Tag Archives: Mental Health

Weekly Check-In

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! It is that time of the week where I do my weekly check-in. I’m not sure how eventful it was, if it was at all. Having a week being uneventful is a good thing. Since my week has been uneventful this will likely be a short and boring post.

If you read my blog regularly, you are aware that, I have been doing a mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App every morning. I have been finding this quite helpful to start my day out. I have also been doing a mindfulness meditation practice mid-day when I am working and this has been quite helpful to decompress the stress of whatever may be going on with my job. I am glad that I started the mid-day mindfulness meditation practice this week. I am finding that I am in a good head space more often since starting my day with a mindfulness meditation practice.

Work is going great. In fact today marks one month since I started my job with the PACT (Program of Assertive Community Treatment) team at my employer. I really enjoy my job. In fact I love it. I spend half of my day outreaching to clients and the other half of the day in the office doing notes or attending meetings. My colleagues on the team I am a part of are awesome and I am grateful for them.

Working full time has made me fully aware of how much I need to do self care. I already mentioned one method of self care I do which is doing a daily mindfulness meditation practice. One of the ways I do self care is volunteering at PAWS Cat City. I love spending time with all the kitties and helping them get furrever homes. Of course another form of self care for me is spending time with my own cat, Billie. I love my cat to the moon and back. Another form of self care I do is going for a twenty to thirty walk every day. Walking not only helps with my physical health but my mental health as well.

As, I realized this week, I need to not only schedule my self care but add more self care to my life. Self care that can be considered hobbies. Of course listening to music is key to my self care and I tend to do this when I am on public transportation going to and from work. Another thing I started doing today is doing artwork as I listened to a podcast. The podcast will vary as well as the artwork I do. Of course reading is on the self care list and I started doing that today. In fact I am reading Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb. I need to make sure I schedule these various self care acts so I can continue doing the type of work I do for my job.

So, that was my week.

No Sleep for Me

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It is just after three o’clock in the morning Seattle time. I haven’t been to sleep yet. Thankfully, the lack of sleep isn’t due to insomnia. I’ve been up due to just getting lost in what I have been doing all night and having fun doing it.

So, I have been awake all night doing artwork. Specifically I have been coloring. I have been coloring as I listen to a podcast. The podcast I have been listening to is on philosophy. The philosophy podcast is Philosophize This. The coloring I have been doing is on a poster and it is coming along. In fact I am seeing a lot more progress than I had thought. Progress that I am proud of. Anyway, once the poster is done, I am thinking I’m going to give it to my mom. I’m also learning a lot from Philosophize This.

Besides coloring and listening to Philosophize This, I also have been reading. I am reading Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb. I am about to start chapter seven. Actually, I am going to start chapter seven later today when my eyes are not so strained. I think they are strained due to staring at a computer at work and being awake since five in the morning yesterday.

Before heading to bed, Billie my cat is happy that I have been paying attention to him most of the night. He is one happy camper. I am one happy cat owner. I love Billie to the moon and back.

I am now headed to bed. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. Have a good day ahead everyone. Peace Out, World!!!

It’s the Weekend

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Friday, World!!! The weekend is finally here. Don’t get me wrong, I love my new job and it’s hard to believe that I’ve been there a month now, it’s just been a long week at work.

Despite it being a long week at work, I am really enjoying the new job. A job that I am grateful for. My job consists of me outreaching most if not all of my clients at some point during the week. The team I am on is PACT (Program of Assertive Community Treatment) and my colleagues on the team are beyond awesome. It appears that the PACT team members are a tight knit group of people and I like that.

As much as I love my job and enjoy the people I work with I am happy it is the weekend. I am planning on relaxing the entire weekend. My plans of course include me volunteering at PAWS Cat City on Sunday morning. I am also planning on spending time at home with my cat, Billie. I love my cat so very much and I know without a shadow of a doubt he loves when I am home. The weather this weekend in Seattle is going to be perfect weather to stay home and basically do nothing as it is supposed to rain all weekend.

With the weather being kind of yucky, I plan to just stay home and do nothing. By nothing I mean, I am going to do some artwork. Specifically, I am going to be coloring a poster I’ve been working on. As I color, I also plan on listening to a podcast on philosophy. Specifically, I will be listening to the podcast, Philosophize This. In fact as I am writing this particular blog post, I am listening to Philosophize This. I really enjoy this podcast.

Besides listening to podcasts and doing art, I am planning on reading. I am going to start reading Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb. I’ve started this book many times and have enjoyed what I read but never got even a quarter of the way through it. So, I am going to be setting out time each day to read. Reading helps me get out of my head and I enjoy reading.

Well, I do not have much more to say in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. I hope you all have a great weekend. Peace Out, World!!!

Sleepless in Seattle Sucks Sh*t

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It is just after two in the morning, Seattle time and I cannot sleep worth shit. My insomnia is kicking in big time at the moment and it sucks shit. I have to get up in two hours and fifty-three minutes for work.

Since, I cannot sleep and have to be up in less than three hours for work I have decided to not turn on my happy light for depression or my lights in my apartment in hopes to keep my brain as much at rest as possible. Since I am wanting my apartment dark right now, I decided to do a handful of mindfulness meditations on the Calm App and it helped me. Now, as I am writing this blog post, I am listening to a podcast about philosophy. Specifically, I am listening to the podcast; Philosophize This I highly recommend. In fact, the podcaster who does this podcast, Stephen West, lives in the Seattle area which is extremely cool.

As I listen to Philosophize This, I have been cuddling with my cat, Billie. Billie is happy that I am awake to pay attention to him. I am beyond grateful to have Billie by my side and for his unconditional love.

Well, I do not have much more to say in the podcast. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Volunteer with PAWS Cat City
  • Visit Grandpa and do laundry at his place
  • Color

Monday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Color

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Color

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Color

Thursday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Color

Friday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Color
  • Spend much needed time with my cat, Billie

Saturday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Color
  • Late lunch/early dinner with friends at Red Robin
  • Read
  • Watch movies

Weekly Check-In

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! This week has been quite a week. I started off this week not feeling well as I was getting over food poisoning I gave myself when making homemade chicken macaroni and cheese. I was unable to go to my volunteer shift last Sunday because of it. Thankfully, I was feeling well enough to go back to work on Monday as I had to miss the Friday before because of the food poisoning.

Work is going well!!! In fact, I really enjoy most aspects of my job. The program manager and my supervisor are super understanding as well as super laid back which is cool. I love the fact that I spend half the day outreaching clients and the other half of the day in the office. Granted when I’m in the office I am in meetings or doing paperwork. Paperwork is one of my least favorite parts of my job but apparently, from past supervisors, I am “really good at doing notes” regarding clients. I’m not sure about being “really good” at the paperwork part of my job but I do it as soon as I am able because it’s one of the least favorite parts of my job.

Knowing that I was starting this new job on January 4th of this year I realized that I would and will need to focus on self-care a lot more than I was already doing. That meant making sure I started doing mindfulness meditation again. I am doing mindfulness meditation through the Calm App. I am finding the Calm App for mindfulness meditation as well as its check-ins extremely helpful. I also started this past week to do two mindful meditations a day; one in the morning and one before bed.

Another form of self-care I have been doing is doing artwork. I have been coloring as well as doing paint by numbers. I also have been doing some cross-stitching. Being creative has been quite helpful.

Of course, my cat, Billie has been the most helpful. Billie is being Billie by just loving me unconditionally and being a great lap cat. I love Billie so much.

This past week has overall been great. Peace Out, World!!!

Home Sick in Bed w/my Cat, Billie By My Side

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning and Happy Friday, World!!! Sadly, I am not feeling well and need to call out sick. I text the two supervisors I have numbers to as well as the program coordinator. I then emailed the program coordinator and the two supervisors had numbers as well as the one I did not have a number to. I also called my direct supervisor and left her voicemail. I just to make sure I get my ass covered. I feel really bad for doing this to the team that I enjoy working on and has been quite supportive of me since day one. I have some awesome colleagues on the PACT. I love working with my team and they are all awesome.

The only think I can see me doing today by being productive is through art is coloring. I plan on doing some but not sure when it will look like once finished. I plan sleeping as well. In facet I am going to back to back to sleep

I hope everyone has a good weekend a head. Peace out, World!!!

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Art (Paint by number and color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Monday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Art (color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Art (color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Art (paint by number)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Thursday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Art (color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Friday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work 
  • Art (color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Saturday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Clean apartment
  • Art (paint by number and color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Weekly Check-In

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! It is that time to do my weekly check-in to discuss how my week went. Overall, my week went well and I am really enjoying my new job. In fact at this point in time, I am loving my job.

This past week I have come to the realization I need to focus on self care as well as time management. For me focusing on both self care and time management will help me with my recovery as well as doing well in my current position as a peer specialist at work. The thing I am doing to help with my self care is doing a daily mindfulness meditation practice. Another way I am doing self care is doing art. Specifically, I am doing coloring as well as doing a paint by number. I am incorporating time management with my self care. I am making sure my mindfulness meditation and art work is scheduled so I am taking care of myself.

Another way I am taking care of myself is spending time with my cat, Billie. My cat means the world to me and I love him to the moon and back. I am so grateful that he chose me during a volunteer shift at PAWS Cat City. Billie has been a great cat and is such a lap cat which I love.

As you can tell life is going really well which is why this weekly check in is short. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. I am very appreciative of you the reader for reading my blog. I hope you continue reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Missing My Grandma on Her Birthday

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! Today is a sad day for me and my family. Today, would have been my grandma’s 93rd birthday. In fact, when I got up this morning, I tried calling her on her cellphone. It breaks my heart when I do this and wish it wasn’t so hard especially since it has been almost five years since she passed away. Sadly, my grandma passed away from complications due to Parkinson’s Disease.

I am honoring my grandma today by spending it with my grandpa and dad as well as my uncles. Another way I am honoring her on her birthday is going through pictures of her. I also bought some cupcakes and I will light a birthday candle on a cupcake to sing happy birthday after dinner tonight. I’m sure she would be appreciative of it.

I do not have much more to say in this blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. I greatly appreciate you the reader, reading my blog. If it was not for you the reader reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!