Stress Center Peer Support

Hi Everyone,

I started week 2 tonight. I really liked the session. I liked when the book said "you think what you feel". But I am having a problem finding positive things to think about. People in my family are old and sick, feel anxious and not being able to do things makes me feel down, and when I try to think of happy stuff its just really hard. How do you change your thinking when it feels like there is nothing positive or happy going on? I can think of a great memory, but most of my happy memories are with people who have either passed away or are very sick- and the happy thought lasts for a few seconds, until I realize they are gone now. Guess my problem is thinking more positively.

Also, anyone finding all this stuff hard to remember? I feel like it is great when I'm reading it, but when I am in an actual situation, I cant remember half the stuff I read. I may start carrying my book with me.

I hope this helps - the Stress staff recommends carrying the cards of the lessons you've completed, with you. That way they are like crib notes of the book without having to carry a bulky book with you.

Carrying the cards reminds me that I am supposed to think happy thoughts but is also discouraging because the happy thoughts don't appear. Most of the time I do a list "I am alive, my parents are alive and in relatively good health, I have a roof over my head and food to eat." Saying these things, does not make me feel any happier.
I'm right with you on having a hard time believing happy thoughts.

This is an older thread, so I hope you went on to Session 3, which is using compassionate self talk. That will help you get to happy thoughts. It has helped me a lot.

I was hospitalized last year and I am still trying to find joy in my life.
The only thing that I enjoyed before my hospitalization my watching basketball games on television. I did continue doing this during the entire recent basketball season.
I watched almost every game that my team played.
But other than that, I am still trying to find something that brings me happiness.
I used to love to read books. That is one thing I want to bring back into my life,
but it seems that I lack the focus and concentration that I once had to be able
to read a book. I will try as hard as I can to bring reading back into my life somehow.
My sister says for me to go out and do something that makes me happy.
Well, I suffer from Major Depressive Disorder and people like me have a
really difficult time finding ANYTHING that makes them happy.
My sister doesn't understand that I am not the same person that I was
a few years ago.....free, independent, confident. I now suffer from
social anxiety. Years ago I drove all the way from Arizona to Idaho by
myself ! Now I can only drive ten miles from my apartment ... and then
I just want to go home. A pretty drastic change. I can only spend 1/1 hour
in the grocery store and then I must go home. If I go to too many doctors
appointments or run too many errands at one time I get exhausted...and I
want to go home. I am trying to take baby steps to help me with the anxiety,
but it is going to take time. And sometimes I just want to be "cured"
and move on with my life and be that confident, free and independent
gal I used to be. Oh, there I am...comparing my past with my present
again ! Ahhhhhh.