It's been far too long since I've posted anything. It hasn't been for lack of ideas - I've had plenty. It could have something to do with a little sweetums who is getting busier every day and who just said "mama" (or was is "Mama" with a capital "M"? Let's say it was!) for the first time yesterday. She was up until 11:30 last night practicing the new addition to her vocabulary, and it was so charming I didn't at all mind doing nothing at all but listen to her. And of course there are four other kiddos around - who would each one object to being called my "sweetums" but who still are! - who have kept me occupied, particularly as we feverishly try to wrap up our school year. We operate on a year-round calendar, but there is still something about the springtime that makes us long for a sense of closure.
At any rate, I missed chronicling any of our April, and it would be hard to recap everything, even if that's what you were all dying to read (which I rather doubt!). Some of the highlights: Ryan and Chase acquired two guinea pigs, which was exciting for everyone, and my parents and nephew came to visit over Easter weekend, also quite exciting. April was also a good month for my health and overall well-being, and I think it's on this topic that I'll round things out for now.
Several months ago I began toying with the idea of going dairy-free for Scarlett's sake. She was colicky as a newborn, and always more congested than I thought she should be. She grew out of her fussiness after a couple months, but the congestion continued to be a problem for her, and after eliminating several possible allergens as suspects, I thought it might be a good idea to cut back on my dairy consumption. I finally began doing so after the turn of the new year, and I noticed an improvement for her fairly quickly. After several fits and starts, I really buckled down and eliminated all dairy, including things like whey and casein, a couple months ago. The results were good for Scarlett, but even more terrific for me. I felt healthier and more energetic than I had in a long time, and as a bonus, I quickly dropped 20 pounds, finally dipping below my prepregnancy weight and edging pretty close to my pre-children weight. Whether this successful experiment triggered a quest for better health, or just coincided with the other steps I took towards that end, I don't really know, but at any rate, I also began running, using the Couch to 5k program, and I also went to the doctor to get some things taken care of. While there I discovered that my Vitamin D levels were horribly deficient, so I began to remedy that, with noticeable results.
And I also began taking Zoloft. I'm reluctant to mention it in one sense, because I don't want to come across as trying to be sensational or to have everyone join in a great pity party for me. But in another sense, I don't want to hide it, because there's a stigma against treating mental and emotional health, and while I know there's a balance here, I think women and mothers (in particular) tend to accept dysfunction for themselves in this area, all the while feeling guilty about it - and I don't think this is healthy. Of course I prefer taking natural routes toward health where possible, and I'm not advocating pill-popping. I know there are nutrition and lifestyle choices that are often better than pharmaceuticals for anxiety and other emotional issues. I've spent a long time coping with anxiety that has been almost crippling at times, I've learned how to cope in many ways, and I'm grateful for those skills. In fact, a few years ago I was diagnosed with severe OCD, and I realized then how much victory I had actually had over it throughout my life, which was a blessing. But I really felt it was time to explore options that might help me go past just coping, and my doctor here agreed. That was in March, and the medication really began to start working in April. So far it's exceeded my expectations, and I've enjoyed a sense of better emotional and mental health along with improved physical health. So April was a really great month for me personally!
But the best result here is that all this doesn't just mean I get to sit around in smaller clothes and feel good about myself just for kicks. There seem to be two opposing poles where it concerns women's well-being - One, in which you should do whatever makes you happy and completes you as a person, at whatever cost to anyone else; and the other, in which your family is paramount and thinking of yourself at all is selfish. I think there's a middle ground, which encompasses taking care of oneself as part of looking out for one's family. I'm not talking about doing whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want - I'm just talking about achieving a sense of well-being. Everyone benefits from a healthy, happy mother who carves out a little time to feel and look well - especially the girl in the house who is nearly as tall as her mother and who is rapidly approaching young womanhood! I want her to feel that health and peace are things she can always seek for herself as well, so that she can do whatever God calls her to do, even and especially if it's raising and nurturing more young minds, souls, and bodies, to the best of her ability.
At any rate, I missed chronicling any of our April, and it would be hard to recap everything, even if that's what you were all dying to read (which I rather doubt!). Some of the highlights: Ryan and Chase acquired two guinea pigs, which was exciting for everyone, and my parents and nephew came to visit over Easter weekend, also quite exciting. April was also a good month for my health and overall well-being, and I think it's on this topic that I'll round things out for now.
Several months ago I began toying with the idea of going dairy-free for Scarlett's sake. She was colicky as a newborn, and always more congested than I thought she should be. She grew out of her fussiness after a couple months, but the congestion continued to be a problem for her, and after eliminating several possible allergens as suspects, I thought it might be a good idea to cut back on my dairy consumption. I finally began doing so after the turn of the new year, and I noticed an improvement for her fairly quickly. After several fits and starts, I really buckled down and eliminated all dairy, including things like whey and casein, a couple months ago. The results were good for Scarlett, but even more terrific for me. I felt healthier and more energetic than I had in a long time, and as a bonus, I quickly dropped 20 pounds, finally dipping below my prepregnancy weight and edging pretty close to my pre-children weight. Whether this successful experiment triggered a quest for better health, or just coincided with the other steps I took towards that end, I don't really know, but at any rate, I also began running, using the Couch to 5k program, and I also went to the doctor to get some things taken care of. While there I discovered that my Vitamin D levels were horribly deficient, so I began to remedy that, with noticeable results.
And I also began taking Zoloft. I'm reluctant to mention it in one sense, because I don't want to come across as trying to be sensational or to have everyone join in a great pity party for me. But in another sense, I don't want to hide it, because there's a stigma against treating mental and emotional health, and while I know there's a balance here, I think women and mothers (in particular) tend to accept dysfunction for themselves in this area, all the while feeling guilty about it - and I don't think this is healthy. Of course I prefer taking natural routes toward health where possible, and I'm not advocating pill-popping. I know there are nutrition and lifestyle choices that are often better than pharmaceuticals for anxiety and other emotional issues. I've spent a long time coping with anxiety that has been almost crippling at times, I've learned how to cope in many ways, and I'm grateful for those skills. In fact, a few years ago I was diagnosed with severe OCD, and I realized then how much victory I had actually had over it throughout my life, which was a blessing. But I really felt it was time to explore options that might help me go past just coping, and my doctor here agreed. That was in March, and the medication really began to start working in April. So far it's exceeded my expectations, and I've enjoyed a sense of better emotional and mental health along with improved physical health. So April was a really great month for me personally!
But the best result here is that all this doesn't just mean I get to sit around in smaller clothes and feel good about myself just for kicks. There seem to be two opposing poles where it concerns women's well-being - One, in which you should do whatever makes you happy and completes you as a person, at whatever cost to anyone else; and the other, in which your family is paramount and thinking of yourself at all is selfish. I think there's a middle ground, which encompasses taking care of oneself as part of looking out for one's family. I'm not talking about doing whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want - I'm just talking about achieving a sense of well-being. Everyone benefits from a healthy, happy mother who carves out a little time to feel and look well - especially the girl in the house who is nearly as tall as her mother and who is rapidly approaching young womanhood! I want her to feel that health and peace are things she can always seek for herself as well, so that she can do whatever God calls her to do, even and especially if it's raising and nurturing more young minds, souls, and bodies, to the best of her ability.
4 comments:
Did you send out invites for the "pity party"? If so, mine must have gotten lost in the mail! I'll try to come. Also, does one bring gifts to such a party? haha! Good post! Hope May is at least as good as April.
Now on a seriouser note, How did you girls develop these food problems? We didna have them and you never showed any evidence of this when younger...
That is so great Anne!! Very encouraging - and You look Great too!! :-) Amy... oh, how tall; they grow so fast!!
Anne, I'm so delighted to hear that you're doing well, physically and emotionally. What a huge difference that makes! And I love that you're tackling this from a variety of angles -- nutrition, exercise, medication, supplements .... whatever cocktail works, that's what you need! Thanks for sharing. I totally agree about that ever-elusive balance. We want to give unselfishly ... but, Mommy is still a person!
I'm glad things are going well for you, Anne!
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