I have so many things going on, financial difficulties, need to move around the end of the year, working towards starting another career at age 64 and several other things that require my time and mental energy.
I have been struggling in the area of self care, such as get to bed early consistently and cutting out unnecessary activities that are further draining my mental energy. I am working on developing a better social support network.
I know I am mentally drained and not physically because I still manage to exercise at a high intensity level. I bicycled 17 miles yesterday and did 2 sets of 30 push ups.
I draw strength from prayer and the Bible. I am greatly encouraged by Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
What do you do take care of yourself? What challenges do you face in applying the things you need to do to take care of yourself?
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JohnPB
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I sleep a lot and watch anime i also do therapy and it has helped me a lot . My biggest challenge is using that productively and not using it in too much moderation
👋🏻 ! I know where you are! I hiked in divide last weekend! I live 1.5 hours from there. That is my self care. Daily walks is another big one. Walks are hard because it means getting up early which is part of the point..to get the blood going. Art is another. I’m a little add in that I switch crafts quite frequently never really mastering any of them.
I have a friend that lives in CS now. We hike anywhere along the front range. I am the lucky one because I live right in the middle. Apple says I need to work on my physical health. I want to be healthy when I retire so i am following that advice.
BTW, Post Reports podcast did a story yesterday about older people returning to work but this time ageism is becoming less of a deal. Mostly anecdotal but it seems they are finally seeing the wisdom of have experience and wisdom on a team.
Thanks for sharing. Be sure to give me a wave if you see me on a trail or the road.Being semi-retired for the time being allows me more time to exercise.
That is good you are working on your physical health now as an investment toward better health in your retirement.
It is great that being older is becoming less of a hindrance in getting a job.
IDK if I will be as active or as positive as you at 64. (or if I'll even make it to 64 lol)
But I sincerely admire your zest for life.
I am also trying to rebuild my social support network, (one of the main reasons why I am here) because I let all of that fall apart, and I have nobody to blame for that but myself.
So besides trying to take care of my parents and personal issues, my biggest goal ATM is building my social support back up, and keeping/maintaining it.
Thanks for your encouraging words. I was really out of shape a few years ago and could not do any push ups and could not bicycle very far without having to rest. I had a breakthrough two years ago when I forgave myself for some of my major failures. Forgiving myself took care of what counseling and medications could not heal. I started bicycling because I could not drive because of all the medications I was on. I went off all meds and exercise has done wonders for my physical and emotional health. I could drive now, but I prefer getting around by bike.
I can relate to what you said about letting it all fall apart. It is good that you are reaching out for support and realize that it is essential. All we can do is keeping trying and the results will come in time. Sometimes the results come in ways we did not anticipate.
You might be interested in this recovery support book. Here is the link to "Winning Against Relapse by Mary Ellen Copeland, M.S., M.A. amazon.com/Winning-Against-...
I'm not ready for "that type" of exercise yet, because some days it's a struggle for me to get out of bed, and if I go for a walk in my area, it's a huge win.
Funny thing, my anxiety got so bad over the past couple of years that I lost apx 60 pounds by my metabolism shooting through the roof, and TBF cutting out some junk food. (but I can still hear some people's teeth grinding after reading what I just typed here)
For me, exercise is more about my mental health than my physical health ATM. Walking outside does help with my bad "foghead days", BUT there are days where my anxiety is "that bad" that I don't have the energy to walk, because my my anxiety drained the living heck out of what energy that I had for the day.
That's one thing that sucks about GAD, is sometimes you don't know how anxious you are going to be the next day when you get out of bed. I try to stay consistent, but my days are unfortunately inconsistent.
What I can say is that what you are doing appears to be working for you. So please keep doing what you are doing, and I wish you all the best.
Thanks for the encouraging words and best wishes.It sounds like you are doing the best you can with the challenges that you deal with from day to day, with some days being more challenging.
Some people probably wish that they could have a high metabolism to lose weight effortlessly.
For me, it's nothing to be proud about. My looser pants are just a reminder that I need to eat more, but I'm working on that.
My metabolism ATM from my high anxiety is like diet pills on steroids. At first, it sounds really cool on paper, but it's extremely unhealthy. (believe me, it's nothing to be jealous about. I would never recommend this type of weight loss to anybody. It's not good)
My MD wrote, "Unexplained weight loss" in my chart, and I told him, "No, I can tell you how it happened", but whatever. My MD isn't the same anymore after his company got bought out. He went from being a great doctor, to a "Yes, man" that's trying to make it to the finish line for retirement. (I get it, but that's a whole other convo)
I'm currently in the process of trying to find a new MD that cares like my old one used to, but I want to take my time with that. (because I've had bad docs in the past)
Thanks for your input, and definitely keep doing what you're doing,, because it's obviously working for you.
" take a warm shower 🚿 or soak in a tub listening to soft music."
Solid advice (as usual) of what you OG wrote in you post, but when I got to reading taking a warm shower it made me think of the viral internet craze a couple of months ago where everyone was cutting holes into thick sheets of ice and taking ice baths.
I have an open mind, but I just don't see myself doing that. (well at least not at this stage of my life) 🥶😅
More power to you. I’ve been struggling so much lately myself. I’m an avid strength trainer and bodybuilder all my life. Lately I’ve been struggling just to get out of bed. I do write in my gratitude journal almost everyday, but lately it’s been a bit of an uphill battle. SAMSON
Hi Samson, Thanks for sharing. I have some days where exercising seems more like a chore than a pleasure, and I skip doing it. Your gratitude journal sounds like it helps you significantly. 💪
I wonder if it is good for your lymphatic system. Maybe it is a substitute for shock therapy There is a biographical drama about the couple that built wework. If it is true (I have no reason to think it isn't) the guy takes the cryo showers. He also walks barefoot in NYC. No thanks.
Hi Luna_Child, you have many things you do for self care. It sounds like you are treating yourself well.I can relate about being concerned about ticks. I only have had only get embedded in my skin. I have been out in tick areas hiking and for work more than most people and have been fortunate. I started wearing light colored clothing when hiking so I can detect any ticks that hitched a ride and check myself frequently for them. I once felt one crawling on my leg underneath my long pants and flicked it off. Thank God I felt the tick crawling on me because of my hairy legs. I also use a repellant and avoid going through areas where I will come in contact with brush on the trails or walking through grass. Sometimes it is appropriate to get ticked off.
Hi Luna_Child, I replied to you earlier, but I do not see my reply. Sounds like you are doing well with self care. Tips for hiking in areas with ticks: wear light colored clothing to better see ticks that are on your clothing and check yourself from time on clothing and skin. Avoid walking through brush and on grass. These have worked well for me, in addition to using repellant.
I can relate to having lots of anxiety. I get stressed out thinking about things that could go wrong. I have to refocus and tell myself that I am capable and can handle problems if they happen. I can plan my time and prepare in advance to increase the chances that things will turn out well. For example, if I have a problem with my bike while on a trail far from home, I have some emergency gear with me and can find a place to sleep outside for the night. In the morning, I can deal with fixing my bike. In other words, I am working on not getting stressed about setbacks that might happen.
I know worrying is counterproductive, and I wish there was a switch in my brain to turn it off. As has been said, most of the things we worry about do not happen. The challenge is to be optimistic about life. Someone once said, "You know you have a problem with worry, when you worry that you can't think of anything to worry about."
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