Happy Spring! Is anyone else as excited as me for the upcoming change in season? Spring is a way to see your world through a new lens. All the things that you wanted to do but didn’t because it was too gloomy or too cold….. you can do those now! But the “Spring” on the calendar and the “Spring” outdoors can often be misaligned. In some areas there is still snow on the ground, cold temps in the air and clouds in the sky.
Spring also invokes a sense of renewal in us as well. Just as the new blades of green grass start to poke through the brown cover of leaves, we start to feel an exciting change in our lives. We’ve made it through the holidays and those with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) are starting to feel the weight of the winter lifting. Longer days and bright sunshine have been shown to improve our mood and lift out spirits.
Throughout different cultures, spring includes some religious celebrations that mark renewal. In Christianity there is Easter, Judaism has Passover and Holi is celebrated by those following Hinduism. Those in Thailand mark the New Year (Songkran)with water fights and purification rituals and Persians celebrate the Spring Equinox (Nowruz)with bonfires, spring cleaning and gathering with family.
Male cardinal at birdfeeder
Generations ago our mothers and grandmothers would throw the windows open, pull all the rugs outside and do a whirlwind spring cleaning. Opening the windows can have many benefit: improving air quality, reducing chemical compounds from cleaning products we have used, as well as lowering the concentration of airborne particles such as viruses that have been circulating in our homes.
But more so than all the practical reasons to open the windows and let the fresh air in, the prime reasons are that it can improve our physical and mental health. Increased oxygen and fresh clean air has been shown to lower stress and anxiety, improve focus and cognitive function. It can improve our physical being by allowing introduction of outdoor micronorgisms, thereby allowing our body’s immunity to strengthen. Often, we sleep better after an afternoon of fresh air and sunshine.
Enjoying a (cold) spring day!
So even if just for a few minutes or if you can get away for the afternoon, go outside, enjoy the fresh air and get some sunshine on your face!!
Two of the four grandsons caught taking a nap-the only time they are really quiet!
Happy Fall Y’all!! (In the ‘south’ y’all is known as singular with the plural forms being ‘all y’all’ and ‘all y’alls’! LOL!) I don’t know if you all are excited, but I for one can’t wait for the ‘fall’ temperatures to drop into the mid 80’s! In Florida, we don’t get very much cool fall weather like I am used to in N.C., but I’ll take low to mid 80’s any day!
As much energy as the fall season seems to give me, I find that lately I am tired. And not the tired that can be solved with a quick nap or an 8 hour night of sleep. I am talking about being mentally and emotionally tired. I find that my fatigue is not physical, but rather more spiritual and it got me to wondering if anyone else is feeling this type of tired.
This fatigue comes from the daily barrage from the nightly news, the social media feeds and other daily contacts with the public. I have heard of physical altercations over vaccination cards, wearing or not wearing masks and assaults and murders that are generally evil. The latest news that has me in a mild state of despair is the recent location of Gabby Petito found murdered. She was a vibrant and dream-filled young woman that had taken a chance to enjoy her life with whom she thought was ‘her person’. Although I was initially hopeful that she was found alive and well, my gut told me that she was murdered.
This too disturbed me because the likelihood of her being found dead was greater in my mind than her being found alive. We sat in the living room, trying to put together a ‘timeline’, lists of motives for her being harmed/murdered as well as where she might be found. This made me wonder when I became so cynical and jaded by the past evil acts in the world and how it affected my outlook.
I have always been an optimist, much to the annoyance of my husband, Brett. Disney songs are often my favorite to blast in the house while I clean! I often play ‘devil’s advocate’ and look for the best in people, even when the situation may look bleak. If I get yelled at by someone that appears angry, I chalk it up to that person may be worried about something or having a bad day. I rarely take someone else’s actions personally. But as the assault on my sensibilities continues daily, I find myself more tired of the Human Race.
Disney Princess Moana with Maui- probably some of the best Disney songs to sing while cleaning house!
How do you stop being tired when a nap won’t help? An article from December 2019 on psychcentral.com suggests ‘Six Simple Ways to Rest the Mind’. I’m sure that when this article was published, they had NO IDEA that 2020 would be the year that the Pandemic wound hit and people’s mental health would take a huge hit. The 6 ways include exercise, people-watching, getting out in nature, meditation, animals and play. This sounds like a pretty comprehensive list to get your mind reset and give it a break from the daily grind.
The Hulk Mountain Bike trail in Myrtle Beach, SC
As most of my friends know, exercise in my case is mostly cycling. So the first and third on this list is pretty simple for me. I like to get outside every available opportunity and would eat all my meals outdoors if I was able. This one is not as difficult for me as for others I know, but finding or rather making time is what I find the most difficult portion.
The second suggestion of people-watching is pretty simple as well. One of my favorite movie scenes is in ‘Date Night’ when Steve Carrell and Tina Fey are in the restaurant and begin to tell the story of a couple at another table. Just by watching the couple, how they interact and their body language, a story can unfold. Even if the story is not true, it’s fun to imagine.
The next suggestion is meditation. There are multiple scientific studies on the physical benefits of meditation and it’s use for physical and mental disease. Reduction of blood pressure, help for insomnia and relief from anxiety are just a few of the benefits of meditation. Unfortunately, medication in its best form takes work. You can not just sit in a dark room, away from people and ‘meditate’. You must practice getting in the right mindset and blocking all external stimuli – not easy for someone with ADHD like me. I do however enjoy sitting in church prior to the service starting and just letting my mind wander were it will and allow those thoughts, mostly things that are bothering me, to come to the surface and be acknowledged. This permits me to unload those concerning ideas, situations and emotions that bring my mental state down.
New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Lake Underhill, Orlando Florida
St. James Catholic Cathedral, Orlando Florida
Lake Whipoorwill, Orlando Florida
Find a place that allows you to find a quiet time within your mind.
The final two are animals and play. This too is easy for me. Brett and I have 5 dogs of all sizes, shapes and colors. They each have their own personalities, energy level and benefits in our household. They love to play and (mostly) make us laugh at their silliness. Play is something that comes easy for me, but I do struggle to get those around me to enjoy their playful side. I have begun to play board games with Brett in order to disconnect from external stimuli from cell phones, television and social media. It feels good to connect on a ‘fun’ level and to revert back to those simpler days.
There is a quote that has been making the rounds on the internet and social media that says ‘Your job would replace you before your obituary was printed in the newspaper.’. This may not be completely true, but know that to your employer, you are replaceable; to your family, you are not. So take time today to enjoy one of the 6 ways to give your mind a break….heck, enjoy all 6!
Most days I spend helping patients with COVID concerns.
Hello everyone! The weekend is in full swing and so many things are happening. School is back in session, college and professional football is back and if you go to any retail store you will see Fall/Halloween decorations and candy. Life is trying it’s best to continue despite the ongoing COVID pandemic.
I am continuing to see patients with positive COVID tests, but thank God, they have started to drift back down to levels we saw before the Delta variant ramped up in late July – early August. Our health system has begun to open up again after being placed in ‘black’ status August 4th. Our hospital leaders used Green, Yellow, Red and Black to communicate the hospitals bed availability (inpatient and ICU), inpatient surgery availability and to determine the flow of visitors in and out of the facilities based on the positivity rate in the community as well as inpatient admissions.
More frequently now, I am seeing patients that want to be tested due to fear of COVID. There are not always symptoms that cause a person to seek testing, but concern for those around them. Many people have older parents, grandparents and small children/toddlers that they are concerned about spreading COVID to.
One concern that I have not seen in my professional world day-to-day is the psychological effects that COVID has had on people. I am caring for the person with the complaints of sore throat, earaches, cough, sinus congestion and wheezing, but have not had anybody come in for insomnia or anxiety related to COVID and its’ effects on their daily lives. This got me thinking about how many people have had anxiety or insomnia concerns and how often this is happening.
Some of the common concerns that person’s with psychological reactions toward the pandemic encompass many of the obvious issues such as feelings of fear, worry, frustration, anger and helplessness. Other reactions include difficulty concentrating and making decisions, changes in appetite, energy and activity levels, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, physical complaints such as stomach problems, fatigue, body aches and headaches as well as increased use of mind altering substances. More than 35% of Americans have said that their mental health has worsened, 43% said their emotional well-being has gotten worse and more than 1 in 5 people say their sleep quality has suffered. This is according to data collected early in 2020. Current data shows that approximately 1/3 of US adults reported occasional sleeplessness and anxiety weekly.
People occasionally prefer talking to someone face to face and then there are others that wish to unburden themselves anonymously. There are many options for dealing with the psychological effects of the pandemic. Many Apps are available to download on your phone such as Calm, What’s Up, Mood Kit, MindShift, Talkspace, Happify and Headspace. Some of these apps are free, others charge a fee for their use. The key is to find the one that matches your needs and finances. There has been documentation of young adults, racial and ethnic minorities, essential workers and adult caregivers having distinctively worse mental health outcomes than the average population.
Now we all know that a person’s mental health contributes to their physical health. So how do we help our mental health when there is an invisible ‘monster’ lurking almost everywhere we go? We have to talk to our friends and family members about issues that bother us. Getting our concerns out in the open is helpful, but in that same instance, we can not allow the mental anguish to overtake our lives. Turning off the TV, closing our social media and not reading the newspaper every moment of every day may begin to help the onslaught of TMI that we are faced with now. Between the medical issues of the pandemic including new variants as well as the political issues surrounding everything COVID, there is more information than we can safely process.
Do anything to take your mind off the harsh reality that invades our thinking while we are awake and often while we are asleep. I have found some ‘old’ TV shows that are fun to watch. I have started watching Home Improvement, Gomer Pyle, USMC, Green Acres, Hogan’s Heroes, Petticoat Junction and Family Affair. These shows allow me to ‘mindlessly’ watch something that has nothing to do with current events. I feel better after a few of these shows, knowing I have given my mind a small break from reality.
Sunday afternoon sightseeing
Other ways to renew your spirit are to…..go outside! Take a hike, become a ‘local’ tourist, go to the beach or a lake, visit your family in a nearby town, or just sit down an read a magazine or good book under a shade tree. The point here is to allow yourself to reset and recharge in order to prepare for those times when you need to be alert and aware.
I hope you find a successful way to deal with any anxieties and fears that you have related to the pandemic. You are loved and needed and deserve time away from those thoughts that cause you anything but happiness.
Hello all! I hope you are enjoying your day, whether at work or quarantined at home, or with a ‘stay in place’ order. Jobs are closing, school has been postponed like it’s a snow day and quarantine fever has nothing to do with Covid-19.
Today I was making a visual list of things you can do while Social Distancing! It’s a funny list of things that if you have to stay home or stay away from other folks, you can accomplish throughout your day.
So much as been shown on social media about the quarantine and how to get through it, but why ‘get through it’? What is it about humans that we can’t be satisfied? Why can’t we enjoy life as it is, in this very moment, whatever our circumstances? I’m not talking about being satisfied with scientific discoveries or other advances in humanity. But if you check out your friend’s list on FaceBook, Instagram or SnapChat, you will find some of the following examples of our inability to be satisfied.
I wish I could stay home from work….I wish I could just go to work! I love my kids dearly, they’re the best……These kids need to get back to class! I just want to spend some time to myself……Why can’t I be in a group of more than 10? It’s so hot this summer…..I can’t wait for Winter/Spring/Fall! It’s so cold this winter…..I can’t wait for Spring/Summer/Fall!!
Satisfaction is defined as “the fulfillment or gratification of a desire, need, or appetite”. I love this definition! The fulfillment of a desire. The gratification of a need. Have you ever looked at your life at any particular moment and felt completely satisfied, and not wanted even one thing to change? I know it’s been hard for me.
When on a camping vacation, I am so very happy in the moment, but then ‘I wish I didn’t have to go back home!’. Or ‘ I can’t wait for the next 2 weeks to pass’, but forget that your child will be two weeks older and that time will be gone forever!
I reminds me of the movie ‘Click’ with Adam Sandler where he wishes he could fast forward through the hard and mundane things to get to the moments that he needs to work on or get through. This works well, until he realizes that the time he is skipping is getting longer and longer and he has no control over the amount of time he is losing! It shows him that every single moment is precious. And they are. Doing yardwork, which I hated at a kid, now just serves as a reminder of times that my mom, sister and I would spend outside (usually mom was yelling at us to get back to work!). But I do miss those moments with the two of them.
So while you are self-isolating, quarantined or under a ‘stay in place’ order, please enjoy those around you! Spend as many moments talking, getting to know your children again, date your spouse or significant other! This time will not return and you can grab some satisfaction in the meantime.
Have a great day all! I’m going to go walk my cat!
Hello everyone! Hope you summer has been restful! Before you know it, the children will be back in school and life will calm down……or get busier, LOL! I remember the days that my girls were in school, it seemed to be a never ending barrage of things to do and places to be.
I have been thinking a lot about todays’ topic. I keep coming back, over and over, feeling the tug to my heart about writing on this. Scrolling through social media, ie. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc., you can very easily get pulled into the rabbit hole of envy. Delicious foods, wonderful places, expensive clothes and flashy jewels. So many ‘social media influencers’ make a lot of money from sponsors by showing their amazing lifestyles.
One of the most disturbing items I recently saw online, was about the flock of people taking Instagram photos at a beautiful turquoise lake. It can be found in Siberia and the beautiful blue waters are the envy of all those looking to take envy invoking photos. What’s the downside you might ask…..it’s a toxic waste dump for a nearby electric company. The company has even posted warnings ‘You can not swim in the ash dump.’
Ralph Waldo Emerson said “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”. This quote seems to have even greater meaning when we look at the number of ‘followers’ that social media stars have. Not a lot of the internet stars have any talent other than posting amazing photographs that have been staged, produced, retouched and filtered. Hair & make up artists, wardrobe assistants, professional photographers as well as production assistants make the posts seem to be larger than life.
For those of us ‘regular‘ people, this can be disheartening! Who wouldn’t love to eat amazing meals prepared by professional chefs, quit our 9-5 and get paid to ‘post’ photos, and be sponsored by our favorite clothing line or shoe designer (and keep the items after we’ve posted our pictures!)?
When you decide to be yourself, living your life how you want, you will find that you are at peace, and happiness will follow you everywhere you go. Let go of things, start living for the people around you! Enjoy your experiences…make memories to take with you as you get older.
I hope you all are doing well and staying away from everything contagious. I have been dipping and dodging around friends and family that are sniffling, sneezing, coughing and looking otherwise unwell.
My husband Brett and I recently were invited to an early birthday party for a dear friend of ours. She sent out invitations to her birthday party early as she will be having some very intense treatment for her recent cancer diagnosis. Upon hearing about the diagnosis, I began to question things I know to be true and good.
I immediately felt the unfairness of life and wondered how could this happen to such a wonderful person, that has just found her happiness in life. I then began to feel immense sadness for her children; she has 2 children under the age of 5 and 2 older children. I wondered, ‘How will she prepare her family for what is ahead?’. ‘How will she let her two younger children know the person she is or was, after she has gone?’. My sadness was compounded with the medical knowledge of the physical toll cancer can take on a person and the emotional toll on both the person and the families.
The sadness I felt creeped into my soul and I began to feel depressed. I wanted to crawl into bed and just be sad in my sadness for her. I wrote last time about how physical and mental health are very intertwined and how issues to one will effect the other. Then my daughter called to FaceTime and I was able to video chat with my grandchildren. This returned me to my previous happy mood. I then wanted to get up and get out of the house to enjoy the rest of my evening with my husband.
I look forward to helping our friend in anyway that is necessary, and I would like to do this with a positive outlook on life. I want to help her and her family to enjoy what time they have together whether it be 5 years or 50 years. (I’m praying for the 50 years!!) I plan to use the blessings in my life and the little joys of each day to bring whatever sunshine I can to her. I have heard for many years that ‘Laughter is the best medicine!” and I will try to bring a dose of happiness each time we talk or are together in person.
So, to all of you, I ask….Get out! Enjoy the day! Find something wonderful in each day (even the smallest things like ‘it didn’t rain on my way to work!’). Call or FaceTime with someone that can bring a smile to your face and a laugh to your belly! Kiss a baby (but make sure it’s a baby you know!) Make today great for someone else and it will be great for you!
Healing You 