Mental Health Monday

Winter Blues + Hiring a Hitman

A major reason for my blogging was writing as a sort of self-therapy. Many of my posts are meant to be entertaining, maybe informative, maybe thought-provoking; but sometimes I blog just for myself. Today may be one of those blogs.

I am suffering from an acute case of winter doldrums. It may be related to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which could be related to my clinical depression. Whatever the reason, life seems particularly oppressive right now. I feel like hibernating. I have little or no interest in social interactions. Writing has become a chore for me. I've developed a severe case of writer's bloc. I feel like I'm just going through the motions.

Tomorrow I'm scheduled to see my therapist, but I really have no interest. My nurse practitioner bumped up the dose of one of my anti-depressants, but I'm not confident in the results. (I realize that I will have to give it time.) I seem to be afflicted with a case of mental lethargy, too, & I wonder if this results from the psychotropic medications I take.

I haven't been going to cardiac maintenance very often. One of my New Year resolutions was to go at least three times per week. It's been more like once per week, & I've failed to go at all several times since the first of the year. It's been easy to come up with excuses to stay at home.

Another resolution was to lose at least 10 lbs this year. So far the results haven't been promising. My diet has been abysmal, i.e., constant snacking & some binge eating. My NP reminded me that one of the side effects of another medication I take is an increased appetite. It's too easy to blame my weak efforts to eat better on this medication, but maybe she's right.

Having re-read what I just wrote, it sounds to me like I'm suffering from a major pity-party. Today I will try to avoid over-eating, & I will try to go to cardiac maintenance.

Hiring a Hit Man

Recent developments in the abortion wars have left me feeling helpless & hopeless. There seems to be a move afoot to increase the efforts to keep unrestricted abortions legal, even in the event of a live birth during an abortion procedure.

Those who consider themselves pro-choice are fooling themselves. Unlimited access to abortions up to & past a live birth are likely, due to legislation in several states. In these cases, the baby has no choice. If you favor abortion rights--especially up to & past the point of a live birth--you are pro-abortion, not pro-choice.

"Abortion isn't a political issue, it isn't a women's issue, it's about our basic humanity, the most precious resource there is . . . Mamas fight for life. Fathers protect life. Doctors do no harm. Can we revisit these fundamentals? . . . It is not right to 'take out' a human being, no mater how little, to resolve a problem. That is like hiring a hitman to resolve a problem . . . Whatever you think of abortion let's think about what we can do to rally around every mother & child, before birth, after birth, & throughout their lives." ["One 'Mama' Can Change the World," by Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review Online, 2/18)