How are you coping today? #4

I'm in physical pain. I'm using my walker, I have my soft blanket with me, I chatted with my sister, I'm taking care of my cats and I'm trying to take care of myself. I might play a game or maybe I will just go to bed.

I been trying to stay busy. I help with the holiday meals and I went for a walk together

I think I'm dealing with dry eye blurriness. My eyesight is blurred slightly. The letters on my computer screen aren't as crisp and clear anymore with my glasses. I might try my contact lenses to see if that helps, but then I'll need a magnifying glass to read my cell phone or instructions for cooking, LOL. It could be my prediabetes, my thyroid condition(s), dry eyes, a combination of those illnesses just mentioned, or something else entirely. I don't know.

What I do know is that the humidity in my apartment is now only 15%. My humidifier for my bedroom is packed away. I don't have one yet for the living room since there are too many pathogens in there for it to be worth it, and besides, the stove and sink water coupled with the bathroom whenever the door is open will help with increasing humidity in the living and bathroom spaces, which I rarely use anyway. I spend most of my time in the bedroom, where I need a humidifier the most. I just need to get through the Inspections on December 1 before I unpack everything again. I want my apartment to feel "brand new" when they leave and I unpack things in the next week. I'll tackle the storage room spaces down the hall in a few months. But I need to be able to see well first.

My new vision plan begins in January, but I might just take advantage of the free eyeglasses and eye glass exam only at the VA come December. I'll try to schedule that online today, perhaps, by sending them a message for them to read on Monday or Tuesday next week. I really do need to see an eye doctor, since it has been almost two years - I last saw them in February 2020, a month before the pandemic hit here.

I'm therefore coping with this one step at a time and with lots of self-care.

Is there a laundromat or a washer and dryer where you are staying? Can you wash your hoodie and borrow clean clothes while you are washing your hoodie and/or other clothing items?

Had an okay day today, didn't get any school work done which I'm not proud of. Not feeling so great now my Dad came home and hour and a half late from drinking and then brought with him someone who has had COVID and only has 1 shot of the vaccine to my 82 year old Grandad's birthday dinner which was just supposed to be only the five of us. Feeling overwhelmed and upset that he constantly disrepects and disregards us like this. Feeling scared for my family's health safety.

Safe thoughts @stickyfingers - I worry about that with my 86-y/o mother, since her caregivers (my niece and her boyfriend/baby daddy) are both unvaccinated, and she's living with bar-goers (her caregivers and my sister) who don't care either. They are having Thanksgiving today, and they've likely invited more anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers to their event. It's hard to cope with that. There were already a few people whom I know who passed away from birthday, Spring Break/Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas celebrations last year. It's just sad how people are so inconsiderate of others - selfish, really.

The best way we can cope is to create a journal of our enemies, I think. I remember some creative writing journal that Julie Cameron's "The Artist's Way" book describes. It's a way to vent out all of our frustrations while also helping us with our creative writing styles and even our writer's block. I think her book deserves more credit for coping skills than it has received. I wished more T's would acknowledge that it is okay to call the antivaxxers and antimaskers selfish - because it's true, and it's not good to candycoat or give in to their lies, excuses, etc., anymore. It's part of grief and loss, it's part of pandemic stress, it's part of a lot of what's wrong in today's age. Like trauma being preventable from people inflicting trauma, so, too, is Covid-19 a preventable trauma (medical trauma, grief-and-loss trauma, relational loss trauma due to disabilities, career-loss traumas due to disabilities, etc.).

Bless your heart!! I am wishing you all the best!!

I'm coping today by...

distracting
taking one manageable step at a time
taking many breaks
doing my "exercise snacks" (as my rec rehab T would say - which is just walking around my apartment for like 5 minutes every hour or two, or whenever I have enough energy to do so)
finding safe things within myself and my apartment
coming online here
self-care with eyedrops for dry eye and lotion for cracked/dry/bleeding hands (from overwashing) and using gloves to alleviate my hands
giving myself permission to not get all my tasks done if it's too much

I'm taking one task at a time with plenty of break time. I'm using heat for my pain. I'm trying to believe I'll be able to relax later on. Right now, I feel like it's all work.

I decide to do some journaling and watch a few self-help video, listen to some music, brought some food over to a neighbor, rake the leaves, watch a movie, talk to a therapist online today because I was feeling really down today.

i'm trying really really hard not to freak out about what just happened. but with the way my luck is going, i'm soon to go downhill quickly

I'm playing my game, trying to do some self-compassion, doing self-care and working on the house. I'm also journaling and posting to my therapist.

It’s a storm here today so going to stay home and busy myself, I want to make bread, and busy myself with Christmas cakes. I will aim to read too.

1. I made turkey tacos.
2. I'm freaking out about Omicron.
3. I'm thinking about murder hornets for some reason. I'm trying to make myself laugh, but I think it's more of a twisted anxious laugh more than anything.
4. I'm being weird - my go-to when all other fluffy coping skills don't work.

Yeah I’m really down about omicron too.

I did the bread making - if you are able, the act of whacking dough onto the board is stress releasing! Didn’t get cakes sorted or my ironing but saw my parents and that was probably more important. The storm is easing off here but it’s snowed a little now and I’m warm and safe on the sofa.

I'm doing ok today. I am worried about the new variant. I feel like going out and buying stuff but I already have so much stuff I can't fit anything else on my storage rack at least. I guess theres some more room in the fridge for stuff. Theres a bit of room in the freezer but I went to Trader Joes today and I really filled it up. I feel like I'm just buying to buy at this point. I've basically avoided the news unless when I really couldnt. I hope my mom takes this seriously and buys supplys if there is a need to do so

The new thread is here: How are you coping today? #5