Hello Im new to the site! Single mum wants to say hi :)

[Chloekat]

Hey everyone just thought i would introduce myself. My name is Chloe and have 2 kids. My eldest lives with his dad most of the time who is 6. My youngest is nearly 2 and i have full cutody of her. Ive suffered from depression since i was 17 but hasnt been bad really bad since recently. I also suffer from major anxiety which ive had since early 20's but hasnt been that bad like the depression until recently. It landed me in hospital a few ago and im now waiting to see a psychiatrist through my GP. My doctor has done everything he can from his side of things just waiting on th psyc now. I have bad days and not soo bad days just depends on my mood and my anxiety which is very undpredictable. Feeling ok at the moment but not sure what each day will bring. Well thats the short story of it all so hope to chat to some of u soon 🙂 Take care x

[Fatima]

Well try to hang in there until you see the psych. Try some rigorous physical exercise on the good days. Brisk walk or a swim. That's what I do though my depression has only been mild.

[Fatima]

I forgot to ask you if you are coping ok with your 2 year old. Is she in day care? I think that would be good for her and give you some free time. If you need financial help DHS can subsidise the fees provided you have letter if support from your psych. Let me know if you need further details.

[Chloekat]

Hello. yes she does go to childcare  but she hasnt recently as shes been ill/sick with a cold or something. I have had help but its not hwlp when ur bub is unwell lol.

[CherryBomb]

Hi Chloekat,

Welcome to the forums and thanks for sharing about yourself. Sounds like a quite a handful, juggling looking after your bub and self. Seems like you've been pretty resourceful, staying in content with your GP and getting a referral to a psych, and I'm really glad to see you on here. What type of things are you doing to look after yourself while you're waiting to see your psych?

Take care,

CherryBomb

[Chloekat]

Hey Cherrybomb. Firstly nice to meet you. I try not to think about my anxiety and keep myself busy especially my hands which is y i talk a lot on forums like this. I like to also go for walk with my daughterwhen i can and the weather permits. Anything that help with getting rid of tht horrible adrenaline feeling i get with my anxiety, What do u do to stay in control when your home and out and about?

from Chloe

[CherryBomb]

Hi Chloekat,

Nice to meet you too.  

That's a great question that you ask - what do I do to stay in control when I'm at home and out and about?

One thing that I find useful is sitting and meditating for 30 mins every morning. For many people, the idea of sitting and not thinking about anything is not so appealing. If this is the case, mindfulness exercises are also good. The Black Dog Institute has some great pratical instructions on how to do this. Speaking of which, we have a mindfulness psychologist appearing as a guest speaker for our Topic Tuesday this week! So if you're interested it'd be great if you could tune in between 6 - 8pm AEST  as I'm sure she could give you some tips and strategies to suit your needs. I also find practicing mindfulness while I'm out and about is helpful too. It helps me to take note and appreciate the little details that we often overlook in our hectic lives. Is it something you've heard of or tried?

There's also another thread, which was started a few months ago about self care strategies that has some great ideas.

I'm also keen if anyone else has any other suggestions for Chloekat? 

CherryBomb

[Chloekat]

Hey Cherrybomb. Unfortunetly i missed the talk on tuesday night as i just read ur post then. I have heard of of mindfullness and have tried meditation. Sometimes it works and other times not so often. Ill check out those articles u mentioned. Didnt have a very good day today but at least late this afternoon i had a professional massage with my sister and it really helped with my anxiety and the physical and mental problems. I was able to just let go and not think of anything and concentrate on how relaxing the massage was. I think i'll be going back again in a couple weeks. Well thats it for now as im heading for bed now. Take care x

[Chloekat]

R u still around cherrybomb? Hvent heard from you lately. Im still stuggling with anxiety and depression so any input and talk would be helpful. Take care x

[NikNik]

Hi ChloeKat,

CherryBomb isn't online tonight, but I am 🙂

She must have missed your post, but I'll send her a link to it.

You mentioned in your original post you had an appointment with a psychologist, has that happened yet? If so, how did it go? Did he/she give you some strategies to manage things if they are getting tough?

No worries about missing the chat about Mindfulness the other night - we have the discussion saved here Some interesting stuff in there if you care to take a look at it tonight

NikNik