Under Construction - MHWA Retreat

How was the end of the 2010s for you? How has the start of the 2020s gone?
The end of the 2010s was about the same as the prior decade; however, my physical and mental health had a few more downs than before. I have been trying to learn new banking practices and also additional concerns where my husband and I live, have caused changes that have been a bit disruptive to our live. .

What have you been up to lately? Any new year (or decade) resolutions going on? The only resolutions I have made are to let go of anxieties and to enjoy my life more with my husband. This I work on daily.

How were your holidays? Did you travel? See family? Get any nice gifts? The holidays were nice and without incident and that always make them good. Spending time with my husband is always great; we think and act alike and that is so wonderful in a relationship.

How has your mental health been lately? Any new therapy, medication, or self-care progress? My mental health has been good; however, the OCD sometimes gets out of hand. I do better when I acknowledge that OCD is “false messages” and I do what I can to lower it with exercise, getting engaged in another behavior for a while, deep breathe, eat nutritious foods and drink chamomile tea. I am trying to be more aware of what causes OCD and why and when it happens. This is helping me to cope better.

Anything new with your writing or other hobbies? What have you been doing on WDC lately? I have begun writing my memoire and trying to get back to my second edition book. I just now—January 19, 2020—got back into my book and am writing a few articles for W.com

Do you have any non-labor intensive ideas for the group? (ie. things that would be fun to do together as a group that wouldn't require a lot of time/planning?) Share with each other the fun things that have been helping your mental state. No matter how trivial or whatever—share what you want with the rest of the group. (For me—eating peanuts, having a yougurt—smiling for no good reason—watching funny Youtube clips of I Love Lucy or some other funny sitcom is really elevating my mood and helping me to cope better with this OCD stuff.