Seasonal Depression

Seasonal Depression

Every year about this time I seem to get in a bad mood. I have always just associated it with not liking the holidays. But this year I really noticed that it started the week after the time change.

After some research on the internet, I see that I may be suffering the symptoms of Seasonal affected disorder or SAD. I find that starting in the fall, I start to carve carbohydrates and begin “bulking up for winter.” I also want to sleep much more than normal. And this year I have especially noticed that I want to withdraw socially. Many of the activities that I used to enjoy just don’t seem as fun anymore.

I notice that when I get home and it is already dark, I get really sleepy or grumpy. Walking the dog in the dusk just does not give me the same mood boost as it does in the summer.

I have noticed that I do feel better when I work in my barn in the evenings. I call it Jeep therapy. However, the last few nights even the Jeep therapy has not helped as much.

I decided to do some research on SAD and I found one of the treatments is bright light therapy. That is when I had a light bulb go off in my head. Normally when I work on the Jeep in the barn, I have my two big Quartz Halogen lights right by my head most of the time. They help keep me warm in the cool nights as well as helping me see what I am looking at.

For the last couple of nights, I have been learning how to gas weld and have not been using the lights. Could that be why I have not gotten the normal mood enhancement that I normally get from working in the barn?

I have been dong Heart Math coherence sessions for a couple days but they have not yet helped me feel much better. Working on the Seasonal Affected Disorder theory, I am going to now try some B 12 vitamins and use my bright lights in the barn to see how that affects my mood.

Summer Safety Slogan

Summer Safety Slogan

This summer I have had more than my fair share of injuries in the shop. It may be the heat. It may be the humidity. Louise Hay suggests that accidents and injuries are responses to anger and heat can trigger the emotion of anger.

So far this summer, I have burned my ankle with hot metal and injured my shoulder when a heavy drive shaft fell on it. In the first case, I was not wearing the proper protective equipment. In the second case I was simply not taking proper precautions.

I have read psychological reports that suggest that the summer heat has an effect on mood. In some cases the heat can cause depression. In other cases it has been links with an excessive feeling of mental fatigue. We have all observed that tempers flare more as the temperature rises.

I am sure dehydration plays a role in increasing accidents as well. I can see my own mental function start to fade and my muscle coordination also diminishes when I am dehydrated. These factors could easily contribute to accidents and injuries.

So in the summer heat my advice is to slow down, take more breaks and drink plenty of fluids. Take an extra amount of time to visualize the job process including things that could go wrong and take measures to prevent their occurrence. Wear the proper protective clothing even if it is hot.

If you fail to take proper precautions to deal with the added stress of summer heat you will then need to head my favorite safety slogan: “If you are gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough!” Have a safe summer.

My new Favorite Meditation

My new Favorite Meditation

I recently decided to return to my study of Taoism. Taoism has always appealed to me because of their scientific approach to philosophy. Lao Tsu and the other writers took a lot of time to study plant and animal life to see what works and what does not. They developed very workable practices that really help maintain a strong and healthy mind and body.

I recently read an interesting article by Michael Winn where he talks about smiling to your internal organs. He explains the Taoist philosophy of acceptance very succinctly with the concept of smiling. By smiling he means that we simply acknowledge that a certain condition exists and we smile with no judgment. A thing or event is neither good nor bad, it just is. I find I can save a lot of mental and spiritual energy when I stop judging things as good or bad and just accept them.

So the meditation I have begun to use based on Winn’s ideas and my previous Taoist studies is to simply talk to my body. I like to carry on a conversation with all my body parts.

Since I have had some pain and discomfort in my right foot lately I usually begin there. The conversation goes something like this:

Hey foot. How are you doing down there? I notice that you are sending a lot of interesting signals lately. I really appreciate how you carry me around and support me. I really appreciate all the little tiny bones that have to intersect just right to do all the amazing task that you accomplish all day long. I am really thankful that I have you to carry me around like you do.

My foot rarely talks back, but I can tell it responds well to being appreciated. The pain usually goes away quickly as I stop thinking about it and think about the entire task my foot performs for me.

One of the concepts that I really like in Winn’s article was not condemning body parts that don’t work up to our expectations. He even speaks of welcoming and loving malfunctioning parts like tumors and infections. These are part of our bodies and are there for a reason. If we act with malice towards these parts, they respond in kind. However if we act in love toward these parts, they adapt and rejoin the working collective of our body.

I recently had a sinus headache. Normally all I want to do it get rid of the swelling. I have tried all sorts of herbal remedies and then usually resort to pseudoephedrine. But this time I had a loving conversation with my sinuses. It went something like this:

Ok Sinuses, I know you are irritated. I have been irritated at a lot of things lately but I am working to just let them go. I really appreciate the way you try to protect me by filling with fluid. I know the sensation of swelling that I feel is your way of letting me know what is going on. I really appreciate all you do with the filtering of each and every breath. I know that you do a lot of other tasks that I don’t even understand. And I just want you to know that I appreciate all you do. If you feel the need to swell up to protect me, then have at it. If however the threat is over, let’s just relax and let our guards down. I am going to just lie down for a while and let you do what ever you think is best.

In far less time than it would have taken for the sinus medicine to digest, my headache was gone. I never got any real answers form my sinuses, but the pain went away and I felt like my sinuses worked better and felt appreciated.

I am finding a lot of clarity in taking time to sit and talk with my body and its organs. I really like the concept of not condemning body parts but loving all of them no matter what their shape or form. I am working on loving the excess fat around my belly. I am telling it that I really appreciate the protection is giving me. If it feels the need to stick around, that is fine. However if its job is done, then the fat can be redistributed to other places in my body or used up as fuel. But I am leaving the detail up to the belly fat cells to decide. I am appreciating their presence and respecting their right to be there. I am no longer fighting to get them to leave. I simply love them for who they are.

I feel much more at peace with my self and with my body. I don’t feel like I need to struggle anymore.

I think this meditation and coming to peace within my body is going to help me be more at peace with my external world as well. It will be an interesting trial at least.

Flea and Tick control

Smash is starting to collect tick already this year. Every afternoon during a pet the puppy session, I pluck off a dozen or so ticks.

I hate to use chemicals but I am seriously considering using K9 Advantix flea and tick medicine.

According to their web site, Advantix kills not only ticks but other parasites for up to a month.


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Spring Allergies and Sinus Headaches

Spring Allergies and Sinus Headaches

I used to have horrible sinus headaches this time of year. I was nearly addicted to ibuprofen and pseudoephedrine. Even with these chemicals taken on a regular basis, I still suffered with headaches and alternating between a stuffy and a runny nose.

But the last couple of years, I have suffered mush less. That is as long as I remember to take my daily dose of OPC-3. The OPC-3 is a natural grape seed extract that comes in a powder and is mixed with water to form an isotonic mixture.

If I remember to drink a shot in the morning, I have hardly any allergy symptoms all day. This is great stuff. The biggest trouble is that after taking it for a few days, I feel so good that I forget about it. Then it takes a few more days for it to wear off and I feel bad again.

I really love the positive effects that OPC-3 has on my body. More than just preventing the sinus headaches and such, it gives me more energy. It is also supposed to boost the immune system.

I really like to take it mixed with the ORAC anti oxidant compound. Mixed together they have a great grape juice taste and I get a real energy burst that last most of the day.

To learn more about OPC-3 and ORAC, click these links:

OPC-3
ORAC