Time to admit: I'm having a problem

Very sorry to hear about your mother.
It was necessary to write out what you did but normally a person cannot really have all that much going on and still continue to manage as well as you have.
I do not know your system. Can you get a different GP?
Does the low albumin indicate you could have a condition that needs treatment?

There is not much one can say or do to alleviate all of this but I wanted to post to say I'm sorry that you're having such a hard time at the moment.

I know from 1st hand experience how devastating the loss of a parent is - My wife's mother, who we were both very close to, died unexpectedly 2 years ago and it knocked us for six to say the least. With all your other challenges, it must be so very difficult.

I've noticed you on the forums in the past and enjoyed your comments so I wanted to say something positive, and that is (even though it seems so trite) that you've got my best wishes.

You've had an awful lot happen in a short space of time, any one of those things alone is tough to deal with. You have my sympathy, I lost my mum two years ago and it still affects everything.
You might be able to get counselling through the university or depending where you are in the uk via your gp and iapt. There might also be a local charity doing bereavement counselling.
Try and look after yourself like you would for a loved one. Sometimes it seems to take all our efforts to keep going let alone achieving anything.

So sorry you are going through this. All I can say is to try to seek out grief support groups that may be free of charge and educate yourself about the hashimotos. If your TSH levels are high, your doctor can treat that with replacement thyroid hormones but it does require a period of blood tests to get your dosage adjusted correctly. Hang in there with your doctor and allow her time to get your thyroid condition under control as an under active thyroid does affect your ability to control your weight and it definitely affects your energy level and your mood.

yirara wrote: »

Nobody here can help with any of those problems. But I'm sure people will encourage me to not snack too much (I'm still cooking healthy, varied food) and to work out more to prevent further crashes and feeling miserable.

Based on what you've shared so far, "stop snacking and work out more" wouldn't be anywhere on my list of things to say to you. It sounds like you're dealing with an incredible amount of stress and pressure, and I'm not sure you need anyone putting more stress on you.

Be kind to yourself and do things that reduce your stress level. Try to find a way of eating that can give you sustained, even energy levels, no matter what that way of eating looks like. If there are easy forms of exercise that you enjoy and that make you feel good, do them, but don't do anything that hurts, makes you feel worse or isn't enjoyable. Prolonged stress is terrible for us and causes all kinds of terrible things, so if I were in your shoes, I'd focus on reducing my stress over everything else.

I've found this essay to be enormously helpful when I'm having episodes of depression. MFP is going to censor the link, so you'll need to replace the **** in the link with a four-letter word for "crap" that starts with the letter S. You can also find it by Googling "DIY Couturier 21 Tips." http://www.diycouturier.com/post/47249603128/21-tips-to-keep-your-****-together-when-youre

First off, I'm so incredibly sorry for your loss and all your struggles in such a short period of time. Loss of a loved one can be incredibly detrimental to both physical and mental health.

I'd love to share my story with you if it would help. I started college last year and the first semester I had a terrible roommate problem which was solved after a few months but threw me into a bit of a depression. Second semester was worse due to the fact my grandmother was I the hospital dying for 46 days and I visited her every weekend. On top of that, I suffered from a concussion which limited my ability to work out, then was sexually assaulted which utterly destroyed my will to do much else besides sleep. I was peracrobed some depression meds which made everything worse because they brought with them weight gain of 10lbs in 2 weeks.

Entering the summer I was ready for a change so I switched meds and found was of keeping myself active and away from snacking at all times. Working as a server helped me see how restaurant food is prepared and actually kills my need to grab food every time I wall through the kitchen while also keeping me from sitting down at all.

The other big change I made which I highly recommend you try is sunrise and sunset yoga. I'm in no way a master yogi, but I do live on a beach with a gorgeous sunrise. By forcing myself to get up a little earlier each day and stretch and meditate with Pinterest yoga forms I found, I could empty my head of all the chaos every day life brings.

I know it sounds like a simple step, but 20 minutes of yoga in the morning and evening killed my hunger cravings, made me want to be healthier, and gave me a more positive mindset and lookout for the day.

I really hope any of this helps, continue reaching out to the community for support, we're all a big support group here.

yirara wrote: »

AliceDark wrote: »

yirara wrote: »

Nobody here can help with any of those problems. But I'm sure people will encourage me to not snack too much (I'm still cooking healthy, varied food) and to work out more to prevent further crashes and feeling miserable.

Based on what you've shared so far, "stop snacking and work out more" wouldn't be anywhere on my list of things to say to you. It sounds like you're dealing with an incredible amount of stress and pressure, and I'm not sure you need anyone putting more stress on you.

Be kind to yourself and do things that reduce your stress level. Try to find a way of eating that can give you sustained, even energy levels, no matter what that way of eating looks like. If there are easy forms of exercise that you enjoy and that make you feel good, do them, but don't do anything that hurts, makes you feel worse or isn't enjoyable. Prolonged stress is terrible for us and causes all kinds of terrible things, so if I were in your shoes, I'd focus on reducing my stress over everything else.

I've found this essay to be enormously helpful when I'm having episodes of depression. MFP is going to censor the link, so you'll need to replace the **** in the link with a four-letter word for "crap" that starts with the letter S. You can also find it by Googling "DIY Couturier 21 Tips." http://www.diycouturier.com/post/47249603128/21-tips-to-keep-your-****-together-when-youre

Thanks for this link. It's really brilliant!

Well, I think I'm at this point now where I want to change things. I'm so fed up with eating so much candy, and my stomach doesn't like these amounts either. It just pulls me down more. Sport on the other hand makes me feel good. I had to stop running at the beginning of this year because I was constantly sick (endless row of colds) and felt so down then. Running makes me happy. And I completely forgot how much I enjoy strength training. It's so much fun, and it requires me to fully concentrate on my body as I'd otherwise do something really clumsy and painful. It's something I've neglected for far too long. Not sure how my lower neighbours will react to that, but lets see. I'm currently only doing YAYOG, which doesn't really involve jumping around

Thus working out more is my way of relaxing. I could never do anything like yoga, or just sit on the couch without getting very restless. And hopefully I will get over this stress of having to go out again to get more candy by tracking my food again. I know what candy I want to have in the house. It's not something available in Britain I think but I might be able to get it. It's certainly something that I'm able to eat in small portions.

I love that link. I periodically go back to it; it usually makes me cry, but it's spot-on in terms of what I need to hear when I need to hear it.

I'm really happy to hear that exercise is a positive experience for you! It is for me too, but I have to be careful sometimes that I'm not putting additional pressure on myself. I usually need to hear that it's okay for me to choose to do things just because I enjoy them. I worked with a therapist for awhile who kept telling me that I needed to find activities that are the equivalent of play (he was right, I usually do need more time dedicated to things just because they're fun for me).

Strength training feels very zen to me; I have to focus on being in the moment and can't worry about what else is going on in my life. I hope you're enjoying YAYOG!

Summer is usually a time when I find it easier to eat well, because I love summer fruits and vegetables so much. Instead of candy, could you get some fresh berries, stone fruits or melon to snack on? You could also include some really good cheese or nuts to go along with the fruit. (Apparently, I'm hungry at the moment. All of that sounds super good to me).