Now to Settle In

Now to settle in to our new house.

I think we are at that settling in phase now in the house.

We have had all our 'firsts'

Like our the first unlocking of the front door

Our first walk with the dog

We even had our first mouse (sadly Hector is no longer with us!),  then my first cold shower & I've already managed my first night on my own.

You get the picture we're past that stage, now just trying to settle in. I am desperately trying to find a new routine, get some normality back.  I find routine really helps me feel in control & on top of my mood.

Still feel a bit up in the air, with new furniture coming & rooms still not finished as a result.  I've unpacked, I've got things in the 'right' place, I've started decorating & making the place ours but what next?

Where do you start to build a new routine in a new house?
What it is that makes you feel settled, comfortable in your house?- any ideas will be gratefully received!

I looked & used checklists for moving so off to google I headed.  I've not only moved house, I've moved area.  So I have found a few ideas to get me settling in to a new town.

1.  Be a tourist - I am going to make a list of the things in our area you can get up to & get together with Mr Brown to plan some outings.  This is set out a plan for my days off (I like plans!) & will be a fun way to get to know the area.  I am going to start with at the local inn I noticed lots of leaflets for tourists that should be a good place to start!

2.  I'm going to get myself a local paper.  Why didn't I think of this?! Such an easy way to get to know the local goings on.  Ok I'm not sure what day it comes out or what it's called but I'm sure hubby will help by enquiring at the shop.

3. Check out the village hall - I think I know where this, I also think they have a Scottish Women's Rural Institute (the Rural) - a group of women who get together for classes & demonstrations in cooking, crafts, homemaking & keeping up Scottish traditions.  My gran & older aunts have been members in their communities.  I'll see if I can pluck up the courage to go!

That should be enough to keep me going & get me settled in.

Wish me luck.

Love Mrs Brown xx

Sunday Social

Sunday comes round so quickly these days! That time again where I link up with Ashley & Neely for Sunday Social.

This week the theme to the questions is We're Getting Deep

What is your ideal way to relax?

Walking the dog or meditating
Listening to music also soothes me - weirdly though I have to plan to relax, doesn't happen naturally very often.

Where is your favourite place to be?

By the sea - even on a freezing cold windy day in Scotland I love the beach or my bed!

Who do you consider your biggest role model?

Stumped - not really sure I have one

What does you life look like in 3 years?

Happy.
Maybe a wee kiddie? Oh I've said that out loud now.

If you could go back & change one decision what would it be?

I think if I ponder this one too much I could get quite deep but I think the best answer for me would be Everything happens for a reason.  You may not know the reason now or ever so I don't want to change that big master plan for me!

What is you biggest accomplishment in life thus far?

This is a funny one for me as recovering from depression you need to learn to accept lots of little accomplishments along the way.  I used to say getting my degree but honestly there was days (not so long ago) when my biggest accomplishment was getting dressed.  My fire & glass walk has also got to be high up the list.

Enjoy what's left of your Sunday,

Love Mrs Brown xx

Overloaded

Moving day has been & gone but it has left a lasting lesson.

Our family helped us do the move ourselves.  We packed up all our belonging into a van.

Yes I did day - A van.

It didn't look much but the many trips up & down 3 flights of stairs at the flat confirmed we had a lot of stuff.

As I said in my moving post, we did clear out.  We had several trips to the recycling centre to get rid of "stuff".

Not enough stuff.

On our trip to the new house, my father in law got pulled over by the police.  The van ended up getting weighed & it was indeed overloaded.  It was heavier than it should have been.

Anyways bit of phone calls & extra vans later we were back on our way & unloading.

The van didn't look overloaded.  It was full, but not bulging or straining.  However it was most definitely too much stuff.

I have thought about this (probably too deeply!) & I feel the van is quite like our life.  Full of stuff & we are happy to be full & carry the load, but sometimes it just isn't safe.  Sometimes we need to share the load.  To make it manageable.

There is nothing wrong with lightening the load, sharing or asking for help.  Sometimes you need an extra van!

So we are in - probably with more stuff than we need but we made it, with a lot of help from our family!

Do you let yourself get overloaded?

Love Mrs Brown xx

Pay it Forward - For the love of Snail Mail

Cover of Pay it Forward

Pay it Forward - what a lovely film.  For those who haven't seen it - you should! A boy tries to change the world for the better.

Pay it Forward is all about passing it on.  Instead or paying "back" someone for a good deed they instead do a good deed for 3 more people & so on & so on.  Spreading the good deeds around for all to enjoy & benefit. Watch the movie it could bring a tear to a glass eye - my description is some what lacking but you hopefully get the idea.

I first came across this in blogging land on Ashley's blog It Is What You Make It.  I was a little too late to become one of her lucky 5 but then I came across it again on Rebecca's blog Happiness is Taylor Made & was very lucky to sneak into her lucky 5!

Here I am holding up my side of the bargain, the catch so to speak.  I am Paying it Forward.

So this is all about Snail Mail - who doesn't still love a wee letter landing on their door mat!

The details:
The first 5 people to comment with their email will receive from me, sometime in this calendar year a letter or card and a surprise gift from me! There will likely be no warning, it will happen when the mood strikes me. 

The catch? 

Those five people must make the same offer on their Blog (or Facebook status if you don't have a blog)

I am happy to post internationally! Don't hold back on the comments, I don't mind admitting I'm terrified I won't get 5 but I am putting it out there anyway!!

Love Mrs Brown xx

Week of 3s - Sunday Social

Happy Sunday!

My first Sunday Social in our new home. I want to get a blogging schedule going & Sunday Social gives me a chance each week to post & answer some great questions so you can get to know me a little better.

This week is the week of 3s.

Top 3 favourite kinds of food

1. Italian foods - pasta, pizza, garlic, gelato
2. Bread - I have a weakness for freshly baked bread & we got a bread maker for Xmas so be making our own now!

3. Mexican - this love affair started in America - tacos, chilli, chipotle!

First 3 things you do in the morning

1. Switch off my alarmS (I need a few snoozes!) on my phone, I also check for any messages or tweets

2. Say good morning to my Bailey Boy

3. Go to the loo!

Last 3 things you do at night

1. Take my night time tablets

2. Get washed & changed for bed

3. Check my alarm is set for the morning then roll over & sleep ..... that's the plan anyway!

3 TV Shows you NEVER miss

1. Eastenders

2. Greys Anatomy (although now wait & get all on DVD)

3. RiverCity - a Scottish soap, just love the accents & humour of it!

3 Places you want to visit

This one is easy - we have these 3 places drawn into this picture

1. Florida
2. New Zealand
3. Canada

3 people you can always count on

1. My hubby
2. My doggy - yes he counts
3. Myself - I'm stronger than I look!

Enjoy your Sunday! 

Love Mrs Brown xx

Medication

I recently started another medication. I now take 4 tablets every day. 

The funny thing about me & my medication is that when I need it I don't want to take it! Now my mood is going through a bright patch I find myself doing the silly thing of questioning the need to keep taking the meds.  So I write this as a reminder of my antidepressant experience.

When my mood was particularly low I struggled with the diagnosis of depression and what mental health meant to me.  I didn't want to be on antidepressants cos that would mean admitting I was depressed.

Deciding to take the medication, was the right treatment for me.  I know it may not be for everyone.  I discussed it with my GP, my psychiatrist, my hubby & good old wikipedia. Wow, I made that sound easy.

It wasn't.

Know that, starting medication wasn't easy for me.

Antidepressants take some time to be effective.  My doctors said you have to give it at least 4-6 weeks to notice any effect.  AND what they failed to mention is that they may not work at all for you.  

There are lots of different types of antidepressant meds that can be prescribed, & they work in different ways.  So if one class of drug doesn't work they can try another.  But this all takes time.  Time when you are at a very low point.  When you desperately want the medication/something/anything to work.

I tried 3 different medications before I found one that started to help. So after all these months searching for some pharmacological help, what did I do? I stopped taking the meds.  I don't need them any more, I'm feeling better.  My mental health is looking up.

Then .......

Crash. I dip again.  I end up with anxiety plus back to struggling.  Struggling to get dressed, struggling to get myself in a shower, struggling do anything that involves any effort.

I don't tell anyone cos I feel ashamed that I am not following the treatment.  How stupid can I be?  I go back on them but can't get back to where we were! In the end it is a combination of antidepressants that help lift my mood.  Did I take myself off them again when I was feeling better? Yip! 

Know that when you have mental health issues - you will do things you know aren't logical but you will do them anyway.  Cos at the time the mental illness doesn't care about logic, it wants to keep you in that place, the illness doesn't want any help.  But the part of you that pushes past this, will win.  At some point.

Side effects - I think I've been lucky.  Mine tend to make me drowsy, especially when I start a new regime.  I take most of mine at night so I use this side effect to my advantage to try get a full nights sleep - sleep is also a very important part of my treatment!  I have put on weight but I am unsure if this was the medication or just my poor eating habits, which I now know are one of my signs that my mental health is dipping.

I learn more about me & my depression as we go along.  The more I learn, the more prepared & in control I feel.  This helps with my anxiety.  I have agreed with my psychiatrist that I will continue my medication for at least 6 months after I feel well.  This may sound like ages, but it's nothing if it means I don't dip on the mood roller coaster.  

I like that we have a plan.  It makes it easier to take the medicine.

Keep taking the medication.  Plan any changes with your doctor.

Have you used antidepressants?  Any side effects? 

Love Mrs Brown xx

Moving House

We are moving house!

Moving week has finally arrived.  We have been living with boxes for what feels like ages now but it is now really happening - we are moving house!

I've looked at moving checklists, moving tips, change of address list - I've searched online many at time for some inspiration or organisation to this move.  But there is only so much you can do before the big moving day and there is a limit to how organised we can be.

I like organisation, hubby likes clean & tidy so we are both really struggling to get our head around these past coupe of weeks living with boxes, packaging & stuff just lying all over the already cramped flat.

You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff we have accumulated over the past 4 years in our wee flat.  We had several clear outs & several trips to the dump! & still we have enough stuff to fill 3 cars & a lorry!

This is how I imagine move day!

We have had some good times here, and some not so good times.  This is the flat we first moved in together.  This is the place we decided to get a hamster.  Then we decided the flat was big enough for a dog. Our first home as a married couple but just not big enough for what we have planned.  Moving on to better things.

Onwards & upwards.

I may be a little quiet over the next few days due to the move & getting our internet connection sorted in the new house.  So I will leave you with some pictures of the chaos we have been living in! & my biggest tip for moving:

Don't take anything you don't really need - be brutal with the clear out.  Remember you have more stuff than you think you have!! Oh and start early!!!

We've been playing Spot the Dog in all the mess, good game eh?

See you soon in the new house!!

Love Mrs Brown xx

(a lot of exclamation marks in this post but forgive me I am a little excited)