Coaching Approach

People who know me well will tell you that I am not a girlie person - I never was. In this sense, I suppose many would say I am 'atypical'.  I don't eat chocolate and I would rather shove needles in my eyes than watch Sex and the City. I have only one girlie trait: I love shoes...

I have felt rather 'blue' lately. As a result, I have felt frustrated with myself. After all, the beginning of a new year is supposed to be a time of setting new goals and of eager anticipation. I have not been feeling like setting goals and I have lost my sense of anticipation. I haven't even felt like writing - hence my long silence.

A few months ago, my friend and neighbour, the lovely S,  gave me a little pink fridge magnet which says 'Eat cake - it's good for you'. It's a great little thing; the problem is that I have been following its advice a bit too enthusiastically....

I have been baking AND eating cakes. It would be OK if I just baked them but, once out of the oven, that cake smell is irresistible.

There was a time when I used to get all excited about Christmas. Just in case you don't believe me, have a look at the picture below.

I look at that picture and I think "is that really me?!" Nowadays, I seem to have lost my Christmas zest. I used to think it was because of the depression (which of course had something to do with it) but I now know there is something else at play here. Something beyond my being clinically depressed.

I have conversations with my cat. Even more astonishingly, my cat has conversations with me. I often ask myself what the noises she hears and makes actually mean to her and, even though I have no answer to my question, I regularly marvel at our rapport.

Finding the language to describe and communicate how I am feeling on the recovery path is always a challenge. This is why I love images so much, both graphically and metaphorically. (A big thank you to my son Greg for all the cartoons on this site).

My wonderful son Greg, his lovely partner Rebecca, and their delightful little daughter Lilly have now gone home after spending  a week with us in Wolverhampton. Here is a photo of the three of them ready to go for a walk.

An interesting thing is happening to me at the moment: having felt physically exhausted for a good long while, and although my physical energy is low, my brain is packed full of things I want to say. This is classic bi-polar, of course, and the medical literature refers to this as the 'racing mind'. Or is it?