GV27:

 

some backwater South Island town like Dunedin. 

 

OI!

😬

😋 It really is a backwater 😍

As Covid-19 creeps ever closer to Te whanganui a tara my anxiety grows stronger. I am starting to dread the 1pm announcements.

MikeB4:

 

As Covid-19 creeps ever closer to Te whanganui a tara my anxiety grows stronger. I am starting to dread the 1pm announcements.

 

I can imagine that would make you somewhat anxious. 

nzkiwiman:

 

OI!

 

😬

 

😋 It really is a backwater 😍

 

I'll be honest, part of me does want to live in a place with an actual winter and the chance to get 50% closer to mortgage free AND have a better house isn't lost on me. 

But workwise I would have to step back towards what I used to do and that part of my life is over for good, thank god. 

nzkiwiman:

GV27:

some backwater South Island town like Dunedin. 

OI!

😬

😋 It really is a backwater 😍

 

My anxiety around my kids attending school is being somewhat offset by the fact they are much happier at school than they were learning at home, and that despite it being a stupidly small number of days they are returning, the teachers have worked *really* hard to give unique experiences and they are getting to do stuff they usually don't do at school including cooking, cultural sharing and some other really cool activities. Seeing them smiling from ear to ear is something I really need to see. It's been pretty tough having to say no so many times and let them know they can't go to camps, and other activities they have been looking forward to for months.

I wasn't really surprised, but it was nice to see just how happy the teachers were to be back at school and seeing their kids for the first time in months. I still disagree with the decision, but at least it's not all bad.

This has been one of the worst 3+ months of my life, stressful in ways and to levels I could never have conceived of thanks to trying to replace staff, onboarding them remotely and then having immigration NZ being totally rigid and inflexible with their approach whilst the rest of the Government demands totally flexibility and compromise in return. I don't recall the last decent nights sleep I've had.

psychrn: Mental Health Issues Very much highlighted over the last few weeks over the olympics and sport high performance. Simone Biles the US Gymnast and locally Olivia Podmore Cyclist Suicide.,

Very sad what happened to our cyclist.

My daughter was an elite swimmer through Juniors, in fact I say with some pride she used to beat one of our recent Olympians at the nationals.

I used to worry a little about the pressure side of elite sport. So when my girl told me she did not want to swim anymore, I was actually relieved. Aside from not having to get up at five am during school weeks, I was pleased she was no longer living it twenty four hours a day, diet, training, obsessing about personal bests.

These kids do not even get reward from winning all their races, all they care about is beating their pb, beating themselves in other words. That can be very unhealthy.

As for general things mental health, I suffered a string of head injuries that ended my career. I must say that in a round about way that is was the best thing that happened to me. Working in mental health for decades is incredibly stressful and I am sure you agree can be very rewarding. Humbling work. Keep up the good work folks...talk talk talk...or if it is a friend....listen listen listen. And go easy on yourselves, you are the only person that can really convince yourself that you are worthy of a happy and fulfilling life.

got up and saw this thread, asking for a friend

can't fall asleep and then finally falls asleep but wakes up in middle of night and can't fall asleep

been going on for a while, told him it's somehow related to stress/anxiety but he's very tired but brain just won't sleep

any ideas?

Batman:

 

got up and saw this thread, asking for a friend

 

can't fall asleep and then finally falls asleep but wakes up in middle of night and can't fall asleep

 

been going on for a while, told him it's somehow related to stress/anxiety but he's very tired but brain just won't sleep

 

any ideas?

 

Hi, your friend needs to have a chat with the family Doctor. Sleep issues can be from a really wide range of factors. Sleep hygiene (yep it is a thing) will give a guide of things that help to promote sleep, however if the underlying cause is medical then it will have limited impact.

You are right to think about mental health and sleep, lack of sleep is a core symptom of a lot of mental disorders. There are also a raft of physical causes such as hormone imbalances, being overweight, restless legs syndrome and so forth.

If your friend has health insurance, and they do not have any joy with going through the family Doctor, they can ask for a referral to see a sleep specialist. Many sleep specialists are also respiratory specialists, which gives you a sense of the role physical health plays in this area.

There are many natural remedies for sleep, the over the counter stuff you can get from health shops, however these are not necessarily safe for all to use. Some seemingly harmless things like tart cherry can interact with blood thinners and other medications.

So again, a chat with your Gp is the starting point;

It is very important to have a good relationship with your GP. If they are not helpful, shop around folks. Hope that helps your friend, I know it seems a cop out, but most health issues need to be ruled out by a GP first.

I did ask him to see his GP, but i can't drag him there

Batman:

 

I did ask him to see his GP, but i can't drag him there

 

Big problem hey. I have been that guy, probably most of us have, what tends to happen is if things don't improve, or get worse, people have to get pretty desperate to get over the line hey. Real Kiwi thing assuming your friend is a Kiwi.

I dunno if it will help your friend to mention right now his family Doctor will be seeing literally hundreds of people for sleep issues. My personal experience of sleep (I am in my fifties) is that if I go more than seventy two hours with poor sleep I pop off to see the Doc.

A habit I had to learn the hard way. If I am not sleeping for that long then I am not going to be able to pull it back. I have gone months with bad sleep for years. None of it was necessary....but that is the learning everyone has to go through themselves.

The crazy thing, is that when you restore your sleep, you become a different person. Everything flows from sleep.

Constant never ending pain, anxiety. A son in the UK with Covid and still very ill, still unable to take any medication due to the reaction I had, Covid 19 and extreme fatigue is taking a real toll that I don't think I can keep paying.

Batman:

 

got up and saw this thread, asking for a friend

 

can't fall asleep and then finally falls asleep but wakes up in middle of night and can't fall asleep

 

been going on for a while, told him it's somehow related to stress/anxiety but he's very tired but brain just won't sleep

 

any ideas?

 

I used to suffer from moderate insomnia and wakefulness.

Three simple things worked for me and got me away from zopiclone.  These were: Exercise daily, minimise screen time after dark (or use blue-filter); and maintain a regular sleep routine.

MikeB4:

Constant never ending pain, anxiety. A son in the UK with Covid and still very ill, still unable to take any medication due to the reaction I had, Covid 19 and extreme fatigue is taking a real toll that I don't think I can keep paying.

Ge0rge:

MikeB4:

 

Constant never ending pain, anxiety. A son in the UK with Covid and still very ill, still unable to take any medication due to the reaction I had, Covid 19 and extreme fatigue is taking a real toll that I don't think I can keep paying.

 

Hang in there, Mike. You've got amazing family support, and they couldn't do it without you either.

Thanks heaps.

I think I have reached another wall to get over.