So my plan to write more often hasn’t exactly been a success so far. But the one thing about that is, so long as I am alive, I can work on getting better at it.
I have actually wanted to write quite often but never just sat down and did it. So now I am sitting down and doing it. I am happy to report that this will be a pretty positive post as things are going well for me right now.
I haven’t had to contend with seasonal depression so far this year. I think there are a few reasons for this. The first and foremost is regular prayer. If I feel a spell of depression coming on, if I take time out to say a quick prayer then I tend to feel better. Also, I have been taking vitamin D regularly since May. I have read that Vitamin D can help combat depression and as I am now totally blind, it is a certainty that I wasn’t getting enough vitamin D. I am now also taking a regular multi-vitamin daily. In so many ways, I cannot remember the last time I felt so good.
Another reason that I think I have avoided seasonal depression is that I don’t feel like my summer was wasted. I always feel like I should get more done in the summer when the weather is nice. And I’m not talking just about big projects but also little things like sitting outside more. Even this year there are a few things that I would have liked to complete but I don’t feel like the summer was a total bust. A large part of that is getting to spend time with my friends from college who just recently moved to town and getting to know their children. I cannot even begin to illustrate just how much of a blessing it has been to see them regularly.
One thing that has been annoying is that my credit rating is under assault. Since the end of August I have had 2 collections applied to my credit report. The problem is that they aren’t meant for me. The first one I was able to dispute with no issue. It was a phone bill from AT&T for a number in Indianapolis. I have never lived in or even visited Indiana and I certainly have not bought a phone there. The other one is for an apartment in Indianapolis, which again is certainly not mine but this one isn’t going so easily. I filed a dispute with the first of the three credit bureaus, Trans Union and they declined to remove it from my report. So now I am going to have to fill out some forms with the actual collection agency and try it from that end. I’m waiting to see if any more of these hit my credit report and if they do I am probably going to take this to the local police. It could be an honest mistake or identity theft and I am obviously hoping against the latter. Time will tell. What I can say though is that a few years ago this sort of thing would have spiked my anxiety like crazy. Today, it is just an annoyance that must be dealt with and nothing more.
As I mentioned in a previous post, thanks to a friend I have found the Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast and that has really been a blessing. Thanks to that podcast I have found a real heart for encouraging others. I never considered myself an encourager, I always saw myself as the person you turned to if you wanted a solution to a problem not if you needed a hug or kind word. But I am learning to be more of an encouragement and I am so thankful for that.
I also mentioned last time that I cut the cord on my cable. So far, I have not missed it at all. Having a large personal library of books, movies and TV shows is probably the biggest reason why. I have plenty of ways to entertain myself if I need to and honestly, I haven’t had to complain all that much about boredom.
Last night, I decided to dive in to the world of Discord. I don’t have a lot of friends who use it and am just feeling my way around. My username is “RandomCatastrophe#9596” if anyone out there wants to add me.
Sleep continues to be an issue. It seems like every time I take a step forward, I end up going backwards. I think I am getting enough sleep overall but the problems remains at what time of day I am getting it. It is really had to feel productive during the day when you are always tired or wanting a nap. Sometimes taking that nap means being up later at night than I’d like and sometimes no matter how tired I am when I go to sleep I’m up three hours later anyway. It is still preferable to a decade ago when I didn’t sleep at all regardless and I remind myself of that any time the struggle becomes too annoying.
I think that will end my entry for today. I will try to do better about writing more and posting some fun stuff. I hope everyone out there in blog land is doing well. Sometimes this world seems to be going off the rails but then you talk to people and you find that even in the midst of great difficulties there are reasons to smile and be happy.
Random Catastrophe Version 3.0 