It's been tough - not because we don't love our parents, but because once you get used to a certain lifestyle, and it gets taken from you - there's no other way to feel.
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| Sometimes you have to give yourself a check up. |
I know, I know - "Boo hoo Deric, you're staying for free at your mom's place, while you're getting paid for it". I know that - WE know that, but there's more to the story than simply getting paid. We didn't have time to prepare, we had to move out, without any of our stuff, but you all know the story.
The point here is a good one, especially as we head into fall, where the days get shorter, and we see less sunlight, and want to spend less time outdoors. It's about working to stay in good shape; good mental shape.
I'm in no way a doctor, or expert on the matter of mental health, but through experiences of my own, and working for a company that provides mental health support every day, I've learned that it's not easy, nor obvious when you're feeling a little 'unwell'. Sometimes it can happen just because you lose your routine a little bit - and when you don't have anything to do, sometimes not wanting to do anything becomes your new norm.
Since I've been back at "home", I've been reminded of this every day - I'm back in the basement, in my old room (albeit it's been converted to another closet for my mom and stepfather), without a car, without any errands to run, and without anything to really have to "do". By the time the weekends come, and Michelle and I can see each other (like we're kids again), we're so used to do nothing, that we've had to make it a point to keep ourselves busy.
Add to that, the fact that we're used to eating home cooked meals (nearly), every evening, and you can imagine that my/our routine(s) have been ripped to shreds.
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When we learned at the most recent meeting that the condo delay was worse than we thought, the first thing I said to Michelle was that above all else, we needed to make sure we made this delay as easy on ourselves mentally, as possible. We're both frugal enough that we didn't want to spend the $150.00 a day they're paying us, but I knew that it would be worth it to spend some on renting cars, and treating ourselves to a hotel every once in a while - and it has been.
We've been working, hard, in fact to make sure we stay as connected to the life that's on hold right now, as we can. Playing a sport with our good friends in Toronto every week, hanging out with them (when we can), and taking a drive through our neighbourhood when we have the opportunities on weekends. It's been a test, but so far, we are doing well enough to pass.
It's not just us however, it might be some of you too - for whatever reason - feeling a little down, as fall sets in. I remember some of the best advice I was given when I was depressed, was to get outside in the sun as much as possible, exercise, and plan your days (forcing yourself into a routine). Now, it wasn't as easy as that to get back on track, and to feel as good as I have since then, but these are things that we should all make sure to do, if you're feeling sluggish, antisocial, or just 'blah'. 99% of the time, it's nothing, probably just an off-day, but if you feel like you're down, or notice someone who is - it's not normal, or healthy to have 'off-weeks' or 'off-months', and it might be time to make a change for the better.
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If you feel like you need to talk to someone, I would suggest checking with your benefits to see if you have access to an EAP, or if you don't my company has set up a great tool for anyone to chat quickly (for free of course, you know how cheap I am), with a professional about any issues you may be facing, here.
If you feel like you need to talk to someone, I would suggest checking with your benefits to see if you have access to an EAP, or if you don't my company has set up a great tool for anyone to chat quickly (for free of course, you know how cheap I am), with a professional about any issues you may be facing, here.
Aside from that - I hope everyone is having a great fall so far, and I hope you all stay happy and healthy - and hope for Michelle and I, that you soon see a blog post about us getting our keys, and getting back to the life we hoped we'd have by now!
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