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Get Out There and Do It!

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I go to nature every day for inspiration in the day’s work.” –Frank Lloyd Wright

Doesn't that saying make you want to get out in nature, feel the sunshine on your face, hear the birds singing their favorite tunes, smell flowers in the Spring, and feel the damp morning grass on your bare feet?  Even if you don't consider yourself an "outdoorsy" kind of person, you could get so much out of this thumbnail version of what the great outdoors has to offer. And who knows, maybe this could inspire you to get out of the house more, which, in my humble opinion, would be a good thing for most of us.  In case you hadn't noticed yet, I'm a great fan of getting outside whenever possible, its a very good thing for my head and is one of the things I do that keeps me on my healthy path.  Just one of my favorite outdoor activities is photography.  If nothing else, looking for that great photo op gives me a good excuse to leave the house.

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Getting outdoors is good for both mental and physical health.  If you are limited physically, you can still get the benefit of the sunshine, communing with nature and doing whatever you are capable of doing.  I consider myself pretty active but, as most of us are, I'm limited by what I'm capable of doing or even desire to do for that matter.  So, I do understand that not all of you are on the same page with me on this.  I would just encourage all of my readers to add even a little of the great outdoors to their healthy path.

One of the reasons being out in the sunshine is so good for our mental state is, to some degree, we are all affected by the lack of daylight hours during the Winter.  Some people are seriously affected by the shortened days, causing a major depression problem  This is called SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder.  A name was put to this disorder back in 1984, but I'm sure the problem had existed for a very long time before that, just not recognized for what it was.  According to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders), this is a mood disorder that can actually happen during any season but is more prevalent during late Fall through early Spring, when the days are shortest.

It's never good to self diagnose but if you suspect you might be affected by shortened daylight hours, here are some of the symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic:

Fall and Winter SAD

Symptoms specific to winter-onset SAD, sometimes called winter depression, may include:

  • Oversleeping

  • Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates

  • Weight gain

  • Tiredness or low energy

Spring and Summer SAD

Symptoms specific to summer-onset seasonal affective disorder, sometimes called summer depression, may include:

    • Trouble sleeping (insomnia)

    • Poor appetite

    • Weight loss

    • Agitation or anxiety

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Besides making an effort to get outside, hopefully in the sun, at least once a day, another thing that is known to help is spending some time under a certified SAD lamp/Sun lamp.  For more information about SAD, here is a good article http://www.sad.org.uk/    You will notice that this website originates in Great Britain where there is definitely not enough sunlight most of the time.

In my humble opinion, emotional health is one of the most important components of Walking a Healthy Path. Today, I’ll write a short introduction to this side of being healthy and the challenges created by depression..

 

It has long been known that what we think and how we feel not only affects our mental health but also our physical health.  With all the craziness going on in our world, almost everyone experiences bouts of depression, anywhere from just occasionally to chronically.  Whether a person’s depression is caused by a life situation or has a biochemical origin, being “down” can cause a number of physical symptoms such as a lack of motivation,sleep problems, fatigue, chronic pain and digestive issues

 

After suffering the grief of losing my youngest son last year, sadly, I’m speaking from experience.  I would say grief of any kind leaves us very susceptible to some level of depression. In my case, I felt unmotivated and lost for several months. Since Aaron was diagnosed with cancer and passed 8 months later, I have had digestive issues, sleep deprivation, brain fog and 2 bouts of vertigo. Even though I have pulled out of the depression for a while, the next “first '' would come along and I would go back down.  I’m not typically a depressed person, but it does takes some real effort to consciously pull myself out of the hole.   It's been a tough year and I’m pretty sure I’ve aged physically more than a year over this time and I don’t know yet how much permanent damage this trauma has done to my over all physical health.

   

During these times, a person’s support community is so very important!  I’m not sure what I would have done without my wonderful friends and family, while I’ve gone through this natural state of grief.  If a person suffering from grief doesn’t have this kind of support, or even if they do finding a good grief counselor to talk to is very important

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Many people who suffer from more than occasional depression tend to self medicate, using alcohol or other drugs. This usually starts at a young age, creating a dependency on these substances.  Self medication is a subject for another blog about the things that derail a person’s walk on a healthy path and what can be done to help get him or her back on track. Ironically, liquor and many drugs are considered depressants so a person who self medicates is just making their problem even worse.

 

No doubt the saddest effect of chronic depression is suicide, which is on the rise in the U.S.. According to a CU Boulder study, almost 50,000 people in the U.S. took their own lives in 2022, up 3% from the previous year.  95% of all suicides can be linked to depression or some other mental disorder. It’s important to recognize the warning signs of depression, which can include feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and isolation.  If you recognize these signs in yourself or in someone close to you, it is very important to seek help before these problems escalate into serious plans to commit suicide.

 

If this is a subject that you can relate to or just interests you, stay tuned for future blogs about how a person’s emotional state can affect their walk on a healthy path and how to get back on the right path. 

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Til later then...

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