Water & Wellness Wednesday: Water, Water, Everywhere

It’s raining. Finally. I don’t exactly plan to go out and tilt my head back for a drink, however, even considering the road conditions during a torrential downpour earlier this afternoon, I am very, very, very happy it’s raining.

It’s easier to weed when the ground is wet.

However, I digress.

(Oh, come on. You’re accustomed to that by now, right?)

Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink. Not really, but kudos to Samuel Coleridge.

Water is a precious thing, and incredibly necessary for healthy living.

You’ve (hopefully) seen me post about it on multiple occasions. I think you might get the point? Maybe? I’m a big fan of water. In fact, I have a glass with me right now.

Each year, as I get going on projects in my yard again, I start drinking more water. I’m better at it when I’m active than when I’m not, honestly. Today my chiropractor asked, “Are you drinking enough water?” to which I answered, “Probably not!” One of my general rules of thumb is that when I’m working outside, if I don’t need to run to the restroom regularly, I’m not drinking enough water. And that’s true whether I’m sweating a lot or not, but especially when the weather is hot and humid. We aren’t quite there yet, however, getting back into better water drinking habits is important.

I was very tired and really in something of a lousy mood today, so I did a little research. Namely, I Googled something I was already fairly certain about. And I was right. Staying hydrated is good for your mood. And if you’re in a bad mood, have a glass of water. Or two. I’ll quote one line from blog.mass.gov specifically: “Being dehydrated throws off the delicate dopamine and serotonin balances in the brain, natural chemicals that can increase/affect depression and anxiety.”

There are lots of really good reasons to drink water.

So. Go. Now. Have a glass of water. Stop whatever it is you’re doing and have a glass of water. 

Well. Maybe after you finish reading this.

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Are You Protective of Your Time?

How do you protect and take care of your mental health?

Are you protective of your time?

How do those questions relate?

I recently had someone ask to schedule something over time that I already had allotted to something else. It would have been easy to say yes, but for one thing.

That allotted time and that other activity have become very important to me. I needed that time in order to fill up my energy so that I could be present and more effective with the people in my life and with the things I needed to do.

Mental health and physical health are inescapably – and critically – intertwined. It seems obvious to say so, however, we don’t always acknowledge the fact. We also don’t always make conscious choices that support one and therefore the other. 

Making the deliberate decision to put my allotted time and activity first felt fantastic. Mostly. I had a small twinge of something that might have been guilt for telling someone, “No.” I didn’t really say that; what I said was along the lines of, “That time doesn’t work but I can do this instead.” I protected my time and my activity and still made myself available at a time that could work for both of us.

It’s hard to do, sometimes. It’s hard to step back and take actions that we need in order to be our best selves.

It’s also incredibly important.

How have you protected your time this week? How have you protected your mental and physical health?

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: World Mental Health Day

“They can also be times of stress and apprehension however. In some cases, if not recognized and managed, these feelings can lead to mental illness. The expanding use of online technologies, while undoubtedly bringing many benefits, can also bring additional pressures, as connectivity to virtual networks at any time of the day and night grows.”

On the information page about World Mental Health Day 2018, the specific theme is Young People and Mental Health in a Changing World.

The lines I quoted, though, can apply to anyone and everyone, young and not-so-young.

Mental health care is a critical piece of living a full and healthy life. Sometimes, our mental health can be fragile; sometimes it can be robust and seem indestructible. Building mental resilience, as the WHO describes it, is a critical tool not only for adolescents, but for everyone.

There are many, many tools available today to help us cope, function, survive, and even thrive. And, yes, I include myself. I took an anti-depressant for years; it was prescribed for an off-label function as an appetite suppressant and it also served to stabilize my moods and keep my depression from running my life. When I eliminated gluten from my diet, one of the end results was an overall leveling off of my moods and depression, enough so that in conversation with my physician I ended up eliminating the medication from my life. For the most part, depression has not been as impactful on my life since that time. There are, on rare occasion, days when I feel as if I’m sitting under a large, deep blue-black weight and I can’t see past it to the light I know is there. I’m fortunate in that those days are few and far between. They happen, and I’m working on the coping mechanisms. Sometimes it’s taking valerian root. Sometimes it’s crying uncontrollably for what seems like no good reason. Sometimes it’s exercise. Many times – in fact almost daily – meditation serves as a valuable tool. I’m deeply hopeful that with the dietary changes I’ve made and the activity changes I’ve made, I won’t need pharmaceutical help again. Please take careful note of what I say next: needing pharmaceutical help is not a weakness or a bad sign or a negative thing. It is absolutely critical that everyone finds the right tool for your own mental health. Once you have those right tools, the clarity and peace that come with them? That’s priceless. Nutrition, exercise of some kind, social activity of some kind, and maybe medications can be in the toolbox. Everyone is different. Everyone has different needs. Everyone has different solutions. Everyone needs support. Everyone needs to know they are not alone.

It isn’t morning, but this is a good item with which to end this week’s #winewellnesswednesday.

Waking up this morning, I smile.
Twenty-four brand-new hours are before me.
I vow to live fully each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.
~Thich Nhat Hanh~ PEACE IS EVERY BREATH

“…look at all beings with eyes of compassion.” Start with yourself.

 On this World Mental Health Day, please know that your health matters. Mental health isn’t always a visible health issue. Look at yourself and those around you with love, patience, and kindness.