The Sun🌞continues to Shine😁

It was 1 year ago today, (with the thanks of the “Bell Let’s Talk” initiative) that I openly talked about my struggles with depression. I have to say, I am SO happy I did! The people who reached out to me about their struggles and the compassion toward my struggles have indeed been incredible. I am touched that there are so many kind people in my world that have opened up and confided to me, and offered their shoulder and listening ear if I need it.

What have I learned in the past year?
If you talk about it you can get the help you need. By letting people know the signs to look out for when I am starting to “spiral downward” I get the support and help I need. It doesn’t have to be talking to another person in person though. Just getting your emotions out in any way that works for you is the goal; I often find that I on bad days I am on the verge of tears and absolutely do not want to talk to anyone. But, I will text. Texting with certain people in my life has worked wonders for me in working through my emotions and trying to keep my head above water. Thank you to those people for being there for you, you know who you are!

I have learned that I am not alone, actually FAR from it. It is a way more common health issue than, I am sure, most of you realize. So many people struggle with depression and don’t even know they have it. I know people that I wish would open up to me because I can see they are struggling but they just keep carrying on struggling every step of the way. This makes me so sad as I know that if they at least talked in confidence to their doctor or other confidant about it this would make a difference and get them moving in the right direction.
I have learned that for me medication DOES work, and I NEED it. I tried reducing my dosage when I felt I was in a really good place. I felt good for a couple of weeks, then after about 3 or 4 weeks noticed some things that I chose to ignore. I, once again as I did in the beginning, found excuses for feeling down; PMS, not enough sleep, stress. Well, after about 5 weeks I had gone into a deep, dark spiral and realized I needed to go back to where I was. What I realized was that the medication takes a while to get out of your system, and then to get back in it as well. Sure enough at week 3 my body was reacting to being on less of the serotonin it needs that my body doesn’t produce enough of. Then I just got worse and worse. When I finally accepted that I do need my original dosage and went back up, again it took my body time to adapt and get back on track. Lesson learned. Would I try this again? Maybe yes! I had let those who are close to me know what was going on, and they were helping me and keeping an eye on me, so it was tough, yet my support network was there. Too many people dismiss meds and insist on dealing with depression their own way, but I encourage people to at least try some to see if there is a change. There are so many different ones out there and if one doesn’t work, don’t assume all don’t; there are tons.

One other thing I learned is that I need to be around things and people that make me happy and

avoid those that don’t. I no longer waste my time being with those who bring me down, and am spending more and more time with the people that care about me and that I love to be around. I used to worry about pleasing everyone, but now I know my happiness is in my hands and I surround myself only with those who can provide this! I find, for the first time in my life, that I am putting myself and my well-being first. I have also realized that Finley, our dog, is an absolutely incredible therapy tool and I encourage anyone out there who doesn’t own a dog to consider it! He helps me in ways I can’t even describe! He is a constant, complete joy in my life and I love him as unconditionally as he loves me!

If you d
I am ecstatic that many people have come forward and been able to open up to me, and said it was because of my blog. That truly touched me. My purpose of writing about my troubles with depression was to help people understand what it looks, sounds, and feels like. Many people weren’t able to put a label on theirs until I put it all out there in words and they realized that “Yes! That is exactly what I feel!” If I just affected one person it would have been worth it, but thankfully, I had a ton of responses and people coming to thank me for opening up.

All in all it was totally, completely worth it and I would continue to encourage others to seek the help or the listening ear they need to get through it.

Remember………Suzy Sunshine is ALWAYS here to listen and talk.

Your Suzy Sunshine “ray” of the day!🤣

To Purge or not to purge?

Do I or don’t I?  When did I last use/wear it?  Is it worth keeping it for that one time a year I use/wear it? Do I have the storage space for it?  Can I use/wear something else in place of it that I already have?

All questions we should be asking ourselves a few times a year when we chose to re-organize or purge our rooms or homes.  I personally think it is a good idea to go through your stuff seasonally.  Even if you choose a couple of rooms to tackle each season.

I believe that as far as clothing goes, every time you do your seasonal clothing “swap out” you should think critically about what you are putting away  and whether or not you wear it anymore?  I am not going to delve into this anymore here as I have already dedicated a blog to this called “Seasonal Clothing Swap-out.”

So, for the other parts of your house, think about setting up some time to go through your stuff and purge as needed.  I think the best way to tackle this is to actually schedule time in your planner for this and STICK TO THIS TIME! Don’t devote more than a day or a weekend to this purging task because you will more likely get frustrated, drag your feet, and not actually do it and get it done.  If you put aside the time to do it you are more likely to….well….DO IT!!!

More and more people these days are “collectors” or items (In actuality I want to say hoaders, but this term is denied my many!) People believe they need the  newest of everything and therefore are constantly feeling the need to keep up with others by buying the newest and best of everything.  They figure they need to for some reason.

What is happening to all the stuff that works perfectly well but is just 1 season out of date?  Nothing!  It’s likely sitting in your closet or your garage.  You don’t want to get rid of it because it is still pretty new; you only had it one year, so you don’t feel right getting rid of it?

Sound familiar?  I hear people talking all the time about how much stuff they, their spouses or their children have, and how they are not willing to part with perfectly good things.  Where does this leave us? With a FULL HOUSE!

My recommendations:

• Buy less stuff…..or at least think more about what you’re buying and if you really need it.
• Consider second hand.  I am a total and complete believer in second hand and love being able to buy things off people who need the newest things. (Even though I am benefiting from you people who like the newest and best, I still encourage you to try to cut back!!)
• Sell on all the websites that are available for free on line!  It is so easy and it’s a great way to both buy and sell good items.  You don’t even need to talk or see anyone, you can do “Porch pick up” which just requires some trust and a mailbox!
• Give or donate to a friend or charity.   The Salvation Army is my favourite charity with so many good points about them…check them out on line and you’ll see what I mean!

There you have it, I certainly hope that I have made at least a few of you think more about “Keeping up with the Joneses” as they say!

Your Simply Susan tip of the day! 😁