Assorted Musings + Blogging for Self-Therapy

mental health monday

Reasons to Be Thankful & Cheerful

Tagline from Drudge Report (11/26):  "Magic mushrooms lift severe depression . . . " [My beloved spouse's legendary stuffing, which we once again enjoyed at our traditional family Thanksgiving dinner on FRI 11/25; & which I have happily indulged several times since, includes mushrooms. The mushrooms referenced in this article are unlikely to refer to the same magical qualities found in my spouse's "magical" stuffing recipe. I don't see how they could lift my depression any better than my spouse's stuffing, so I didn't bother to read this article.] *
* Perhaps the mushrooms referenced in this article would be of more use to a certain category of post-election whiners. **
** And I mean that most sympathetically. SEE excerpt below.

Conversations w/My Grandson

Bentley:  Grandma, I'm hungry for a sandwich.
Lois:  What would you like on it?
Bentley:  Prob'ly bread.
Lois:  What do you want on your bread?
Bentley:  May'naise.
Lois:  What else?
Bentley:  That's all.
[I can confirm that he did in fact eat a sandwich. With bread. And meat & cheese.]

Leftover turkey! 

Always a highlight of post-Thanksgiving dining. Thanks to the artful dismembering of our turkey carcass by my son Nathan, we are enjoying a plethora of leftover turkey, most suitable for classic turkey sandwiches.

BONUS CLASSIC TURKEY SANDWICH RECIPE FROM THIS BLOGGER

> Probably bread. Of the whole wheat variety.
> Mayonnaise.
> Turkey. White and/or dark meat. Cold.
> American cheese.

Reasons to Be Cautious . . . Possibly Gloomy

From Omaha World Herald (10/11):  "Exercise, anger deadly combo? If you're angry or upset, you might want to simmer down before heading out for an intense run or gym workout. A large study ties heavy exertion while stressed or mad to a tripled risk of having a heart attack within an hour . . . " [Because of my ability to figure things out, I didn't have to read the remainder of this article in order to extrapolate a connection between walking the dog & anger.]

From Lincoln Journal Star (11/3):  "Census held of creepy crawlies in homes. Do you know the  bugs that share your home? No? Well, pull up a chair & get acquainted. Researchers from North Carolina State University & the University of Colorado Boulder just completed a census of creepy crawlies from hundreds of households across the country & found that creatures from more than 600 genera of arthropod live alongside us in our homes.
      "Arthropods, a phylum of invertebrate animals w/exoskeletons & segmented bodies, include insects, spiders, crustaceans & all manner of other many-legged critters--most of whom you probably wouldn't want to get up close & personal w/right before dinner . . . "
[Calm down . . . Take a deep breath . . . The reason I categorize this as a "reason to be cautious?" These are undoubtedly liberal campuses that are also part of government-funded research that involves the well-documented global climate change hoax. And these same campuses undoubtedly have cry rooms where students can sip hot cocoa & be comforted about this here-to-for unknown menace.]

From LJS (11/5):  "Election will end, but the anxiety may not. More than half of Americans are experiencing election-related stress comparable to that often attributed to work, money, or the economy, the American Psychological Association has said. And while the good news is the presidential contest will end next week, [Note the date of this excerpt.] the bad news is that because of the ferocity of the campaign, the mental damage may linger. And for some groups, it may get even worse--depending on who wins . . . " [And I think we all know which of those group seems to be most affected by election-related stress.] *
* I've heard one popular, partisan, radio pundit refer to TDS. ** I think that's hilarious.
** Trump Derangement Syndrome. ***
*** I'm trying hard not to turn my mental health MON post into a partisan entry. ****
**** But apparently not trying all that hard.

From Norfolk Daily News (11/17):  "New study finds pigs can be optimists or pessimists. You can't keep a positive pig down. A new study finds that, like humans, pigs can be optimists or pessimists, & that the pessimists are more strongly affected by their current environments. The results, described in the journal Biology Letters, * hint that the complex interplay between personality & mood may extend far beyond the human experience . . . " [My always incisive insights follow.]

• Our local Hy-Vee was advertising a free turkey w/the purchase of a ham, prior to Thanksgiving. This couldn't possibly have done much for piggy pessimists.
• I find it hard to believe that this promotion persuaded many if any changes in holiday culinary traditions.
• Therefore, it follows that there's been an uptick in piggy optimism . . . 
• . . . which will likely reverse itself into a uptick in piggy pessimism as we draw near to Christmas or--more likely--Easter.

* Which most likely doesn't even get as many readers as this blog gets. I'm just sayin'.

Reasons to be Glum

Nebraska vs Iowa football result

Don't even want to discuss it. If you are an Iowanian, well, Nebraska still has the largest field of sand dunes in North America, while you have, what, the highest number of hog-waste containment lagoons? *

* Therefore, also the highest number of piggy pessimists, it undoubtedly goes w/o saying. [Although I just said it.] **

** And our VB team won the Big Championship

Blogging for Self-Therapy . . . Personal Mental Health Update

•  I still seem to be struggling w/a prolonged episode of depression & anxiety, dating back to earlier in the fall.
• Contributing factors? Time change . . . anniversary of my unplanned, permanent sabbatical from LHNE . . . continued "adventures" w/the insurance company that administers my long-term medical disability for CPS . . . Problems sleeping, intrinsically linked to depression . . . Changes in psychotropic medications . . . Self-inflicted pity party.
• Prognosis? Remains to be seen . . . I received a letter from the aforementioned insurance company, informing me that they will issue a determination re:  my appeal of their discontinuation of my mental health disability by 12/15/16 . . . Therefore, I know that I have "temporary" health insurance thru 12/31/16 . . . If my appeal is upheld, I receive disability payments retroactive from 8/1/16 . . . If my appeal is rejected, I have to make arrangements for "permanent" health insurance, effective 1/1/17 . . . I most likely have to start drawing some type of retirement funds, also effective 1/1/16 . . . I should probably stop indulging in post-election news & commentary.