Mumble away @summerprevails Just the thought of unpacking some of this stuff is exhausting. If you can find your own Poor Woman (or Man) you give yourself more options. You can start unloading, decide not to or have a supported meltdown then walk away from the process if that is what you feel like doing.
On the subject of shrinks, my partner's family has a Christmas in July tradition. For logistical reasons we have hosted it for the last three years which means we do the majority of the catering as other family members travel long distances and bring elderly relos who require high level care with them. Anyway, long story short is one of the participants is a psychologist who is about my age. She's a nice enough woman, but I do struggle with some rather pointed questions about how I'm coping.
My partner is very fond of her, so I know I have to Play Nicely. So, I behaved myself and presented a wow factor Xmas feast. I was a chef for a couple of decades and it's a good kitchen so cooking for a dozen people is no big deal. I kept the wine consumption to a minimum but, despite trying to avoid being cornered by this person, I felt like she was either giving me knowing looks or actively stalking me.
So, when it came to pudding time--complete with the ancestral silver coins--I drank Nanna's Brandy. This bottle of plonk has been around for years and is only used for lighting the pudding. I, apparently, poured too much into the saucepan to pre heat it. So I drank the excess. Then I polished off the rest of the bottle. I didn't do that all on my own, I snuck a couple of nips to my partner's 92 year old aunt. She thought it was hilarious. The shrink took it as evidence that I'm off my chop. I'm sure I haven't heard the end of it, but that booze was delicious.
The lesson, take small pleasures on board. Even if they only last for a couple of minutes. Mxx
