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How do you cheer up?

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littleoc

MyPTSD Pro
Hello,

What do you do, personally, that cheers you up when you're unusually down?

I am usually very happy and optimistic and don't feel like myself at all. My birthday is coming up in less than a week and obviously I need to be happy by then. (Call me superstitious, it's fine. Everyone is to an extent, right?)

What cheers you up?
 
Maybe you find the reason you're feeling so bad and you start working on it.

Maybe you figure out it's nothing serious and you just let yourself feel bad for awhile.

Maybe you go do stuff for other people so at least you can say you're helping, even if you have to be in pain.

One thing that I don't think helps is putting on a happy face and burying your sadness or depression. You can only do that for so long before it stops working. And if it stops working, you don't have any other methods to deal with the pain, which just makes it feel worse and ends up prolonging it.
 
sorry you are feeling blue. Forcing myself to do something will sometimes help. Tidying up (marie kondo style) or doing the dishes. helping someone do something oddly always cheers me up; if I know someone is a shut in I'll ask if I can visit and bring them something; or if I know someone is moving I'll offer to help take a load or give them a few hours of labor that kind of thing always helps me get out of a funk. Now that I am back to messing around with horses doing barn chores helps me feel happier. Changing my attitude is really hard, though.
 
Maybe you go do stuff for other people so at least you can say you're helping, even if you have to be in pain.
if I know someone is a shut in I'll ask if I can visit and bring them something;
I like these. I could schedule a visit with a friend and see how that goes. Socializing usually makes me feel pretty good. And helping people in general. Surely someone around here is looking for a volunteer of some kind.

I've been going to a yoga class that meets three times a week, so that's pretty fun. Maybe I could try staying afterward a little and chatting with people?

For physical labor, maybe I could clean up all those leaves in the backyard so it's prettier and more comfortable? Hopefully the lawn has gotten some fertilizing from the dead leaves sitting there all winter. It would probably be a week-long project, so a good way to get some sun, maybe.

As long as I remember to also do my school work :P

I'm taking a class by Neil Gaiman, I should be more enthusiastic. (I don't get to see him face-to-face. It's not that special. I'm not even totally sure he knows every student who comes in. Probably not possible.)

One thing that I don't think helps is putting on a happy face and burying your sadness or depression. You can only do that for so long before it stops working. And if it stops working, you don't have any other methods to deal with the pain, which just makes it feel worse and ends up prolonging it.
That makes sense. I've been doing a lot of "fake it until you make it" and maybe that's what's going on?

My therapist pointed out that I've been living day-to-day, trying to survive in the house I'm living in, instead of focusing on goals. I want to argue with her because typically I'm a careful planner, but with all these triggers and then all the difficulties in doing anything about it, I think maybe she had a point. Especially because people here keep telling me that I'm clearly not thinking as clearly about solutions as I would be.

I canceled my appointments with my therapist. I have no money, and not only was my therapist letting me see her for pretty much free, but now she's trying to get me one of her old laptops she isn't using and I found out the yoga class I'm taking is in the same church she goes to, and I sort of panicked? Feels like red flags. I dunno. I will probably go back and see her again soon though. She hasn't done anything. She was also my twin's and little bro's therapist and they don't have complaints. My sister sold her a diamond in her shop, said she seems cool, lol
 
Fake it till you make is proven to be baaaad advice yet so prominent in our culture. I don't understand why you think you have to be happy on your birthday. Is it a if you aren't happy on your birthday it's going to be a crappy year type thing?
 
My birthday is coming up in less than a week and obviously I need to be happy by then.

Wow! No pressure @littleoc !! :)

I've been working at being happy for so many years I cannot count and I'd throw my hands up in defeat if given a week.

Have you planned to make it a happy day? Doing something just for yourself? You only have one birthday each year - make it a really good one.

I don't see anything wrong or odd with your T helping you out the way she is. It sounds like she is doing everything she can to help you along and I'm glad you have someone in your life doing that for you. :hug:

Oh and in case I completely miss it. Happy Birthday !! ?????
 
Fake it till you make is proven to be baaaad advice yet so prominent in our culture. I don't understand why you think you have to be happy on your birthday. Is it a if you aren't happy on your birthday it's going to be a crappy year type thing?
Okay, I'll be sure not to fake it. Not as a coping strategy.

And yeah, sort of. Birthdays just need to be happy.

I've got a traumatic memory associated with this. I don't really want to discuss it, but long story short, no one can see me being upset on a happy day. Especially my mother. It'd feel like a curse.

Wow! No pressure @littleoc !! :)

I've been working at being happy for so many years I cannot count and I'd throw my hands up in defeat if given a week.
Ha, that's a good point. I mean, usually I am very happy and chill.

I just went and watched a bunch of silly videos, and that kind of helped. Coping strategy, maybe? Maybe when I visit a friend I'll show the videos to him?

I did go ahead and schedule that. He got very excited and said I could come over any time. That was really nice. I'm going to bring his lizard some vitamins to see if he likes them.

Have you planned to make it a happy day? Doing something just for yourself? You only have one birthday each year - make it a really good one.
No, I hadn't thought of that. Frankly I was thinking about everyone else. If a family member who usually sends me money sends me money, I was going to spend it on my bird because she's sick again. But if I get enough, maybe I'll go get a massage or something? A movie at a movie theater might be nice. Or staying in a hotel for a night. Somewhere with a bathtub that works? Nah, that might feel too gross. Would love a hot soak though. I have been trying for about a year now to get mold stains out of my mom's bathtub, it's just not going to happen. Five years of untouched mold doesn't come off porcelain very well.

I don't see anything wrong or odd with your T helping you out the way she is. It sounds like she is doing everything she can to help you along and I'm glad you have someone in your life doing that for you. :hug:
That's comforting to hear. Thanks. I get nervous when I see red flags.

Oh and in case I completely miss it. Happy Birthday !! ?????
Thank you!! ??
 
Five years of untouched mold doesn't come off porcelain very well.

Hmm. yeah mould is diabolical to remove. I've got a little bit in my bathroom on my walls. I have the ladder so next stage is getting up there and scrubbing it. ugh...

Just so you can use the tub, have you considered getting an all purpose cleaner that is thick and leaving it on for a day or two? Then giving it a big scrub and applying another layer then another scrub.

It sounds like the porcelain may be porous now and the mould has got in. It's terribly difficult to remove when that has happened. You may not ever succeed in removing the stains too but if you give it a decent scrub it should be okay to bathe in.

I like a long soak too. Other things to try... a pedicure, manicure (I only get my nails buffed so no polish problems in a week!) New haircut. What's important is you plan something for yourself... not everyone else! It's your day so be good to yourself for the whole day! :)
 
I've got some OCD that's gotten a bit worse lately, so I think the cleaner would have to stay on for only one day so I could have my nightly shower afterwards. But maybe that would help, eventually. I've been using bleach. I managed to turn some tiles back to white when they had turned black (bathroom hadn't been cleaned in years) but the tiles are still black behind the toilet. Luckily it's not my toilet, I guess.

But that means I may feel unsure about a good soak in my mom's tub for a while...

I was thinking about getting nails done. I've never done that before, and I have a hard time seeing perspectives and sizes so my nails are never quite right to me. It'd be nice to have them look super nice for a while. I'm not the girliest girl but that's something that would be super nice to have for a while. And maybe a little cheaper than a massage. Which would also be nice but would be pricey.
 
Would love a hot soak though. I have been trying for about a year now to get mold stains out of my mom's bathtub,

:singing:Happy Birthday :singing:

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It’s called an ofuru. Japanese soaking tub. :sneaky: Most are stone, wood, cast iron, polished stainless, or porcelain... but portable? Hell yeah. That, too! $50-$75 on average. Prolly less than the cleaning supplies you’ve already used, and definitely less than the cost to strip, sanitize, & seal the bath.
 
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J can sometimes get out of a funk by being silly. Just goofing around. Talks in a funny voice. Sings stupid songs....

This gets me going then we're both laughing and feeling happier.

We try to have a good belly laugh every day (ptsd permitting). He says "it's a wasted day if you don't have a good laugh".

What makes you laugh?
 
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