strawberry jelly pots – and it’s good to talk

The strawberry jelly pots are right below the next bit. Honest.

I spotted something interesting in the papers today (ok ok, I’m sorry, it was on the Sidebar of Shame on the Daily Mail – I’m mortified enough to be viewing it at work on my lunch computer that I cover most of it with some fisting porn in case anyone gets the wrong idea). Chiselled, Australian hunk Chris Hemsworth was wearing a t-shirt with ‘it’s not weak to speak’, which links to a mental health charity in Australia who are trying to get across the message that people shouldn’t feel ashamed about suffering from a mental illness.

He’s spot on, and I’m not just saying that because he could cheerfully sit on my face and pedal my ears. I’ve written about my anxiety before and I describe it as a slow rollercoaster – it’s always going to be there in the background, but most of the time I’m on an ‘up’ and don’t really notice it – or at least, I can take control of it. My anxiety manifests itself through health anxiety – I don’t have panic attacks (much) or depression, but I fall into the trap of analysing every little quirk of my body and thinking it is something sinister.

Well, unfortunately, I’m in a pretty big dip at the moment. It all started a couple of weeks ago when my left hand started going intermittently numb and tingly, something as innocuous as that. I’d been feeling great for over a year so this came as a bit of a surprise. I reassured myself that it was nothing to be concerned about and that worked for a fair while, but the fact that it comes and goes troubles me. Here’s how my mind works:

  • rational mind: I sleep on my arm a lot, I’ve been having problems with my neck, it’ll be a pinched nerve, the fact that it comes and goes is a good sign, I can still grip, I hold my iPad up in bed for an hour each morning using my hand so it’s no wonder it’s struggling a little
  • irrational mind: muscle weakness and tingliness is a sign of MS (which is my big fear), it’s definitely happening, can’t be anything else.

PLEASE: I don’t want any comments confirming my irrational thoughts, no tips to go see a neurologist – nothing. Feel free to comment if you sometimes get a tingly hand and you know it’s because you’ve pinched a nerve or something!

What then happens is a constant struggle between being rational (95% of the time) and 5% being irrational. Because I’m distracted by thoughts of something scary, I become hyper-aware of everything. How I speak – if I stumble over my words, it’s because my brain is turning to cheese. If my knees hurt (which given my weight is no bloody surprise) it’s because my muscles are atrophying. Because I’m up a height, I don’t sleep too well at night, which in turns means I’m knackered during the day – and then I worry because I have no energy, I keep forgetting things and my vision goes blurry – all of which happen when people get tired, but all of which add to my worries.

It’s exhausting. I’ve beaten it before, I’ll beat it again. It’s just a quirk of my body. I’m at the doctors on Wednesday and I’ll mention all of the above on the off-chance it is something to be worried about, but it’ll be nothing, I’m sure. I end up feeling guilty because it’s almost like I’m making a mockery of those with genuine concerns, but see, this is a genuine concern to me.

But here’s why I’m mentioning it – I’m lucky, because I’ve got Paul, family and friends to talk to. Although I’m pretty good at dealing with this stuff myself, Paul’s always there to reassure me that I’m shaky because I’ve had two tubs of Ben and Jerry’s, not because I’ve got Parkinsons, or that I don’t have dementia because I’m able to tell him the room number from our trip to New York. It helps so much to be honest. If you’re out there and feeling blue, find someone to talk to, even if it’s just yourself in the mirror. If you’re feeling fine, take a moment to speak to someone who you’re worried about, or listen to people if they’re trying to tell you they’re not right. It’s the small gestures that make a difference to people’s lives.

As for me, don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’ll come right back around and crack on. Sorry to be a downer!

In the meantime, let’s get to the dessert! To be fair, I hardly think it needs a recipe! This made enough for four glasses like the one you see below.

strawberry jelly pots

to make strawberry jelly pots, you’ll need:

  • one sachet of no added sugar jelly made up as instructed  (1.5 syns)
  • fat-free vanilla yoghurt (choose a syn-free variety)
  • 100g of strawberries (supposedly 1.5 syns if you cook them, which I doubt, but let’s be true to Slimming World)
  • mint for garnish

So that’s three syns, serving four, which I reckon is about half a syn each. A fraction more mathematically, but look, I’m not Carol fucking Vorderman.

to make strawberry jelly pots, you should:

  • make up the jelly as instructed and get four clean glasses out – preferably something like the ones pictured above
  • find yourself a muffin tray
  • fill each glass with exactly the same amount of jelly and put the glass, tilted about 45 degrees, into the muffin tray (the muffin tray stops it tipping over) – you don’t want the jelly to reach right to the top of the glass, leave a little bit of room
  • put into the fridge for about six hours
  • once they’re set, fill the other side with the vanilla yoghurt
  • chop the strawberries up and put them into a pan with just a drop of hot water – heat gently until the fruit breaks down and then thickens a little
  • top the pots carefully with this strawberry jam and garnish with a mint leaf!

Super easy. Now if you’re looking for more dessert ideas, you can find them by clicking here!

dessertsmall

J

Comments

comments

18 thoughts on “strawberry jelly pots – and it’s good to talk

  1. It.might be what I have,since like me you sit at a pc all day,one day I got numbness down right side pins and needles,found out its Carpal tunnel syndrome x so now I use wrist support,no.more numbness, x

  2. I’ve worked in the mental health field, I’m an intelligent strong (read stubborn) woman and about two years ago out of the blue I started getting panic attacks and severe anxiety. I’m lucky because I work from home but it turned out it was a couple of our customers causing the anxiety and I too am lucky because I have the most supportive husband (read soul mate). However this strong as an ox husband of mine sounds like he has what you have about health. He gets a bad back and is convinced he’ll need surgery, he gets a sore wrist and he’s convinced he’s got body wide gout- all who know and love him affectionally call him ExaggerGav (his name is Gavin) and we can usually talk him round. But it’s horrid feeling out of control and worrying about yourself. I’m glad to hear you have support and I’m absolutely convinced my sense of humour sees me through most situations and I’m guessing yours does too. Chin up sweetie and give yourself a pat on the back, your blog posts brighten up my day and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Big love x

  3. Don’t worry son it will be carpel tunnel. Like the lady said before it will be caused by using the computer/mouse most of the day. I’ll not buy myself a black outfit yet ?❤️Xx

  4. we all have worries and your lucky you have someone to talk too and keep you on an even keel. keep your chin you the glass is always 1/2 full. as your recipe shows.

  5. Hiya
    You normally make me wet myself with laughter so much that i’m having to think about buying more knickers…or incontinence pads!! That is one of the best things I’ve ever read about anxiety….you really should write a book about it. It hit the nail on the head, so to speak!

    Anyway, tingling fingers is nothing to be worried about. I’ve had it for years….it’s called carpal tunnel syndrome….and it’s nothing to worry about. I’ve got it because I’m a secretary. …it’s a repetitive strain injury!!
    You just have to cut down the typing (yeah right…please don’t for reasons mentioned above)and whatever else repetitive thing you men do with your hands!!! :-). If it hurts that much think about going to the chemist and getting a splint!

  6. Just found your blog via the Sausage & Gnocchi recipe and Pinterest! Love it! Have signed up to hear from you everyday and looking forward to it. So I clicked on ‘Home’ as you would and found this, your most recent post. Just wanted to say I go through the exact same issues! Or at least I did really bad, I still over think every little ache, pain, shake and rash but it doesn’t take over my life anymore, was just nice to hear that I’m not batshit crazy and other folk overthink too … or at least if I’m batshit crazy then you are too which is also reassuring in a kind of ‘You’re not alone’ way! Anyhow, enough waffle … really looking forward to trying all your grub, the sausage gnocchi bake by the way is my go to SW recipe … love it. xx

  7. OMG I can relate so much to this having had weeks and weeks of pains and palpitations – I was dying – I was on the verge of a heart attack – I was losing my mind – all of which made me snappy, irritable and horrid to be around……..upshot, turns out I am no longer 25 and actually a woman of a certain age with menopause!!! Our minds do run away with us and that’s ok – it’ll run right back when it’s had it’s moment of madness. Keep strong, positive and mindful that this is only a dip in the road 🙂

  8. Thank you for another fab post and being so honest about your life. Reading it just felt like I was reading about myself and that I’m not the only one that goes through this.

  9. Thank you so much for the honesty in this post! I’ve been following this site for a while now and have never come across this one. When it comes to health anxiety I am right there with you! Although, I am convinced I’ll have a brain aneurysm instead of having MS! (ha) …It’s so nice to feel ‘not alone’ in the mental health scenario and that there are others that understand. So thank you! 🙂

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