Recovery Enthusiast/ Recovery for Women

 S.A.D. is a type of depression that is seasonal and is usually prevalent in areas that have less sunlight during certain times of the year. Here in New England, that season is fall and winter. Many suffer and in various degrees. Your symptoms may include a change in mood: anxiety, apathy, general discontent, loneliness, loss of interest, mood swings, or sadness—other symptoms such as excessive sleep or sleep deprivation, even insomnia. Body aches, fatigue, and appetite changes with weight gain often occur. Also common are irritability, social isolation, lack of concentration, and of course, depression. S.A.D. can be self-diagnosed,, and there are many treatments for it. If you suffer from these symptoms, you can see your doctor, and he/she will probably prescribe some medication, and sometimes that medication helps. I'm writing this today because I too suffer from S.A.D. I take that back. I used to SUFFER, now I take steps to help alliviate the symptoms and in a more holistic way....

 I was supposed to go for a walk this morning. My daughter called and asked if I wanted to go to her house for lunch. It's been a while since I went to visit her and I had been working very hard at work, school, and creating my online course. So I was happy for the break. I finished some homework in the morning and I figured I could go for a walk with her and my grandson. It was very chilly outside. We did go outside to play for a bit but no walk. I haven't' been getting my walks in after work because it gets dark early and by the time I get home it's too dark.  These are my top three excuses; lack of time, it's too dark, and my favorite             It's too cold out!!! I need to find a way. I need to change the plan. I know when things are not working and I'm not achieving my goal I need to change the plan not the goal!! change of plan 1. On my days off go in the morning before I do anything else and get distracted 2. Take a break at w...

 I've been studying stress a lot lately. I've studied it in the past, but my most recent course has brought me some new information and new ideas about where stress comes from and how we deal with it. Now I know what you're thinking, "Doreen, I already know what stresses me. It's my job, or it's my kids, my elderly parents, my S/O, and don't even get me started on traffic jams!" The truth of the matter that these external factors are not the root cause of stress.  But let me back up a bit. First of all, Why do we have "stress"? Well, we have an automatic response to danger. You've probably already have heard about the "fight or flight" response. Way back when a wooly mammoth was chasing us, our sympathetic nervous system responded by producing a hormone (really a group of hormones, but to keep it simple, we'll just say the primary one, cortisol). Our bodies would then temporarily shut down other non-essential organs or syst...