Hi Beauflow,

I certainly hope you are feeling better; I know how exhausting those rollercoaster mood swings are, and it sounds like you are under some stress besides.

I just wanted to point out something I noticed while reading your thoughts, and with any luck you will find it helpful. You say at the beginning that your problems are trivial compared to others, but there are no trivial problems. That in itself is a contradiction in terms. It's one of those silly quirks of the language that shouldn't really exist.

Then I noticed that this belief seems to be running through everything else, and you really should give yourself some credit. Everything you feel, think and experience is valid. You are human, and from what I see you're very caring, and one of the better examples of our species.

I just wish that I could make you feel better.

Regarding your dog... have you ever heard of Kongs? They're great for training. What you said about leaving the room was a great sign, and you should do that regularly as you go about the house to encourage him to be more independent and self-sufficient. If he does insist on following you around, be boring. Don't pay him any attention whatsoever until you've finished what you were doing and sit down.

Anyway, just wanted to say I was thinking of you, and hope you're doing okay.