Need something to lift my mood

**Bumble B** · 08-20-2011 06:54 PM

Hi everyone,I'm new here and hoping to get some advice.

In a nutshell,what works for you when you need to cheer yourself up ?

I feel as though I've all the cares of the world on my shoulders right now. Mainly because of my mother,who lives in a nursing home.
She's paralysed and bedbound by multiple sclerosis,and as if that weren't enough,she's developed dementia.Not to the extent that she no longer knows me,but enough so that she has virtually no short-term memory,so she constantly misunderstands things and repeats herself over and over.
I'm an only child,the nursing home is five minutes' walk from my house,so I visit every day.She's 88,so probably hasn't that much time left,but dealing with the dementia every day is driving me insane.

So any tips on how to relax ? I'm so uptight it's hard to concentrate,I just need ideas to cheer myself up - apart from chocolate,of course !

I'm from England by the way,but had a wonderful holiday in the USA earlier this year.

**Little** · 08-20-2011 07:07 PM

Do a little dance? Make a little love?

Sorry, but that's seriously what I do when I need to get happy. Throw on some of my favorite music and start moving.

Also, you might want to make sure you're getting enough sunshine, especially with fall and winter coming. Lack of sunshine is a known depressant!

For relaxing, I like a hot bath. Going to the gym regularly helps make sure I'm expending enough energy through the day to get a good night's sleep. TV time helps me too - just to turn my mind off for a few hours, really escape into somebody else's story.

Generally, people can somehow get away from their stresses, but that's not really an option for you. Make sure you're taking good care of yourself as well as your mom! It will serve you both well.

**JadedQueen** · 08-22-2011 02:40 AM

Music is a good therapy session, at least for me anyway. Sometimes I will play a song that relates to what I am going through at the time, sometimes something with an upbeat sound that makes me forget about everything but what song is playing and dancing around my living room.

**lady s** · 08-23-2011 08:07 PM

I agree. The right music always makes me feel upbeat. It may sound silly, but I often turn on the Disney children's music station on pandora in the morning with my kids. It helps because they like the music, and while they eat breakfast, the music helps to lift me out of my first-thing-in-the-morning-grog. My favorite method of stress relief, however, is reading a good book. I have to admit that I am one of those women who really get into the teenage romance novels... I haven't read Twighlight, but I am deeply into some of the other similar series. I also really love Nora Roberts. They are "romance" novels. The thing I like about these books is that you don't have to think about it. You can really just loose yourself in the story they are usually light and entertaining. I especially like the trilogies she writes. It really allows for the characters to be well developed. If you haven't read any Nora, I highly recommend it. I hope you can get to feeling better soon!

**mbgirl** · 08-25-2011 11:00 AM

Firstly, sorry about your Mom. Hard to see our loved ones getting older. Very, very tough. I'm starting to realize that as our kids grow up, we then start dealing with our parents. Can be so sad and hurtful.

I find listening to others positive stories really picks me up. I need inspirational messages from my friends to keep me going. As they say, it can always be worse. Hang in there and look around you for positive things happening every day. Children are a great reminder of that.