Birds Don’t Have Socks!

“How do human beings, on their worst days, still manage to get out of bed? What is it that motivates us to move forward? 
Simply put-desire.
For Love, Joy, Money, Food, Sex.
Because in the rare moments when we actually get what we want, our brains gift us with dopamine, the neurotransmitter that creates….. pleasure.
And like water, pleasure is essential to the survival of human beings….. even when it seems out of reach” Brilliant Minds

Please keep in mind that there is something called seasonal affective disorder or winter blues. People are often severely affected by this, whether they see it or want to admit it. Even the strongest person is vulnerable. We aren’t titanium. But remember to be kind to yourself because some of the most beautiful flowers are the ones we give ourselves.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — seasonal affective disorder (SAD) begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. These symptoms often resolve during the spring and summer months. Less often, SAD causes depression in the spring or early summer and resolves during the fall or winter months.

Symptoms 

• Feeling tired, sluggish, or lacking energy 
• Having trouble concentrating or making decisions 
• Sleeping more or having trouble waking up 
• Having an increased appetite, especially for sweets and carbohydrates 
• Feeling moody 
• Experiencing physical aches and pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems 
• Having thoughts of death or suicide 

Treatment for SAD may include light therapy (phototherapy), psychotherapy and medications.

Don’t brush off that yearly feeling as simply “a case of the winter blues” or a seasonal funk that you have to tough out on your own. Take steps to keep your mood and motivation steady throughout the year.

Here is a link from the National Institute of Mental Health explaining SAD. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/seasonal-affective-disorder

“Sometimes, in the face of tragedy, we build walls to protect ourselves.
It feels safer to shelter in place, to pretend we don’t need the other people in our lives.
When, in fact, what we really want is to find people who can tear down our walls, people who can strengthen our foundation, so that no matter what happens, the ground won’t fall out from under us.” 
Brilliant Minds 

Less sunlight and fewer daytime hours get to everyone. Last winter, I was waiting for an ambulette and saw a little bird right outside the door pecking at crumbs. I was overly concerned and was thinking- these poor birds with their little feet! The ground is so cold and birds don’t have socks 😭😂….. It gets to everyone 

The body is like a machine. We don’t want problems but we can’t control them. We can take precautions but ultimately have no say. That’s why I never understood the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

Nobody wants a mental illness and I don’t think there should be any shame surrounding it ever! 

My friend got a pool. The treatments and chemicals have to be perfect or it won’t be usable. It could cause damage to the pool and everyone around it. Why don’t people have the same understanding of human beings? A pool can be replaced. A human being cannot.

Imagine being kidnapped, kept under horrible conditions. Being abused and talked down to nonstop. So many people would stop everything to try to find you and would donate to any ransom to get you back. Even strangers. You would feel loved and empowered to overcome your troubles. Now picture that same scenario but you are a prisoner in your own head and you are the abuser. Then when you need help, no strangers are rushing to help you. Very often, family won’t either. It’s a terrible feeling. People who always said they loved you unconditionally. Finding out that’s not true is crushing!

Those who already have problems, they often get worse and some people that never have problems, can suddenly develop them around this time of year. So try to make a point of reaching out to check on people, let them know someone is thinking of them and to make them feel loved. It won’t just help them, it’ll help you too.

Social isolation is linked to a variety of health issues, including heart disease and stroke. Not so fun fact- loneliness is as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

I think the first few weeks of the year are the hardest. The biggest holiday season just ended. During the holidays, everyone and everything are just different. People are happier, friendlier, more patient….. everything has lights, glitter, ribbons…..
There are parties & events. Then everything just ends. It’s a huge thing that most just deal with as routine. If we can explore the universe and build such intelligent computers, surely this would be better managed by now.

If you think you might have a problem, please reach out to your doctor. There are also numerous other health agencies that will help through a telehealth appointment. There are so many support groups online. Please feel free to reach out to me on my facebook support group or through here to chat. You don’t need a reason or an excuse. Everyone can
benefit from having a friend. I know what it’s like having anxiety and worrying about everything. Please know that I’m a very private person and never tell anyone anything told to me in confidence!
Loyalty is very important to me! I can’t see who visits my page so please know that it’s
completely anonymous! The only way for me to know that you’ve been here, is if you personally tell me.

You can take measures to help:

Sit by windows as much as possible. Brave the cold and go outside for a little while. Try to attend social events (even when you really don’t want to). Check with your doctor about taking vitamin D supplements. Also ask about a B complex multivitamin to combat low energy. Eat healthy. Exercise. Set specific times to go to bed and wake up. There are light boxes for light therapy.

I am always laughing at myself (yes, even when I’m alone) and after this heavy subject, you might feel better if you laugh at me too. I love making people laugh.  

When something bad happens, I have learned to find humor in it. Some people freak out but that’s not as fun. 

My friend was trying to help me walk and I kept laughing. He said- that has to be a nervous laugh. I don’t think he believed me when I said no. But, even though a mishap could be very bad and me laughing makes it more likely. It’s just funny when I see a person, who’s usually so easygoing and rarely overly worried, be so rattled. Here are a few funny stories to lift everyone’s spirits. I just wish there weren’t SO MANY to choose from.

Since having nerve damage, I want to react logically, according to life experiences and knowledge. Unfortunately, the connection between my thoughts and my actions was damaged so I’m easily startled. I used to be a thousand times worse. Accidentally punching people in the face or spilling stuff on people was fun though.

I try to do things that startle me a little so my body learns how to react. Self controlled startles. That’s definitely not an invitation to scare me 😂
Shadows, reflections and heat are big deals for me. I can completely understand that something isn’t hot…..like aluminum foil….. I love science….. I know it won’t be hot. But the primitive reactions in my brain reset to survival mode so it sees something that just came out of the oven and it might be hot! 

I love Tea but hold the teakettle with an oven mitt and as far away as possible. Like a bomb because I know that if I feel heat, I’ll just throw the hot teakettle, even if the hot water falls on me. My primitive reactions think one step at a time without considering consequences so I have been covered in boiling water. 
Because of this, my dinner has been thrown against the wall or dropped on the floor many times. Then I’m cleaning for hours. I try to keep emergency microwave dinners just in case. 

One day, I was making tea and rinsing a cup. I caught a reflection of my hand in the side of the sink. I jumped and threw a cup of hot water in my own face which I thought was hilarious.

I use serving spoons, tongs and spatulas to push things off high shelves. I was checking expiration dates. I went to get a big box and I meant to catch it with my hands but I caught it with my face instead 😂

One day, when I was cleaning, I think I made the day a little more interesting for a few people.
I had cruddy cleaning clothes on and was winded from everything. My hair was all over the place and trying to hold on to the bun I made hours before.
I have a bearded dragon and leopard gecko. They need their food dusted with white calcium powder.
After cleaning, I take the garbage out and go check the mail (I live in an apartment building). I bumped into a few neighbors and wondered why they were looking at me strangely. I had my headphones blasting reggaeton, I realized my shirt was an old tequila shirt with a drooling Chihuahua saying “suck on this”, my crazy hair, bloodshot eyes from the dust, I’m covered in white powder and if that wasn’t enough, I didn’t realize that I had a bra hanging off the back of my chair
A new superhero – lunatic woman

Just remember that there’s nobody else in this world that is exactly like you! You are unique! This world needs you! Go show them why!