Anyone else notice your face has changed?

I just completed my one month stint in NYC and am home. I don’t want to hear ANYTHING about my parents for this month unless they are at death’s door. This is my month to focus on my husband, me, and my adorable little granddaughters.

(4)

Drastically. I can't even find the mask I would put on around people that said I'm ok even when I wasn't. Now I just look old and miserable. There is nothing that makes me happy. I always feel like my head is going to explode. I want to run away. The stress has finally broken me.

By the way Cover, I actually do look like this. 🤓 It’s like someone made a portrait of me.

I look kind of nerdy. Glasses.

Good day, everyone!

On a bad, frustrating day I look like this 🤮. I don’t know who’s been making portraits of me.

Oedgar23 - I hear you, our parents seem to age us more than our kids.

I’ve aged a lot in The last three years, First my health problems, two shoulder surgeries, chronic pain, and a 30 lb weight loss when I cut carbs per Dr orders due to metabolic syndrome. And factor in my dads illness and passing, and handling his estate. Six months after selling his house, my estranged mother arrived at my door seeking help with various medical issues, plus her hoarded house and wrecked finances. I took a selfie on a tiring day, and sent to my childhood BFFs, commenting on how my Id aged. They told me it was not a good time to pass judgement on myself.

Another friend told me I looked “haggard.”! Good times.

(3)

ventingisback

Thanks so much for the much needed smile and laugh!! 😄

I took care of my mom for the first two weeks after her valve replacement. Slept on a cot in her bedroom, got up with her every time she needed to walk to the bathroom which was frequent thanks to diuretics.

Before flying home I stopped in to visit family from husband's side. SIL took one look at me and declared "you look horrible!" two weeks, two weeks!

Cover, here’s a smile from me to you: 🤓.

Yes being in a NH be it Short or Long Term the face tends to veer toward angry , grumpy looking more then smiling.

Oh one more thing VentingisSNACK, ’cause then you’ll say, “You never said which year.” I know you, VentingisSNACK.

So, it’s 16 September 2023
at 20:23

VentingisSNACK, I’m giving you an ultimatum:
“Change your life around, or…”

I’ll give you as a random deadline to get your act together: 16 September. The day after is Sunday, you can relax and give yourself a pat on the back.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it (I’m KIDDING, I’m not giving you a choice VentingisSNACK):
1. Focus on YOUR health.
2. Spend more time with people who are good for you.
3. Evaluate how you spend your time.
4. Find your passion.
5. Love yourself, even during tough times. 😍

“Life can get overwhelming, I know. Rise above it!”

It depends what you’re angry about. Trust me, some things you better get angry. Anger isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can be a warning that you’re surrounded by the wrong people.

“Just wanted to take some time to hopefully encourage you.”

Thanks! 🙂

Hi, regarding some jokes I posted on the joke thread, sometimes the humor is lost because they originally have an image attached to them. They’re even funnier with the image. My humor hasn’t changed. I’m the same as 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 130 years ago…

Yeah, my face has changed. But not as much as the rest of my carcass. I’m a stress eater.

I just burst out laughing. IJBOL

My happy face almost cracked.

IJBOL
A new acronym.

Venting,
You will get yourself back, I am sure. Because you are wanting to, and searching and searching.

Your jokes lately were hilarious to me. I am almost ashamed to say, because they matched my mood lately.

If you want to feel better, balance your jokes out with some really upbeat and positive reading, music, shows, distractions of a happy nature. Even if some things seem silly, or beneath your intelligence, go ahead anyway and try picking something good to think about. There is good out there, right?
Yes, there is.

Imagining the hurricane and tropical storm is kinda scary, but I was thinking how clean the air will be after all that rain and wind. (if we survive,Lol.)

I don't know you, but have read a lot of your posts. Just wanted to take some time to hopefully encourage you. Life can get overwhelming, I know.
Rise above it!

I’ve become a very angry person: in my mind, I have lots of anger. I was someone very happy. I must find myself again.

Bette, sounds like you’re advertising.

Everyone’s face will change over time. The longer a person lives, the less naive they become. Experiencing reality instead of being in denial is difficult.

All people experience pain and suffering in their lives. It’s only natural for these emotions to show up as expressions on our faces, consciously or unconsciously.

Often times, a person will have two sides. The face that they show to the world and the face they have in their private life.

Sometimes, it is easier to keep our feelings private because it’s too painful to share everything with others. It’s frightening to remove the cork to allow our bottled up emotions to run free.

We may fear losing complete control. Plus, we may have painful memories of when we did try to express our feelings and they weren’t taken seriously.

(3)

Oh my yes, my face has changed.

I look back (thank you FB) on pictures from 2013 and wonder if I'll ever smile like that again and if the light will ever return to my eyes. 2013 was when I began to be aware that something was wrong with dh and I started writing my secret file on my computer documenting things. It was also the year I became aware that I was in a bad marriage that I should have exited years earlier.

I live with consequences of my choices and my cowardice (because it takes a brave strong woman to walk out on a marriage, and I wasn't that woman). I look at pictures of me now and I look tired, sad, and worn out. And I wonder who I am and if I'll ever be that smiling person again.

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You are so right, tiredsister. :)

I think we all need to laugh more often.
Seriously...find something that makes you really belly laugh.
I watch America's Funniest Videos for an hour every week. I sleep so much better that night from the stress relieved by laughing.
I've recently started stealing a few minutes to watch short videos when I'm caregiving for my sister - especially when I feel frustrated with her and short on patience. A couple minutes watching fainting goats or funny dog videos works great to break the tension.
Laughing is good medicine to relax all those facial muscles. : D !!!

(6)

I've always had a resting b***h face :D Nothing much has changed there.

(5)

How nice it would be, if my last encounter EVER with a rude, dishonest person, was yesterday…

Meanwhile, while I help solve a big problem for my mom, due to someone’s dishonesty, I’ll also try to get myself back. Get my normal face back.

It’s taken me years (I’ve been helping my mom for years) to suddenly realize (today) why I have such an unhappy face. It’s because I’m constantly in a bad mood. There’s always some caregiving problem and it often involves dealing with rude people (whether it’s a rude social worker, health worker, whatever…).

There are few honest, kind, polite people, who keep their word.

I just don’t feel like there is much to smile about these days but I do try to find something to smile about.

(8)

Venting,

Congrats on leveling up to stage 4! Yay!