This post has been sat around my draft section for a while. Messed around with it but couldn’t get it right. So gone back to the first version (without fancy spreadsheet graphs and using the original rubbish hand drawn ones) and let’s get it out there.
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Reading between the lines from the occasional comment and the offline emails – my mood is sometimes misinterpreted. That’s not a criticism of anyone. It’s a reflection of my dodgy writing style or the mixed messages I can send out.
Then a thought crossed my mind. Maybe I should start each blog with a disclaimer clearly stating that my current mindset might be very dark even though I might include a little bit of silliness. No confusion there.
But why don’t we take it a stage further. An emotional dashboard. Each post with a current state of mind forecast. These might need to be worked on but how about the following
Or if that is too confusing why not just have a photo which sums of how I feel.
Tired
Very Tired
Zombie
Happy
Distinctly Average
Sad
Like Sh*t
Confused
Pissed Off
Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
EYE LIKE UR NOMENCLATURE
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Thank you
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Very welcome you are!
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🙏
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Pictures were one of the first things used to help Ben communicate. Pictures are still used for a lot of communication with people who have trouble with language for whatever reason.
I say, go for it! If you want to, and if it really matters. A picture is worth a thousand words. Somebody famous said that, I think…
Hugs! Just because…💌
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Probably Spongebob.
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A good way to express your mood. We often are in two moods at one time too.
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At least 2
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Yup!
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🙏
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But what about the gerbils? What mood do they represent?
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Wanton destruction
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I tend to avoid that mood these days since I’m the one who has to clean up.
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Yes when you have to tidy up it focuses the mind.
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I love this. I just came across this and immediately thought of you.
https://www.thelossfoundation.org/grief-comes-in-waves/
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Thank you. 🙏
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Your pictures and diagrams are all great. Clearly your moods are up and down, which is understandable. We will take it as you post it.
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Thanks
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Beautiful pics and the dashboard 😇
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Thank you
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A dashboard may help.
When I had a tough time and found it hard to talk to my family, I had a few words that would indicate where on the scale I had established to communicate my lowless. I can’t remember all the markers on that scale, but I know I had the words “WILTING”, “FRAZZLED” and “BARBECUED”.
But my family didn’t want me to be low. They bent over backwards to help me have lots of positive lovely things in my everyday.
I remember a few weeks after I was attacked my sister took me to Tatton Farm and Park, which was beautiful. But it was sensory overload. Cute animals, beautiful gardens, trees, flowers – it was too much too soon.
The thing is…if you tell us you are sad, we are all going to be trying to cheer you up etc. If you can cope with all the love and cyber hugs then you use the dashboard…xx
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Maybe it’s just letting some know that I am being sarcastic. It’s not one of my better traits. What words have you got now. xxx
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Well…nowadays I don’t have difficulty expressing myself succinctly and eloquently – because I feel I know where my mind is. But back then, not long after the attack, my mind was too raw to try to put things into words. Naturally my family were worrying, but I couldn’t bear the fuss. I had to find a way to indicate to them simply were I was out on my little scale.
So I have moved on from single words – the only one that is a permanent feature is the word “TIRED”.
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And Goldfinch.
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For as long as he will let me love him – yes.
Sigh.
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🙏
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The pictures are great – but we can throw that ‘Happy’ one out for a start, won’t be needing that! 😉
How about a pic of David Bowie and Mick Jagger for “Feeling Under Pressure”??
Or a pic of Swiss peaks for ” I don’t feel like jumping off a cliff, but there are more than a few people i wouldn’t mind throwing off one!” ??
Poppies make me happy! ( I have some white ones!) 😀
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Yes that works. I can do happy. I was happy one Tuesday about 7 years ago….
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I hope the rest of the village folk don’t get to hear about that! They could think you might be thinking you are better than them!
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I think there is 100% probability of that not happening. Just need to look at the gardens and then our weed breeding zone.
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Or the Rhubarb Patch???
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Not sure it’s visible at the moment
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Yes, poppies are flower I associate with happiness, though they are used to symbolise war now.
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I’m the other way. But it’s more to do with when I was a kid you often could see them pulled up as weeds in the allotments
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They are like weeds – can’t keep them under control in my garden!
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But stunning
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Yes, a beautiful flower 🌺 (my phone doesn’t have a poppy emoji).
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It is.
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Love the idea of the photos but you’ll still probably have to remind us.
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Yep probably
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Nothing wrong with your eloquent prose
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Thank you
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The pictures made me smile 🙂 I know what you mean. Sometimes I write something in one mood and comes off completely misinterpreted. Then I find myself writing something thinking only in terms of “what kind of comments am I going to get and do I want to deal with those?” I might need to use your picture system as well 🙂
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It’s strange I always think your mood is so clear from your posts. But sometimes I think my mood is clear in a post but then some comments come in and I realise I must have got the wording wrong. I think Declan would be perfect for the happy photos.
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I was thinking the same thing! That BIG smile says it all 🙂
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It really does.
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Good graphics Gary!
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Thank you
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Could help
Can’t hurt
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🙏
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I think a bar chart would be better suited than pies. Are you a reader? “The Invoice” by Jonas Karlsson is a fun little book that helps re-envision what it means to be happy. During this super-introspective period of your life, an outside perspective could be cool.
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I will look that up.
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I wrote about it if you’re interested in reading about it (and of course it’s about me too because really I’m just a very self centered person).
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That was some good internet searching
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🙏
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This is a good idea. Wouldn’t work for my own writing though as I’ve no idea how I’m feeling most of the time. Except for chronically exhausted.
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That’s a good point. I’m never that sure.
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My sister and I were just talking about this subject when your blog came in.
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Spooky.
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Nah, serendipity. 😉
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🙏
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Good indicators.:)
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Thank yiu
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So which one are you today?
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Today somewhere between zombie and sad face.
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😨
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Mmm… Dangerous levels but don’t forget “humor” 🙂 I see it a lot in some of your posts
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Thank you. Humour is my pressure release
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Dogs are so expressive! I can never gauge what my brother’s cat is thinking.
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Over the last few million of years cats have evolved into Apex predators and boys have evolved to give you that please play with me sad look.
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Ha! Yes, true.
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You didn’t get to the cabin much is it the type of place you can get to during the colder months. xxxxx
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Sadly, no. But we’ll make due. We can always make due. 🙂
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That’s a shame. It’s another year without a holiday for you guys and us as well. A break would have been great but sometimes (often) circumstances dictate against what you would like. But as you say we will get by. xx
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Yup. Just makes the next real holiday all the better, yes? 🙂
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Yes that sounds good, but I really hope you get one soon – I think you all have earned it.
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lol irony: I read this note from you just after putting my name in to work as a substitute in four other schools.
I hope you get one soon, too, even if it’s a daytrip to a magical castle. 🙂
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Sorry for the bad timing. Well I hope you get some quality time at the weekends. Let’s both saviour those day trips then.
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Yes, we will xxxxxx
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Maybe let’s compare autumn/fall in both places. xxxxx
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That’d be nice!
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🙏
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Quick PS: This is an indie author who has Aspergers. Might be worth looking him up!
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Thank you will look him up
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https://andrewmcdowellauthor.com/
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