The Moodscope Blog
20
April
Things I have done today. Friday April 20, 2018
I am not doing great at the moment and this is always a difficult time of year for me. Maybe this year has been tougher than others but I am not sure.
Do you ever get surprised by how difficult depression is no matter how many times you have been there before? I know I do. Always learning and relearning.
There is a comfort for me in writing lists that are almost the same every day. Sometimes I write a To Do list. Sometimes, especially on really hard days, I write a Things I Have Done list. My little mantra is "if it is hard for you, then it is hard".
Things I Have Done Today:
- Took my medication
- Fed and saw to the cat
- Took my Moodscope test
- Did a mini-mindfulness exercise
- Did some stretches
- Drank 3 large glasses of water
- Ate some fruit
- Ate some vegetables
- Walked around the block
- Washed up a basin of dishes
- Spent 10 minutes working on my CV (I actually set a timer for 5 minutes, but got into a flow so kept going for a bonus 5 minutes, which was completely unexpected)
- Read a chapter of my book of the moment which is "Managing Depression with Mindfulness for Dummies" (today it was interesting things about how parts if the brain work.)
Now actually looking back I feel pretty good about achieving all that. And I feel really good about having made myself feel pretty good! I am reminded that this setting 5 minutes of a task is really helpful. I learned this before several times but here I go again.
Tomorrow is a whole new day and imagine what I could get done now I remembered or relearned that?
Cathy
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
19
April
Nurturing. Thursday April 19, 2018
I think nurturing is very important as I think it should be for most of us during our ups and downs. I am going through really difficult time just now. I happen to be Bipolar and am going through a bad bout of anxiety which has knocked me for six. So I need to be kind to myself or as we say nurture oneself.
Unfortunately I just don't seem to be able to slow down, so this is the area on which I need to work on most. I am lucky though as during this difficult time my family are nurturing me, especially my wife and youngest daughter, the latter being a junior doctor so has some knowledge of mental health illnesses.
To help us, my daughters have organised a cleaner to come and clean the flat once a week. I have accepted this offer and it has motivated both my wife and I to tidy the place up so the cleaner can get on with without the clutter!
I consider myself truly blessed as I have very patient and understanding psychiatrists. At present the are reviewing my medications as they seem not to be working and have some unpleasant side effects.
Nurturing for me is also being patient with myself and all those around me. Do you nurture yourself in times of need?
Flower in the Garden
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
18
April
The Art of Noise. Wednesday April 18, 2018
I seem to have been doing a lot of listening recently.
A friend had his research stolen and published without accreditation. He needed a sympathetic ear into which he poured his feelings of anger, hurt, betrayal and frustration.
My mother has needed to process all the emotion attached to objects before she can let them go. I have listened to all her stories about people I never knew and places I've never been.
My younger daughter needed to tell us about her feelings of anger and resentment over school, over the way things are done in the family; the way nobody ever listens to her.
Ah yes: because we're not very good at listening.
I know that when I'm "Up", I burble all over the place. I don't mean to be insensitive, but I don't speak into people's space – I just fountain joy (occasionally irritation or frustration) all around, and don't consider that other people may need to stay dry. When "Down", I am incapable of listening – all my attention is centred on coping through that dark misery.
But, we do need to listen.
We need to listen so we can respond appropriately to situations and we need to listen to meet the emotional needs of others.
We need to listen just as we need to be listened to.
I remember being taught listening skills on a management training course, long ago.
The first technique is to really listen. That means paying attention to the speaker rather than using the space to formulate your own reply.
Part of it is to make the appropriate response. This may be eye contact (it might not, depending on the situation), it may be to make listening noises: the "Uh huh," and "Mmm…" – although these must be real and not just those we make to make someone think we're listening, when really our mind is on peeling potatoes. We should also make the speaker know they are understood, maybe by reflecting back to them what they've just said, but in different words. If we've got it wrong, then they will correct us – hopefully without storming out of the room with the teenage, "You never understand anything!"
Very often we just need to listen; we don't have to solve their problem. Very few of us, after all, have a magic wand we can wave to make everything all right. When someone is pouring out their grief over a death or loss, then what we feel is an inadequate though heartfelt "I'm so sorry," is all they need. We may need to validate their emotion: "Absolutely I can see why you're angry; I would be too!"
And sometimes, when that emotion is directed at us, we need to say, "I'm sorry that what I did upset you."
I think we have all heard the saying that we have two ears but only one mouth and that we should use them in the proportion given.
Not bad advice.
(and the earworm to go with this: https://bit.ly/2lWqOoD)
Mary
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
17
April
Toxic time, the fast show and... tea. Tuesday April 17, 2018
I have my brother-in-law to thank for some observations. I wouldn't tell him though, as he is a little conceited.
A while ago I was crippled with anxiety and depression, so much so, that I turned to alcohol - the one thing helped keep me going. On day, walking across the common with my brother-in-law and three dogs it was made evident that my 'problem' related to not having much productive activity in my life. Hence my time was toxic to me. It stretched out as if looking into a bottomless pit. I tried petty distractions, but with little meaning or value to my actions, my time was still unwanted.
Secondly, my attitude. It was like that of unlucky Alf in the Fast Show, everything was wrong, because my attitude was so bad. And bad things happened to me. It seemed to me that everything was doom, everything was gloom, and I didn't know how to change it.
I was advised to drink tea. I had stopped drinking it, preferring Vodka instead.
I have now addressed all three issues, and feel the happiest I have been since I can remember. My time is precious and joyous, much of the day. I like my work, my son, doing up my house, swimming, playing the guitar and of course, walking on the common. I ride along on my bike, and it is Brilliant, reminding me of the happier Fast Show character. My attitude has turned though 180 degrees. And I drink lots of tea. This I see as looking after my body, and keeping it hydrated.
So, three realms of good living. Precious time used well, an adjustment away from a self pitying attitude (I apply that statement only to myself), and keeping the body supported as well as the mind.
H
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
16
April
Keep on keeping on part 2. Monday April 16, 2018
I wrote a blog for moodscope in December 2017 about creating a new routine when you lose a job and the need to keep on keeping on.
Four months on, I start a new job in a week. But the interview and experience has made me want to talk about employment and bipolar.
In my interview, I was asked to go through my career to date-which led me to explain that I had bipolar as many of you will recognise, it's difficult not to! I had gaps in my employment history and have always felt the need to be honest. But, later (before I was offered the job) I got the fear that I had made a mistake and that it may count against me. Thankfully it didn't, but I took a risky leap of faith. Equally, I don't want the condition to define me but felt the need to speak out, nonetheless.
I've been knowingly discriminated against in the past and yet still I think the need to be open, represent those in recovery (which brings its own fears, when/if symptoms will come back) and raise awareness of the illness. I also don't deny that people around you who know you and spend a lot of time with you (ie. those we work with) are well placed to spot differences in behaviour when I may not. So, there is a sense of self preservation in the decision too.
In the subsequent discussions, there was no mention of my condition which is a good thing. I haven't had an episode for eight years... but for me, there is still the fear that it will come back. So, felt the need to prepare them, just in case.
How open are you with those you work with about your condition? Do you feel it's important to raise the issue or is it none of their business! I would love to hear your views and any advice about how to tackle meeting a new group of people when you are well but with a diagnosis.
The wee one.
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
15
April
Childhood. Sunday April 15, 2018
As our old photos go by on the screen saver, I thought 'what sort of parents were we?' Given our circumstances, without reference to our aptitude, our kids had a charmed upbringing.
We were, I see now, lucky to have no money, so first house a beautiful estate lodge, but sans electricity, drainage, bathroom or decent kitchen. We re-built it into a very desirable residence – the kids learned to climb ladders, mix cement, demolish chimneys and saw wood from an early age. Huge garden, earth heaps left over from grading tennis court to have mock wars in, trees to climb and endless friends – we were popular.
Chased out by the M25 just as we had got 5 children and a perfect house we acquired a 17 roomed mini-mansion, totally vandalised, no windows, plaster ceilings falling into breakfast cereal, and fleas and lice left by squatters. We discovered a Saxon moat, a duck pond (imagine the mess clearing it), ruins of an Elizabethan mansion, so the museum did a dig.
Always, cats, dogs, rabbits – then on to pigs, cows and horses at livery. With those came nubile teenage girls. The boys learned even more skills. I had to have live-in help (hated it) and foreign students to help our income. So we usually sat down 12 to dinner. Then came scout and guide camps, Young Farmers clubs – Bernard Cribbins lived round the corner, and came and put frog-spawn in the moat.
Summer holidays were out, so we hired places in Italy for a pittance and rushed off at Christmas in a soft-topped Land Rover, no radio, a pathetic heater, no game boys. We still don't know why we did not die of hypothermia in the Alps, or swiped off a mountain road by a juggernaut (pre-motorways). Then Italian cakes, rushing to the shore to check the catch of fish, in fact, not wearing rose-coloured glasses, bliss.
The Gardener
A Moodscope member.
14
April
Dinner Parties. Saturday April 14, 2018
When entertaining, do you, as a host, make the evening as enjoyable as possible for your guests?
Or do your guests feel the need to ask you lots of questions and give you lots of compliments because you have taken the time and trouble to cook for them?
There are no rules I guess, but personally, when I used to entertain (not been up to it for a while) the evening is all about them and not me.
We were invited to two dinner parties recently, rare, just so happened that way.
At one dinner, the main subject was politics. I don't mind that but it got rather boring after a while. The hosts did all of the talking, the guests really had no choice but to make the right noises in the right places.
I noticed that the other guests said exactly what the hosts wanted to hear. After all, they had been given a lovely meal by them. All a bit fake if you ask me.
I have learnt (to some extent) to keep my mouth shut if I do not agree. I will never be the one that says just what people want to hear. Even if they have just served me a delicious meal.
At the other dinner, we all complimented the host, as you do, but it turned out he just wanted to talk about his problems. Is that why he invited us?
I was depressed and didn't want to go out. But people say, don't they, "Make yourself go, you will feel better for it".
I burst into tears and went home.
Neither dinner party took my mind off things. Great food but the conversations were grim!
It has not restored my faith in people, as I believe they often have an ulterior motive.
They invite you to dinner so they can talk about themselves!!
Personally, I cannot talk much within a group of people, so I am grateful not to have questions fired at me.
But light entertainment and a bit of fun, would not go amiss.
Should dinner parties or even general get togethers, be about the hosts, or the guests?
Molly
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
13
April
Is significant change possible? Friday April 13, 2018
I was nearly 40 before the penny dropped that some of the problems I'd been experiencing — pain, low mood, compulsive behaviour, inability to maintain relationships, social anxiety — were being driven from within my own mind.
There were several reasons why it took so long and here are two of them:
Firstly, I isolate — few get to see me beyond superficialities. Secondly, none of my symptoms were florid enough to stop me functioning; I could get by. Imagine a car slowly driving along the edge of a busy road, the sound of its flat tyres making you wince.
It's doing about 10mph, it has not got its hazard lights on, other vehicles passing it by. You wave at the driver and yell, "Stop and fix the tyres!" but he can't hear you so he just smiles and waves back and carries on down the road. In fact he's got the radio on quite loud and it's playing, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" on a loop.
My mind was both the car and the radio. I'm quite grateful for its tendency to tune to a station with a cheerful song. However, when I eventually noticed those flat tyres I also saw that the radio's tuner had a problem too.
I can't remember the year or the month but I do remember it was 7pm and it was winter. I'd been sat in a chair staring at a wall and I realised I'd been there for 12 hours. With clarity it occurred to me that this wasn't right. In fact it occurred to me that I'd been wall-staring on and off for months. Secondly, it occurred to me there was only me and
the wall — and there was nothing wrong with the wall. I put my trainers on and went for a walk and started thinking. The rain wasn't a problem.
It wasn't exactly an epiphany but sometime around then, after I realised I needed to physically move, I saw "the car" needed a few things fixing. Funnily enough the first thing I did was turn the radio off; it was a distraction. Of course turning off my happy song lowered my mood but with less distraction I could start to focus on what was wrong with things.
That's pretty much where my journey into "car mechanics" began. It has taken about 15 years so far, gone down some dead ends, but also made some progress too. About the only thing which has been consistent is the belief that significant change is possible and, if I write any more of these pieces I guess I'll unpack the metaphor and get to details.
But for now, what's your basic outlook? Do you believe that significant change is possible? How do you maintain that belief?
Oli
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
12
April
Race to the finish line. Thursday April 12, 2018
Many years ago, I watched the end of a marathon on television long after the main runners had finished. There was one runner who was not far from the finish line but who kept falling and was dizzy and disoriented. He could not be helped, or he would be disqualified so it was fascinating and heart breaking to see this athlete so determined to reach the line, yet he kept falling over and looked defeated.
In the end a decision was made that he needed help and I can only imagine how disappointed he must have felt to get so close yet so far to the finishing line. I think to have prepared your mind and body for so long for such a race of endurance only to miss out within feet/metres of the finishing line would be so frustrating.
Many of us will never go in a marathon, but we have undertaken challenges big and small only to get so close to completing the task but for some reason we can not get over the finish line.
A friend of mine went back to university in her 50s and was doing well with her studies. In her final year she had a virus then became very depressed and even though she had only 2 units to finish her degree she was not able to. The university offered her extra time, but she lost hope and confidence in herself and gave up. Her friends and family kept encouraging her, but she told me she had given it her best effort and that was not good enough, so she decided to give up gracefully.
Everyone is different. Seeing the end so close would have inspired others to finish the degree even if it did take longer than planned.
It does not have to be a big challenge, it can be a small task that you were close to finishing but never did.
Have you ever got so close to finishing something but at the last minute you could not reach the line?
Or did you put in an enormous effort at the end and finish only to feel exhausted and sick for weeks later?
Leah
A Moodscope member
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
11
April
The Lap of the Gods. Wednesday April 11, 2018
It's a stressful time in the Wednesday household.
Yes, the air fairly hums with tension and sparks fly at the least ill-chosen word. There are emotional storms, tears and slammed doors.
The reason? The dreaded GCSEs.
Talking to the parents of other children facing the same exams, I find not all families go through this. Some children exude Zen. They are the ones comforting their parents. "Don't worry," they say, "What will be, will be."
Not my daughter.
We could blame the school, I suppose, for setting her predicted grades so high. But not all academic children go through this. We could blame ourselves for inflicting our expectations on her, but realistically, we have always supported her regardless of her academic performance.
No – in the end, the person who is putting the pressure on my daughter is my daughter herself.
I know how she feels. I can remember revising for my exams, nearly forty years ago. I was convinced I would fail, convinced that I had no future without those exams. Looking back, it was one of the worst times in my life.
So, how do I guide my daughter through this nightmare?
At least she has a mother who understands, and to whom, thank goodness, she can talk. And we do talk.
My husband and I support her through revision, attempting to convince her she does not need to know every text by heart, or to know enough to write each text book herself.
We can persuade her to take time out, to go sailing and to enjoy her scouting activities. I can cook her nourishing meals and provide her with healthy snacks. I can encourage her to do some guided meditation and to practice mindfulness.
But after that, there's nothing we can do. The exam system is what it is. She has done the work and she's got a good brain. We must leave it in the lap of the gods.
And that's the toughest part. It's hard to accept that you have done everything and that you can do nothing more. As parents we cannot do more, and as the one facing the challenge, she can do nothing more – even though she always thinks she could do more revision and yet more!
And – in two years' time she will be going through it all again with A levels, and then in university and then in life.
There are always challenges for us for us to go through. Some people meet them with a happy-go-lucky relaxed air. But - if you are reading this, the chances are you're not one of those people.
So – do you have a methodology for coping? Do you set yourself reasonable goals? Do you take time to do the things you enjoy without guilt? Do you nourish your body with healthy food and take exercise? Do you practise meditation and mindfulness?
You can see it makes sense for my daughter. I think it makes sense for us all.
(Oh, and for any of you chasing an earworm on this title – here you go: https://bit.ly/2JA4WaX)
Mary
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
10
April
Shapeshifter. Tuesday April 10, 2018
My depression is a shapeshifter. One week I am sitting in front of the Doctor saying 'I have great insight into my depression, and I know I'm managing it OK at the moment'. A fortnight later I'm sitting in front of her, crying saying 'I don't want to be here anymore' and I realise I've been sliding back into that hole. Maybe I didn't know depression as well as I thought.
This frightens me. Before Christmas I wrote about falling into a hole that I couldn't find a way to climb out of. That was as bad as it had been in a long time. I thought I'd been managing it since then, my Doctor says I am, I'm managing it to a degree and where would I be if I wasn't doing what I have been... watching my diet, exercising, fresh air, yoga, writing.....?
This time it was so sneaky. The symptoms had shifted. I hadn't even realised that these things were part of my low mood: I was isolating myself, I didn't want to see people and pretend, or bore them. I was dreading going to work each week, teaching, which I love once I'm there. Planning meals, kids activities, weekend logistics were straying beyond my capabilities. And clothes! Clothes have become a problem (don't worry, I'm not about to ditch them completely!), I just don't feel comfortable in anything. Finally, I just feel exhausted, totally wiped out, achey and my bed is the most attractive place on the planet.
I took the Moodscope test cards this week, I was clicking on different symptoms, here was some clarity. So I'm here again, and I realise it hadn't really moved away, just shifted it's grasp to a different part of my life. But I'm getting help and I'm trying and I won't be so naive next time, if I don't feel right, it's probably because I'm not!
How do you know when you're slipping? Are the symptoms always familiar?
Lizzie
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
9
April
And I dreamed I'm an Eagle. Monday April 9, 2018
It said on the Moodscope card, "Inspired... feeling the desire to do something," and then I remembered the dream. I dreamed I was an eagle.
I spread my wings and the wind beneath my wings lifted me up.
Up, up, up...
High.
High in the Sky.
The air was thin but pure.
I breathed in d-e-e-p-l-y and felt renewed, uplifted, inspired, free, ready to do something with my Life.
And then you came to me. The other eagle. Graceful. Ancient. Wise.
We flew side by side, wing tip to wing tip, moving as one.
I wondered what your name was, and the name came: Águila!
"Learn from me, for I am gentle, and you will find rest... then take my purpose upon you for my mission is easy and my work is Light..." so came to me the thoughts of Águila the Eagle.
"What is your purpose," I thought out loud.
"To pause for thought, take a deeper breath, and allow the air to inspire you, the height to capture your imagination, and the distance to give you perspective."
Then I remembered that I was really earth bound. I had no wings. I could not fly. And I woke up from my dream... but some thoughts remained.
"Walk where the air is moving, pause for thought, allow the moment to inspire you as you breathe deeper, distance yourself from all the busyness of your Life, and let the distance give you perspective... then, and only then, will you be the Eagle you dream to be, ready to take today's purposeful action."
And thus, earthbound, I took flight...
[Dear Moodscopers, may you be inspired today...]
Love
Lex
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
8
April
Still in recovery but enjoying the journey. Sunday April 8, 2018
I've been reading the Moodscope blogs for years now but have never written one. Not good enough?? Well maybe I am!
I've been single for years. I had a brief relationship about 3 years ago. We had a good time and it lasted a few months, but I didn't particularly like myself let alone love myself so no surprise it didn't last!
I've also been studying over the last four years towards a counselling qualification. Stages 1-3, although tough, went well. Stage 4 was a major shock to the system. I made it through the year and passed but it pretty much wiped me out! Those of you that have been on this path will understand how hard it is.
A condition of the course is to undertake personal therapy to, among other things, understand yourself, patterns of behaviour and identify triggers. There was more for me to work on here than I expected. Behaviour very well hidden and buried over the years.
I deferred my second year and will be returning this year to complete (hopefully) the course. I've continued therapy and yes it's painful. Yes, it's tough. But I feel each day I am becoming stronger and accepting myself.
So back to the dating. I'm now seeing a lovely man. I'm honest, open and vulnerable with him (thank you Brene Brown) and although incredibly painful at times it has been the making of me.
We communicate and talk about both good and bad feelings. A completely new experience for me. Moments when I would have clammed up, buried my feelings and walked away I've spoken out and guess what? Our relationship has become stronger! It's still very early days but I am learning that I can have a healthy, loving relationship. It may not last but maybe it will. I am learning to relax, not grasp, be needy or desperate and it feels good.
I've learnt to like myself and am allowing others to really see me. And guess what... they stick around and like me back.
Years floundering around not appreciating I was ill. I used to say that life was a journey and I got on the wrong bus! What made it wrong? It was different to what I had thought and one that took a different route. Let's just say I've taken the scenic route both in recovery and with my studies. I am still on the bus but am now able to accept when it's time to step off, rest, look after myself then get back on.
I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Still in recovery but enjoying the journey. I'm now asking for support and help when I need it. Again, a completely new experience for me.
I never liked the word journey, but it is what it is.
Believe in yourself, trust yourself and know that whichever route you take will be the one the universe had arranged for you.
Lara
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
7
April
I seem to be going to a lot of funerals lately... Saturday April 7, 2018
I seem to be going to a lot of funerals lately. I am not talking about the tragic deaths - I can't speak about those - I am talking about the deaths of people who have lived a good life and reached a grand old age. I am talking about my dear aunties and uncles and my own lovely father and my friends' parents.
I was at my friend's father's funeral recently. He was 90 and loved and we all had a sweet story to tell about him. I saw how my friend's husband minded her throughout the long, exhausting funeral day. It reminded me of my dad's funeral and how my brother-in-law minded my sister during the funeral and the days after. I recall how she put her head on his shoulder in the funeral home and how he put his arm around her in the church, how he handed her a tissue in the crematorium and brought her dessert in the hotel (one of every variety, just in case) so she wouldn't have to queue. I remembered him stroking her back as we sat in the church.
I thought my mother might be feeling a bit left out so I stroked her back a few times in the church too. I hoped it would have a soothing affect. But she recoiled, visibly irritated, and muttered: 'Would you stop rubbing me, I'm not a dog'. Of course my mother (a fiercely independent, non-tactile person) did not want to be stroked or rubbed. It was me who wanted to feel a touch. It was me who wanted someone to put their arms around me and say everything would be okay.
I remember my ex-husband arriving at the funeral home out of the blue. I was surprised to see him but yet it seemed so right that he was there, with me, on this day. But of course he didn't stay all day. I remember we both went to hug but it was raining heavily outside and his coat was soaking wet so, just before we hugged, he stood back and said he wouldn't ruin my black dress. I didn't care about the dress, I wanted a hug so badly. But I didn't say that. Because you don't say that to your ex-husband in front of your kids and your mother and your sister's family and your dead father. I don't think so anyway.
I spent the day greeting people and thanking people and looking after my mother and my kids and making sure aunties were sitting beside friendly family members or at least none they disliked too much and that everyone had a drink.
And then finally the day was over and I got home and put the kids to bed and I took out the Oscar Wilde book my father had given me as a young adult and I read some poems to myself. And then the tears came.
I remember being scared in that moment that my father's death would trigger the sadness (as I call it) and I wouldn't be able to cope if it got bad. But it didn't. I loved my father. And he loved me. And he was a good age. It wasn't a tragedy. The sadness didn't kick in. I was as up and down and 'sad' then as I had been before, as I have been since.
But I do remember feeling terribly lonely. More than anything else on that night of my father's funeral, I wanted a hug. Or even a back rub! Or a tissue. Or for someone to hand me a cup of tea and a selection of desserts...
Salt Water Mum
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
6
April
Fancy writing a blog for Moodscope? Friday April 6, 2018
We are currently looking for members who would like to write a blog for the Moodscope web site.
If you have a story to tell, some advice to give or an experience to share, please share it with us. Send your contribution to support@moodscope.com.
We don't have many rules, but we do ask that your blog is 500 words or less and we prefer to steer clear of political or religious blogs!
If you have an idea and are not sure whether it's suitable, just ask us to take a look and we'll let you know.
All contributions will be reviewed and may be edited if necessary before publishing.
We'll let you know when we're sending your blog out so that you can reply to member's comments if you wish.
Time to start writing...
Many thanks.
Caroline Ashcroft
The Moodscope Team
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
5
April
Running round in circles. Thursday April 5, 2018
"I continue my tales of canine mischief. As Spring approaches and the ice melted on the local lake, my terrier appears to go into overdrive in her hunting instinct. I keep her on the lead as we pass the ducks and geese.
This Wednesday was a stressful day at work and so at lunchtime before I left for a meeting I took the hound for a quick lunchtime walk. "Quick", did you hear me say? Oh fool, as I let her off the lead at the furthest point from the lake, she races at full throttle in the direction of the geese. I, in my wellies (a previous blog has already covered how one cannot run daintily in wellies), strides in the direction she has run.
There was no stopping her. This time she ran round the lake. Whichever direction I took she went off in the other one, and horror of horrors, decided to go into the lake, resulting in very alarmed ducks and spitting geese. I waded in but still could not retrieve her. What a game!
After 45 minutes of running round, artfully dodging my attempts to catch her, she started to ease up, exhausted by her own efforts, and eventually was caught and put back on the lead. She will not be allowed off the lead in that park for some time to come.
So what's this story of doggy mischief got to do with Moodscope, I hear you ask? As I wobbled in my wellies, in a moment of clarity, it occurred to me that chasing Ruby who was chasing waterfowl, was like trying to achieve perfection... a pretty unattainable goal. I can't pretend to be a perfectionist, as I live in a generally messy, slightly grubby home. I used to be and I know lots of perfectionists. One perfectionist friend hardly ever has friends round as the house is not tidy enough (even though you could eat your dinner off the floor). Others are unhappy with their bodies, despite having children and running half marathons.
Do you strive for perfection? My dog didn't catch a goose despite her best efforts and spent a whole lot of energy doing so. What a waste!"
Liz
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
4
April
Dreicht and Hygge. Wednesday April 4, 2018
Oh, it was drear outside, this Easter.
It was that sort of grey where the grey sky meets the grey sea and the grey sea merges imperceptibly with the grey shore. Grey birds hunched in morose huddles and even the dogs on the beach trudged, heads down, into the drenched wind, followed by their dour, miserably determined, owners.
Inside, we turned our faces away from the cold North Sea. We had our friend Richard to stay for Easter, together with his girlfriend. They are always ideal guests: helpful, requiring no entertainment, and fitting seamlessly into our family. In the brightness of our living room and the warmth of the wood-burning stove, there was affection and harmony as we all did a jigsaw puzzle together, drinking hot tea and nibbling on Easter chocolate.
Dreicht, the Scots term that kind of weather. Hygge, the Danes call the cosiness of our jigsaw warmth.
But there have been many times when it's been the other way around for me, and probably for you too. Times when the outside was all sunshine, yet the bleak clouds inside cut out all light and warmth. Times when those around me radiated happiness and good fellowship, but all I could feel was the dricht of dreary isolation. Times when, curled warm and snug in my bed, the frozen rain of doubts and desolation swept in, borne on the bitter east wind of self-loathing.
There are days when hygge is impossible; months on end, sometimes.
I think one thing this illness of depression teaches us, is to relish and to value the good times. We know we can never take that warmth of human communication and connection for granted. We know the dreicht may reclaim us at any time.
But the seasons change. Warmth and light return with the turning of the year. True, there are rainy days in summer – and some summers are wetter than others. There are fine clear days in winter, where the blue sky is fragile as a thrush's egg; more precious for its transitory promise. But it is generally safe to say that there is more sunshine and certainly more warmth in summer.
The seasons change for us too.
In the darkness of my January I could see no light and no warmth. Even though my brain told me that I would recover from this bout of misery and laugh again, all I could see was the next inevitable dark winter beyond the interlude of sunshine. Dark times are dricht and cold indeed, and hard to endure.
But the seasons do change. Spring comes and then summer. They may not come with the "correct" months – my Australian friends are heading into autumn now - and they may not follow the timeline of a year; but sunshine does return, the warmth of human communication does again seep into our hearts and bones.
Yes, the dreicht may return. It probably will.
So, I'll appreciate the hygge, when it's here.
Mary
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
3
April
Baggage. Tuesday April 3, 2018
A friend recently posted on Facebook a photograph of her small carefully packed carry on bag that she boasted would be for her 6 week holiday. I commented that I need 6 bags for a weekend away.
I have seen smartly dressed women and men at airports, train stations etc. carrying or wheeling one small bag and I wonder how they do it.
I find it hard to choose so I pack everything then only use a bit of what I take and vow next time I will not take as much. This can be for a weekend away to visit my children or cousins or for a longer trip.
Once when I was much younger I looked at my friend with one bag while I was struggling to keep up as we walked to a bus stop as I had two bulging bags, my coat, handbag, a small plastic bag, a teddy bear etc.
I started to think there was me in life, carrying my emotional baggage full of all my worries with me where ever I went.
While she was light and free. I wondered would I ever be like her.
So far I have not had any luck cutting down on my physical baggage at all. I always over pack and still forget things.
I wonder if there is a correlation between emotional baggage and physical baggage.
If I carried less bags would I worry less?
Do you pack light and have little emotional baggage?
Are you like me with lots of baggage both physical and emotional?
Can one change?
Leah
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
2
April
Feeling the feels. Monday April 2, 2018
I've been seeing a counsellor for just over a year now. We get on, I feel comfortable around her, and I know she's here to help me. But when my emotions come up in our sessions, I cough, I deflect, I make a joke and I push them down. Sometimes a little seeps out, but as soon as I can I sniff it away.
At home, when the black dog curls round my feet, I swallow the emotions down with overeating and I busy them away by focusing on my "to dos". I do all that I can to distract myself from the feelings bubbling below the surface.
I know I need to face the emotions so I can work through, heal and move on. I know I need to fully embrace the pain. But somehow I can't bring myself to do it. I'm scared that if I start crying I'll never stop, that I'll plunge myself into deeper and darker places from which there is no way out. And right now I don't have time for it. I can't fall apart when others are so reliant on me.
But still I know I need to start acknowledging the feels. I'm not sure where to start but as always, awareness and accountability are the first steps. So here I am, telling you all that I'm aware that my avoidance strategies aren't healthy for me and that I'm going to try to change.
If any of you lovely moodscopers have any advice or tips for facing and feeling the feels I'd love to hear them.
In the meantime, wish me luck and a box of tissues!
Shizzle
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
1
April
Loss. Sunday April 1, 2018
'They' say even the birth process is a loss and with life itself being so full of loss, one had better know how to process these in a healthy manner or risk the mental ramifications thereof.
The term 'complicated grief' comes to my battered mind with the help of my counselling diploma and iffy memory. I wrote a poem to further aide myself in the healing journey and share it now in hopes of benefitting another.
"Loss"
There is a death
No coffins bear
The end of life
Sight doesn't share.
Unfulfilled dreams
A wish deferred
The end of hope
That no one heard.
A friendship gone
A life once strong
To grieve an end
A pain too long.
No measured loss
When living part
A life gone south
Still breaks your heart.
To end a thing
Is sad you see
Sometimes events
Near buried me.
Bailey
A Moodscope member.
Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below.
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Blog Archive
- 2018
- June
- Determination, the two-edged sword
- What would you do?
- Message to myself.
- A Little Food for Thought...
- Coping with people being nice after a co...
- Do you ever catch yourself using...
- Come Sweet Slumber, Shroud Me in Thy Pur...
- Life is too short to hospital a corner
- What doesn't kill you
- The Thorny Question of Help
- Words: friends or foe
- Drains and Radiators
- Help millions manage the daily grind of ...
- Goals Revisited.
- No cheating now.
- 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... from Autopilot ...
- May
- Things that might help...
- Am I good enough?
- The time has come...
- Hold On
- Is Family Therapy Beneficial? Discuss.
- Death by chocolate.
- The Roller Coaster Week
- The perfection trap?
- The Need for Mental Health Leave.
- I'm not so bad am I?
- Ommmmm
- Who Are You? And What Have You Done With...
- Another day. Another death.
- Hostile Henry.
- I'm Game...
- What I learnt from my shop.
- More Worries.
- Facing Challenges and Feeding my Inner L...
- Small Pleasures.
- Walking on air.
- When In Rome.
- I will if you will.
- Fluffy white bunnies, crawling spiders a...
- Choose your battles wisely.
- My sink is full.
- It's Got to be Perfect.
- Worries.
- Count to Ten and Grin.
- It's a goal.
- Men in Lycra.
- My Untidy Genes.
- Our big emotions.
- It's Going to be Terrible!
- April
- Moodscope Crowdfunding campaign – can yo...
- From Dreams to Destiny.
- Inward Journey.
- The Bunny Girl.
- Facebook.
- My friend anger.
- Don't You Forget About Me.
- Saving it for best.
- Improvise Your Way to Joy.
- My kingdom for a tree!
- Dream on.
- Things I have done today.
- Nurturing.
- The Art of Noise.
- Toxic time, the fast show and... tea.
- Keep on keeping on part 2.
- Childhood.
- Dinner Parties.
- Is significant change possible?
- Race to the finish line.
- The Lap of the Gods.
- Shapeshifter.
- And I dreamed I'm an Eagle.
- Still in recovery but enjoying the journ...
- I seem to be going to a lot of funerals ...
- Fancy writing a blog for Moodscope?
- Running round in circles.
- Dreicht and Hygge.
- Baggage.
- Feeling the feels.
- Test
- March
- Loss.
- The struggle to get started.
- Feeling depressed or depressed?
- A talent to amuse?
- Rats in the Cellar.
- Where Do I Start?
- Urma Upset Gets A Surprise.
- The black dog.
- Demise of the Whack-a-Mole.
- I'm so busy my head is spinning.
- You are here.
- Permission Granted.
- What did the Moodscope Research say?
- Margot the Meerkat Stands to Attention.
- Something in my brain went 'ping'.
- Bereavement.
- See-saw Margery daw.
- Invisible pain.
- Mother Knows Best.
- Stuck.
- When Ratty Met Shelley.
- I'm forever blowing bubbles.
- More than Meatballs and Malm.
- Been there, done that.
- It. Just. Is.
- Gifts with Strings Attached.
- What I have, not what I am.
- The Moodscope Men - Dr Interested.
- Four little words.
- Is it complicated to keep it simple?
- A little kindness goes a long way.
- February
- Anger Management.
- I promise.
- Decisions! Decisions! Part 2: The Barrag...
- The Shadow of the Demon.
- It's all about you.
- Feeling stupid, feeling small.
- What is confidence?
- When I was a little girl.
- Building in Some Slack.
- There must be instructions somewhere.
- Life is like a camera.
- Every silver lining has a cloud.
- Could today be the start of a new life f...
- Community.
- Decisions! Decisions! Part 1: The Big On...
- What's Love Got to Do with It?
- I am no longer a child without choices.
- The Moral of the Story.
- Getting mucky.
- Knitting. Not really.
- I don't do mornings.
- And then I went in...
- The Man in the Mirror.
- 5 ways to celebrate Being Ourselves at w...
- AC DC and EC.
- Once Upon a Blue Moon.
- Mindfulness.
- Let your light shine.
- January
- I have three children.
- What Have You Done To Make You Feel Prou...
- Do you really think it is better to give...
- Not Now Nagatha!
- The Miner.
- Judgemental, Moi?
- I can feel a light inside.
- Best things in life are not things...
- Ambushed.
- A Breakthrough!
- Please tell us what you think?
- Ping! Dinner is Served.
- I spied upon a New Year party.
- The Power of Nice.
- Disappointment.
- Why Worry?
- The Root of all Evil?
- Healed by Music.
- In The Hole.
- Life...
- Your Comfort Blanket.
- The Rabbit of Destiny!
- Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien.
- How can I forgive?
- Sceptic Tank.
- Have you ever tried running in wellies?
- Impatience.
- Fridays.
- 2017. What a year...
- "Standards Must Be Maintained!"
- Letting My Compass Be My Guide.
- June
- 2017
- December
- A rebellious lack of resolution.
- No resolutions, no pressure.
- Never surrender!
- Different strokes for different folks.
- From thinker to doer.
- The Terrifying Prospect of Another Year....
- I'm fine, just a little tired.
- Merry Moodmas.
- Are you a party person?
- Blog through the fog.
- Christmas approaches...
- For times of need.
- Christmas and Candles.
- Are you a weed?
- It's The Most Vulnerable Time of the Yea...
- Tis the season (part iii).
- Waking up to a positive, energetic day.
- Rip it up and start again.
- Let your happiness start now.
- Mens Sana in Corpore Sano - Parte Quinqu...
- Do You Wanna Build A Snowman..?
- How can I help?
- Tis the season (part ii).
- Alert and Ashamed.
- They can't take that away from me.
- Fancy writing a blog for Moodscope?
- Mens Sana in Corpore Sano - Pars Quattu...
- Who am I? What am I? Where am I?
- Two friends and one enemy: Could, Should...
- Tis the season (part i).
- Feeling Cold.
- November
- Not my favourite words.
- Forgive them! You're joking!
- Mens Sana in Corpore Sano – Pars Tres
- Losing the Plot.
- Now Here's A Thing.
- Worry.
- Hello.
- Oh me, oh my!
- Gilt - Ignore it, live with it or purge ...
- Mens Sana in Corpore Sano – Pars Duorum....
- Sleep.
- SSDD.
- How not to write a blog.
- Collateral benefit.
- Murders, muffins and music.
- How to fool the world.
- Mens Sana in Corpore Sano – Pars Una.
- Sharing my journey.
- Forgive them - they haven't got a clue!
- The next big thing.
- Lest We Forget.
- If.
- Active and Afraid.
- Dealing with Frustration.
- What do I want?
- On Second Thought.
- Feng Shui and Autumn.
- Dealing with intertia.
- The Times they are a Changing.
- Hello you.
- October
- Stepping Out of Time.
- How to Have a Better Brain.
- The Straw that Saved the Camel's Back.
- I'm here for you.
- Balancing strengths and weaknesses.
- Bedtime.
- Smiling on the inside.
- Wednesday's Child.
- Being Happy.
- Digging Out Anger from the Roots.
- The Rainbow.
- Nourish your mind, body and soul.
- Remind me: What are the 20 Moodscope car...
- Those difficult decisions.
- I Must Go Down to the Sea Again.
- What helps you?
- All Your Life Is A Rehearsal For Today.
- The cogs turn the wheel.
- How do you handle rejection?
- I am feeling lonely.
- Slow down, you're going too fast now.
- Giving Comfort.
- World Mental Health Day 2017.
- Back to University.
- Being nice.
- Let us have garlic.
- What would you do if I sang out of tune?...
- Confronting the elephant.
- My BFF and Me!
- Go with the flow - Part 2.
- September
- Better to change the lightbulb (twice) t...
- My secret self.
- Not either/or but both - and...
- Does anyone need to visit the loo before...
- Taking control.
- Feeling Helpless.
- Autumn Days.
- I know what your Super-Power is.
- What's in a name?
- The dark wolf and the light wolf.
- I never promised you a rose garden.
- The Pressure to get Motivated.
- Getting it Out There.
- Go with the flow – Part 1
- Are You Ready To Commit Your Next Offenc...
- A Moment of Calm.
- You have a boundary problem!
- He is his father's son.
- What stigma?
- How Much is Physical?
- Please like me.
- The Flea in Me, who said, "That won't wo...
- Shadows.
- Warrior Training.
- Busyness and resting.
- "A spot of D.I.Y."
- Letter to Bradley – Age 12
- I believe in fairies.
- When Harry Met Joe – a Windows Fairy Tal...
- Reasons To Be Cheerful.
- Saying Goodbye.
- Better to change the lightbulb (twice) t...
- August
- Boys Don't Cry.
- Waving but refusing to drown.
- Building Something Amazing.
- Facing an uncomfortable truth.
- Love me... love me not.
- Pinny on!
- N.E.D.
- An uphill descent.
- Where will it all end?
- Mudflats.
- Abigail and Sarah.
- Feeling my feelings.
- Comfort zone stay or leave?
- Terrible at accepting help.
- When the rain stops pouring.
- Panic Attacks.
- Strongly Anthemic.
- Where shall I start?
- How You See People Changes What Happens ...
- At Sea Without a Compass.
- Finding my home.
- Get a Life.
- Friendship with self.
- Lions and Bears, Wolves and Dolphins.
- Day Release.
- Framing FOR Complaining.
- Stormy bears.
- Peter and Penelope.
- This will pass.
- A Day at a Time.
- July
- Twos and Zeros.
- The Down Side of the High Side.
- The Most Beautiful Bridge in the World.
- Joie de vivre.
- Art Vs Monsters.
- Not Today Thank You.
- Married, Single, or otherwise Engaged.
- It's Only Feelings.
- In the face of rejection.
- Lessons from a Burlesque Dancer.
- A friend of dorothy.
- Walk a mile in my shoes.
- "My Brain - It's my second favorite orga...
- Never alone.
- Just Like Herding Cats
- When is a house a home?
- What If Life Was A Computer Game?
- What colour are you?
- Do you have a story to tell?
- Masterpiece in Progress:
- Rumination.
- Do it Your Way.
- Self harm.
- The Wizard of Time.
- Through the glass.
- Holiday dilemma.
- My blog.
- Time is the key.
- That Which Hurts Us Most.
- Moving on.
- Happeness.
- Teddy Bear Therapy.
- June
- 'Milestone' birthdays, fete or forget?
- To me, to you, to me.
- Not guilty.
- Putting Pen to Paper.
- We All Matter.
- Pearl Fisher or Pearl Crusher?
- Nothing new under the sun.
- I am NOT worthless.
- Time to fess up.
- Choose your words.
- Mr Fixit.
- Love Is In The Air.
- Contagious Stories.
- I lost my mind.
- Do I sound like that?
- Post 'pain body'.
- The Internet.
- Deep Space and Calcutta.
- Socialising.
- Are You Into Shelf-Development?
- Now.
- Can there be too many questions?
- Market Research – pigeon holing.
- Boundaries.
- Mea Culpa.
- The Librarian and The Critic.
- Collective Grief.
- Mix and match.
- May
- Noise.
- To see ourselves as others see us.
- No self-pity and no shame.
- The Frenemy in the Passenger Seat.
- Being Grateful.
- Moodscope in not one but 153 words.
- Mirror, Mirror.
- Sing a new song, Chiquitita.
- Show me the menu.
- Labels, traits, illness, syndrome - what...
- Courage, mes braves!
- No regrets.
- Moodscope in One Word. Up for a challeng...
- It's the Only Thing to Make Sense.
- Learning from comments.
- Recovery Colleges - a new concept in men...
- Living the Life..!
- There's Probably a Word for It.
- There's Probably a Word for It.
- Honestly Ungrateful.
- Daisy and the Lawnmower Man.
- Spring - Coming out of the Shadows.
- How do you ride the wave?
- Let the bakers bake and the butchers but...
- Listen to me.
- Out and Aloud, If Not Proud.
- Surviving or Thriving?
- From possible to Impossible to I'm possi...
- A year living with .....a rescue dog!
- "It is what it is."
- Invisible.
- Remember the feeling.
- Pride Comes After a Fall.
- Self-congratulation.
- April
- How do we keep going?
- Return.
- Wanted: Target (and the self-discipline ...
- Letter to my alcoholic sister.
- Preparing to Stay Well.
- Nursing a Grudge.
- Hope dashed.
- Preparing to Stay Well.
- A Manifesto for a Life to the Full.
- Gardeners World.
- Is your job worthwhile?
- That Moment.
- Hello gorgeous.
- Alternative Reality.
- Harry - Thank you!
- Who's your hero?
- Hang On...
- It Will Pass.
- No, you can't have a 3.
- Tired from dreams.
- Life is a Bowl of Cherries.
- Giant Haystacks.
- March
- Piling is NOT filing.
- Memories are made of this.
- Seven days of sanity.
- Self-care.
- Silencing the Expert.
- Desirable Punishment.
- What do you think?
- "Don't Worry, Be Crappy!"
- I Will Love Again.
- My score is down – so what?
- Comfort foods and healthy habits.
- A Jigsaw of Me.
- Minimally Happier.
- Just a bit of fluff?
- The Perils of Plank-Eye, The Pirate.
- Altered sensations.
- An interview with myself.
- Do you seek approval?
- Solution searching.
- We have Normality. I Repeat, We Have Nor...
- Invisible.
- The Dog, The Kids, And The Radio Show.
- Endings.
- How @findyourwe Helped Me
- Is everything out to get me?
- Living guilt free - is it possible?
- Home for a Dozen Horses.
- How much should I share?
- The Magic of Milestones.
- The Empty Chair.
- I can and will.
- Being a Highly Sensitive Person.
- Talismans.
- What You Are, Not What You Do.
- What's in your Story Box?
- What's in your Story Box?
- Magic George.
- Welcome to Normaltown.
- Whatever happened to old so-and-so?
- It's only a week...
- The Unbearable Whiteness of Swans.*
- February
- #HappyActs.
- I Don't Do 'Demanding'.
- Grace.
- Life goes on.
- It was just a wig.
- Let it go... Let it go...
- Dealing with anxiety.
- Reconciliation and Restoration.
- One sided.
- Alice or Malice in Wonderland?
- Can't sleep.
- Today I was amazing.
- Why don't you smile?
- Bottling Life's Pleasures.
- When I'm Cleaning Windows.
- Simple pleasures
- Your Story, My Story, History.
- The Dark Side of Attachment Addiction.
- Is there a certain way to grieve?
- What is missing?
- Three true stories of kindness.
- Lost in Music.
- After you stumble...
- Causes and Effects.
- Blowing a fuse.
- My New Different.
- Personal Prescription.
- January
- The pros and cons of people pleasing.
- The Perfect Family.
- Hoist by my own petard.
- Kaizen - the Zen of Success?
- On the periphery.
- What do You think?
- Second Year Running.
- A view with a room.
- Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First.
- The Happy Kitchen: Good Mood Food.
- Rejuvenate.
- Christmas.
- Would you like to write a blog for Moods...
- Buttercups.
- Developing self value.
- Teaching and Learning.
- How can we prevent future mental illness...
- Wisdom 31:15 A Daily Joy.
- Routine.
- Let's rock.
- Hell is other people.
- Character Building.
- Unashamedly Political – Without the Part...
- Objects with meaning.
- Have > Want.
- Winning at life!
- In and out of sync.
- Thank you and Farewell to a Duke And the...
- Are there any positive benefits from dep...
- Making Plans for Nigel.
- The good, the bad and the ugly.
- Victory in many disciplines comes from h...
- December
- 2016
- December
- Happy New Year!
- Something new.
- I shall perfectly be perfect!
- There Was a Little Girl.
- Goodbye 2016.
- New Beginnings...
- Let me treat you.
- Merry Christmas!
- "Happy Holidays" Depression
- How would you react?
- Merry Moodmas.
- All I Want for Christmas...
- So, what to do when you are...
- Turn Your Guilt into Gilt.
- To trust? Or not to trust?
- Is that you?
- What is the matter?
- Hypomania - my strategy.
- Winter Comfort.
- A rite of bloggage.
- "A vision that you cannot see is not a v...
- Happiness is a choice.
- Kicking the Leaves.
- Who stole 2016?
- Does Counselling do it for you?
- More on Drugs.
- P.S. It's just a day.
- Here I Go Again.
- The Trees at Oakley.
- Talking.
- Out of the blue.
- November
- Heavy Handed Help.
- Drugs, Drugs, Glorious Drugs (With Apolo...
- Blogs.
- Don't.
- Hanging by A Thread.
- Ghost in the House.
- Marionette.
- Comfortably Numb.
- Change of State.
- It's a beautiful world.
- There's a submarine in my consciousness....
- But you look alright...
- Food for Thought Doctor.
- Who am I?
- The Deific
- Thank You Ola!
- Friend or foe?
- Rock Paper Scissors.
- Dear children this is a hill.
- Creativity and what it means to me.
- Creativity and bipolar-my story.
- Tough Love from a Tender Heart.
- The Flung Gauntlet.
- Small changes.
- Saying 'No' to 'No'!
- Life is too short.
- Water in the Desert.
- Once upon a mood.
- Death of a friend.
- These Cruel and Vicious Things.
- October
- PTSD, a small word with big consequences...
- Crossing the Line (The Double Yellow one...
- Thoughts in a malestrom.
- Repeat.
- Creation.
- Confronting avoidance.
- Bi-polar Exploding Hedgehog!
- See, Feel, Doubt.
- You're Just My (Arche)Type.
- I took my Mind for a walk.
- My best friend the tree.
- Carers - Is there a formula?
- Can you always accentuate the positive?
- Drastic Action!
- What get's you through?
- Jack Out-of-the-Box.
- Would you like to write a blog for Moods...
- Why I'm comfortable with 0%.
- Routine Sleep.
- The harvest.
- Waterblogged.
- The healing power of art (poetry).
- To Permit or To Forbid - that's a BIG qu...
- The right tool for the job.
- Harnessing Percy.
- How to help.
- How much is too much?
- That Emmental Moment.
- The two of me.
- Alpha and Omega.
- Making Friends with Demons.
- Fly away poisoned parrot – with thanks t...
- September
- My bed
- A sense of perspective.
- When The Going Gets Tough...
- Talk about a dream.
- See Hear Say.
- Will it be okay?
- Is decision making driven by emotion?
- Life as a 'Pure Manic'.
- Structure.
- What Doesn't Kill Us...
- Take flight.
- "Don't Go Changing, Trying To Please Me....
- September.
- Good enough to bottle.
- Crossed wires.
- Awareness.
- Out of Nowhere.
- It's the small stuff that makes the big ...
- The Garden of Your Mind.
- Alarm Bells.
- Surprise Surprise!
- 'What goes around comes round'.
- The role of photos?
- Once Upon A Time...
- Roadside Assistance.
- "Mustobeytion!"
- Meditation's what you need.
- To Love Myself?
- Those uncomfortable feelings.
- August
- People Watching. What we can learn.
- Warm Patches, Strong currents and Consta...
- Breaking the Spell
- A new day. A new week...
- It's a "Pit Stop".
- Unfinished business.
- Great Expectations.
- The Good Black Dog.
- Dog therapy.
- Sometimes I Sing.
- Did I mention I work in a Hospital?
- I will not let my condition define me.
- The simple words of the wise Dr.
- Me, my funk and I.
- Frayed Around the Edges.
- My Cornish Pixies.
- A Joy Ride in a Paint Box.
- I can't stop hoping and dreaming.
- I wish I had known...
- Downloading.
- It's the tone of your voice!
- University Reunion.
- Pretend Meaning.
- Invitation to Dance.
- For a relaxing vacation, look to the dat...
- Hey, how you doin'?
- Saved!
- Schools Out for Summer!
- I want to Be Alone (part sixty-seven).
- Self Portrait.
- July
- You can't change your past but you can c...
- I am happy. Or am I?
- Rest or roam?
- To my loved ones, when dealing with me o...
- Coping with 'Moods' through the ages.
- When You Need to be Selfish.
- What's in your bedroom?
- Too Little, Too Late?
- Losing someone dear to you.
- The Times They Are A Changing.
- If I didn't think.
- Personalities and Comfort Zones.
- Give and Take.
- Songs from the seagulls.
- Life's Amplifiers.
- KEEPING THE LID ON – 2
- Trapped.
- Waking up sad.
- Choose your maxim.
- The Future and the Past.
- My old shoes.
- Involvement = Commitment.
- Lifelong Depression Revealed as Bipolar ...
- Music Therapy for Bouncing Back.
- Would you like to write a blog for Moods...
- Wellness.
- Hard Times.
- Playing Volleyball? Wear Sunscreen.
- Ebb and Flow, For and Against, To and Fr...
- Three Days of My Life.
- Improve your inner confidence and self-c...
- June
- No Idea.
- Desiderata.
- Coming Back from War.
- On the subject of caring.
- KISS and Make-Up.
- Neighbours.
- My .............. used to say.
- Labour and other Pains.
- Nappies on!
- Respect Yourself.
- The Power of Language.
- The Proactive Mower.
- Who knows best?
- Finding Ways to Heal Yourself.
- Togetherness.
- Laugh, love and Live.
- Foul Weather Friends.
- Ridicule or educate.
- "The Way You See Your Life Shapes Your L...
- Perfect ten.
- Stop, Look and Listen!
- The Wisdom of Cats.
- Once upon a time.
- From Russia With Love.
- Remote Control.
- One More Night Among The Frogs.
- Ebb and Flow.
- I like food...
- Would I lie to myself?
- Finding Happiness.
- May
- The Patronus Charm – A Practical Guide.
- Untitled.
- Is It Time To Go Down Your Drawers?
- Determination.
- Retrain the Brain.
- Personal Victory.
- Just for a laugh.
- Future Perfect.
- Dance me to the end of love.
- So, tell me what you want, what you real...
- Depression!
- Adjustments.
- The Wisdom of Toothpaste.
- When you least expect it.
- Taking it the Right Way.
- Trusting.
- The Thief.
- I love Moodscope.
- To compare or not to compare.
- Playing the Blues...
- Sailing Solo.
- Cursing, Therapy and the D word.
- That Perfect Moment.
- The Metaphor that answers the question, ...
- If you are missing.
- How will you change your day?
- How to nudge your way to happiness.
- Senescence.
- Playing Your Part.
- A question of balance.
- The A to Z Guide to Life: Letter S for S...
- April
- Building blocks.
- You don't have to be a streaker, a flash...
- Friends.
- What we look for we find...
- Holding on... And letting go.
- Is happiness always the answer?
- R for Resillience.
- In Darkness.
- Becoming a "BUT" Watcher.
- Trying to make sense of it.
- Being The Problem.
- Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craf...
- Seven words for Love.
- Ebb and Flow, For and Against, To and Fr...
- Hot Coals.
- Courage - Self defence or expediency?
- The Cycle of Change – Part 2
- Can I Show and Be Me?
- The Cupboard Under The Stairs
- Can you help? We think you can...
- Yours, Unconditionally.
- Performance Related Happiness.
- Do not apologise for crying.
- The Cycle of change.
- Don't Blurt – Believe... in yourself.
- The Prisoner of Azkaban.
- Concentration.
- Crossed My Heart; Hoped To Die.
- How I wish you understood.
- My therapy journey – part two.
- March
- Health week.
- Mindfulness and Mindfulness Training: Th...
- Eating Worms.
- Professional Aunt No Kids.
- The A to Z Guide to Life – Letter P for ...
- Too many choices.
- Good things come in furry packages.
- Saturation.
- Pain is inevitable – suffering is option...
- The Honourable Company of Silver Miners....
- In the room above the garage.
- Critical Condition.
- 10 Keys to Happier Living and a Great Dr...
- The Kindness of Strangers.
- What's in a Word?
- Mud, mud, glorious mud.
- Paying the Price.
- Why I talk to machines.
- The A to Z Guide to Life – Letter 'O' fo...
- Who ate my marshmallow?
- Modern definition of insanity – to conti...
- Metaphorical Rainbow.
- My Inner Critic.
- In search of Perfection.
- Happy Songs.
- 'N' for Nutrition!
- My therapy journey – chapter one.
- Big Spender.
- And you took my hand.
- Do you WANT TO... really?
- I am Titanium.
- February
- Navigating Grief with Moodscope.
- The A to Z Guide to Life, Letter M for M...
- "Pick me, Pick me!...please!
- Little Boxes.
- Mooching with the MOOCs.
- Humans are Emotional First and Rational ...
- Visible Injury.
- Mental health sufferers need your help!
- The A to Z Guide to Life: Letter "L" for...
- Use by date.
- Simplicity.
- Walking on the Moon.
- Who Are YOU?
- Almost Heaven.
- You asked for it...
- The A to Z Guide to Life: K for Kinaesth...
- A lot of loss.
- Fomo.
- Confident Vulnerability.
- Resilience and our little ones.
- Horrid Nasty Stinking Cold!
- I'm not OK.
- The A to Z Guide to Life: J for Joy.
- Lost & Forlorn.
- My finest moment...
- Living with the tough stuff.
- Share my laughter as well as comfort my ...
- A Life threatening Illness.
- My Five Currencies.
- January
- The A to Z Guide to Life – Letter 'I'
- The A to Z Guide to Life – Letter 'I'
- Fantasy v Reality.
- The path to serenity.
- Connecting with Your Inner Sunflower.
- What we look for, we find...
- Tidying Up.
- We are all Students of Life.
- The A to Z Guide to Life – H is for Hope...
- Going Steady.
- "My name is Lauren and..."
- Hang in there.
- Living in the Now – the Mental Health Ch...
- Home Decoration.
- Is It Time For An Emotional Tune-Up?
- The A to Z Guide to Life – Letter "G"
- The Ebb and Flow of Life.
- I did it! I went to the moon...
- Be the Change... forgive.
- Love Smart, Not Hard.
- The Man Who Fell From Earth.
- Remake my beating heart.
- A to Z Guide to Life – F is for 'Faith'
- Up and Down.
- A Survivor.
- Time & Authenticity.
- Learning-innings.
- A different Perspective.
- Jane, Janus, January.
- The A to Z Guide to Life - Letter 'E'
- Be the change you want to see revisited....
- January is the new April.
- December
- 2015
- December
- Happy New Year!
- Be the Change You Want to See...
- New Year – Same Old You...
- There I am.
- The A to Z Guide to Life - Letter 'D'
- Train of Thoughts.
- Remembering What You're Made Of.
- A Meditation on Light.
- How will I respond today – as a child or...
- Merry Moodmas.
- My tool box for recovery.
- The A to Z Guide to Life - Letter "C"
- Virtual Christmas lunch.
- Small steps work best.
- Did Starsky and Hutch wear Christmas car...
- One Step/Day at a time.
- Things We Learn From Our Children.
- Are you a hibernator?
- The A to Z Guide to Life - Letter 'B'.
- The Law of Attraction.
- Run for home...
- Where am I now?
- Taking a break.
- Let It Be Enough.
- Celebrate success.
- Count your blessings one by one.
- Song of faith.
- Would you like to write a blog for Moods...
- What's the meaning of life?
- Restoring Normality.
- October
- The A to Z Guide to Life - Letter "A"
- Words, Will and Ways.
- Loneliness to solitude.
- Lifting the lid...
- Witty Woo!
- The Road Less Travelled - again.
- Let's All Be Sad Together.
- Good Enough.
- Sow before bedtime.
- A clean sheet.
- The hokey cokey.
- Say after me: I BELIEVE...
- Respect is two way.
- Carrion Comfort.
- Wisdom received from Moodscopers - Part ...
- Admit, Emit or Omit?
- Gollum in the Kitchen.
- Towards or Away From?
- Tickets please!
- Do I exist?
- Tell Me Your Story.
- To hold on or to let go.
- The Three Gifts.
- Darth Vader does Charlotte's Web, a true...
- Anxiousness...
- What recovery means to me.
- To be nobody but yourself...
- Solitary Confinement.
- Here's to brighter mornings.
- Ten Good Friends.
- The visitor.
- Flaky time.
- Human Dis-Illusion.
- November
- Notes to a Nearly Depressed Me.
- The A to Z Guide to Life - an introducti...
- No ink to leave a mark.
- Your best friend wouldn't tell you.
- Adult Orphans.
- Twenty-One today...
- The Best Laid Plans...
- The Knights in shining armour.
- Are we the new normal?
- The Volcano Within.
- Why you're afraid of me.
- What do you say next?
- Did you remember to log out?
- An Awkward Question.
- Hope.
- Vinnie The Bouncer.
- Fleur - my lifeline.
- Wisdom received from Moodscopers. Part 3...
- Party songs.
- I Want to be Clearer.
- Hugging your GP.
- A workman and his tools.
- Taking The Plunge.
- Take my advice.
- Today's blog comes to you from a Mental ...
- Love you gran.
- The Modern Day CV.
- Depression's Twin Sister.
- Wisdom received from Moodscopers. Part 2...
- September
- Is colouring calming?
- Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys.
- Thank-you Moodscope.
- Planting Trees.
- The ladder.
- Family favourites.
- Simpletons R Me!
- The Journey... Your Journey.
- Keeping Vigil.
- Sleepless in Suburbia.
- Worrier or Warrior?
- What makes you feel you belong?
- The power of memories.
- I choose life.
- Driving - The Road Les(s) Travelled...
- A Plague (of shrimp) Upon Your House – A...
- 149 days.
- I Long For Structure.
- For every season there is a reason.
- True Colours.
- What have you done today to make you fee...
- The Parable of the Spanish Pueblos...
- Often the Best Thing to Do; Always the B...
- Today comes only once in a lifetime.
- A Walk in the Park?
- Improving life... one conversation at a ...
- My intuition.
- My magical Gumboots.
- Job Satisfaction.
- Friends for Life.
- August
- Accepting we are who we are.
- Life to the Max?
- Physical things to bring comfort.
- This old dog can learn new tricks.
- If I were young again...
- Are you an optimist?
- Laughter therapy. Have you tried it?
- One Quarter of a Mile.
- What if?
- To peak early or bloom later.
- Piglet and Pooh – Over to You.
- Your kiss is on my list.
- Redemption.
- From whence cometh your help?
- Rhythms, Cycles and Ripples, part 1.
- What's your story?
- Good thought cinema.
- A Walk In The Park.
- Finding 'Me' – Is All That's Real.
- Dear Mum.
- "Change something."
- Making Associations.
- Me and my friend alcohol.
- What's happening here?
- Sorry.
- Thinking is not living.
- Thank You For The Music (Room).
- Moodscope is getting better…
- Breaking Associations.
- The Father of My Children.
- July
- Think before you speak.
- I'm a slow learner.
- Who Are You?
- Quite Frankly Terrified!
- Procrastination and Depression.
- These three remain.
- The Art of Mindfulness
- I woke like Lily Munster.
- Surfing the waves of life.
- Time – It's ALL Yours.
- Confined By, Defined By, or Refined By?
- My cat Tilly - the messed up one.
- You can't make an omelette without break...
- Living in the moment...
- Eleanor Rigby was surely a Ninja.
- HumanKindness.
- Bi-polar for Dummies 2.
- Bi-Polar For Dummies.
- Do or Don't?
- What's your poison?
- What is a normal mood?
- Life's Real Facts - Feelings.
- Managing Friends 101 – The Basics.
- From here to somewhere.
- Making Friends with the Lizard.
- I am kind. I am smart. I am important.
- A sufferer's night.
- The Perfectionist's Guide to Visiting an...
- Life!
- June
- A cry for help.
- Be yourself.
- Managing the Highs.
- Head, heart, nature.
- The Enemy of My Enemy.
- Thank you for helping me gain some balan...
- In the End, There Is Only Room for Love....
- The three Marriages of Life.
- Cheer squad.
- Meeting Men in the Sauna.
- I'm a bit of a Chill Bill. Whilst I'd lo...
- Jailbreak.
- Sometimes bad things happen for a reason...
- Seven years bad luck...and counting.
- The Wisdom of the Rose.
- Ouch the sun hurts!
- Who Are You and What Have You Done With ...
- Depressive's Guide to the Wedding Season...
- L'exercise regime per annum.
- What goes up must come down!
- Just relax.
- Walking Streets at Midnight.
- I get it now dad. I get it.
- Trevor Believes in Polar Bears.
- Resilience.
- Jedi Nights Yes, I know that's spelt wro...
- Putting the pieces together again.
- A reason to hold on.
- Sitting on a sun dial.
- Comin Home...
- Unexpected side Benefit.
- Looking long.
- May
- A Box with Rules.
- The Depressive State.
- Are you going to take some action?
- Got a hanky?
- Seeking.
- Catharsis.
- I can fight this demon.
- My Enemy...
- I just didn't feel anything.
- Art in a bookcase.
- Passion...THE driving emotion.
- My Demons Don't Post On Facebook.
- Just suppose...
- Charity begins...
- Climbing my way out of the valley.
- Soldier Boy.
- A list of goodly things.
- Humans – Emotional First - Rational Seco...
- Can't Remember... What was it Again?
- Keep rattling those chains.
- Dear Diary.
- Reach out to family and friends.
- Broken Crayons Still Colour.
- Forge meaning...build identity.
- Getting up and Moving.
- Take That Look Off Your Face!
- The magnifying mirror.
- Connect Four.
- Mindfulness.
- Here goes...
- April
- Emotional core strength.
- Hope Springs Eternal.
- Empowered.
- Do only fools rush in?
- WLC = Whinge, Learn, Change.
- All about the dogs.
- Turn round 180 degrees.
- Thou Doth Procrastinate Too Much.
- The great outdoors indoors.
- Brain Muscle Memory.
- One less thing.
- Practical Hugging 101.
- Deep Dark Depression.
- Can not judging others make it easier to...
- Human shadows.
- Would you like to export your Moodscope ...
- Bad Thoughts.
- "Laugh and the world laughs with you, cr...
- BAM. Change. BOOM. Regret.
- Myth No. 91 - Depression is like the flu...
- You're A True Gem.
- What have you done since Les's blog last...
- Chronic pain. It need not be so.
- You Can't Share a Hug On-line.
- Do you need more space?
- Living Goals [POWERFUL Goal-Setting part...
- City Ambience.
- You can't not communicate, so...?
- Do you have a warrior spirit?
- What makes your heart sing?
- March
- Depression Lite.
- Let's get the show on the road.
- Keeping It Short and Simple.
- Would you like to write a blog for Moods...
- Anthropomorphic.
- As I began to love myself.
- We Find What We Look For.
- Frozen Treacle.
- Sling your hook.
- Faith – The Final Frontier.
- Just imagine.
- Keeping the lid on.
- Let's spread a little happiness.
- How do you receive the world?
- Resilience.
- Dear Bipolar...
- The Road from Hope.
- International Day of Happiness 2015
- Playing with Time.
- 5 Easy Ways to Boost Confidence Levels.
- Did You Take Time Today - To Be Truly Hu...
- Coming Out.
- Darwin Ate an Owl.
- Harbour lights.
- Pushing the Button.
- Conformity.
- A balance sheet for life.
- Mind the Gap.
- Biker Music.
- What do I choose today?
- Means, Opportunity, Motive.
- February
- Don't just sit there do something!
- Coming out.
- The Tale of Two Labels.(apologies to Dic...
- The Loss of Ancient wisdom.
- Is it time to change your lens?
- To Keep a Stiff Upper Lip - or To Throw ...
- O Dear.
- Reflections.
- Feeling watchy!
- Handling change.
- The power of 'offering' (not telling).
- You Can't Choose Your Family. Or Can You...
- The love that is inside.
- A POWERFUL Question.
- Untangling the myth.
- Welcoming the inner child.
- Something better change.
- The Gift of Darkness.
- Sad memories can have a silver lining.
- To Exercise or to Exorcise?
- Being ‘okay’.
- Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?
- I want to make mental health real and ok...
- It's a crying Shame.
- How to Become a Male Underwear Model in ...
- Blinded by the light!
- Do you need a routine?
- January
- Running the Stop Sign.
- After the storm.
- A great film.
- A great film.
- Moving can be SO hard.
- As The Daffodils Fade.
- Trading shoes.
- Blue Monday.
- The Compassionate Mind.
- What I make you mean.
- You've got to laugh!
- To know and not to say = trouble.
- I Believe I can Fly!
- An important list.
- Strike 3... 4... 5...?
- You've got to accentuate the positive an...
- I'd like you to be the first to know!
- Affirmations.
- Recovery...
- When Mr Grumpy Came To Stay.
- Same recipe. Different Cake.
- Lex v5.312 - all will be explained.
- Be more dog.
- Gerald Wears Tights.
- What did you want to be when you grew up...
- The True ‘Heart’ of Change.
- The light at the end of the tunnel may n...
- Let's count our blessings.
- "Let me inter//rupt you there!"
- Create your own reality.
- A Passion For Onions.
- Renegotiate and Remortgage!!
- December
- 2014
- December
- Fed up with hearing Happy New Year?
- Resolution is not for me.
- Marching Forwards.
- What is your refuge?
- Are you being true to yourself?
- Changing History: War and Peace.
- It pays to play.
- Doing Christmas Properly.
- Wear Epic pants!
- Nothing to fear.
- How We Learn – The Four Seasons.
- Merry Moodmas.
- Don't let your 'Stress bucket' overflow....
- A Community of Support.
- So Who Are you – Really?
- I am nervous. I am frightened. I am sure...
- Your Gift of Time.
- If a Con's Worth Doing...
- A safe place to be.
- My song about the kind of love that sust...
- Sticks and stone may break my bones, but...
- Ticket To Ride.
- Feeling on top of the world.
- Amazingly Simple.
- Build only with the smallest bricks.
- When was the last time you felt happy?
- Are you going to be alone this Xmas?
- How do we lead?
- My Drug Of Choice.
- Coming out of the dark.
- November
- 5 Star Inspiration and 1 Inspiraction.
- Bad Days Depend on the Way you See Them....
- Learning to Live With Life!
- What do we value?
- Changing your mind: Becoming a child aga...
- Piggy In The Middle.
- Chooseday.
- I can fight this demon.
- I Am Not My Thoughts or Emotions.
- So sorry Spike.
- Sex And Depression.
- A way to say thank you...?
- You can't condemn it until you've tried ...
- "The Moodscope Mobile App made such a po...
- The revolving door.
- Find the beauty of your mind.
- Just stop.
- The art of happiness.
- A Soft Place To Fall.
- Changing your mind: Taking a Line for a ...
- Two Mile Walk.
- Self-Care is not Self-ish.
- Trust that the fog will clear.
- Bereavement and Depression 4 of 4.
- Bereavement and Depression 3. It's compl...
- Bereavement and Depression 2. Liquorice ...
- Bereavement and Depression 1. My Cat Ha...
- Gardening of the Mind.
- October
- Was it post-traumatic stress?
- Changing your mind: The Mindful Walk.
- Decluttering the mind.
- The window.
- Did your Mother Give You Depression?
- It is well with my soul.
- Burnt out.
- Running saved this man's life...
- Changing your mind.
- Connecting with the soul.
- What Will Make Your Heart Sing...?
- It's Not You; It's Me (Or Maybe Them)!
- It felt like my life had ended.
- A welcome pep talk.
- Breaking Family Patterns.
- Creativity saves the sanity.
- 'I dwell in possibility' – Emily Dickins...
- The Wisdom of Geese. A Story of Hope for...
- Insane Accuracy.
- Cold feet syndrome.
- Rite of Passage #1 "The Bath".
- I am definitely so much more than my dep...
- Dancing with our thoughts.
- Willful Blindness.
- A few pretty things.
- Stationary Rollercoaster.
- Laughter is the best medicine.
- Are you struggling?
- When a blue moon rises.
- A feeling of calm.
- Walking Up The Down Escalator.
- At what point do you embrace the only th...
- September
- "I am the master of my Fate, I am the ca...
- It's OK Not To Be OK.
- Untitled.
- Keep in touch - it's easier than ever.
- Let me compare me to a summer's day.
- Live and smile.
- A part of life that many don't see.
- Hello Darkness, My Old Friend.
- Even a chore can be uplifting!
- Bend and not break.
- An adjustment technique for sceptical bo...
- The Evil of Emails.
- How Can You Prove You Are Not a Robot?
- Taking care to care.
- The Sun Will Come out Tomorrow.
- There's a hole in my sidewalk.
- Affirmations A-Z.
- Cubism and sensitivity.
- Life is a road trip.
- Try and connect with someone every day.
- The power of emotion.
- Moments of Joy (Bring Me Flowers).
- Vacant or engaged?
- Strategies.
- Feral Pumpkins.
- Slog on!
- It's all about balance.
- How at Sea are We?
- Some Things Are Best Done Alone.
- What lights your fire?
- August
- My breakdown.
- Everybody is a genius.
- Community spirit.
- Masking life?
- My Three Friends.
- The perfection trap?
- Acceptance.
- Untitled.
- The seasons of mood.
- Too much information?
- Burden
- Memories are made of this...Emotions.
- What colour glasses are you wearing toda...
- Taking care of the feelings. How?
- T-shirt rolling.
- Is it important to love yourself?
- I am far from perfect.
- Where do you find your solace?
- Living or hoping, dying or coping?
- Robin Williams, Super Hero.
- Depression film club.
- When will I get better?
- You can overcome anything.
- Untitled.
- Self Awareness - the Door to Healthy Cha...
- Feeling sad.
- Cat Among The Pigeons.
- Who am I?
- Who are the mad ones?
- Recording the Good Days.
- Getting Better.
- July
- Don't Panic!
- Human-Beings or Human-Doings?
- Holiday Preparations
- Self Soothing.
- Time to look after yourself, now!
- The Puss Pages.
- Are you stressed?
- Healing Myself.
- When we need help - Ask.
- What is 'Normal'?
- Happy Talk.
- Into every life a little rain must fall....
- I just have to remember I'm still me.
- Mindful and Soothing.
- Just do one thing each day.
- Young girl crying.
- Managing Your GP.
- Your comments count!
- The Golden Gate.
- To understand all is to forgive all.
- Anxiety, what a pest it is.
- Club 45.
- Moray Moodscope 2.
- Holly Golightly adored Tiffany's and me?...
- Superpowers.
- I am Worthy. A guide to self-worth.
- The start of my journey to recovery.
- I was just suffering with 'life'.
- Foot In Mouth Disease...
- Do half of it – or think of a different ...
- June
- Accepting Help is Hard.
- Man's best friend.
- My Moodscope return.
- Overwhelmed.
- Stuck.
- Would you like to write a blog for Moods...
- How are you coping with life?
- School report.
- Seeking advice on moving forwards.
- Why Bipolar is misunderstood.
- A Healing crisis - Part 2
- A Healing Crisis - Part 1
- The Guest House.
- Creating pockets of freedom in the mind....
- Grief and the bank – revisited.
- Keeping an eye on things.
- Thanks for always being there.
- Solitude.
- Who are you?
- Don't do something: just sit there!
- Glass half empty?
- A standing ovation
- Trees are cool.
- Have you reached your ULP?
- Judgements - Are you both judge and jury...
- Put your hands in the air, put your hand...
- Find your verse to find your voice.
- We Don't Always Know.
- The Abundant Life - 7 of 7 - Sensitivity...
- Handbook of life - a few more tips...
- That's Me In The Corner...
- May
- Pink Mist.
- Anyone else fed up?
- A Heartfelt Blog.
- Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
- A More Abundant Life; part 6 of 7.
- A love letter.
- Emoticons - Like, Love, Loathe?
- You're always happy. How do you do it?
- A More Abundant Life; part 5 of 7.
- To Be Strong - Is To Forgive.
- Disconnect to Connect.
- It's a Physical Thing.
- A More Abundant Life; part 4 of 7.
- 'Y' is for 'You'.
- 'T' is for Triggers.
- 'E' is for Exhale.
- 'I' is for Insomnia.
- 'X' is for X-cellence, with another chan...
- 'N' is for the Power of Now and News of ...
- 'A' is for Anxiety, Adrenaline and A Giv...
- A Moodscope giveaway!
- Finding peace.
- "I do therefore I am."
- Chapters of Your Life...
- Let's Hear it for the Drugs!
- A More Abundant Life; part 3 of 7.
- Do you ever H.A.L.T. to help yourself? r...
- I believe in you all...
- The storm will end.
- A More Abundant Life; part 2 of 7.
- April
- Untitled.
- Not What I Was Expecting.
- A More Abundant Life; part 1 of 7.
- Big picture learning.
- The Ebb and Flow of the Moodscope Cards....
- Which 'one' inside us do we feed...frien...
- Give me a break...
- Can you be your own best friend?
- Running for the dungeon.
- Therapeutic Bullying.
- The bubble.
- 10 tips for a healthy life.
- More action, less thought!
- To listen is to heal...
- Driving you crazy.
- Bottling a positive mood.
- Temporarily stranded but never stuck. (2...
- Temporarily stranded but never stuck. (1...
- Decisions.
- The Hunger Games.
- Who needs to hear your heart again?
- Don’t pet the porcupine.
- Hold the vision, trust the process.
- A 'Play'ful approach to mood.
- Say Yes!
- When in Happyland do as the Happy do.
- Is your life 'Out of Order'?
- Touched by the Emotion.
- Are the voices talking to you?
- March
- Don't give up.
- Why smile at a stranger today?
- There's good news and there's bad news.
- A smile wrapped around some lovely wisdo...
- Side effects.
- Pain yet hope inside.
- Giving it up.
- Giving my soul a chance to heal.
- Hello? Anybody there?
- Time to think.
- I Am What I Am.
- Do you ever H.A.L.T. to help yourself?
- What really makes us happy?
- The value of the closed door.
- A means to an end, or making the means t...
- Unafraid of murder!
- 'Arnold'.
- Is your dustbin overflowing?
- The Good Deed Feed.
- Blogging Your Way to Growth...
- Welcome to my world.
- Let Me Ask My Manager.
- Managing your magnet.
- In Praise of Buddies.
- Finding a key to your cage.
- One for the men out there.
- Who Are You Travelling With?
- Grief and the Bank.
- A sense of humour is really important.
- Be a tap not a cup.
- More Blogs Please.
- February
- Flip the biscuit.
- Who inspired you?
- Please don't let me feel misunderstood.
- Feedback.
- Imagine.
- Tea and biscuits anyone?
- EQ before IQ Except After Death.
- I feel.
- Just some thoughts...
- The Emotional Cost of Clutter.
- The need to re-balance.
- Breaking down my emotions.
- The right prescription...
- Walking into the fog.
- Lost in the 'Busyness' of Life.
- A Hopeful Romantic.
- A contradictory enigma.
- There are many more poems written than a...
- Who you are is what makes the difference...
- Help! When did this happen?
- Life is an Inside Job.
- Remember to put the glass down.
- Humans of New York.
- Don't yuck someone else's yum.
- Forewarned is Forearmed.
- Looking for an alternative.
- Playing the excited card.
- Acceptance.
- January
- Walking the Talk in Health.
- A winter picnic.
- Explaining how you feel.
- Felling the Tree.
- Combatting negative thoughts.
- Playing the Ashamed card.
- Make someone smile.
- Instructions for a bad day.
- Living with bipolar.
- Let's talk about endings again.
- Creating your own happy ending.
- How do you handle endings?
- Blooming Monday.
- It's okay to be not okay.
- Untitled.
- Ask a question. Any question!
- Bullying. Don't put up with it. Stop it ...
- Playing the Active card.
- It's January – Let's Diet!
- Please keep an eye out for Wednesday’s e...
- Breathe yourself happier.
- 'Just Do It'.
- Coping when unable to work (Part 3).
- Coping when unable to work (Part 2).
- Coping when unable to work (Part one).
- Mad Dogs and Englishmen...
- Playing the Nervous card.
- Physically Fit, Mentally Ill.
- The Happy diet.
- Don't underestimate the power of languag...
- Self-awareness.
- December
- 2013
- December
- Resolutions and Good Intentions.
- Live a longer and happier life.
- Playing the Upset Card.
- Can we really be comfortable with oursel...
- Draw something, anything!
- You have to be comfortable with discomfo...
- Happy Christmas.
- Merry Christmas Blues.
- Playing The Proud Card.
- Grow where you're planted.
- Improving mood.
- Money.
- Never be indifferent to indifference.
- Black dogs, black cats and dirty great L...
- Who helps you get back up each time you ...
- Playing The Attentive Card.
- I had a black dog, his name was depressi...
- Taking control of your care.
- Taking personal responsibility.
- Post and purrs.
- A simple list.
- Essential Information.
- Playing the Strong Card.
- Negative thinking.
- Who’s That Guru?
- Small things first.
- How are the four rooms in your life?
- Having an 'under the hedge' day.
- Thank your liver.
- Playing the Scared card.
- November
- What path are you on...or are you lost i...
- Mood managing.
- Untitled.
- Appreciating my medication.
- Napping is for life not just for babies!...
- Escape or Escapism.
- Is yours a full and happy life?
- Playing the 'Interested' card.
- Do or do not.
- A sense of humour.
- We've been listening to you...
- I want to be Alone!
- The Safety zone.
- The Enthusiastic card.
- Who are Moodscopers?
- ...look at it.
- What ever happened to the mirror that sh...
- 5 (Essential) Tips for a Mindful Christm...
- Emotional Withdrawal.
- Alive again.
- Irritable – defined as 'Feeling Easily A...
- Cupcake land.
- The gift of rain...
- Mindfulness
- Reflect, don't blame.
- The Futility of "Why?"
- Balance.
- Playing the 'Guilty' Card.
- Each day we have choices.
- Highly sensitive people.
- October
- Go on a mental holiday.
- Snakes and Ladders.
- Soft Time, Flow Time, Lost Time.
- Playing the 'Afraid' Card.
- Victor Frankl.
- One step at a time.
- A Disciplined life.
- APET (Activating agents, pattern matchin...
- Self-Compassion.
- Apple Day.
- Playing the 'Inspired' Card.
- Using Imagery To Explore Thoughts And Fe...
- Be true to yourself.
- Connecting the dots.
- Bring back the boutonnière!
- Mummy: I'm so miserable and I don't know...
- A five-minute wonder.
- Playing the 'Hostile' Card.
- Use your heart as a compass.
- Your blog here.
- Confessions of a 50-year-old.
- Thriftiness.
- Nothing to be Depressed About.
- Ode to October.
- Playing the Alert Card.
- Pattern matching part 3.
- Everything stops for tea.
- Family Matters.
- Pattern matching part 2.
- Grumpy Morning Faces.
- September
- Unblocking Negative Thoughts.
- Playing the 'Distressed' Card.
- Pattern matching part 1.
- Cherokee wisdom.
- Please understand me.
- Activating Agents part 3.
- Time is a great healer, maybe, but there...
- The cold with a sting in the tail.
- Playing the 'Determined' Card.
- Sunday 22nd of September marks the first...
- The Elephant in the Fridge – Revisited.
- The last 4 doctors.
- Chasing Morpheus.
- Letting out the mad.
- It's a goal.
- The art of bathing.
- The elephant and the fridge.
- Activating Agents part 2.
- Playing the "Jittery" Card.
- The 20 Moodscope cards.
- Activating Agents part 1.
- Round Pegs in Square Holes.
- Create something. Anything!
- The Gentle Author.
- The gift.
- What was their name?
- A day to remember.
- Back on the chain-gang...
- Exercise and connection; Two very human ...
- A Lie About Sleep.
- August
- Hi I'm Pete and I'm lonely.
- Let's Go Fly A Kite.
- Fuzzies and Fizzies.
- Is depression illness or injury?
- How Moodscope Improves Your Results with...
- Are you an Eeyore or a Piglet?
- Look Good Feel Better.
- The high road or the low road.
- Write your own self-help book.
- Why exercise should be fun.
- Coming Seventh (Out of Nine).
- The Question of Ownership.
- Plant flowers.
- Taking things to HEART.
- Time's Arrow.
- Wildlife and wellbeing.
- A Beautiful But.
- The line in the sand.
- Doing the right (unpopular) thing.
- Mood boards.
- Flipping the lid.
- Calm as balm...
- I'm all ears.
- I'm all ears.
- Sleep - Switch off to switch off.
- Running on empty.
- You're hired!
- Thank goodness for Moodscope.
- Prozac nation.
- What's your favorite?
- The learning carriage.
- July
- It's not me, it's you.
- Sleep well tonight.
- The holiday challenge.
- Pins and prickles.
- The power of intention.
- Now breath deeply.
- Beating the dragons.
- The missing factor.
- Vincent van Gogh.
- Books to boost your mood.
- That's not my therapist!
- The humble golf ball.
- Try things you think you don't like.
- Parting is such sweet sorrow.
- Press Pause and 'Mind the Gap'.
- Beautiful daily rituals.
- Proud.
- Fake it to make it.
- Keyboards and keypads to the rescue.
- They are my everything.
- The Five Languages of Love.
- Check the Brakes.
- The Voyager.
- Genetic Inheritance.
- Quick, clean up before the Cleaner arriv...
- You can handle more than you imagine.
- The Muppets in your mind.
- Genetic Inheritance.
- Something to chew on.
- Exercise. Not so tough?
- A million years. A million monkeys.
- Talking to the child within.
- June
- How am I feeling?
- Look around.
- I hear what I'm saying.
- Big boys do cry. And that's no bad thing...
- Wild White Cattle of Chillingham.
- Think of a lighthouse.
- Much ado about nothing…
- The invisible illness.
- Hold a poem in your body.
- Google Earth and The Bigger Picture.
- Here's to your left eyebrow!
- Not the sporting type?
- Let it be.
- Let it be.
- Just a note.
- Clothing by mood.
- Practice makes . . .
- Break the self-criticism habit.
- Hug your way to happiness.
- Hello, I am feeling very tired today!
- Not Quite Hell!
- Hopeful about hope.
- Diagnosis – Mad Wife in the Attic!
- To worry or not, that is the question.
- InewsU.
- Knocking the parrot off its perch.
- Awareness of pain.
- Gratitude.
- The monster in the wardrobe.
- Gratitude.
- The Beauty of I Am.
- May
- Hello.
- The Beauty of Imperfection.
- Avoid the news.
- Life as an accomplished marathon runner....
- Turning black thoughts into a different ...
- Holi-hour
- Don't look back in anger...
- Taking Control.
- Purring and wagging.
- Hello, I'm Mary and I'm bi-polar.
- The blue train. Metaphor 3.
- Purring and wagging.
- Managing thoughts. Metaphor 2.
- Looking at things differently. Metaphor1...
- Your flexible friend.
- Tricks with quicksand.
- Knock knock…
- What is happiness anyway?
- Breaking the worrying habit.
- Who can I talk to?
- Smiling inside and out.
- Different strokes for different folks.
- You are what you don't eat.
- Why trying to stop anxious thoughts does...
- Message from the Moodscope Team.
- May our paths cross again soon.
- Mars, one-way please.
- Wear sunscreen.
- Pay attention and get a great return.
- Please do it your way.
- Dr Seuss had it right.
- Sad to say, I'm leaving.
- Who writes this stuff?
- April
- December
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Posts and comments on the Moodscope blog are the personal views of Moodscope members, they are for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Moodscope makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this blog or found by following any of the links.
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