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Fighting Depression – 10 Tips
It is dark out at 9 in the morning. The beautiful autumn leaves have fallen. The dark clouds have carpeted the sky. The rain falls like the mood of all those around me. The season is changing. But there is also the season of my heart. The season where my soul feels like it hits the dark side. I will say I’m not there right now. I am blessed. Blessed with experience. Blessed with family. Blessed with very dear friends. Blessed with knowing myself. But that’s not to say that in the future I won’t return, or that I can’t bless a friend with my own thoughts, or share with you the reader…
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I’m a Winner! Thanks to UbiRock
Isn’t it fun when you are notified that “You are a winner!”? I have to admit it doesn’t happen often. The first time I ever won something it was a windbreaker from a pet store – eons ago. The next thing I remember winning was a baby carrier (backpack style) from Babies R Us soon after my now 9 year old was born. We still have that backpack and it has been used for my other sons as well as my nieces and nephews. It is like the gift that keeps on giving! Just last week I got that ‘You are a winner’ announcement once again. Three days later in the…
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Staying Healthy: Get those endorphins going
Health experts call endorphins “feel-good hormones.” Endorphins are natural chemicals released by the brain that improve your mood, relive pain, reduce stress, and produce an overall feeling of well being. They also help you sleep better. The easiest way to get your body to release endorphins is to exercise. Even a moderate workout eases tension and improves mental and physical health. More vigorous exercise really gets those endorphins going. The positive effect of endorphins can last for several hours, according to some endocrinologists. – Feeling Good – 100 ways to feel better every day Walking the Paul Henry TrailIt can’t be morning. The covers are still so comfy. Ohhh the…
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Seasonal Light Disorder
“Seasonal Light Disorder”. Winter is tough. Winter in northeast Ohio is dark, dreary, cloudy. My mood can plumit into depths of darkness in an instant. Today at the grocery store I picked up a fresh basil plant. I came home, washed my kitchen window, put my new little ray of sunshine on a little plate. I BREATHED in the fresh spring air, the aroma of fresh gardens, sunshine and so much more all in a tiny little pot. What do you do to help with the dark dreary winter days? When we were stationed in Iceland we put lights on timers to help keep our ‘clocks’ on cycle. As those…
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Down and Dreary … What is your message?
It is a rainy, cold, dark day here in northeast Ohio. I was just scanning my friends’ feed on Facebook and couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit about how irritated most people were this morning. People are just feeling a little down… lacking motivation… ready to throw in the towel… at 10am! Isn’t it a little humorous what the weather does to our mood?! (I know it sure affects mine.) The other thought I had was, most of these friends doing all this grumbling are usually pretty positive. Do you surround yourself with positive people?! I think it is very important to (a) be positive and (b) surround yourself…
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Thankful Thursday: Sunny-Yellow Flowers
I am thankful for bright yellow-sunny flowers in the dead of winter; flowers from my wonderful husband for no apparent reason. Funny, he came home for a little while yesterday during lunch and was just a little-snippy. Not sure what was bothering him but his answers to my questions were short. His patience was very lacking. So what did I do in turn? I didn’t nag him. I didn’t get my undies-in-a-bunch. I just let it go. (I’m convinced that he sometimes gets a waft of my pregnancy-hormones … and we all know what they can do to us girls … well the mood-swing can be ten times worse for the…
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In the mood for some Mexican Food?
I was in our local grocery store last week and eyed the tomatoes, corn and other fresh items that were on sale. Soon it will be our local products sitting in the bins. (Small store, with lots of local flavor!) I don’t know, but the picture I took in of the vegetables just put me in the mood for some good Mexican food. Right there, sorting through the red peppers was a good friend with a recipe card in her hand. She volunteered to share it with me… and said it was good to pass it on. I love getting tried and true recipes. This one is great, give it…
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Older and Wiser … well at least Older
35 years ago today I entered the world. I made a “Husband & Wife” a “Mom & Dad”. The Lieutenant and Mrs lived on the edge of Death Valley aka Indian Springs Auxiliary Field… now referred to as Creech AFB. As I understand it (since I hardly remember) it was quite the drive but I was born at Nellis AFB, just outside of Las Vegas, the closest hospital. 35 years later, many many moves and two special-deliveries of my own I can sit here amazed at where my life has taken me. So with a little reflection and without further adieu… 35 ‘Deep Thoughts’ to celebrate my 35 years Get…
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The “Witching” Hour
There is an hour, or a couple of them actually, in my house that can be the hardest of the entire day. It usually falls right when it is time for me to be thinking about dinner: 4:30pm till about 6pm, and called the “witching hour” amongst many moms. My boys get a little (or a lot depending on the day) whiney, the fighting starts and I can be a little grumpy myself! (I am amazed at how food can affect my own mood. A few hours between meals can leave me feeling very “blah”.) So my goal is usually *simple* meals OR a meal that I can start at…
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What a week!
It is finally Friday and I am utterly exhausted! I had one of those weeks that I would prefer to just let go down the bathtub drain after a long soak … Yet through it all I can be so very thankful for support, for friendship, for prayer, for understanding. Some of it stems from earlier troubles. I have felt that my six-year-old is still not adjusting to this deployment very well. (Deployment Troubles of a 5 year-old) I berate myself for being an ineffective mom and then tell myself to quit being so hard on myself – all in one breath. I finally called MilitaryOneSource on Monday when all…
