Follow me on Blogarama I walk a fine line. Skip to main content

I walk a fine line.

Y'all, it's been a rough couple of weeks. Like, ugly crying rough.

I walk a knife blade. I tend to lean towards one side, getting eyeball to eyeball with the anxiety monster. Sometimes she blinks, sometimes I do. But, lately I've fallen on the other side, in the dark forest of depression. I've got demons there to keep me company, but am not suited for this battle. 
An old demon coming in for a hug.
Yup. 
Watching the destruction in Australia reminded me of how small I am and made me feel so useless. I saw the pictures of animals dead or dying, hearing of how entire species have been wiped out. Then, the Puerto Rico Earthquake happened. Then, Corona Virus hits. And, on top of everything, the Impeachment trial happened. Regardless of which side you are on, we have a problem with division in our country and it does have a direct effect on our psyches. All in all, everything I was doing on a regular basis felt empty. I generally enjoy my job, but doing my daily tasks when the world is literally on fire felt, well, stupid. 

Isn't it awesome?
To make matters worse, my accountabil-a-buddy was out of commission. My husband got the raddest tattoo, and took time off from the gym to let it heal. Then, he got stuck with the flu. When depression hits, the best thing to do it work out and get some endorphins going. Unfortunately, it's also the hardest thing. Without Husband pushing me to get out there, it was really easy to climb into bed after work and not get back up until the next morning. 


Feeling cute after an ass-whopping on the bags.
But, the bell jar is lifting. This past week has been exponentially better. I've refocused my efforts on my diet. I'm trying a new strategy and have already seen some results (more to come, if the streak continues). I realized that my exercise routine (three days on, one day to rest), wasn't working for my schedule and have re-evaluated my goals. I donated to an Australian relief charity (link below). I'm getting better educated in politics, but this is a health blog, and that's a story for another time. 

 The moral of the story is that life is hard. $#!7 is going to happen. It's how you deal with it that matters.      

 January may have knocked me down, but I'm not tapping out. 

 To help animals in Australia please consider donating below:
Humane Society International

 If you also feel like you are in the depths of the depression forest and can't find your way out, please let this be your pinpoint of light:
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
I've been stuck in places where happiness beyond comprehension, but remember there is always hope. Darkness isn't permanent. 

 For your own super cool tattoo, go visit the team at The Gilded Mermaid here in Charleston. Lil' Round worked with my husband, but the entire crew is incredibly talented.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/gildedmermaid/about/

 Photo Credits: 
Etienne Marais
https://www.pexels.com/@etienne-marais-54779

 AshutoshSonwani
https://www.pexels.com/@ashutoshsonwani
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spinach and Muscle Growth

Yum, spinach! It’s one of my favorites and a staple in my house. I like to use it as a base for smoothies, salads, and wraps. Occasionally, I do cook it, but only enough so that is turns an even brighter shade of green. My kitten is a fan too, insisting that I give her a leaf whenever I open the bag. Spinach is thought to have originated in Persia and is in the same family as both beets and quinoa (which make for a fantastic veggie bowl, but that's a post for a different day). From Persia, the vegetable traveled to India and then to China, where it was known simply as “Persian Vegetable.” Spinach moved westward, gaining popularity in Europe as it was a vegetable that grew quickly in the early spring.  This Provided a welcome break in the monotony of winter stores.  Most people associate spinach with Popeye. That famous Sailor Man inhaled his canned leafy greens making his muscles explode as he saved Olive Oyl time and time again. As a result, spinach sales during W...
4 comments
Read more

Soy Will Give Me Boobs

Do Soybeans have a feminist agenda? The title of this post is inspired by my brother-in-law, but the spirit behind the message is something that I have heard time and time again: Soy has estrogen and that makes it bad for you. This myth stops NOW. In reading an article from the Boston Globe about Impossible and Beyond Burgers, I found the sentence that perfectly sums up everything that we hear about soy: “Soy contains estrogen-like compounds called isoflavones that some findings say can promote the growth of some cancer cells, impair female fertility and mess with men’s hormones.”  That this article snuck this in without any backup shows their bias, and I hate to show mine, but this is nonsense. So, let's break this down and look at the fun part, science!  Yum! A bowl full of genistein and daidzein! Estrogen-like Compounds Soy contains phytoestrogens, genistein and daidzein, which act like estrogen, but very weak versions. What is interesting is that these phytoe...
1 comment
Read more

The Gut Microbiome’s Effect on Mental Health

The Microcosm Inside of You Did you know that you are actually your own universe? 90% of the cells in your body aren’t human, but bacteria. And different types of bacteria live in different parts of your body. There is a microbiome on your skin, in your mouth, in your ears, and, my personal favorite, in your gut. Your gut’s microbiome is especially important because of the gut-brain axis, where a person’s mental state can be negatively and positively affected by the gut microbiome. We are going to discuss how this can be regulated through the use of diet and supplements.  The Negative Effect of Your Gut-Microbiome As mentioned before, the gut-brain axis affects mental health. This direct line from the gut to the brain can cause challenges for people who don’t treat their gut-microbiome with care. The scientific and medical communities have accepted that people who have major depressive disorder (MDD) also often have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is caused by an imbalance of...
Post a Comment
Read more