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Walk, Visit & Bad As I Used to Be
Walk Enjoyed a misty mountain-air early morning 3-mile walk to the park pond and back. It felt great. I needed to move after spending a day in bed. Visit Visited my dad. He is strong and doing well. I think I exhausted him by talking for so long. Previous visits were shorter so I was…
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8 Dimensions of Wellness
When I worked as a substance abuse peer support specialist, I learned about the 8 Dimensions of Wellness. From that, I created a curriculum for group sessions and sent out weekly wellness texts. I really didn’t think about the 8 Dimensions of Wellness when I started this blog. I was trying to focus just on…
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Live Our Lives Out Loud
0400 & Ready to Go I have been going to bed really early in the evening to prevent mania while my moods are shifting. I think it is helping. For fun, my daughter bought this alarm clock for me. It’s beautiful but the alarm definitely encourages one to get out of bed. I love that…
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Best Day
After writing my morning blog post, I laid down, and then I was like-I need to sweat. I need to feel my heart beating hard, and I need to come to life. So, I got on my spin bike and did a 30-minute HIIT spin bike ride using my Apple+ app. It felt amazing. I…
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Morning Behaviours & Thoughts
Breakfast This morning, I woke up and was so happy that my TMJ pain and headache seemed much improved. I’ve had really bad headaches for the past two days; I don’t normally get the headaches-just the jaw pain. Totally got off track with weekly goals. However, I did have some time to reflect and think…
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My 75 Day Hard Plan- Modified
Original To get an idea about the modifications I am making to the 75 Day Hard program, I’m including the requirements below: The 75 Hard Challenge RulesTo complete the challenge, you must follow these rules without compromise for 75 consecutive days: Modified Below is how I will modify the program for safety and adherence while…
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From Anhedonia to Emotional Overwhelm & Back
Ok. So, I didn’t listen to my doctor’s advice when she told me to take 80 mg of Prozac one night and the next night take 40 mg to average out to 60 mg until my 20 mg capsules arrive in the mail; I only have 40 mg capsules. My loved ones were disturbed by…
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Taking Things Personally
I’m reading A High Performing Mind and today’s events got me thinking about how the book mentions not taking the behaviour of others, or their comments, personally. I really didn’t think much of it at the time, but that quickly changed when I picked up some meds at the pharmacy. Typical of my nature and…
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A High Performance Mind & My Reality
This morning I woke up and got research done for the maternal psychosis book, chapter one. It feels good to get work done so early in the morning. After this, I’ll take my 12-year-old chihuahua, Gumbo, out to potty and then feed him and the fish. Better add taking out the garbage too. Habit stacking…
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Grateful for Good Days & Recovery
I’m feeling grateful that my mental health has improved considerably over the past few days. It feels soul-enriching to enjoy cooking and listening to music. I also enjoy researching for my book on maternal psychosis. I still have some low energy, but I’m trying to be more disciplined and not let that fatigue derail all…
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Meandering Thoughts & Today’s Plans
Last night, I went to see Project Hail Mary with my daughters, my daughter’s fiancé, his sister, and his parents. The girls were concerned that my dad might not be able to sit still for about 3 hours to enjoy the movie so I didn’t check him out of memory care. I plan to visit…
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Feeling Like a Spring Chicken
I don’t know what was causing my exhaustion since Friday at noon, but it seems to have improved considerably with some rest. Shockingly, I woke up this morning feeling like a spring chicken! A maintenance guy at our apartment complex once told me that it wasn’t good for me to sleep on the couch because…
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Anhedonia Update & Getting Back on Track
Had an appointment with my psychiatrist the other day. It turns out that high doses of Prozac can also cause anhedonia. I didn’t realise that. So, my dosage is being reduced and I hope that it resolves quickly. Yesterday, I visited dad in memory care and took him breakfast. I fasted for Good Friday. Visited…
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Evaluating 75 Hard & Modifying it For Depression Recovery
Though I’m dealing with depression and anhedonia, I recognise that I need to be disciplined and keep working towards my goals. For a few days, I was supremely lazy, and I think I needed that time, but taking too much time off when depressed can result in weeks going by with no progress. I don’t…
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Depression: An Update & Artemis
Warning: Suicide mentioned. See About Me and Disclaimer. This is an update to my earlier post today. No exercise today, but I spent a few hours cooking. The potato and cauliflower curry is still simmering. Took a break from chopping up vegetables and cooking to watch the Artemis 2 launch. When I was a girl,…
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Depression-A Day in My Life
I didn’t shower for two days, and I was so inactive that my daughter grew concerned. I think maybe going through menopause is causing my mental health to worsen so I am trying to lose weight. Hopefully, with improved labs, my doctor will allow me to try hormone replacement therapy. I read that HRT helps…
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Depressive Thoughts & Delusional Hope
Yesterday, after feeling good about spending time researching maternal psychosis for my book, my energy levels took a dive, and I began to have depressive thoughts like: Even if I am feeling good, my brain will find a way to torment me.This is never going to end.I can’t keep a schedule because my brain finds…
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Update & Gratitude
I’m beginning to feel better and growing more hopeful that things will continue to improve. Recently, I lost some weight that I had gained last year. Working to continue losing weight. Been getting some exercise in like riding my spin bike. Played tennis with my daughters a few times; we are planning to play tomorrow.…
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Finding Meaning in Mental Health Challenges
Looking back on past posts, I can see that I have been struggling since the beginning of December last year. A hard part about struggling with mental health is that it is not always respectful of your goals and routine. Rather, mental health struggles reduce each day to miniature moments of discomfort (or torment) that…
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Hoping for Better Days
I haven’t been blogging because I’ve been struggling with my mental health. So much so that I haven’t kept up with my goals and plans, and I feel exhausted; I don’t even feel overwhelmed anymore. Today, I began to feel better, and more hopeful that better days are ahead. So, once I get back on…
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Thoughts on My Active Recovery
I’m trying to blog regularly, but I feel like some health issues have knocked me off track in reading. I’m behind on the books that I started and hope to get back to reading today—I think I can read at least 10 pages. As a personal trainer, I am redesigning my exercise program as I’m…
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Productivity During the Freeze
Productivity & Weather Productivity This morning, I woke up and was determined not to watch YouTube videos for two uninterrupted hours. I love YouTube. Never really watched online videos until recently, and now I spend most of the day watching some kind of content on my television YouTube app. I especially enjoy videos about other…
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Actually Using Self-Help Strategies in the Books I Read
Implementing Self-Help Strategies This morning, I started reading a very short ebook, How to Trick Yourself into Doing Things You Hate: Use Psychology, Self-Discipline, & Neuroscience to Suffer Less by Peter Hollins. Initially, I thought to speed through this book, but I think I will write a blog post about what I’ve read over the…
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Overcoming Burnout: A Personal Journey
This morning, I watched a video on YouTube about why people no longer want to work. I want to work. I like working. In my last job, I was the worst performer on my team and rose to be in the top 3 on my team consistently. Looking back on that achievement, I don’t feel…
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Balancing My Mental Health & Fitness, Quite Literally, in One Day
Today, I did my first workout, other than walking, since getting the flu and perhaps some pneumonia. Mobility is something I want to improve because I once could do pilates and yoga with smooth transitions. Now that I’m heavier and almost 48 years old, I’ve noticed I’m not as agile as I once was. To…