Getting A Service Dog.

[DharmaGirl]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine what a nightmare that was. I am also sorry I wasn't here with you when it was going on.

 

[blackemerald1]

Hey everyone..
Thanks for asking how I am. I'm trying my best to get on top of this.
I'm just in a dark place right now.
Bad end to the year and not a great start really.
I miss my little dog. I didn't have him for very long but even in that short time I began to understand exactly what he was able to do for me. And he was such a little clown... personality plus. I'm so sad. I cannot make myself feel better. I don't know what to do about myself. I was numb for a while and then sadness settled in.

I've got influenza. Geese... avoided it all of last winter and now got it in the middle of a heatwave... ugh...

Bushfires across a huge tract of my home state. We've had a few spot fires around us but so far nothing too big. Which should make me feel bloody lucky actually. Loads of people have lost EVERYTHING.

Again, thanks for looking out for me.

 

[littleoc]

It’s okay to be sad. You’re grieving.

Glad you’re okay :hug:

 

[Sideways]

Good to hear from you - sorry things are so hard right now. Hope the weather breaks for you soon - it was such an amazing relief when we got rain where I am. I was little kid excited and went out to stand in it. You deserve something good like that coming your way.

 

[blackemerald1]

I'm in this intractable depression. Nothing is lifting it and I'm unable to move on and forward.

Anyone got some helpful hints?

 

[Sideways]

Can they help you reach out to another agency? They potentially have contacts, they know your background, and you've got a really strong case to jump the queue.

I know 2 people who have had dogs trained for them through Miracle Assistance Dogs ( NSW based, but doesn't necessarily matter if you get a referral from the crowd you used). They do an excellent job.

As an alternative? Buy yourself a pup, and take it from there. You have all the time in the world to learn how to train it to do fancy shit. The difference that a rolly little puppy can make to a person's life, particularly with depression, is beyond words.

Pick a breed that suits your lifestyle (labs are good all-rounders), and find one yourself. Every now and again, when the odds are stacked against me? I hit the "make it happen" button. Which is exactly how I ended up with my doggo in a tenancy situation that seemed impossibly geared against getting a dog.

Then I started training.

Then I started assistance dog training.

All that? Started with deciding: fk this, I need a dog in my life, whatever capacity that happens to be.

If you're happy to skip the puppy phase? Guide dogs will often adopt out dogs that didn't quite make the grade. They often come with crazy amounts of training (know a ptsd'er that adopted one as her AD), and aren't necessarily a problem as an AD, they just don't make that ridiculously high standard required for guide dogs.

ETA The organisation you went through will probably happily provide you with an email recommending you as a dog handler, which would be favourable to a lot of organisations.

 

[blackemerald1]

Thanks @Sideways - I've had family urge me to get a dog/puppy and start training it myself.

The organisation will meet again sometime this month and be asking the dog training side what is going on. They know I am beyond upset.

I rang about my little dog just before Christmas to see if and how he was recovering. Apparently he's not doing so well at all. I don't know what that really means apart from the fact that whatever was wrong with him, so far they've not got it under control.

I need a dog with some fairly specific training to assist me. I'm not sure how I would achieve that without an expert. The dog must also have a PAC and I'm again, unsure how I would achieve that with a dog I trained.

I agree with you that the prospect of having a puppy is tempting.

 

[Sideways]

I honestly can't remember, but if you're ex-military, also consider hitting up your local rsl.

There's organisations in Victoria, NSW, Qld and SA that I know do owner/handler training for ADs, and can do the PAT test with you. That would be the groundwork covered. From there, it would be a case of probably just negotiating extra classes for yourself and your dog to teach specialised tasks.

 

[blackemerald1]

I'll make more enquiries. With all of this destruction by fire going on I'm going to need to wait till things settle down.

Any other tips for depression out there?

 

[Freida]

I hired a pro trainer also...what was nice was that I had a puppy at home and that helped with the depression.

As for ideas... Our local humane society is always looking for volunteers to come in and play with the animals in the shelters to help get them socialized -- maybe that would help?

Are you up to people related volunteering? With the fires I'm sure they can use every pair of hands they can get -- file under "people helping people helps depression"

Yoga? Meditation? All the self care stuff?

 

[Teasel]

Copied from my notes that I ho to when really low

Remember you are going through a really tough time so be kind to yourself and treat yourself as you would someone you cre about. So even slow progress is amazing. Slow down and do things mindfully, put on some music.

"in the midst of any problem, of any gravity, it’s always useful if you can remember to ask yourself whether, in some subtle way, you are resisting the experience of how things are, or staking your happiness on them being very different in the future. "


Read or watch youtube videos of:
Charlotte Joko Beck
Pema Chodron
Ted Talks

Meditate

Priorities are (think what yours are whilst currently depressed, eg doing stuff to help lift the depression)

Compassion, toward self and others
Healing from PTSD ~ Routine & Tools
Health ~ diet, sleep, exercise
Finding your joy - being in nature, dancing, taking photographs, cross stitch
Living somewhere safe
Connecting with self and others - journaling to get in touch with how I am feeling, what I want etc - reaching out to others, eg on my PTSD



"When you feel overwhelmed, stop, do what makes you feel better, self sooth, be kind and nurturing to yourself, perfume, meditate, one step at a time. Dropping anchor(search for russ harris website and under free audio there are dropping anchor exercises that I've found helpful). And then do a something that is towards what you want out of life..rather than something that takes you away from what you want."

Inner Critic beating you up? Remember it's like the Daily Mail, full of shit.

•••• You don't have to only do **** when I'm depressed the number of different activities I do shrinks right down to one or 2 things, like TV and my phone, neither of which help me get better- this is to remind myself I can broaden the range of things I do as I genuinely seem to get stuck and forget there are other options ••••



Thought Diffusion - Read the happiness Trap by Russ harris to better understand this stuff on thought Diffusion

Use these techniques regularly with distressing thoughts, at least ten times a day when starting. Anytime you’re feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed, ask yourself, “What story is my mind telling me now?” Then once you’ve identified it, defuse it.

I'm having a thought that...

?Musical Thoughts?, sing the story in time to Happy Birthday, try other songs

Naming the story - eg the nobody likes me story

Dropping anchor

Sloww deep Breathing down into the belly

Grounding 5 see, 4 feel (with hands, body, temperature, texture) 3 hear 2 smell 1 taste Study an Object

I am here in location date is and I am safe here.

Smelling Salts / Soothing Smells

Nightmare rescripting

Sleep hygiene

Posture & Progressive Muscle Relaxation Face, Shoulders, Arms, Stomach, Legs

Body scan

Soothing Self Talk

Safe Place

Coloured breathing hated colour out, loved colour in

What are your values?

Music Perfume Humour

Remember that Ho'oponopono shit!

Distractions for strong emotions

Language app, documentary, comedy, draw, walk, photography, cooking, deep breathing,

Drop the story, go to the body - take your focus off what you are thinking and focus all your attention on what you can sense in the body. Rinse and repeat.


Bit messy but hope something helps.
Wellest wishes

 

[Sideways]

Any other tips for depression out there?

Maybe now would be a good time to go and stay with extended family or friends living in a safer part of the country? Even just a road trip up towards the north coast for some fresh air, safety from the fires, and time to recover some self care time...?