Frump to Fab 2018 - Fabulous Dahhhhlings

Well done Money.....See this fabbing malarkey does work. :rotfl:

Meryl Streep....great role model. She is aging well, mind she always was a beauty. She changes her look regularly too, not just for film roles but also in real life so although basically a "classic" look she keeps it up to date and relevant. My cousin is her doppelgänger. She is now 63 and is still gorgeous.

Toni.....try not to worry too much about the weight loss, just keep at it and eventually you will start to notice a difference, in the meantime just keep doing what you are doing. You are making fantastic progress.

Well I had a rough day yesterday.......felt really grim. Probably, Delayed stress from all the house moving problems etc. Hopefully I shall feel more sanguine once contracts are exchanged and it's a done deal.

Prolonged stress really does awful things to the body. I had been feeling really well and had been off the stomach meds for months. But this week it all flared up again. Anyway yesterday I just did very little, ate simple easy foods, little and often rather than larger meals, so as not to overload my system and took OTC meds as necessary. Touch wood I feel a lot better this morning,

Feeling Down.....I think we all get this, even those who of us who have no real issues or worries. Yes, even an eternal optimist like me .....I have my moments too. . Even now, 4 years into widowhood, I still dip from time to time. I think it's only natural and quite normal. Yesterday when I felt ill I really felt quite low, missed my husband and ended up shedding a few tears.

How do you all deal with "down" periods. What works.

I start by telling myself it's only temporary and that this too will pass.

But I do think it helps to have some coping strategies in place. A glass of wine or three is fine for the occasional low evening but it's not really a viable long term solution.

I know that winter can be a bit of a trigger for me.... I don't suffer from SAD as such (my mum did) but I do find I can get very fed up with consistently dark gloomy days. I find a bright winters day is ok but when it's endless grey skies I can feel my energy levels dipping. It never bothered me when my husband was alive and well - he could brighten up the darkest day .....but I do feel more vulnerable to melancholy now that I live alone. It is something I do have to try and guard against.

One of my coping strategies is that Danish word "Hygge".......so I hunker down and get cosy. Warm house, proper food, throws, candles, books, a stack of nice DVDs or prerecorded films and tv programmes. And I wear a bright colour. Usually red or a deep mustard. Just a silly psychological trick but colour does seem to help. When the weather allows I get out and about, meet friends for a coffee or lunch, mooch round the shops. If I have nothing planned then I go for a walk as long as it's not slippy underfoot.

I am going to buy some snow gripper things for shoes this year. I really don't feel comfortable walking on snow and ice.

I think it often pays to remember that low times really are normal and that we cannot be on a "happiness high" all the time, it's just not sustainable. And, as the old wisdom has it, you have to experience the lows to enjoy the highs.

I think the trick is to ride out the lows, using whatever means we have but without pressing the self destruct button. For me I have learned that sleep is my best weapon both in the fight for good physical health and emotional well being.

Everything looks better after a good nights sleep. or an afternoon nap. Lol.