Diet & Mental Health

I have not forgotten about PIYF, not at all. However, there's been little going on lately and I didn't want to fill a blog post with nothing but selfish ramblings (though, isn't that kinda what a blog is for?).

First off, I haven't been keeping up with my calories. So girls (and guys), you aren't alone. You were working your tail off (so to speak), counting the calories in a cup of spinach, and then two or three days later you ate that giant Fuddrucker's burger with both pieces of the bun AND cheese and totally did not attempt to figure up the calories for it (or at least that's how it worked for me).

Plus, you haven't been exercising (because you totally take the stairs when you go to the kitchen and band practice) and you're surprised you haven't budged on the scale. Because of that, you felt a little bad, and punished yourself with some brownie bites from Jack-In-The-Box two nights in a row...

Yup, there's the wagon, driving away after I fell off it.

What's done is done, lovelies! You (read: I) made a mistake. Time to start again! We're gonna take a hint from the airlines and lose this baggage!!

Here's a couple other things:

I posted before regarding my job search. One $10 spring orientation and $40 background check later, I'm in the substitute pool for the local school district. Obviously not a full-time job, but that's good for me. I can set my own pace(-ish) and not feel overwhelmed. I've also began dialogue with Vocational Rehabilitation (VocRehab), starting just this past Wednesday. My caseworker put me in for a psych assessment (which is used to see if I qualify for VocRehab's services) on Thursday. The results of that will be in next week, and some time in the week after that I'll have another appointment with VocRehab to go over the results (including info from my general doctor).

This is where the title comes in. I haven't done any research, so don't expect rampant fact-flinging. It's just fairly common sense that a better diet will equal better mental health. At the very least, one feels better about oneself if s/he has eaten well instead of scarfing down a giant fried entity larger than one's own stomach.

I'm a rather anxious person (I think I've mentioned that before). I don't usually give credence to alternative medicine, but I will be looking up foods to help alleviate those negative feelings. I've never had a panic attack, for which I'm thankful, but the constant stress of a slowly winding gear which pulls me tighter and more highly strung until I'm 'confident' I will die is... well it's a downer. I don't accomplish anything, which makes me feel worthless, and the cycle begins again. My rational brain is telling me to get over these emotions and just grow up, but I can't. I hide in bed, in sleep, in dreams, and absolutely dread everything not sleep-related.

We're gonna fix that. Starting with this evaluation, it is my hope we can move forward by getting me a counselor to talk with regarding these feelings, someone knowledgeable, non-judgmental, with whom I'm comfortable.

Meanwhile, I need to remember that eating right isn't just about looking good, but about feeling good. And I need to want it (more than I apparently do now). Exercise will help with mental health as well. You've probably heard that. I've heard it most of my life. Now to put it in motion. A simple walk each night, now that it's warming up. Maybe the Hubs will go with me; maybe he won't. Gotta do it. Gotta do it for me.

As an aside, I've been reading about food for vocal health as well. I plan to write a post dedicated to that in the near future.

Why do you really want to get healthy? What, to you, is more important than food?