My blue period - lack of sunlight?

[dex]

My recent blue period (no paintings came out of it) might have been due to the lack of sunlight. During my last outing in my RV I was in Moab and Colorado either covered up to avoid the sun or the cold and doing strenuous activities. Even prior to this I wasn't getting much sun on my skin.

So, I started taking Vitamin D supplements and doing some sun bathing - difficult with the heat and humidity but it is needed. My mental outlook has changed for the better and I think my physical lethargy has taken a turn. Time will tell.

 

[REWahoo]

Judging by your avatar you've also managed a nice tan - but I think your disposition needs more sun.

 

[Purron]

Could very well be Dex. I've been going through a blue period too. My beloved cat died and I was feeling very, very low. Just recently, my doctor discovered low vitamin D levels and a thyroid imbalance which, IMHO, made matters worse. Taking the D and higher dose of synthroid does seem to be helping.

I also took in a new group of foster kittens and worked on a project to help older pets get adopted at the shelter. I've found putting my energy into a positive activity helps pull me out of those down days.

 

[bbbamI]

Sunshine makes my body feel better...thus my outlook on life seems brighter.

I hope it continues to work for you Dex.

 

[Meadbh]

My mood definitely responds to sunshine. I'm just wrapping up a week of vacation that had the best weather imaginable. I feel renewed and invigorated!

 

[W2R]

We get a lot of sunshine in Louisiana, between rainstorms. Maybe that is why I can honestly say I have not been blue or depressed since I retired.

I do pay attention, though, and try to balance depressing and happy activities. A retired person doesn't have to spend all his or her time doing something inherently depressing like worrying over politics. Some time doing that is fine, but a good balance is best. I consider this to be just as important for my mental health and well being, as regular bathing or showering is for my physical health and well being.

But gosh, if anybody were any happier than me they might explode. I guess I am a pretty simple person in that all I really needed for happiness was to retire. Laissez les bons temps rouler.

 

[HFWR]

Dex, in case you hadn't seen this thread http://www.early-retirement.org/for...evel-and-vitamin-d-supplementation-51266.html

I've been a little blue myself...

 

[RonBoyd]

So, I started taking Vitamin D supplements and doing some sun bathing - difficult with the heat and humidity but it is needed. My mental outlook has changed for the better and I think my physical lethargy has taken a turn. Time will tell.

Probably a good time for a Physical Examination by a Doctor. There are many other causes of the symptoms you describe -- Thyroid malfunction comes to mind.

 

[Kroeran]

SADS glasses

Happy Glasses Video by Diagonal View - MySpace Video

 

[Kroeran]

coffee and the blues

Coffee and Depression. Coffee as an Antidepressant?

 

[Kroeran]

one thing I figured out about myself later in life is the blues can sometimes be loneliness or boredom. Its easy to figure out....just seek out a socially intensive situation and monitor the emotional feedback. Same with boredom....do something intense and monitor the feedback. If you get relief, that may be part of your answer.

Sunshine is huge though...hence the second home in Florida.

check it out!

Paseo Fort Myers - Community and Developer of the Year 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

 

[dex]

one thing I figured out about myself later in life is the blues can sometimes be loneliness or boredom. Its easy to figure out....just seek out a socially intensive situation and monitor the emotional feedback. Same with boredom....do something intense and monitor the feedback. If you get relief, that may be part of your answer.

Sunshine is huge though...hence the second home in Florida.

check it out!

Paseo Fort Myers - Community and Developer of the Year 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

I think that is part of it and was thinking about it today. A mind alone or unchallenged can feed on itself and become negative.
thanks

 

[redduck]

My daughter moved from sunny Southern California to not-so-sunny Wisconsin(at least in the winter). Anyhow, she tended to get blue (and, not just from being outside in the freezing weather). I sent her a SAD lamp from Costco. But, it arrived broken--really smashed up. She returned it to Costco and instead of getting another SAD lamp, she took the refund and went out and bought $200 worth of make-up. She says she hasn't felt blue since. I hope this helps.

 

[aaronc879]

Sunshine makes my body feel better...thus my outlook on life seems brighter.

I w*rk nights and sleep during the day so I rarely ever see the sun even in the summer. Maybe that's why i'm always lathargic and "achey".

 

[Kroeran]

I think that is part of it and was thinking about it today. A mind alone or unchallenged can feed on itself and become negative.
thanks

I think happiness is like the bodies profit margin. In a business, to make a profit, you have to do a thousand things right, and one thing done wrong can wreck a business.

Same with happiness...you have to do many things right, and the challenge is figuring out what is the current stressor. I believe we are constructed to be happy, and that this is the feedback mechanism we need to entrain to.

Paying close attention to small lapses in depression or background stress is huge - my wife's emotional life took a decisive positive turn when I noted her positive reaction to a cat on her lap at a friends house....which led to a life with and obsessed with dogs

Some people are natural "mystics" who thrive on the freedom of living independently, but many are not built that way.

Back to entrainment...so I think unhappiness is often grounded in stubborness and getting fixed with certain ideas or jaded by certain past experiences that limit us from following our feedback to where we need to be to get back to equilibrium.

For people that are eccentric, you have to work really hard at being honest about your true interests, and join up with social groups attached to those interests, and thats where you find your partner or social crowd.

at least, so goes my speculations at this time

 

[Kroeran]

I w*rk nights and sleep during the day so I rarely ever see the sun even in the summer. Maybe that's why i'm always lathargic and "achey".

you may wish to read up on how unhealthy and dangerous this is and see if you can get back to a regular shift

this is just the one example of tons of stuff written on this....

http://www.ohcow.on.ca/resources/handbooks/shiftwork/shiftwork.pdf

 

[Retire2013]

Maybe you should try spending $200 on makeup like Redduck's DD did, dex? LOL. I hope you are happy today, no matter the weather, caffeine, or no caffeine. Cheers!

 

[dex]

I think happiness is like the bodies profit margin. In a business, to make a profit, you have to do a thousand things right, and one thing done wrong can wreck a business.

Same with happiness...you have to do many things right, and the challenge is figuring out what is the current stressor. I believe we are constructed to be happy, and that this is the feedback mechanism we need to entrain to.

Paying close attention to small lapses in depression or background stress is huge - my wife's emotional life took a decisive positive turn when I noted her positive reaction to a cat on her lap at a friends house....which led to a life with and obsessed with dogs

Some people are natural "mystics" who thrive on the freedom of living independently, but many are not built that way.

Back to entrainment...so I think unhappiness is often grounded in stubborness and getting fixed with certain ideas or jaded by certain past experiences that limit us from following our feedback to where we need to be to get back to equilibrium.

For people that are eccentric, you have to work really hard at being honest about your true interests, and join up with social groups attached to those interests, and thats where you find your partner or social crowd.

at least, so goes my speculations at this time

I think you have my number and I think it is true; to some degree for us all.
Post 38 sums me up.
http://www.early-retirement.org/for...ith-posts-news-radio-etc-the-cause-51058.html

Any strength overused becomes a weakness. I know that is part of the issue. It is difficult to overcome decades of a behavior. It is difficult to admit what I thought was a weakness -needing people - is what I need. I know I must try.

 

[Dawg52]

Heck, with the heat were having I'm looking for some clouds. But my dermatologist is glad I'm getting plenty of sun.

 

[Kroeran]

Any strength overused becomes a weakness. I know that is part of the issue. It is difficult to overcome decades of a behavior. It is difficult to admit what I thought was a weakness -needing people - is what I need. I know I must try.

I think the pattern is to retreat from all the BS and go inside our own head for a period, possibly decades, but after a time, something good happens and a new organic gregariousness emerges - at least thats one idea I picked up from my Buddhist period. Its a good thing, not a weakness.

Dr. Weil is big on dialing down the media exposure and going on media "fasts". When you think about it, most news is a game of who had the worst day on the planet, and sensationalizing everything to get peoples attention and ratings. Nobody says you have to expose yourself to that crapola.

DrWeil.com - Official Website of Andrew Weil, M.D.

I would suggest replacing your regular news with the Wall Street Journal - the only paper that tells the truth - and there is tons of non-financial stuff to read there. Or read Stratfor, which is news for adults.

STRATFOR - Geopolitical intelligence, economic, political, and military strategic forecasting | STRATFOR

Reality is that when there is any sort of scare in the markets the dollar goes up with all those foreigners buying US dollars fleeing to safety...you may think things are bad in the US, but things are downright scary everywhere else.

Anyway, all that does not matter....your world is your bank account and whats going on in your neighbourhood. All that other stuff is someone else's problem. If you feel guilty about that thought, well, all your worrying was not doing anyone any good anyway. If you feel compelled to do something, do something for one of your neighbours or family who are in trouble...let the rest of the planet take care of itself.

 

[haha]

If you feel compelled to do something, do something for one of your neighbours or family who are in trouble...let the rest of the planet take care of itself.

My sentiments too. The world is a pretty stupid place, but it is very likely to outlast me, so party on while the party (and one's own life) lasts.

I do have a few very personal charities. I buy Real Change newspaper from a woman who had a whole lot of bad luck but is uncomplaining and strong, and from a guy who is very entertaining and upbeat. He apparently sees me as a fellow pobre so he is all the time telling me places to see cheap movies, ways to show a lady a good time on a small dime, etc.

My goal in life is to be good to the people who are my family, and/or are good or entertaining to me. For others I want to have love, but also distance.

Ha

 

[oilspill]

Sunshine is absolutely necessary to charge a solar panel.

 

[Kroeran]

not really.

in some jurisdictions, the subsidy for returning green energy to the grid through grid-connected private panels is such that people shine non-green powered light on the panels at night in order to farm the credit from returning green energy to the grid.