Today's Brunch:

One enormous plate-sized pancake (with banana slices in it)!

{food snob}And real maple syrup, or course.{/food snob}

And a big mug o' fresh-brewed coffee.

Thought of the Day

"Far from leaving microorganisms behind on an evolutionary ladder, we more complex creatures are both surrounded by them and composed of them. New knowledge of biology alters our view of evolution as a chronic, bloody competition among individuals and species. Life did not take over the globe by combat, but by networking. Life forms multiplied and grew more complex by co-opting others, not just by killing them."
-Microbial Microcosm - based on the work of Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan

The Climb out of Depression

My climb out of 'depression' continues. Or, rather, a climb away from a low-level chronic condition that was liveable...but didn't make for a very satisfying life...to a level of existence that's a bit more enjoyable. Slowly but surely.

It's true that when you're mired down in depressive cognition...you stop being able to remember ever having felt, ever having thought any other way.

And I think, looking back now, that it's almost impossible to see how completely it colors one's world-view and perceptions, while you're in that state.

Especially if you've been in the habit for 20+ years.

I guess you could say... that depression represents the 'ultimate 'box' we can get stuck thinking in.


As clinical-depression.co.uk notes, depression will deepen due to multiple causes, and ideally will be defeated similarly, by attacking multiple 'causes'.

Still, you have to start somewhere.

I started out several months ago by getting the idea firmly in my head of 'self-care'. Several changes, including a job change, contributed to this. But I trace my most recent and hopeful improvement to a fairly recent lifestyle change: My finally instituting regular aerobic exercise into my life.

Regular exercise shifts brain chemical levels. So, exercise has become my 'drug'. I myself consider exercise superior to meds, though, as it serves other purposes as well and has no unpleasant side effects.

Thus, regular exercise is a long-overdue action I'm taking to further re-balance myself.

Why it took me so long to set up regular exercise is hard to say. Presumably, negative, depressive cognition contributed to that - ie: 'I can't deal with it/it'll never work out/I can't afford it' thinking.

Other small but positive developments will have acted as support for me committing to this improvement in my health. Prior improvements began to encourage more positive cognition, additional small but important lifestyle changes, which in turn encouraged yet more positive cognition, etc.

Just as we once snowballed down into depression...it appears that it is entirely possible to start cycling back up out of it.

All I can say right now, though, is: It's really nice to finally be getting that 'can do' feeling back again.

Slowly but surely.

This weekend's Culinary Adventure:

Homemade Fried Rice!!

With scallops in it.