[DePressMe]

I don’t come here very often but I’m hoping you could help me out. I am one of my mom’s caretakers. She struggles with depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia. She has severe chronic pain and has to take a lot of pain meds. Sometimes she’ll go several weeks or months without leaving her house because of her pain and anxiety. She is also starting to deal with the loss of her mother—she passed away in Oct of 2007. It breaks my heart to see my mom in so much pain.

I’ve been working on a project for my mom. It’s a box with a lid and I am putting positive sayings into it—here is one “keep your face to the sunshine and you’ll not see the shadows.” Then I’m going to have several ones like “I love you…hang in there…you’re beautiful just the way you are…may your mind find peace today…”

I want to make the box full so when she is feeling down or having a rough day she can reach into the box and pull out a positive note--kinda like a big fortune cookie. My mom says it is very encouraging to hear that others understand her struggles and that they are thinking of her—makes her feel less alone. BTW, she does not have a computer so she can’t go online.

Hopefully the messages will encourage her to keep trying and she’ll know that others are thinking of her and sending her a message... If you have any sayings or well wishes will you please send them to me? Just any type of note that is positive—long or short--even just a hello.

I hope everybody is doing well today.
DePressMe

[tamiloo]

Just wanted to welcome you and let you know that your the best daughter!

I have suffered from fibro since I was a teen. Your idea for the box is great!!

A few years ago some folks here on NeuroTalk got together and had a post card exchange. It was fun to know someone thought enough of you to personally buy and write and mail the post card. I remember receiving one from a friend here in the states sending me a card that a friend down under had sent to him...the card came from Germany...I wept over the fact that these two people that I care so much about had touched that card...It still means so much to me!!

I would love to be a post card buddy to your Mom...Pm me and we can figure out what to do!! Again...you are a very good daughter!!!

[MelodyL]

Hi there

What a kind, thoughtful daughter you are. And your mom is so lucky to have you.

Here's a message for your mom:



Hi there, My name is Melody and I wanted to say hi. Want to know what I do when I'm depressed and in pain?. I walk over to my garden that I have in my kitchen and I watch all of my lovely plants that I am sprouting.

I'm a sprouter. If you don't know what that is, have your daughter look it up on the internet and she'll tell you.

It's a wonderful hobby and takes away all the stress. I grow my own food. Imagine that? I don't have to go to the store and buy that much food anymore because it's growing right on my shelves in the kitchen. It's really simple. I put the seeds in trays and in a few days, after watering, they blossom into the most beautiful sprouts. I sprout broccoli, radish and other lovely things.

I put these in my salads and when I eat them, my body feels SOOOO much better. I like to tell myself. "You are feeding your soul as well as your body".

So I hope you are feeling better today.

Take care,

Melody

I know your mom doesn't have a computer, but if you have a laptop, you can see my sprouting videos on youtube. She'll get a kick out of them. On youtube, just type eliz7212 in the search part at the top of the screen. All my sprouting videos are there.

It's a great de-stressor.

[plgerrard]

DePressMe: What a wonderful idea. Something your Mother will really appreciate. It reminded me of something I started probably 15 years ago. I bought a book with blank pages. I write down phrases I like, cut out newspaper columns and comic strips and glue them in the book - anything that makes me think, leaves me feeling good, makes me smile, or laugh out loud.

So, I just thumbed through the book and here are some you might be able to use:
************
I suppose if we couldn't laugh at things that don't make sense, we couldn't react to a lot of life.
************
Courage is the capacity to go from failure to failure without loosing enthusiasm.
************
It has not come to stay. It has come to pass.
************
I don't suffer from insanity. I truly enjoy it !
************
We're not here to see through people. We're here to see people through.
************
How big would you dream if you knew you couldn't fail?
************
I am the nicest thing I could ever do for myself.
************
I am not a total stranger. I am a perfect stranger.
************
Act the way you want to feel, and soon you will feel the way you act.
************
Lead me not into temptation. I can find it myself.
************
If you continually give, you will continually have.
************
You know, sooner or later everybody gets hurt by life...there's no way to avoid it. But it's the ones who bounce back who make it interesting.
************
What is a dream? A magical thing
A rainbow of joy in your heart
Your own secret corner. Where no one can go
Where the path to fulfillment can start
A dream lures you on. Always one step ahead
Until you have caught it and then...
There's always another to capture your soul
And lead your heart onward again.

[Hockey]

Hello and welcome to NT!

I am sorry for your mother's suffering, but she is blessed to have such a caring daughter.

To say that living with severe, chronic pain is difficult is the height of understatement. The difficulty is compounded when it leads to us being housebound and feeling isolated from the world.

What gets me through is the knowledge that I am loved and that there are people who depend on me. My continued existence, painful and limited as it might be, is still important. On my really bad days, I flip through my family photo albums and remind myself that love is stronger than pain.

To that end, have you thought about putting photographs in your Mom's box? Better still, ask the children, grandchildren, siblings, friends, etc... in the photos to right a little message on the back. It doesn't have to be high poetry, just something simple and heartfelt like "I love You" or "You're Important to Me."

Does your Mom have a pet? I find that mine give me both companionship and a healthy feeling of responsibility.

Cheers

[(Broken Wings)]

Hello, DePressMe

That's a wonderful idea. I think I'll fix one up for my mom. A Happy Box or something like that...

Put one in there for me saying, "It won't always be this way."

That seems to comfort me in many ways. It is an evolving world we live in.

I pray you and mom have happy moments to remember...

[Darlene]

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk. Happy to see you have come to be with us. Just let us know if we can be of any help. There are great number of fellow members here to assist as possible. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around.

Darlene