mental health MON
Reasons to be Optimistic?
Recently(?) I blogged that while everyone's experience w/chronic mood disorders is unique . . . & it's not always possible to THINK or WILL your way out of the dumps . . . it MAY be possible to strive to look for reasons to be more optimistic. So, by reason of my altruistic(?) motives re: my mental health MON posts, in conjunction w/my own personal experiences *, then by adding a "teaspoon" reminder that, as always, this is MY blog . . . here are some reasons why I am trying to feel more upbeat . . . more optimistic . . . less anxious these days:* Which I can neither confirm nor deny as to their effectiveness
- On FRI 7/15, thanks to an accumulation of Fuel Savior points at Hy-Vee **, I paid $1.50 for 11 1/2 gallons of gas. ***
- I resumed walking Sammy around our "long" block earlier last week, thanks to Lois' assistance & encouragement. **** On FRI 7/15, despite being severely hampered by an injury to my left big toe, I accumulated 5,449 steps on my fitbit & walked Sammy to the short end of the block & back. Not impressed? It was my first solo trek w/our dog since before my hip replacement on 3/15. [Yes, I am truly a legend in my own mind.]
- I am striving to get a handle on some of the OCD behaviors that have reared their ugly heads since I slipped into a depressive state in April. For example, after posting a Hill Family Summer Reunion 2016 entry on SUN 7/10, I have promised myself that I will now cease discrete Hill Family SUN entries. *****
- I am striving to limit my blog entries to 3/week, namely, mental health MON, whimsical WED, & walking in the truth--FRI devotional.
- Last but not least, I encountered the following Truth from Scripture & Devotional Thought from my favorite reformer during my quiet time on JULY 8. "The Lord has disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death." Psalm 118:18 We Shall Not Die But Live: "We should recognize this verse as a masterpiece. How mightily the psalmist banishes death out of sight! He will know nothing of dying and of sin. At the same time he visualizes life most vividly and will hear nothing but life, as Christ says, 'If anyone keeps My Word, he will never see death.' (John 8:51) He so immerses himself in life that death is swallowed up by life and disappears completely, because he clings with a firm faith to the right hand of God . . . " [Source: Martin Luther Day by Day, Concordia Publishing House]
** Never let it be said that I won't give credit where credit is due. With that in mind, I hereby give due credit to my spouse, who helped me accumulate these points through her own shrewd purchases, plus pointing out to me this morning that if I purchased Meat Package #4, I would gain 40 fuel saver points on that one purchase alone!
*** I can neither confirm nor deny that my purchase at the Hy-Vee Convenience Store, located adjacent to the Hy-Vee West Grocery Store in Norfolk, NE, included a Hershey's Dark Chocolate bar, which we all know [or should know] is loaded w/anti-oxidants.
**** We all know [or should know] that regular exercise promotes better mental health.
***** Don't be lulled into a false sense of security, Hill family members, both familial & camp followers . . . I reserve the right to include Hill family entries in my other blog entries.
Reasons to be depressed & anxious? *
Tagline from Drudge Report (7/15): "Hackers steal millions from ATMs, without cards . . . " [I was too anxious to read the article.]
From Omaha World Herald (7/11): "Patrols increase after killing of protected owl in New Mexico. More officers have been put on patrol in the Caja del Rio area near Santa Fe after the reported killing of a burrowing owl, a federal Bureau of Land Management official said . . . " [Whoops! My bad . . . This excerpt should have read "Patrols increase after increased sightings of undocumented aliens near Santa Fe, a Dept. of Homeland Security official said . . . Wait . . . What?!"]
There Is No Place Like . . . Florida! From Norfolk Daily News (7/7): "Florida in battle with stinky algae blooms. Amid a growing outcry--& national headlines--about a massive algae bloom fouling FL's southern beaches & rivers, Gov. Rick Scott . . . promised to dedicate millions more to battle the problem." [In related developments, "She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named" blamed Republicans for budget cuts that defunded algae eradication; "He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named" pointed out the Democrats' support for undocumented algae; "He-Who-Turned-Out-To-Be-a-Loser-&-Sell-Out" blamed "big business" for their lobbying efforts on behalf of the "stinky algae" industry; & P.E.T.S.A. threatened massive demonstrations if any hostile action is taken against "innocent" algae blooms, who have just as much right to peacefully co-exist alongside killer jellyfish & deadly electric eels."]
From Omaha World Herald (7/11): "Patrols increase after killing of protected owl in New Mexico. More officers have been put on patrol in the Caja del Rio area near Santa Fe after the reported killing of a burrowing owl, a federal Bureau of Land Management official said . . . " [Whoops! My bad . . . This excerpt should have read "Patrols increase after increased sightings of undocumented aliens near Santa Fe, a Dept. of Homeland Security official said . . . Wait . . . What?!"]
There Is No Place Like . . . Florida! From Norfolk Daily News (7/7): "Florida in battle with stinky algae blooms. Amid a growing outcry--& national headlines--about a massive algae bloom fouling FL's southern beaches & rivers, Gov. Rick Scott . . . promised to dedicate millions more to battle the problem." [In related developments, "She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named" blamed Republicans for budget cuts that defunded algae eradication; "He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named" pointed out the Democrats' support for undocumented algae; "He-Who-Turned-Out-To-Be-a-Loser-&-Sell-Out" blamed "big business" for their lobbying efforts on behalf of the "stinky algae" industry; & P.E.T.S.A. threatened massive demonstrations if any hostile action is taken against "innocent" algae blooms, who have just as much right to peacefully co-exist alongside killer jellyfish & deadly electric eels."]
* I never said I was cured.
More Reasons to be Happy . . . Cheerful . . . Optimistic
Another Milestone! On SAT 7/16, I mowed the front yard. This was the first time I mowed the lawn since the fall of 2015, before I had my hip replacement.
From "Trivia for the Toilet," by Gavin Webster (Fall River Press, 2002): "Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour--about 1.5 lbs/year. By 70 yrs of age, an avg person will have lost 105 lbs of skin. [I am less than 7 yrs away from my goal of losing 105 lbs!]
From St. Paul Pioneer Press (6/4): "First lady gives final graduation speech . . . " [I am NOT a hater.]
Also from OWH--column by David Ignatius (4/22): "Young Arabs are fearful of Islamic State, terrorism . . . here's a surprising snapshot of what young Arabs think: They're scared about the islamic State & terrorism; they year for more freedom & gender equality; they fear that the Arab Spring has made life worse; & they're increasingly skeptical about the role of traditional religious values." ["God Is in Control," Twila Paris]
Also from NDN (7/7): "Cabbie who turned in $187K offered cruise. The Boston cab driver who got a $100 reward from a man who left a backpack containing more than $187,000 in his taxi has been offered a free cruise. Royal Caribbean on WED offered 72-year-old Raymond "Buzzy" MacCausland . . . a 7-day trip to the Caribbean, including airfare to FL." [The only comments I can come up with are disparaging comments about the guy who could only summon the generosity to give Buzzy a $100 reward for returning his $187,000 . . . so THREE CHEERS for Royal Caribbean!]
Also from OWH (6/17): "No 'meatless Mondays' for the troops. If men & women serving in uniform want hamburgers, they should get hamburgers. That's the position of Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., who this week successfully pushed a provision into a defense spending bill that would prevent the exclusion of meat from the Defense Dept's food serve program manual . . . " [There is no place like Nebraska . . . & its representatives!]
From "Trivia for the Toilet," by Gavin Webster (Fall River Press, 2002): "Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour--about 1.5 lbs/year. By 70 yrs of age, an avg person will have lost 105 lbs of skin. [I am less than 7 yrs away from my goal of losing 105 lbs!]
From St. Paul Pioneer Press (6/4): "First lady gives final graduation speech . . . " [I am NOT a hater.]
Also from OWH--column by David Ignatius (4/22): "Young Arabs are fearful of Islamic State, terrorism . . . here's a surprising snapshot of what young Arabs think: They're scared about the islamic State & terrorism; they year for more freedom & gender equality; they fear that the Arab Spring has made life worse; & they're increasingly skeptical about the role of traditional religious values." ["God Is in Control," Twila Paris]
Also from NDN (7/7): "Cabbie who turned in $187K offered cruise. The Boston cab driver who got a $100 reward from a man who left a backpack containing more than $187,000 in his taxi has been offered a free cruise. Royal Caribbean on WED offered 72-year-old Raymond "Buzzy" MacCausland . . . a 7-day trip to the Caribbean, including airfare to FL." [The only comments I can come up with are disparaging comments about the guy who could only summon the generosity to give Buzzy a $100 reward for returning his $187,000 . . . so THREE CHEERS for Royal Caribbean!]
Also from OWH (6/17): "No 'meatless Mondays' for the troops. If men & women serving in uniform want hamburgers, they should get hamburgers. That's the position of Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., who this week successfully pushed a provision into a defense spending bill that would prevent the exclusion of meat from the Defense Dept's food serve program manual . . . " [There is no place like Nebraska . . . & its representatives!]
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