Mental Health Monday

Therapists + Fishing + Beer & Zoos + Political Potpourri 

I find myself continuing to battle a depressive episode. Mostly I look forward to road trips, fishing expeditions, &, sad to say, eating. I'm having trouble losing weight, which is partly due to medications that increase my appetite, eating for comfort, & a bad attitude.

Here are some thoughts about mental health therapists.

• I recently began seeing a new therapist--my 3rd one over the past 10 years.
• Regretfully, I felt that it was necessary to make a change after seeing Jan ever since I left LHNE in the fall of 2014. She isn't certified to see Medicare patients except as private insurance clients, & I felt that it would be a poor use of our finances to pay full price for our visits.
• I've seen my new therapist twice & feel like I can talk with him, although the process of getting him caught up with my issues is a chore, since I have to rehearse some sad history on my part all over again.
• Not all mental health patients need and/or benefit from a therapist. Some patients find that medication & self-therapy help keep their depression & other issues at bay.
• I have found therapists to be a useful tool in addition to medications & self-therapy.
• A good therapist listens carefully & reflects back what I'm saying.
• A good therapist isn't quick to jump in with solutions. Rather, he/she asks questions to help clarify my thoughts & feelings.
• A good therapist serves as a life coach, reminding me of things I could & should be doing for the sake of improving my mental health.
• A good therapist reminds me of reasons to feel optimistic.

Doing "quiet time" every day continues to be one of the highlights of each day for me. Spending time in meditation, scripture, devotion, & prayers helps me focus on my relationship with the Lord. I find myself growing in my love for & knowledge of my Savior, even as I'm reminded that I continue to have a long way to go in that relationship.

Fishing Expedition II

My 2nd fishing expedition to Doug's wasn't quite as productive. I fished for a little over 2 hours & caught 5 bass, the first one almost immediately from the bridge. On my very next cast I hooked another one, but he jumped & threw the lure. He wasn't as big. I caught 3 in just under an hour, including a 17"; then I went an hour before moving to the island & catching a 15" & 13" almost immediately. It had started sprinkling, not even enough to count as a drizzle, but the bass started hitting. I hooked 3 more, but each one threw the lure. I caught all my fish on black wiggle tails. I tried 3 different hula poppers--the water was much calmer than last week--& didn't even get a strike. My final tally:  14", 13", 17", 15", 13". [By the way . . . I faithfully practice "catch & release."] None of the fish that threw the lures looked to be any bigger than 13-14". Oh, yeah . . . I caught 4 ticks, too. News that ticks are in abundance are proving to be accurate. [This next weekend's forecast doesn't look conducive for a 3rd fishing expedition.]

Reasons to Be Optimistic

From Omaha World Herald (5/5):  "After a years-long struggle, Gordon's confidence is back . . . if Gordon can rebound from his depressing 2016 & '17 seasons, the Royals might be worth watching again. Since Gordon returned from the disabled list on 4/24, he is batting .372 thru Thursday's games, including 2 home runs this week. It's a small sample size but it's not nothing . . . The bigger key is confidence, which Gordon has been fighting for 2-plus years. 'That's one thing I wanted to work on this year, just believing in myself the whole year even if things weren't going well . . . I kind of got off to a slow start. But then I went on the DL stint & kind of refocused this start. When I came back, I just want to be positive. Just believe in yourself.'"  COMMENT:  I don't follow the Royals as aggressively as I used to, but I still enjoy reading about their success. [They're out of last place!] I also enjoy reading about the success of my favorite KC player, Alex Gordon, who just so happens to be a native Nebraskan. [So am I!] Maybe I could be taking a lesson from him?!

Ditto:  "Omaha zoo teams with Zipline for animal-themed beer series. The Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium & Zipline Brewing Co. are partnering on a new series of animal-themed beer, the sale of which will support conservation efforts for 4 zoo species. Each of the 4 beers in the limited edition'Zoo Brew' series will have a special recipe & label highlighting a different species:  the red panda, the African elephant, the rockhopper penguin & the snow leopard."  COMMENT:  Beer & the Henry Doorly Zoo . . . What's not to like about beer, zoos, & endangered species? Last year I missed out on a zoo visit. We plan a visit to the zoo when we take our grandkids camping toward the end of July. Hopefully, Bentley won't be sick again.

Ditto:  "Reynolds signs nation's strictest abortion policy. IA Gov. Kim Reynolds on FRI signed a law banning most abortions if a fetal heartbeat can be detected, or at about 6 weeks of pregnancy, making the strictest abortion regulation in the nation--but setting the state up for a lengthy court fight." COMMENT:  Pro-life actions are NOT a way to target vulnerable women. They are a way to slow down this horrible holocaust which, I think, will be seen in history as a debacle for country founded on a principle of the pursuit of happiness. There is no pursuit of happiness for unborn children who are murdered, largely due to the corrupt abortion industry & fathers who strong arm mothers into having this ungodly procedure. It seems doubtful that Roe v. Wade can ever be undone. [It was a Supreme Court decision that was based on bogus reasoning.] We can, however, continue to do whatever it takes to slow down the massacre of the unborn. And don't get me started about agencies like Planned Parenthood who supposedly perform other services helpful for women's health. This agency is dedicated to maintaining the status quo for its cash cow. Other agencies gladly & willingly take up the slack of other women's health services, & they are more likely to perform these services w/o cost to mothers & taxpayers. Oh, yeah, & KUDOs to Iowa. There is no place like . . . 

From Norfolk Daily News (5/4):  "'Stand for the Second'. More than 200 Kearney High School students participated in the walkout to show their support for the right to bear arms. 'The right to bear arms is not something that we should have taken away just because some people made a dumb decision.' (Sophomore, Kearney High School)" COMMENT:  Students in "flyover" country are capable of protests, too, but so far I haven't seen this event garner any traction in the national, drive-by media.