A week without my parents

Hi guys and gals. Just wanted to update on what's going on as I haven't been posting as much this week.

So on Tuesday, my parents went away on vacation for a week, leaving me and my older sister at home. The first day, it was like they hadn't even left, I felt just as solid as I had been the days before.

Yesterday wasn't too bad, either. Went round to a friend's house yesterday evening for a catch up and to chill out. All good fun.

Today hasn't been so kind to me. I've not been sleeping too well (constant awakenings) and I think it's starting to take its toll. I've used a couple of over-the-counter sleeping aids, and this morning I started to feel ever so slightly detached from my surroundings. As a result, I've been getting ever so slightly anxious that I'm going to lose all the progress I've made.

However, I have taken steps to alleviate this. I bought a tally counter that raises by one every time you click it. I did this so any time I felt anxious or thought something bad (in an unreasonable way, thinking a bad thought about someone driving awfully for example, is perfectly normal), I could acknowledge it and get on with what I was doing rather than get stuck in my head.

I suppose I'm sharing this because it might be a coping strategy people want to try, and also to address that it's OK if you have a bad day. Just put it behind you and greet every day with a smile.

Oh, and if you're interested, here's my current tallies of anxious thoughts/feelings that I caught with their proverbial hands in the cookie jar.

Tuesday - 13
Wednesday - 43
Thursday - 40 (so far).

N.C.,

I read about your tally technique yesterday in another post, and thought it was great! This can really help you become aware of your daily status.

Sorry to hear this day is starting off a bit rough, but I can tell from your post that you have the right mindset to get you through!

Keep using your coping skills and positive outlook, and you will be fine.:)

I think soon, you will be using your counter to tally good thoughts and feelings!!

S.C.

You are doing just fine, you will get thru this time without your parents. You have great tools and are using them daily, this is a huge step up from where you were a couple months ago. So great job, keep working it.

Hi NC

Thanks for your update

It sounds like you have good coping strategies in place so continue to use them whilst your parents are away. That sounds like a great idea with the counter I may try that myself at the moment I have an elastic band round my wrist and every time I have an anxious thought I pull the band so it slaps my skin and it helps me get my thoughts back on track.

Keep us posted.

Hibee

No problem. If you ever have any questions about it, just ask. :)

It's a learned behaviour, it takes a while to become automatic.

Can you give me a few examples?