once a week, do something social that's outside of your comfort zone...I don't care what it is!
It would be a great 180 for you. Find people who have positive energy and surf off that when you can't dredge it up within yourself.
And look at whether you're depressed. Talk to your doctor. Depression can be triggered by outside circumstances, and it can make it hard to move forward. I'm not trying to diagnose you on the internet, but I just have to share that it feels so good to not be stuck on negative, painful thoughts all the time like I was before starting ADs.
I love all of this. And btw, R- "run lots of errands (laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, paying bills, mowing the lawn etc)" is NOT GAL! But having dinner with your friends is. What other positive, fun or relaxing things are you doing for yourself?
I agree about the depression- ALL of us here suffer it to some extent. Things like getting outside, getting enough sleep, not isolating and getting some aerobic exercise are all good things to start with short of ADs (which can also be very helpful- and don't need to be taken forever for many people).
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OK, I have a question for the busy single parents here. I don't have time to cook meals and even if I did I don't enjoy it. However, I'm getting tired of eating out and need some ideas from you guys what stuff I can make quickly (5-10 mins)-I'd prefer the food to be healthy since DD will be eating it too.
Ok, 5-10 min may be a tad unrealistic, guy. But under 30 min? Definitely. I think someone suggested crock pot and someone else rotisserie chicken- that's one of my faves, we get one every week. Here are some things I do- now I don't know how you feel about frozen food, but it can be healthy. And sometimes - not always- but sometimes healthy and easy might cost a bit more- see below.
- Target has some awesome packaged dry "side" dishes you can get creative with. I love their mushroom risotto- takes less than 20 min on stove, and I put in rotiss chix and some steamed broccoli (or frozen- frozen veggies have lots of vitamins) in it, and it's great. - Safeway Eating Right Lasagne in frozen food section- takes about 20 min in microwave, add bagged salad/veg - Annie's Mac n cheese- in organic section sometimes. Has no additives/preservatives and is delish. (ok, just noticed you mentioned mac as an old one, sorry) - Boboli pizza crust plus jar of tomato sauce, pre-shredded cheese, nitrite-free pepperoni (to be healthy, if you want) - do you have a Trader Joes? They have some great frozen fairly healthy stuff, pre-made pizzas and other dishes in their meat area- like marinated chicken, salads etc. pretty inexpensive. - Bertolli frozen pasta meal in a bag- not sure how healthy, but I do this and throw in extra frozen or fresh veggies. They have many different kinds. - frozen (yeah I know, I'm getting repetitive) chicken stir-fry or fried rice- at TJs or safeway- not too unhealthy. - omelet- pre-shredded cheese, ham lunch meat you rip up into pieces - breakfast 4 dinner- whole grain frozen waffles with fresh fruit on top- D would love it - Whole Foods Deli items ($$ but good)- awesome soups and other dishes - grilled cheese/ham and cheese (takes under 10 min), add fruit/salad, etc - My BFF has a great cookbook, I think it's called meals or cooking for busy families and she swears by it. Might check it out- - can't say enough about Safeway rotisserie chicken- just shred it when you get home and you can do lots of stuff with it all week. - find a good casserole recipe and make enough for a few days (allrecipes.com has good stuff) - Can of cream of chicken soup (they make fat free)+rotisserie chix+ cooked broccoli florets heated up over rice
When the men on the chessboard Get up and tell you where to go; And you've just had some kind of mushroom And your mind is moving slow; Go ask Alice... I think she'll know.
