Couch 233: Nothing’s Ghana Stop Us Now

Quietmind 2 · Nov 24, 2021 at 08:11 AM

Doing better. My regular therapist will help. Have to juggle stuff but not in danger anymore.

atisketatasket · Nov 24, 2021 at 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quietmind 2

Doing better. My regular therapist will help. Have to juggle stuff but not in danger anymore.

I'm glad, QM.

LonesomeTonight · Nov 24, 2021 at 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quietmind 2

Doing better. My regular therapist will help. Have to juggle stuff but not in danger anymore.

Glad to hear that.

comrademoomoo · Nov 24, 2021 at 11:12 AM

My therapist informed me today that she is taking two weeks holiday over the Christmas period. Of all the instances when she exercises free will, her taking time off is the one which enrages me the most. Two weeks!! What is she planning on doing?! Apart from drinking whisky, I mean. I hate this so much. I told her that I don't think she should be celebrating Christmas and she laughed. Yeah right lady, it's funny now but just wait until I turn nasty. I hate the lack of control. And the fact that it highlights that I will miss her and that I need her, or at least I believe myself to need her. This is an utter abomination. Time off at Christmas. Who does she think she is?!

WarmFuzzySocks · Nov 24, 2021 at 11:21 AM

Hugs, QM. I’m glad you’re doing better.

LonesomeTonight · Nov 24, 2021 at 12:58 PM

Love Dr. T--we were talking early in session today about reasons I don't like Thanksgiving, and one I mentioned is that I'm a vegetarian, and it all centers around a dead bird in the middle of the table. At the end of session, after wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving (tomorrow, for you non-Americans), he added, "Good luck with the bird carcass!"

ArtieTheSequal · Nov 24, 2021 at 01:00 PM

They cancelled overtime for today woohoo! And, offered VTO even so I took them up on it. Instead of just going to lunch now, I am done working until Sunday morning!

(tomorrow is thanksgiving in the US so we are off for the holiday, and my normal off days are Fri-Sat)

LostOnTheTrail · Nov 24, 2021 at 01:05 PM

I'm sorry, LT. A festival that centres around a dead bird must be really hard as a vegetarian. I hope there are still things that you find delicious to enjoy. Dr. T's remark was very, very funny. Thank you for sharing.

SlumberKitty · Nov 24, 2021 at 01:57 PM

I'm alone in the office today and I can feel the aloneness. It's palpable. It's also eerie. Usually this type of event hypes up my hallucinations but they seem to be staying quiet. Maybe the newish medication is helping. But then starting tomorrow 5 days off. We get Thanksgiving and Black Friday off, then the weekend, then I took Monday off as a personal day. I need to take Helen to the vet. She's not sick. It's just time for her wellness exam. So that's Monday. And a session with my new T Julieanne.

atisketatasket · Nov 24, 2021 at 02:23 PM

To me Thanksgiving has never centered around a dead bird. (We never had turkey when I was growing up.)

It centers around family, biological or created. Maybe that’s the underlying problem?

(I know I was very, if not unusually, lucky in my biological family.)

ArtieTheSequal · Nov 24, 2021 at 03:15 PM

We're doing thanksgiving over at our friend's house tomorrow, another of our friends is in town visiting for a couple weeks, and he'll be there too. Should be fun, since we moved we're only like 5 minutes away, so that's nice. We're all fully vaccinated so it will be lovely to enjoy a relatively 'normal' holiday. We'll probably still eat outside just to be on the safe side, but the weather here allows it and they have a nice big patio table so that will work!! I am trying to plan what I'll eat - I've been doing SO well since July with eating healthy, I don't want to wreck it just because it's a holiday! I'll figure something out!

LonesomeTonight · Nov 24, 2021 at 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atisketatasket

To me Thanksgiving has never centered around a dead bird. (We never had turkey when I was growing up.)

It centers around family, biological or created. Maybe that’s the underlying problem?

(I know I was very, if not unusually, lucky in my biological family.)

Hm, could be, re: centered around family. I think it's also a case where Thanksgiving was never that big of a deal with my family--Christmas was the event (where I know in some families, Thanksgiving is the big one). It felt like it was just the day when they made turkey--we sometimes went to my grandmother's (she literally lived 5 minutes from us).

Possible trigger:

But it still feels focused around eating--specifically, eating a big amount of dinner, followed by dessert--and I've come to realize that in addition to my being vegetarian, I also have some other issues/anxiety around eating. Particularly a bunch of people eating around a big table, where I feel sort of on display.

One good thing is that since I've gotten into football, I can just spend part of the time watching that. Which saved me a bit going to my sister-in-law's, which also includes some of her husband's family, who are just...very socially awkward. Like acting as if I'm not even there, like I'm invisible (even if I speak to them). So I could just sit and watch football in awkward silence with them. (It's an every other year thing, alternating with my parents, though we get out of seeing sis-in-law this year because her husband refuses to get the vaccine, and my D won't be fully vaccinated for another couple weeks.)

LonesomeTonight · Nov 24, 2021 at 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArtieTheSequal

We're doing thanksgiving over at our friend's house tomorrow, another of our friends is in town visiting for a couple weeks, and he'll be there too. Should be fun, since we moved we're only like 5 minutes away, so that's nice. We're all fully vaccinated so it will be lovely to enjoy a relatively 'normal' holiday. We'll probably still eat outside just to be on the safe side, but the weather here allows it and they have a nice big patio table so that will work!! I am trying to plan what I'll eat - I've been doing SO well since July with eating healthy, I don't want to wreck it just because it's a holiday! I'll figure something out!

That sounds like fun! And I think it's OK to be a bit unhealthy for one day.

LonesomeTonight · Nov 24, 2021 at 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LostOnTheTrail

I'm sorry, LT. A festival that centres around a dead bird must be really hard as a vegetarian. I hope there are still things that you find delicious to enjoy. Dr. T's remark was very, very funny. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks, Lost. I'm generally OK with the presence of it, and thankfully, my parents (and in-laws, when I spend it with them) are understanding of it now. It's just a bit weird to me when the electric knife (in my parents' case) comes out, carving up the bird.

There do tend to be a lot of good side dishes, like mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, this green bean casserole thing (Dr. T and I got into a brief discussion about that today), and cranberry sauce, which I'll be making. And usually pumpkin and/or apple pie for dessert, though I'm not a big dessert person.

comrademoomoo · Nov 24, 2021 at 03:36 PM

Do you exchange gifts at Thanksgiving? Apart from the food and family contact, how else is it celebrated? And has the celebration changed from its traditional roots?

SlumberKitty · Nov 24, 2021 at 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by comrademoomoo

Do you exchange gifts at Thanksgiving? Apart from the food and family contact, how else is it celebrated? And has the celebration changed from its traditional roots?

No gift giving unless maybe you are going to a friends house and bring them a hostess gift or something. But not like Christmas.

How else is it celebrated? In my family we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade religiously Then we watch Football. Then we watch a Christmas movie.

I don't know how it has changed from it's roots but it probably has.

SlumberKitty · Nov 24, 2021 at 04:10 PM

I'm by myself in the office today. Usually that makes my hallucinations hyped up because of underlying fear or something. They were doing pretty good but I just heard voices, like a soft woman's voice and it doesn't match any of my coworkers and there is no one in the building. Creepy. Just when I think I am doing well....something like this happens. If it keeps up I'll take a half of olanzapine.

atisketatasket · Nov 24, 2021 at 05:11 PM

Back from Visa's. Never seen a therapist wear scrubs before. Different.

She got weepy when I was describing the plot of LeGuin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" and how I relate to it.

Possible trigger:

It's about an apparently utopian city, Omelas, and the secret of what makes it so prosperous and happy. When the citizens are old enough, they're shown the secret: a child is kept imprisoned in a dark basement, malformed, malnourished, sitting in its own filth, it's lost its senses from its long imprisonment. Everyone who sees the child is upset, and most go home and make their peace with it so they can continue to enjoy the benefits of their city, even if the outcast child must suffer...but some are brave enough to walk away and leave, refusing to be part of their own society anymore at that price.

Polibeth · Nov 24, 2021 at 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LonesomeTonight

Thanks, Lost. I'm generally OK with the presence of it, and thankfully, my parents (and in-laws, when I spend it with them) are understanding of it now. It's just a bit weird to me when the electric knife (in my parents' case) comes out, carving up the bird.

There do tend to be a lot of good side dishes, like mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, this green bean casserole thing (Dr. T and I got into a brief discussion about that today), and cranberry sauce, which I'll be making. And usually pumpkin and/or apple pie for dessert, though I'm not a big dessert person.

I never had green bean casserole and my Dad's wife asked me to bring it this year. I had to look up how to make it - it seems easy enough.

My Dad's football team is playing my football team this year so we will be watching that together at his house. There are 11 of us for dinner - which may be awkward because 3 of them are his wife's kids and their families and while one of them and I are good - I barely know the other two.

SlumberKitty · Nov 24, 2021 at 05:20 PM

I really like green bean casserole.

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Couch 233: Nothing’s Ghana Stop Us Now

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Quietmind 2 Poohbah Member Since Jan 2020 Location: Somewhere I'm working to leave Posts: 1,243 4 8 hugs given	Nov 24, 2021 at 08:11 AM #561 Doing better. My regular therapist will help. Have to juggle stuff but not in danger anymore.

WarmFuzzySocks Magnet Member Since Jun 2017 Location: in the garden Posts: 2,306 6 15.5k hugs given	Nov 24, 2021 at 11:21 AM #565 Hugs, QM. I’m glad you’re doing better. __________________ Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by accidents of time, or place, or circumstance, are brought into closer connection with you. (St. Augustine)

LonesomeTonight Always in This Twilight Member Since Feb 2015 Location: US Posts: 20,727 (SuperPoster!) 9 74.9k hugs given	Nov 24, 2021 at 12:58 PM #566 Love Dr. T--we were talking early in session today about reasons I don't like Thanksgiving, and one I mentioned is that I'm a vegetarian, and it all centers around a dead bird in the middle of the table. At the end of session, after wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving (tomorrow, for you non-Americans), he added, "Good luck with the bird carcass!"

ArtieTheSequal Writing my way through... Member Since Feb 2020 Location: In the desert Posts: 7,214 (SuperPoster!) 4 5,752 hugs given	Nov 24, 2021 at 01:00 PM #567 They cancelled overtime for today woohoo! And, offered VTO even so I took them up on it. Instead of just going to lunch now, I am done working until Sunday morning! (tomorrow is thanksgiving in the US so we are off for the holiday, and my normal off days are Fri-Sat)

atisketatasket Child of a lesser god Member Since Jun 2015 Location: Tartarus Posts: 19,143 (SuperPoster!) 8 12.4k hugs given	Nov 24, 2021 at 02:23 PM #570 To me Thanksgiving has never centered around a dead bird. (We never had turkey when I was growing up.) It centers around family, biological or created. Maybe that’s the underlying problem? (I know I was very, if not unusually, lucky in my biological family.) __________________ The secret to eternal youth is arrested development.—Alice Roosevelt Longworth

comrademoomoo Grand Poohbah Member Since Feb 2019 Location: Toodlepip Posts: 1,710 5	Nov 24, 2021 at 03:36 PM #575 Do you exchange gifts at Thanksgiving? Apart from the food and family contact, how else is it celebrated? And has the celebration changed from its traditional roots?

SlumberKitty Legendary Wise Elder Member Since Jul 2018 Location: CA Posts: 27,329 (SuperPoster!) 5 117.7k hugs given	Nov 24, 2021 at 05:20 PM #580 I really like green bean casserole. __________________ Dum Spiro Spero IC XC NIKA