Today I am melancholy.
There is no real reason for it since I've been taking great care of myself, but honestly it doesn't need a reason to rear it's ugly head.
Things I do to help with my melancholy
1. Exercise
2. Eat enough
3. Eat generally healthy foods
4. Get enough sleep
5. Work towards something meaningful in my life.
6. Vitamin D supplement
7. Sunshine
8. No alcohol
9. No drugs whatsoever
10. Go out with a friend.
My last set of goals was partially for the sake of taking care of my melancholy. The exercise to keep my endorphin levels up, eating enough and healthy to keep my blood sugar stable, and keeping a regular sleeping schedule that has plenty of daytime and sunshine for the vitamin D.
It sneaks up on me though, like a conic cold. Suddenly I'm sneezing and a little achy. It's not bad enough not to go to work and go through the motions of my projects, but it still wears on me, and if I don't take at least a little care with it when it flairs up then I have a full fledged "cold" and I'm forced to take time off.
I hate to call it depression because that feels like I'm giving up the fight. I've never been one who likes to take a lot of over-the-counter or prescription medications, so I'm not really interested in taking any type of anti-depressant, besides, my grandmother has been on those things her whole life and her emotions are all screwed up, plus she is starting to lose her mind to Alzheimer's syndrome, and god only knows what those drugs did to her brain.
I've done a lot of research on mood enhancement drugs and so far the statistics show that eating well, and exercising are better for mild depression and maintaining conic depression than the drugs that western medicine so love to push on a person here in the states. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for western medicine, just not when something else that's less toxic without the side effects can do the job just as well or better.
This brings up a strange point, since I'm "all natural" most people assume that I'm all for medical marijuana cards and decriminalizing the stuff.
First, the stuff makes me super super sick, even just the smell of it makes me want to find the nearest trash can. I'm sensitive to drugs of any kind and they never react as promised for me.
Second, I value my brain too much. A recent study I read indicated that pot does indeed effect brain cells in the short term and long term. The study showed that people who smoke pot have lower intelligence than projected before they started smoking.
That being said, and to the point, I'm not against the stuff, nor do I judge those that take it as a medication or even for recreation.
I just don't like it for me personally. I don't want to force my will on others since it's their choice. It's also my choice not to smoke it. It does drive me a little nuts when people ask me to toke with them and then get all offended when I turn them down, and believe me, they ask all the time. As a granola girl with dread locks it's pretty unheard of that I don't like any type of recreational drugs, not even alcohol. The stuff just royally screws up my emotions, messes with my melancholy, and turns it into crippling depression.
I have found that my melancholy has an ebb and flow and it's somewhat cyclical. The most important thing for me is awareness about when it's coming, and to continue to maintain it so that when it finally hits it's not that bad.
So to help myself out. Today I'm going to go out in the sun for a walk, eat good food, go for a jog, work on any type of project that I want to work on today, and perhaps go out tonight for dinner with my one tomboy friend here in LA.
Tomboys Unite!
There is no real reason for it since I've been taking great care of myself, but honestly it doesn't need a reason to rear it's ugly head.
Things I do to help with my melancholy
1. Exercise
2. Eat enough
3. Eat generally healthy foods
4. Get enough sleep
5. Work towards something meaningful in my life.
6. Vitamin D supplement
7. Sunshine
8. No alcohol
9. No drugs whatsoever
10. Go out with a friend.
My last set of goals was partially for the sake of taking care of my melancholy. The exercise to keep my endorphin levels up, eating enough and healthy to keep my blood sugar stable, and keeping a regular sleeping schedule that has plenty of daytime and sunshine for the vitamin D.
It sneaks up on me though, like a conic cold. Suddenly I'm sneezing and a little achy. It's not bad enough not to go to work and go through the motions of my projects, but it still wears on me, and if I don't take at least a little care with it when it flairs up then I have a full fledged "cold" and I'm forced to take time off.
I hate to call it depression because that feels like I'm giving up the fight. I've never been one who likes to take a lot of over-the-counter or prescription medications, so I'm not really interested in taking any type of anti-depressant, besides, my grandmother has been on those things her whole life and her emotions are all screwed up, plus she is starting to lose her mind to Alzheimer's syndrome, and god only knows what those drugs did to her brain.
This brings up a strange point, since I'm "all natural" most people assume that I'm all for medical marijuana cards and decriminalizing the stuff.
Here is a news flash for everyone.
No really, I don't partake. I can't.
First, the stuff makes me super super sick, even just the smell of it makes me want to find the nearest trash can. I'm sensitive to drugs of any kind and they never react as promised for me.
 |
| Yummy. |
Second, I value my brain too much. A recent study I read indicated that pot does indeed effect brain cells in the short term and long term. The study showed that people who smoke pot have lower intelligence than projected before they started smoking.
That being said, and to the point, I'm not against the stuff, nor do I judge those that take it as a medication or even for recreation.
I have found that my melancholy has an ebb and flow and it's somewhat cyclical. The most important thing for me is awareness about when it's coming, and to continue to maintain it so that when it finally hits it's not that bad.
So to help myself out. Today I'm going to go out in the sun for a walk, eat good food, go for a jog, work on any type of project that I want to work on today, and perhaps go out tonight for dinner with my one tomboy friend here in LA.
Tomboys Unite!
