Gentle steps & finding fun again!

Ever felt like your world shrank to the size of a to-do list you couldn’t touch? I open up about depression, burnout, and the strange ways they show up—like a cardboard taste in your mouth, a face that forgets how to brighten, and days where getting dressed feels like a marathon. No gloss, no neat bow, just a real account of what helped: meds tuned with care, talk therapy that steadies the mind, and micro-wins that stack slowly into something like hope.

We walk through practical tools that actually feel doable when energy is low—expressive journalling to organise tangled thoughts, voice notes on a quiet walk, and the permission to be radically gentle. I share why CBT still anchors me, how support that feels like mothering can change a day, and what it looks like to ask for one small thing instead of everything. There’s honesty about the messy trial-and-error of medication and the non-linear shape of recovery, because healing rarely arrives in straight lines.

Then there’s the colour returning: revisiting childhood joys, picking up chunky yarn and knitting a bright scarf, trying painting and starting again with a coat of white when it flops, moving the body with kindness instead of pressure. Community plays a big part too. I reignited a warm corner on social media called Sparkle Sisterhood for women 50+, sharing local favourites, books, comfy outfits, and the kind of everyday humour that makes fitted sheets and grocery runs feel like shared stories rather than solo battles. By the end, we land on connection, craft, and a cheeky 80s wink—proof that lightness belongs even on heavy days.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs gentle company, and leave a review so more women can find their way back to a little sparkle.

Transcript

Naming Depression And Overwhelm

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to embrace midlife season seven episode five and and today I feel like well these episodes this year have been very sad like flatsy patsy sad ones and I suppose that's because of what I went through and I wanted to share with the hope that that will help or may resonate with any other women out there that have suffered burnout or perhaps depression or are looking after or have been with someone that's gone through that. So it isn't to make everything doom and gloom. So I'll start this little episode just about the feelings of depression for me. And then I want to sort of finish off well I will finish off on some lightheartedness and some fun. Hey with my depression I had complete and utter overwhelm. I don't blame anyone else when I'm in it. I'm just completely overwhelmed by the smallest little tasks even just getting out of bed. And Andy will say I know you're unwell I see it in your face I apparently have some look and yeah look I do if I look at it too too if I think hard I have this this face look this a client of mine used to call it not for depression but resting bitch face resting well yeah that's like resting bitch face or resting pencil face so this one is just this face of sorrow despair pasty skin it's incredible what the body does when mentally what you're going through and just this constant sadness this teariness and piling it on stacking things on and I feel they were the main things for me like a black hole perhaps and this funny taste in my mouth like cardboard and not seeing joy in anything but seeing negativity in everything. And I was unwell and that's okay. So how I got myself out of it I'm still booked in to see a psychiatrist to look at my meds and adjust them. God that'll be fun won't it holy moly that's one of the hardest parts when you're testing them out so it's sort of a bit of trial and error anyway we'll see how we go there. Stay tuned. And little by little I was just very very very gentle with myself which is freaking hard when you're feeling flat and negative and full of despair and overwhelm and pretty much hate yourself. So just tiny tiny little things and making sure I acknowledge them. Writing a diary for me was wonderful. Some people the writing doesn't help it has it has been proven in science that when you write things out it it is therapeutic. It's very cathartic. You might find in even not when you're depressed just burnt out or really fucking pissed off writing about it but also speaking about it speaking out loud on a walk on your phone you can write it a letter and then you can frickin' burn it. No one's going to see it. And the support I had that just it was like mothering I think you need mothering and Andy was very good at that and I appreciate it. And I'm sure he was frustrated because for people out there that do care for others with depression I can understand how frustrating it must be because some days you're feeling okay and you're a bit invert and other days it ain't so bad. It's not a linear process it's one step two steps back one step forward one step back two steps back or two steps forward and one step back. And that's life hey and I've got some talk therapy with my psychologist I think I encourage everyone to see a psychologist or someone that a neutral body that they can talk to even your GP if you've got a good GP just to get it out and as I said with someone that's neutral and that can hold space for you. Take the time listen reflect with you and yeah help help you find decisions or have not epiphanies although sometimes you can yeah it it comes from within but with the support of talk therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy. I had a lot of CBT it's mainly now just talking getting it out and yeah digging deep on on those thoughts and I found some hobbies it's just trial and error again treating myself not with that freaking perfection stick which I'm so it's so me. Patsy perfect trust me it's just who I am hey I just accept well I do accept that and manage it. However being aware of her and taking up hobbies trying things and it's quite interesting I think I mentioned this before well I know I have often when you are looking for a hobby or something a good start is to revisit things you did in your childhood whether that was sports or it was art it was reading it was anything whatever you liked dancing and okay we might be older now we can't run a marathon but if that's what you liked do a little bit of it even if it's like running into the letterbox and back or I don't know up the street something if that's what you liked just give it a little go and movement of course in dolphins so good for your mental state. And do it gently with kindness with love which is bloody hard as I said but what's the alternative? And some of my hobbies when I was young were well one particular one was knitting. I used to knit I used to spend a lot of time with my grandmother because my maternal grandmother because my younger sister was very very sick as a baby so I would spend weeks on end with her. Her name is Poppy. I love her and miss her so much. And I discovered knitting again I discovered two girls that in Melbourne actually and started this business called Cardi Gang and very cool. Take a look not sponsored I promise nothing sponsored this is me comes with it like a bundle with a bag and some knitting needles and some cool yarns and colours and the instructions and then YouTube and you get this little patch that you can sew on that says made by me. They actually have knitting workshops in Melbourne. So give it a go if that's what floats your boat or if it doesn't and you're not sure give it a go anyway just buy something small or go to if you don't do the whole shebang like me being a bit of a Papsy perfect again go to a habitashery or the knitting knitting shops I don't know what they're called very technical term and give it a whirl. Try a class there's lots of classes and things on at community houses. The other thing I did was grab a canvas and some paints that that hasn't gone too well but the beauty of that is just get white house paint and paint over it. I just haven't had the time or haven't had the inkling which tells me that it's probably something that I don't love as much as I love the knitting because I I really couldn't stop knitting and I've knitted this beautiful yellow scarf for myself. Hint hint I am knitting some other things for an exciting event happening in my family in July and that's all I'm allowed to say at this point. So I need to change the subject very quickly. Writing my diary but only when I feel up to it walking but just slowly slowly and just that gentleness and grace and what I found involved was by having that space I did feel better and I started to want to do things again like this podcast like reaching out to people in like friends going to a movie we went my girlfriend and I my best friend Belinda she has been my friend for over 30 years. She was the matron of honor at my first wedding and she and I went and saw Sung Song Blue with Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. Really good really good all it's all about Neil Diamond but it's all well it's not about Neil Diamond it's Neil Diamond music but it's the story of Kate who's an impersonator of oh Patsy Klein I think and Hugh who of course is Neil Diamond but it's the story of them and what they go through it's incredible. And it's a true story. So I find myself after the movie we're googling Belinda and I together and oh my god oh my god yeah worse worth a watch with a friend go by yourself I used to do that just get you out of the house and you're in the dark so you know if you feel if you feel like a loner or anything who cares but no one's gonna see you they're watching the movie it's a bit of fun grab some chocolate for yourself you know a chop top it's fun it's good if you're feeling flat probably not a good idea to see a sad one but yeah I uh friendships connections again and I started visiting my old shop Instagram page. Now on my shop Instagram and Facebook page the Sissy Mount Eliza that was the name of my shop I it wasn't just buy this buy this buy this I would show the clothes that I sell and go through them homewares I'd have a little thing called Belinda babble and I just talk about life and stuff and you know whatever little tips all sorts of things and I found myself doing that again on this this shop page not my coaching Instagram I was having fun. I still am having fun I changed the name to Sparkle Sisterhood to try or I want to create a sisterhood, a community of women older women 50 plus if you're under 50 it's okay you're allowed to join or watch or do what you want but particularly women 50 plus that get it. The ethos always with my business was keep it real and that's what I'm doing now with Sparkle Sisterhood. I am posting about places I love on the peninsula where I live books I've enjoyed my hobbies I'm showing things I'm wearing and I'm not paid for any of this. I if ever I am gifted something I would only promote it if I believed in it because that is so important. I don't want to be an influencer or anything like that. I want I just want to show women some fun and some tips and places to visit and have a laugh and one post the other week I talked about bloody fitted sheets and the hassle of getting them on and another one I talked about I was in the shopping centre. I'm like do they have to eat every day? Really? Really? Can't they just have water? So just funny stuff. You might find it funny but hey what you know different vibes for different tribes people. So yeah it's called Sparkle Sisterhood. I'm giving it a plug but mainly just to create some community whatever evolves from it great but it's fun and that's how I've naturally digressed now into some fun stuff I can talk about now on the pod. I feel I've uh I've covered the heavy stuff the last year stuff it's been fun to share though because that will not fun I didn't don't wish that on me or anybody but to it's very important for me to be vocal uh because I want to try to help anyone out there if I help one person I'm wrapped and I know I have because they have messaged me which is lovely. So I'm gonna be talking now some fun stuff on the pod probably an extension of what I talk about on my Instagram and Facebook Sparkle underscore sisterhood. Thought we could talk about 80s stuff I could tell you oh all sorts of things plus the exciting news which I'm not allowed to mention in the middle of the year. So my loves what I am gonna do now remember I think I've mentioned this highly professional studio of cushions all around me in my little my little studio it's it's actually called a she shed they're online and mine's white with windows and it's my she shed it's my little space I've got my three little doggies here today with me and I do not know where I was going with that oh my yeah studio with all these cushion stuff. So I get to finish each episode with an 80s song one that I loved and today as I'm recording this it's Friday so I do not know if this is going to work turn it down turn it off if it if it offends you or it's absolutely crap which is highly likely however before I play that song let's uh let me do my big DJ spiel. If you liked this podcast please feel free to download like follow share with a friend or screenshot it and send it to a friend. Here we go here's the song have a beautiful day night weekend year love life I hope I get a little sparkle out there. I love a little sparkle even when you're feeling flat you're having a shit day or you are not that great at the moment just remember there's always that little sparkle it might not be there at the moment but it does come back. Now here we go unfortunately it didn't work it was Friday I'm in love by the cure probably something to do with licensing and all that jazz or definitely could be something to do with the producer here. Have a lovely day bye