The ups and downs of life, and how to feel better

 

Hello friends,

Last week was a funny week, up and down, and it was all to do with my lymphedema. I don’t feel like it’s getting better, and things just felt on top of me and overwhelming. Hence, I haven’t been in touch. I’ve just been doing home stuff and not much that’s creative.

I’ve been feeling really down about it but I know low moods pass. They’re like clouds in the sky. At that moment it felt really cloudy and just too heavy for me.

I did a few admin tasks with my healthcare providers, and decided that had to be enough.

I don’t know why I’m telling you all this, except to say that life isn’t always sunny, even though we’ve had beautiful sunny winter days here lately. I enjoyed my outdoor walks each day, so I guess all I can do is look for the good things.

❤️ A sunny walk after a frosty start.

❤️ A good swimming session .

❤️ Reading (and please don’t laugh!) Sweet Valley High books. I bought a vintage retro lot on Trade Me (New Zealand’s version of eBay), and I’m revisiting my early teens. It’s very comforting right now. They were my favourite books back in the early to mid-1980s. I couldn’t love the pastel covers more. And my sister found me the first 12 books of Sweet Valley Twins at a thrift store. Such fun!

 

Reading makes me happy :)

So things are what they are. Life isn’t always wonderful. But I know the clouds will move on. Apart from the lymphedema, I’m otherwise healthy, and I have so many other good things to be grateful for too.

I had a lovely weekend. The coffee ladies came to my place on Saturday. I had the fire going, and made a ‘Devils Food’ chocolate cake before they arrived. It was a Betty Crocker mix, but I used butter and milk instead of oil and water, along with the eggs.

Being around other people was just the tonic to help me forget about things for a few hours and just be a normal person again, instead of getting too much in my head, overthinking everything, and letting it all press down on me.

Yay for that :)

~~

 

{Winter vines in our street}

A big help to me feeling better is to focus on my mindset.

There are days when I feel really good and have a happy day. And then there are days when it all gets too much and I feel weighed down. Nothing has changed between those two days except my thoughts.

I don’t know if my lymphedema will be permanent. No one knows, not even my surgeon or breast cancer physiotherapist. It’s an unknown thing.

So why am I getting myself down by telling myself that it will be?

In the beginning, I told myself it was only temporary and that things would work out. It felt much better to say that to myself than, ‘I’m going to be stuck like this forever. It’s going to get worse.’

Yes, there is a chance it could be permanent, but there’s also a chance it could resolve.

One friend wore her compression sleeve for two years, fifteen years ago. She told me her arm is still a little larger than the other, but it’s not something she thinks about day-to-day. She doesn’t wear compression anymore and it’s not an issue.

Things like that give me hope. And why shouldn’t that be me too?

So the clouds have passed in my mind. There are still a few around, but I’m not looking at them. I’m looking at the blue sky.

I’m telling myself positive statements too, which helps me take positive action. It’s all heading towards feeling empowered, rather than feeling helpless.

Wow, that positive mindset stuff really works, Fiona. Who knew!

That’s why I love mindset work so much, and why it’s woven throughout every single one of my books. It really does allow you to create a good life and feel better when you’re going through the hard times.

And we all have hard times.

My dad’s eight-year anniversary of passing is today. We all had lockdown in 2020. In 2023, our area was hit by a cyclone and flooding, and people died. And 2026 is my cancer recovery year.

There’s been a lot of big things to take action on, and I can stay in a helpful mindset.

So I’m here today to say I’m feeling better.

And if you need this post, I hope it’s helpful for you.

All my love,

xx Fiona

 

 

 

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