Newbies Nest

[Guitarista]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hola nester's,

Welcome back Inchy! (Battle for the sun). Love your new name. I'm a sun lover and like to follow it when i can. In fact, i practice a simple yoga set every morning called - 'Sun salutations'. Having said that, i'm also a fan of the rain and inclement weather. More about me over at itsallaboutme.com
But seriously, good on you for deciding to take back your precious life. Congrat's on 6 + days and look forward to seeing you git some sober time up.

Great work on the garage Ava. I've found the 'chipping away at it' strategy really useful mentally. A little at a time whether rebuilding a life, or decluttering one.

All's well over here. I am finding continuing to nurture and forge an unstoppable mindset daily, that i needed for the sober path, is standing me in good stead in the business world, which i'm new at.

Hope you and the chooks are keeping dry Lavstar.

Big waves to evabody. Surf's up!

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Ava - great job making progress on the garage. Even a little at a time adds up for sure, and hopefully it feels less overwhelming or all-consuming that way too.

G - congrats on the business success! Is this one of the opportunities you alluded to a few weeks (months?) ago? The "chipping away at it" you described reminds me of a new approach I'm trying. It's called "Atomic Habits" and the basic premise is that small changes (hence the "atomic") are easier to maintain and thus more likely to persist, and they compound into big results.

Lav - sounds like you're doing well!


All is well in Wagland. I got a fantastic new student today that I'm really excited about. Busy day tomorrow but then most of the weekend off!

Happy Fridays everyone!

[Battle_for_the_sun]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hey checking in, its nice to see a couple of familiar names from the old days in here, as well as some newbies, or new to me folks anyway, looking forward to getting to know you all a little better.

G - I was a huge yoga guy for about a year and a half, I had a really solid practice but then work and studies piled on and I stopped finding the time. I'd like to say I'll start back up but I've got three more years of school to get through and all time is study time right now haha.

Hit seven days clean, its definitely harder being back at work, I started working my current job after I started using again back in September (clean 3 years before that, but not sober), so this is my first experience of being there without being high. It's just admin work, and I like it will enough, but it gets boring and when I'm bored the temptation likes to creep in. I'm due to go to part time hours in a little over a week when I start my PhD study, which is my main motivation for getting clean and sober, and which should keep my mind nice and busy and focused. About a week after I start back at school is my birthday, which tbh is the only reason I'm delaying diving into being fully sober - because turning 30 and changing my entire routine in really early sobriety just feels like setting too high a difficulty level for me haha. I've set a date right after that and I'm ready to put the work in, I just want to give myself the best possible chance at this thing.

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Greetings Nesters,

It actually didn’t rain today, go figure Lol
Will be away most of the day tomorrow for a funeral but will be bringing my granddaughter back here for an overnight stay. Looking forward to that.

G, glad you’re making progress in the business world. Small steps forward each day is the way to get things done. My chickens don’t seem to mind the rain & the cold so much. It’s the summer heat that’s hard on them,

Wags, yep, doing well with a working heater now, woo hoo!! Hopefully we don’t have to go thru that mess again. Hope your new student is awesome

Battle, glad to see you checking in, congrats on your 7 days clean. Sounds like you’ve set a quit date, that’s great too.
What is your field of study for your PhD. My daughter-in-law is working on hers too, just finished her first year. It’s a huge time consuming commitment for sure.

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!
Lav

[Battle_for_the_sun]

Re: Newbies Nest

[MENTION=8356]Lavande[/MENTION] I study film with a subspecialty in disability studies, my thesis actually uses that as a way to look at the representation of things like addiction, OCD, and eating disorders in modern media. I could ramble about it forever from just the preliminary research, I'm so excited to make a start. What's your daughter-in-law studying? I work at a university so I get to see all kinds of interesting projects going on in different departments

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Having a nice evening here with our granddaughter. We were all at the funeral service for her other grandfather this morning.

Battle, my daughter-in-law has degrees in social work & counseling. She has done some teaching at a few universities & has just opened a counseling practice with a partner. I’m not even sure what she is studying now but I’m sure it’s something to add to her counseling credentials. Wishing you good luck in yours.

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!
Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Battle - congrats on the 7 days clean. That's great that you're starting a PhD program soon, and hopefully it really will prove to be a motivator for staying clean and getting sober. I worked at a major university for about 15 years and have always loved that environment. I look forward to hearing more about your research!

Lav - how's your granddaughter doing with losing her other grandpa? Are the grandsons on that same branch of the family? If so, how are they doing with everything?


Well, my weekend off turned into just today off and two classes tomorrow. There's a big test in one week so this is a short little crunch time. It'll be fine and a week from now my schedule will ease up a bit.


Hope everyone is doing well!

[Guitarista]

Re: Newbies Nest

G - congrats on the business success! Is this one of the opportunities you alluded to a few weeks (months?) ago? The "chipping away at it" you described reminds me of a new approach I'm trying. It's called "Atomic Habits" and the basic premise is that small changes (hence the "atomic") are easier to maintain and thus more likely to persist, and they compound into big results.

Right on Wags. the small daily steps in a way i can handle approach is what i discovered via trial and error to work best for me as a daily self care practice/ritual. e.g. My yoga practice may be laughable to the guru's in India, but i find doing one set (minimum) of Sun salutations per day (about 1.5 mins) is something my thoughts can handle, because if i can't turn up for myself for 1.5 minutes every morning, then what's going on G man?! Add a little reading, exercise, gratitude list, simple journalling and i'm ready to roll. I have found the trick is in the process of daily action turning up for yourself, even for 5 minutes, will wire in the new healthy patterns.

There you go Inchy. 1.5 minutes of yoga practice every morning. Can you handle it? haha.

Big waves to evabody!

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

We are just back from returning our granddaughter to her parents & taking them all out for dinner. It’s been a busy weekend for everyone
We were told to expect some snow tonight but nothing happening yet.

Wags, you get your break after the students finish their testing. Hope you get a chance to unwind at that point
My son has the two boys, my daughter has the one girl. So no, the grandsons were not affected this time, they lost their other grandmother 2 years ago in a head on collision in FL. I feel bad that all 3 grandkids have already experienced a close loss but they seem to do well handling it all.

G, whatever your self-care routine is it’s working. Keep up the good work

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!
Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

G - you've definitely been rockin' it with the daily habits, sun salutations etc for quite a while now. So glad you've found some things that work so well for you!

Lav - Ah, that's right - I remember now about the horrible car accident a few years ago. Glad you're around and empathetic so you can help each of your grandkids navigate whatever grief experiences they have been having.


Good weekend here. Busy but productive. This coming week is very full with the test coming up Fri/Sat but I feel ready for the challenge!

Take care everyone and see you tomorrow.

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

Evening nesters

Good to see you G. I think little bits of what we can handle are a must, wish i could say that for work ha ha.

Battle great work on 7 days, one day at a time is all we can do. Dont stress about giving up drinking, worry when the time comes and then just take it day by day. You have this.

Lav, glad the funeral went as well as it could and you got to spend time with your grand daughter, they grow too quickly.

Wags, good luck to you and the students with their exams, i am glad those days are over for me.

Started back at work today, the new PA is so efficient. My bosses and i sat in our meeting looking like those clowns you pop ping pong balls into just listening to what she has achieved. i may be able to close my computer for the day at some stage and not have to work at night and be up to date with everything. I came home and slept for 3 hours, just exhausted. Covid is definitely the gift (?) that keeps on giving.

One of my foster dogs is unwell so need to take her to the vets, she has cancer so i think its time for her to be on pain meds.

Slo, Belle and anyone i have missed, where are you all?

take care xx

[Battle_for_the_sun]

Re: Newbies Nest

Evening all,

G - I am such an all or nothing person it would be interesting for me to attempt to do a short practice, without either overdoing it or abandoning the idea completely. Who knows maybe I will join you haha.

Lav - Sounds like you're doing a great job supporting the grandkids, hope you take some time for yourself too.

Wags - good luck with the test coming up, hope you get a chance to rest soon after.

Ava - wishing your dog well, and that sounds great about the new PA, hopefully will give you a better work/life balance.

Today's been a bit of a rough one for me, waiting on some news regarding funding for my studies and between not knowing when I'll hear back, or whether the news will be good or not, my anxiety is having a field day. Very little sleep, just skirting a panic attack most of the morning. Stayed clean, 11 days into it now, was a bit of a white-knuckle ride but it feels good to have made it through this one. I'm starting to see the difference now, and am more able to acknowledge the impact drugs were having on my ability to function - found a happy medium laughing at how successfully I had convinced myself they were not in any way impairing my judgement, but also being humbled and a little ashamed of some of my actions. Here's to day 12.

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Greetings Nesters,

Had the whole day to myself for a change so I’m trying to catch up with a few things I’ve missed around the house.
I know it’s way too early but I’m starting to have gardening thoughts, Lol. We haven’t even had a snowstorm yet but I’m dreaming of flowers

Wags, hope your week goes well for you & your students. They’re lucky to have your help

Ava, my granddaughter will be 12 next month & she’s already my height (or maybe a little more). How did that happen??
I’m glad to hear the new PA is a winner. Things should be very different at work from now on. I hope your foster pup gets some pain relief, I hate to see them suffering. My chickens are still laying pretty well even though it’s winter, go figure.

Battle, great job on your 11 days! Learning how to get thru those tough times without a substance is the way we finally find peace. Keep doing that!
Anxiety was a killer for me too so I had to learn to trust the Universe & believe that everything was going to be OK & it is . Good luck with everything & stya positive.

Hello to everyone & wishing a safe night in the nest for all.
Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Ava - sorry to hear the pup with cancer is needing pain meds. Glad you're on top of it and hope the meds bring some relief.

Battle - congrats on 11-into-12 days, even though this one was difficult. Hope you hear about your funding soon.

Lav - we're dreaming of flowers here too!


Hellos and waves to everyone stopping by the nest. Hope your weeks are all starting off well!

[STEADFAST]

Re: Newbies Nest

Greetings, Nesters,

It sounds like the new year's going well for people so far. It's good to read all the positive ideas, like Wag's walk over the bridge to set intentions, Lav's and others' focus on health, Kensho's vision board and Ava's garage decluttering project. I really dig G's attitude too, lots of good-value tips. Welcome [MENTION=24768]Battle_for_the_sun[/MENTION], and best wishes for your ongoing sobriety and your studies!

Things are "steady" here. Loving going to gym twice a week for strength training. Also been swimming at the local pool. Am having a very thoughtful time, but not in an angsty way, just in a working stuff out and growing way.

Hope everyone's having a good week.

Steady
:thumbsup: