Maybe this has been a topic before, its just I am going nuts!!!!!!

Had the worst two weeks, and it just seems like everything has pilled up, and I am at wits end.  Not to do anything horridly drastic, never in earth would that happen!!! 

I just look at all the stuff I need to do, and its like, Oh my, can I not have a break? 

So, when you are all feeling kinda run down, stressed, etc, what do you do to make it a little easier, and give yourself a "time out"

You wont like this but
I RUN!!!!! LMAO
If I am having a really bad time (quite regularily) I go out for a run :)
The best time is on a thursday night which is the club training night and I run with a group :)
Or a monday night where I coach kids Long jump and triple jump and then adults circuits and running so for 2 hours I dont have to think of my life, just what I have to coach next :) :)
Lea :) :)

Sorry to hear that things are getting on top of you - my worst time for that is at night - if I fail to get off to sleep straight away then everything churns around and I feel panicky at the amount of things to do and can only see clearly what could go wrong.  My main relax of the day is to take the dog out.  I have always been able to think things through while trudging along a country path come rain or shine.  However yoga has now been a nice relaxing hour and half - it makes you just concentrate on the here and now. Good luck.

i read books, or i go out for a long drive, or a go for a nice meal with oh, just think about what you would liike to do that is really special to you and do it,

if its sunny i get my sunlounger out put my ear plugs in (so i dont hear kids and traffic) and read read and read. if the suns not shinning jump on my bed and do the same,

hot bath and a cold glass of wine in a locked bathroom with i pod on.
Bliss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh dear, how low are you?
I am taking anti depressants currently, I got to the point where I felt like I would like the world to stop turning for a while so I could just step off for a bit.
Never felt suicidal but I was low.

It is/was the most awful feeling and the differnce now taking medication is amazing.......I said for a while these tablets should be given to any one who would like to try them!

It really does depend on you though, do you just want to do a little stress relief or do you feel in need of help?
There is no shame in it at all, but it would be a shame to be down and not get help.
Karen

Oh what a question. I do so many things to try and chill out. All depends what i fancy. Sorry to hear you are not having an easy time of it. Heres some of my suggestions:
* Meet up with good friends. They always cheer you up and make you smile. Reminise about good things & talk - a problem shared is a problem halved.
*Have a good night out. Drink, dance etc
*Go to the gym/out for a run and take your anger out on something else
*A walk somewhere idylic to help clear your head (beach/moors etc)
*Remind yourself there are people a lot worse than you are. Try to put things in perspective
*Write down all the good things in your life
*Wake up and look in the mirror and tell yourself "I am beautiful, i am sucessful and i am happy"
*Chocolate :-)
* If you know what is bad or upsetting you -change it!make a plan to get yourself to a place you want to be
*Speak to samaritans or a Doctor (depending on how bad things are)
*Listen to happy music or read an inspirational book. Look on internet for "inspirational quotes"
*Remember if your at the bottom the only way is up & things always get better. Sometimes you just gotta ride out the storm :-) :-) :-)

Hi Karen, glad to hear that anti depressants work for you. I didnt get on very well with them and ended up taking myself off them. Found counselling and just letting nature take its course worked for me. Definatly agree that there is no shame in being depressed or taking medication - there is too much of a taboo with it in this country. Maybe if people talked about it more we would realise depression is an illness that affects many. Unfortunately becuase it isnt an illness you can see it is less recognised. Wishing you all the best :-)

A massage works wonders for me. It helps to relax my muscles which releases tension which in turn helps me to sleep.  When I have one I try make sure it is on a Friday after a nice bath so that I have the weekend to relax and let the massage really work. I hope you  find something that works for you and feel better soon.
jane

If it is a nice sunny day, a dog walk on my own, walking in the fields with the birds singing and nature all around and my own thoughts, how can you help but not feel relaxed.

If at home, a nice bath with some candles always relaxes me, or some music.

I think finding some time just to be alone is the most important thing for unwinding, even if just watching tv and having a hot or cold drink when everyone has gone to bed. :-)

I had counselling, really helped me deal with a lot of things, felt so positive after each session :)
To unwind and chill out i like to walk the dogs, i love walking.
Read
Have a glass or two of wine :)
Shop
Catch up with friends for a good old natter
Chocolate

Hope you feel better in yourself  soon :)
Hayley x

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions. 

I dont know if its depression, or just massively stressed out.  These past couple weeks have been really hard, and it just seems no end to it.

Started out, that I was in hospital for a couple days, then was supposed to end the week off with a wonderful dog show.  Even if my dog looses, I dont mind, cos the people I chat with are awesome.  But I got told that I do everything wrong, my dogs are spoiled, I worry to much about my dogs, and I cant handle a dog properly.  The weekend, for other reasons was horrid as well.
Got home from the dog show, only to learn that my BFF mom had passed away.  Then there was the viewing and funeral as well.  I dont think I have really grieved also.
Then the next dog show I went to (straight from the funeral) was horrid just because of the judging.  Dogs that were being put up, should have actually been disqualified.

I will try to follow some of these awesome suggestions.  Thank you all so very much!!!!!!!!!!

It sounds like me like you are trying to do too much. Seriously, take it easy & ignore others not needed remarks. You've had a hard time of it and need to spend a few weeks getting back on your feet and treating yourself :-) :-) :-)

it's so easy to let things get on top of you, I regularly feel stressed out, whether through work, frustration with what we're NOT achieving with the house, and general irritation with hubby too.....if I can, I find just listening to music and chilling out with the dogs helps

weeding is very good for me, if I have the time to do it (catch 22) and I will fettle out all the nettle roots and couch grass, I find it so relaxing, even if my muscles ache afterwards...

reading is good for me, but sometimes I find it equally depressing when I return to reality from my temporary escape (if that makes any sense)

I enjoy planning things, whether its lists of jobs to do in the house (rennovation not general chores) or wish-list of garden plants...

I also like to sit down and plan which shows I can go to round my shifts etc

I'm going through a phase at the moment where I feel like I'm treading water, in every aspect of my life, relationship, work, home....I know it's just a phase and I will come out of it eventually, but it doesn't stop me feeling low right now (and this rainy weather doesn't help)

I think I will paint a bedroom and hang some pictures, we have hardly unpacked any of our pictures, and we haven't done any decorating at all, and we've been in this house nearly 3 years!!! I know hubby doesn't want to start painting until we've rewired where required, and replaced windows, but I reckon spending about £40 on paint to have a go at one of the rooms will be worth it to just get me doing something....

I hope you find something that works for you, cyber hugs for you !! ((((()))))  

In the course of our everyday lives we can usually take negative comments and deal with them in our own ways and put them to the back of our minds.  When we are feeling low it's a different story altogether.   Perhaps if you hadn't had the bad news of someone dying the comments about your dogs would not have had the impact they did.

Somehow you need to take time to talk to someone about the person who died so that you can start the grieving process which is very important for any of us.  As far as your dogs are concerned, well, so what about the comments?  Do you love your dogs any less?  Is the person who said these things so important to you that they matter?  You've already said you go to the shows for the people so they can't all be like that particular one?  Take no notice and next time you see them trotting around the ring imagine them with no clothes on!!!  That will put a smile on your face (either that or a grimace) :)

With it being Chers birthday today, I think thats what I am gonna do to unwind, have a puppy party!!!!  I dont know, it may sound dense, but hey, it is something, that I think Cher and I will both enjoy.
Maybe watch a movie, with her cuddled on the bed (well, she has taken over the pillows, more than the bed, but hey, its her birthday).

Last night, I kinda got angry with the comments.  Like, how dare someone say that my dogs are horrid!  They walk on the leash, they win at shows, they love working for me, so how can that be bad???  So what if I let them sleep on my bed?  So what if Cher has her own chair (she does, a disney princess one, like the foam ones young kids get to sit on, well she has one!).  I am thinking, that this handler is nervous, since the bond between Cher and I is so strong, that she will do anything for me.  That means showing her heart out at the shows.  When I started to listen to this person, and handling her the way he said to do, she looked horrid.  She wasnt happy, her tail was down, ears back!  She looked like an abused dog would, skiddish of everything. 

I started to do some needlework today, I am doing a nice flowered print that I can hang on my wall.  I love my needlework stuff, and love painting.  Those things really relax me, unless they turn out horrid.  But during the process, I get in my own world, and just do it.  If it looks nice at the end, its great. 

Maybe walk Cher to the pet shop today, and get her a new toy.  Not that she needs it, but the walk will do us both good, and its like a little birthday present. 

I dont know, I want out of this rut, and I think I need to take each day and do something that I want to do, instead of what I feel obligated to do.

Thanks all, for helping me, help myself out of this rut!!!!!