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 making a list of words for each letter (A-Z) and include why each word makes me feel positively happy.

Please feel free to list your own positive words for today’s letter. You are also more than welcome to “copy” this idea, and create your own list of positive words on your blog.

Miracle – This word makes me feel positively happy because I believe the fact that I am still alive, and doing as well as I am – physically and mentally – is a miracle. Almost two years ago I was determined to take my own life, and tried very hard to end it. Even after my own actions did not result in my death, my thoughts stayed centered on killing myself. It took many long months for me to see my own worth, and to come to a point where I no longer wanted to die. That is a miracle, and I give thanks for it everyday.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Melissa Shell

Power Of Positive Words – L

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 making a list of words for each letter (A-Z) and include why each word makes me feel positively happy.

Please feel free to list your own positive words for today’s letter. You are also more than welcome to “copy” this idea, and create your own list of positive words on your blog.

Light-hearted – Even before my episode of Major/Severe Depression my life was pretty dark. I was a very negative person, and – truth be told – not very happy. I was not happy with myself, consequently I was not happy with anyone or anything in my life. When I began experiencing depression symptoms my already dark world became darker, more painful and closed in on me. It was a horrible existence. Coming out of that darkness has been a difficult process. Now that I am on the other side of things I feel light – light-hearted. I love the beauty I see in the world. My heart feels happy.