Yesterday at T session there was alot of sad and depression inside.
Really felt like crisis mode
Felt like the pain of the whole world just landed.....
T listened
Then she said "let's think of some *new* things you can do--not that you have to do them, but lets just brainstorm..."
At first there were no thoughts, blank---deer in the headlights---
beginning of tears and unspoken "you don't understand do you...?"
Then she said "sometimes just thinking about something else doesn't work...you have to *throw* your mind into a totally different track."
We came up with a few things so I thought I'd share:

Audio books--light, funny, descriptive but enough to keep attention
Audio radio programs such as Gerison Keeler
both of the above can be done while you do something else:
crochet, needlework, sew, draw, paint, peel potatoes, but not run the loud vacuum cleaner or mixer (LOL)

think of what can be planted in the fall
plan next spring
do a jigsaw puzzle--one where you have to concentrate a bit
re-design a room in your house on paper--you may never do it, but it is
a mind worker for sure

these were new ideas for our tool box
the idea of not just "trying to think about positive things"
but to also engage mind and whole self into something.

Just some thoughts.
We plan to visit the library next week and check out what they have
We are also going to see if we can get an inexpensive ipod to download some audios from the internet...not music, but NPR programs, Gerrison Keeler, etc.....

Any other ideas out there?????