Tag Archives: Therapy

Weekly Check-In

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! It is Saturday evening and I am starting to do my weekly check-ins again. I just want to keep you the reader as engaged as possible. I know it sounds silly especially since I just talk about my boring life.

So, this week I went back to work after being gone for about a month due to medical reasons. Well technically I was on leave due to a trauma. A trauma that hit me to my core that sadly triggered some severe PTSD symptoms from past traumas. Traumas that I personally don’t really want to deal with especially things I thought I already dealt with.

Enough with discussing trauma and back to discussing work. Being back to work is a bit weird. I am happy to be back to work but it just feels weird. I love my job and am grateful to be back and only had to take my extra break once.

Part of my work week I spent two days at the Peer Pathways Conference. It was a huge growing experience for me. Hell, it was a growing experience for many in attendance for many folks who attended the conference this year. It was also great to meet in person again. I did have some sensory overload during the conference however I enjoyed myself.

I also had a session with my therapist which was hard but hard in a good way. My therapist is awesome and appreciated what she has to say. I also had an appointment with my psychiatric nurse practitioner. We of discussed meds and one of them was increased to help with my PTSD symptoms.

It wouldn’t be a weekly check-in without discussing my awesome cat, Billie. I love my cat and am grateful to have him in my life. It is hard to think about life without him. He is a very good and loving kitty.

I don’t have much more to say. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Walk
  • Mindfulness Meditation
  • Work
  • Dinner with neighbors
  • Art (Color)
  • Spend time with my cat, Billie

Monday

  • Walk
  • Mindfulness Meditation
  • Art (color)
  • Work
  • Spend time with my cat Billie

Tuesday

  • Walk
  • Mindfulness Meditation
  • Work
  • Art (color)
  • Spend time with my cat, Billie

Wednesday

  • Walk
  • Mindfulness Meditation
  • Peer Pathways Conference
  • Art (color)
  • Spend time with my cat, Billie

Thursday

  • Walk
  • Mindfulness Meditation
  • Peer Pathways Confernce
  • Dinner with my grandpa to celebrate his birthday
  • Spend time with my cat, Billie
  • Art (color)

Friday

  • Walk
  • Mindfulness Meditation
  • Lunch with a good friend from high school
  • Appointment with my therapist
  • Appointment with my psychiatric nurse practitioner
  • Art (color)

Saturday

  • Walk
  • Mindfulness Meditation
  • Farmers Market
  • Art (color)

Struggling with Recent Sexual Assault but Using Coping Skills & Self Care Techniques to Help

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World from Seattle, Washington. It is 1:11 in the morning Seattle time and I am unable to sleep. I am unable to sleep mainly due to a recent rape I’ve experience within the last few days ago. I am dealing with some very intense emotions regarding the sexual assault.

As I am tired and sleeping I am hoping to get some sleep tonight and I hope the coping skills and self care techniques I use will be helpful. I of course am planning on doing creative stuff. I will of course be doing work on diamond art as well as doing some coloring. Of course I will be doing some crafting of Latching Hooking which I am still trying to get the hang of doing the proper techniques. Now as the crossing stitching I am getting better at it and learning the various stitches.

I don’t have much more to say in this particular blog. I just want to thank you for reading my blog even though it is a little on the depressing side.Peace Out World!!!

Weekly Check-In

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! It is officially that time of week where I do my weekly check in. This past week has been a pretty good week. My current work schedule changed and I now work Sunday through Thursday. I have mixed feelings about it but once I get used to it, I know it will work to not just my benefit but the benefit of the clients I serve. I really like my job. I am, however, wondering if I am doing a good job as well as if I am a good fit for the team I am on. I know I am being self conscious about how I do at work. My supervisor says it’s “imposter syndrome.”

I may not be sure if what my boss says about the imposter syndrome thing, I know that I am doing well overall in regards to my mental health challenges. I, saw my therapist on Tuesday. It went well. She also emailed my psychiatric nurse practitioner stating how well I am doing mental health wise.

Speaking of my psychiatric nurse practitioner, I saw her yesterday. She too thinks I am doing well. So well that if I continue doing as well as I am doing, she is going to reduce my antidepressant to a lower dose. A lower dose that will make it, the lowest that it could go that will work effectively. I am excited about this.

One of the things that has been helping with my mental health challenges is volunteering at PAWS Cat City. Due to my work schedule changing, the day, I volunteer changed as well. I now volunteer on Friday mornings. I miss volunteering on Sunday mornings but I will get use to Friday mornings.

In between, working, volunteering and attending appointments, I have been reading. I have been reading a book on tarot cards. I am wanting to learn how to read tarot cards so it can help me with my recovery. I also hope that one day I can help others with their recovery with learning how to read tarot cards. I am slowly learning about tarot cards and am finding it fascinating.

I do not have much more to say about my week. Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Walk twenty to thirty minutes while listening to a podcast
  • Work
  • Work on a recovery based workbook
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Monday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Walk twenty to thirty minutes while listening to a podcast
  • Work
  • Work on a recovery based workbook
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Walk twenty to thirty minutes while listening to a podcast
  • Work
  • Therapy
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Walk twenty to thirty minutes while listening to a podcast
  • Work
  • Work on a recovery based workbook
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Thursday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Walk twenty to thirty minutes while listening to a podcast
  • Work
  • Work on a recovery related workbook
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Friday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice through the Calm App
  • Walk twenty to thirty minutes while listening to a podcast
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Appointment with psychiatric nurse practitioner
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Saturday

  • Mindfulness mediation practice with the Calm App
  • Walk twenty to thirty minutes while listening to a podcast
  • Work on a recovery based workbook
  • Clean apartment
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Plans & Hopes for the Near & Far Future

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! It is just barely after twelve thirty in the middle of the night here in Seattle. I just wanted to tell you my hopes and plans as well as how I plan on doing all this, specifically for my future. A few months ago I ordered what I thought was a set of two journals from Amazon which turned out to be a set of six journals. So, earlier yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, I figured out what I am going to with the journals. So, I am going to start the day writing a journal entry with what my hopes and plans for the day will be. At the end of the day I will journal as well regarding what I accomplished for the day regarding my plans and if my hopes for the day were what I hoped for.

My hopes and plans coincide with each other as it is not only recovery related to my mental health recovery as well as just everyday stuff. So my everyday plans are to go to work when scheduled and to clean my apartment as my apartment is a disaster area as well as continue to go to therapy. Now my hopes that I plan on becoming plans is to learn about tarot cards and do a specific tarot journal on what the tarot cards tell me. Another hope that I plan on becoming plans is to do workbooks to help with my recovery. In all actuality, I think my hopes and plans will ultimately help with my mental health even though my mental health is doing quite well at the moment.

It is getting late and I am getting tired so I am going to end this particular blog post. Thank 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. Happy Holidays and Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Blog
  • Spend Time with my cat, Billie
  • Read Book

Monday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Blog
  • Spend an hour cleaning apartment
  • Read Book

Tuesday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Blog
  • Read Book
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City

Wednesday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Blog
  • Work
  • Read Book

Thursday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Blog
  • Work
  • Therapy
  • Read Book

Friday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Blog
  • Work
  • Read Book
  • Watch Movies

Saturday

  • Daily Calm on the Calm App
  • Daily Walk
  • Blog
  • Spend an hour cleaning apartment
  • Read Book
  • Watch Movies

Recovery Looks Differently for People

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Saturday from Seattle. I am going to discuss how recovery looks differently for people. For me I go to therapy and see a psychiatric nurse practitioner who prescribes my psychiatrist nurse practitioner. Going to therapy also helps me with my recovery.

Another thing I do is mindfulness and meditation. I do this by doing mindfulness workbooks as well doing the Calm App; Both are helpful with my recovery. I also do recovery related workbooks. Workbooks help a great deal along with mindfulness and meditation.

I am going to start doing tarot cards to help with my recovery. I even have a recovery tarot journal that I will do whenever I do a tarot reading. I will do normal journaling

And of course Billie my cat is an Emotion Support Animal and has helped me a great deal with my depression. Having an ESA is quite helpful for me.

So this how I work with my recovery.. I want to thank you for you reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Struggling & Making an Effort to Feel Better Emotionally

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! I’ve been struggling with PTSD and Depression the last couple of weeks. Partly because I lost my new job and mainly due to some traumatic events in my life that don’t count losing a job. I’ve been applying for new jobs because I need the money to pay the bills even though I know of resources I can go to to help.

I’ve been applying to jobs in fast food even thought I don’t want to work fast food or retail but I need the money to pay the bills. I would rather work as a peer specialist or in the human service feild but right now a job is job and I can’t be too picky right so I can pay bills.

Things that I plan on doing are DBT skills and new hobbies like Latch hooking or attempting to teach myself. I also plan on doing some art by coloring and reading some books. And of course reading some books. I also have a twenty minute check in via phone with my therapist later today. Last but not least doing art work with coloring and spending time with my cat Billie.

I don’t have much more to say. I do want to thank you for reading my blog and hope I’m not boring anyone of you. If it wasn’t for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. So thank you for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Updates on Billie & Internet Issues

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Friday, World!!! First and fore most I took this entire week off of work due to stomach flu as well as mental health stuff. Well all expect yesterday when I took the day off to take Billie to the vet to get some major dental work done Plus I had therapy yesterday as well. I would have told you sooner but my home internet is having some issues. So I am spending time with my family and their internet. I hope to update with you about my new job when my home internet is fixed. I hope everyone has a great Friday and Peace Out World!!!!