- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Mark Topic as New
- Mark Topic as Read
- Float this Topic for Current User
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Printer Friendly Page
Turning Negatives Into Positives
At the suggestion of Lightuptheworld, I thought I'd start another 'Turning Negatives into Positives' thread like there is on the old forum. Below is a quote from Antria who started the thread on the previous forum which I think explains the idea of the thread quite well.
"Sometimes it can be helpful to turn our thinking around and begin to challenge the way we look at things. Turning negatives into positives is a way of doing this! Basically, think of something that happened today, this week, this month or at some other time that felt negative and see if you can find a positive in it (or that came out of it)."
I find posting in this thread really helps me to look at things in a different way or see positives that I might not have noticed if I'm in a negative headspace. I'll start the ball rolling:
Negative: My friend didn't turn up to class this morning and I was worried I would be alone because I don't really know anyone else in the class.
Positive: It gave me a chance to sit with new people and get to know them better 🙂
Over to you!
Pos: just need to remind myself to keep breathing.
@redhead breathing sounds like a good plan. Would it help to use any apps or listen to anything while you're doing it, or just count breaths? Let us know how you go.
@N1ghtW1ng typing on a phone is the absolute worst! It frustrates me too. Do you have more stuff to add to the list tonight? (Hopefully on a real keyboard if there's one available!)
- Read something non-personal but pretty generally insulting.
+ Going to play some games til I forget about it.
- What the hell? Again?! Just stop.
+ Tonight was a good night before now.
- ujpo4w5pu9o5ertgdfjlik
+ My only job right now is to sit here and stay chill.
Neg: Haven't been coping very well again. I was starting to pick up. I was starting to feel like the increased dose was making a tiny difference, now I'm not sure. I feel bad because I was having side effects and my gp was hopeful it'd help. I kinda feel like I've stuffed it up myself.
Pos: I've been doing my best. I'm taking the medication and really trying to get through. I can tell my gp I was starting to feel okay then out of the blue my mood dropped again... *sigh*
Neg: I question if this drop over the last month has been a direct link with everything that's happened with my foot. It all seemed to just snowball after seeing the specialist, and I tried so hard to prevent the snowball, maybe that only perpetuated it?
Pos: I will ask my gp next week when I see her again.
Neg: I've had a fair amount of pain that I'm struggling to control with my foot. It's been making it very hard to sleep and I'm just overwhelmed, I want this all to be over already. What did I do to deserve such a horrific injury!? Why can't it just be better already!?
Pos: I managed to get into my second choice gp tomorrow, so will ask him to review it. I'm hoping because I know he's dealt with a lisfranc injury before he might know what to do to help me. I'm just so lost with it all. I want to scream already! 😞
Neg: I still don't know what to do with my job. It was suppossed to be held for me, but after failing to return in March when I took my clearance in last month I've recieved nothing. I might just resign. When I'm in this bad space I badly just want to resign so much, but when I'm in a better frame of mind I tend to keep clinging onto it. I don't know why. I don't know why I can't just let it go!
Pos: I had a chat to KHL today about it. And while I still don't know where I'm going with it they gave me some things to think about. I will ask my clinician at headspace when I can ring or see her next - whichever is easier.
Neg: This is sooo long 😮 😞
Pos: I guess at least I'm trying to look at the positives. At least I was able to come here and not go for SH... At least this time I didn't have to pry myself away trying hard to follow my safety plan. I'm still here, I haven't given into those negative thoughts.
Hey @Bee,
I really like how you're trying to see the positive in things, and I think that it's helping you to not engage with the negative thoughts you are having. You're having a really tough time with your foot, and it sounds like you are with work as well. Keep seeing the positives, you're doing really well.
Lahna
@Lahna I'm really trying, it's just increasingly proving so very difficult 😕 And the thing with my foot, well it's looking like it's going to be a long term thing. It's just not functioning properly.
Neg: Looks like this whole foot thing will be long term. Great. It's just not healing like it should after my second op. My scans from last week revealed a bone slightly out of alignment and instability across the part I broke and had screws inserted to hold it together.
Pos: At least we now know and we can start to chase up how to best go about this to help it.
Neg: I'm kinda scared that if this gets worse I might have to have surgery again! 😮 I really don't want to have to go through it all again!
Pos: It's too early to tell if I will need to. At the moment I need to keep my pain levels down and try to strengthen this foot up again. I'm going to talk to headspace about it later this week when I have an apt booked.
Neg: I have so many times where I just feel so alone and fragile.
Pos: I know I'm not alone. I know I have my treating team there to help. Even my physio offering to help make podiatrist apts for me. My headspace clinician is also there if I need to talk it out urgently. And of course the helplines.
Neg: I have an assessment tomorrow with centrelink to change to the disability job search agency. I'm anxious about it because I don't have any documents about my mental health to 'prove' it.
Pos: I had thought of taking in one of my discharge summaries but I don't know if thats enough. I do however have plently of documented evidence of my foot and the severe injury etc. I just need that to suffice as enough to change. I can always try again if I need more evidence etc.
Neg: Feeling lost in the whole thing. A bit anxious.
Pos: I AM going to do some colouring and put a movie on. Netflix here I come.
Positive: change isn't going to come if I don't do anything about it
neg: everything feels too much. i hate it. i want to give up
pos: my khl is on soon, maybe talking to her will help calm me down
neg: i want to self harm
pos: i have strategies i can use.
Hey @Bee,
I think you're doing really well (again) to be takoing the positives out of whats happening for you right now. Well done, I hope that in time, you learn to accept what's happening and that we can work out the best way to go about this. In time, I hope that we can also find some activities that you really enjoy engageing in which doesn't hurt your foot.
It's great to hear that you have your headspace clinician to speak with, and the people on the helplines.
It's great to see how well you are dealing with your feelings of anxiety- maybe netflix is exactly what you need right now! 🙂
Let us know how you go tomorrow,
Lahna
@Lahna thanks. I'm just really struggling with this foot. I'm seriously so over it. At least now I've started a new medication (My gp had to check I was able to take it as the last would have interacted with my antidepressant as the surgeon didn't check that, so it took a little while to start) It's made me really drowsy today so have slept a bit.
The Assessment went ok. They had a psychologist conduct it and it was in a private room. I managed the anxiety really well considering how anxious I was. She just asked lost of questions about my foot and then my mental health after I mentioned the issue with making sure what we tried wouldn't interact with my antidepressant. She said she'll write up the report and provide it to centerlink and I should know within 3 weeks when I will have my first apt with the disability job search agency. After the interview she told me I was able to change to the service I wanted as I was eligible and was "the ideal candidate"
@Ben-RO Thanks, I had thought of it but forgot to ask my gp when I saw her Monday. I wasn't asked for any new documentation, I guess they've had sufficient documentation over the last several months with this foot. It was strange because their website said I'd need documentation as did the job search agency. Ohwell. All done now.
Neg: Yesterday got a fine for touching my mobile while stopped at a red light *sigh* I was really upset because normally I don't bother to check it. I don't even know what I was thinking. I'm stressing because I don't know how I am going to pay the fine! 😕
Pos: I did the wrong thing and coped it sweet. The police officer was polite about it. I am going to go to the station tomorrow and figure out the best way to go about paying the fine.
I want to pay it myself not let my dad pay it and pay him back when I get a job again. I am going to make it work.
Neg: My foot has been really swollen today.
Pos: I've iced it once. I've kept a pressure bandage on it and keeping it elevated when I can.
Neg: My foot started burning really bad while serving tea - it legit put me in tears and I started to panic because it came on so stong so quick. It felt like there was fire on my skin!
Pos: I know that it is a symptom of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome which I've been diagnosed with. I was able to get my brother to grab me a damp washcloth to put on my foot to help relief the burning sensation.
Neg: My reactions to things are really intense. I am struggling to manage it anymore. It's really hard. I don't understand.
Pos: My best bet is to talk to my psychologist on thursday with headspace. She'll be able to help me. I just need to trust myself enough to get it out.
Neg: I've lost all motivation and desire to look for work. I'm finding filling in the applications very hard. I just want to curl up and ignore it all.
Pos: I will be changed providers soon so they will be able to help where I need it. In the meantime I can talk to my clinician and get her help with applications. I'm really struggling to do them myself, it's too overwhelming.
@Bee that sounds really promising! I am glad you got through the assessment okay and that you had what seemed like a good psychologist doing the assesment. I look forward to hearing the outcome in 3 weeks!
There are often arrangements you can make if you are recieving centrelink benefits to pay of a fine slowly or even work it off by volunteering (that is, if you don't have too much on your plate). It depends on the State you're in. Have a google and let us know what you find out :).
I also just wanted to say how awesome it is that you are facing the challenges head on. I know that there's a lot going on and that maybe you sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed, but reading through your posts, i can see your progress. I hope you continue to give yourself some rewards for those huge efforts because you absolutely have earned them.
I am wondering if you would like a thread to talk through this stuff a bit more?
Neg: I just want to curl up in a ball and cry. I'm so exhausted.
Pos: I'm doing my best to get through. I'm taking it one day at a time and just trying to look after me
Neg: Spent most of the session today with my headspace clinician crying. I could barely get a word out for her at all. I felt so terrible because of it.
Pos: Despite how I was feeling and struggling to cope, she was amazing at helping me through. I knew all I could do was just wait that moment out,
Neg: I barely managed to engage with her. I should have trusted my gut and cancelled.
Pos: It showed courage and strength to attend even when I knew I was feeling like crap! And I tried hard to try and engage but I just couldn't access it. It was like I was frozen to stone.
Neg: Everything is just so overwhelming and I'm not even sure where to turn anymore. I feel terrible everyday and I'm not coping with this foot stuff. I don't know if it's the meds not working or what. I kinda feel like I'm just this crappy person with a crappy everything. Part of me feels like I deserve all the shit that's happened.
Pos: I am speaking when I'm down. Right now I'm too wiped out to be able to see things through an unbiased lense.
Neg: Thoughts of SH are raw again tonight 😞
Pos: I know the safety plan headspace made for me - I have a copy in my journal. I'm going to try and sleep soon with music to drown out the thoughts
Positive: it's ok, I tried and now I have more time to prepare and be ready for my appointment
Pos: I've taken myself to bed so there is nothing within reach.
(I don't know what else to do)
Neg: feeling scared about next week, psychologist and psychiatrist appointments and I'm booked in to get my hair cut. 3 really stressful things for me! 😞 and I can't change any....
Pos: its okay. My psychs are there the help. I'm trying at least.
Neg: waiting for these sleeping tablets to kick in. Unfortunately they don't really make me drowsy so I'm really just waiting on my brain to shut up! 😞
Pos: at least they have been stopping me from waking up several times a night!!! I've only woken once when using them.
Neg: I don't know if I want to go to work tomorrow...
Pos: I'm probably only saying that because it feels like forever that I've been there.... I really need to get ba more regular work and not large gaps in time. It's only making it harder!!!! 😞
hope you woke up feeling better. It does sound like a routine would help you greatly 😄 hope you find your rhythm soon!
@lovin each day thank you, I did wake feeling a little better I guess, but still really tired. Yes I am hoping to get more regular shifts so it creates a bit of routine for the majority of my week instead of lumping all my shifts within 3 working days... Will see what my manager comes up with...
@ruenhonx I guess so. I kinda just try to delay as much as I can. Which fortunately by time I got to bed I was too lazy to get up again lol. so that kept me safe.
Neg: Missed a call from the medical centre today, so I called them back and was told I had to book an apt with my gp. Gr. For next week. But I'm feeling like next week is stressful enough as it is...
Pos: I can always try to book it to coincide with my psychiatrist apt or leave it until the week after. If there's something serious they would have said to make an apt asap surely.
Neg: Just feeling so blergh today. I don't really know why. I'm just ready to curl up in a ball and cry. But I have no tears to cry 😞
Pos: I'm getting through, I'm still going to work and persueing even when I feel crappy. I'm still seeing people and engaging although I want to wrap myself in a cacoon for a few days. I'm working through it all slowly.
Neg: Feeling like part of this crappy feeling is because I've had such a long break from work. And it's making it feel hard to get into routine. etc. I also think there might be something else, because for a while there work was something I was getting through, but I'm noticing myself close off more and more to customers and colleagues now. I'm kind of worried.
Pos: I've asked for some more shifts, so hoepfully that puts me into a better routine. I'm going to write this down and try to bring it up with my psychologist next apt (whenever that is!)
Neg: Feeling like there is things I want to share and want support/help with, but not actually feeling ok to let them out/let my psych in. 😞
Pos: I'm still getting to know her, I'm aware it takes me a while to build relationships, I just need to give it time. It's kinda harder when you only see them once a fortnight for 1 hour... I'm doing my best to trust her and let her in
![](/skins/images/109FDF852F6C1DE92CB83ABEE2C8C897/responsive_peak/images/icon_anonymous_message.png)