Is Turtle finally coming up for a swim ?

 

Hello again dear Turtlies ,

My dear Otter sister has been pestering me to return to this amazing blogging world and so here I am , but I must first mention the big elephant in the room (well , there are two , I’ll get on the other one when I’m feeling a little bit more courageous ) .

I’ve only mentioned briefly here and there my lows and my blues because I didn’t want them to have a lot of presence on this blog  ( that I intended to be a relaxing and happy place for you to visit ) . But I am who I am , and I act and react to life the way I do because I have these lows and the highs too .

It is just a part of me – like the curly hair or the hazel green eyes I was born with , the sensitivity to light and sound , the need for music and the sea – it is something that I have been learning to live with , and it sure has its good side along with the not so funny parts .

So , I do not intend this blog to be about mental health or lack thereof –  specially since I am not an expert or a professional in the field – but I will from time to time mention my lows and the highs (umm…maybe those will be better kept under wraps) as they do affect my life , and maybe , just maybe , some of you reading will feel better about your own struggles with these waves a few of us lucky ones are constantly surfing up and down  (while trying not to fall flat on our faces) .

First big elephant in the room acknowledged . Hello Elephant 🙂

This blog is slowly turning into a Zoo : we have otters , turtles , and elephants so far , and soon to show up there are black dogs and even big black bears 😉

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And now , to what has been going on …

 

See the turtle down there ? Lying on the bottom of the sea , hiding between the grasses and the corals ? In a don’t bother me or with me attitude ? that’s basically what’s been going on around here for the last two months and a half or so , with your Turtle .

 

 

Laying low in between sea grasses and corals

Not swimming around , not surfing the good waves ( well , I don’t actually surf yet , but I like to watch the major competitions ) , not listening to music ( this time not even my Robbie got through the fog )  or interacting much with others .

The big black dog ( this time it felt more like a big black giant bear ) landed on my shoulders this year with a revenge and way too early in the Spring . It usually makes a show around the end of April , beginning of May and it gives me little warnings so I can prepare and brace myself .

This very strange spring we’re having this year – and I understand it’s all over , not just here – brought my big D much too early and with no warnings whatsoever . So , from one day to the next I stopped listening or wanting to listen to music ( always a warning sign ) , not wanting to go out or doing anything and sleeping a lot ( and I mean a lot ) . Bang ! just like that .

What’s a turtle to do ? Retire , withdraw , and sleep away the malaise . Remove or ignore all stress , rest a lot , and try very very hard not to switch off completely . Because I’ve learned that if I withdraw for too long or get into a very long spell of sleeping 18 to 20 hours a day my mind turns to mush (never mind the body) and it’s a whole lot more difficult then to climb out of the hole .

And climb out I did .

(to be continued)

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note : this is my blog and my life and my choice to use the words lows , blues , hole , big black dog , riding the waves , and some others that I like to use , and not the clinical ones used by professionals .

I do understand and respect the use of the “proper” words to describe mental and health conditions , and the value of calling attention to the proper diagnosis , but keeping with the intended lightness of this blog and considering  I’m not giving any medical advice , just sharing my life and what works for me I prefer to use my turtle words . What I talk about in this turtle blog of mine  are merely strategies for coping with side effects , not treatment of a serious condition .

If you are feeling very low please do consult a professional and pay no attention to what this crazy Turtle says .

Depression is serious and it kills .

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Coming back slowly so as not to stress too much 🙂 so the “climbing up” will be up sometime soon 😉

 

Big Turtle Hugs ❤  ❤  ❤

It surely feels good to be back 🙂  🙂  🙂