Coffee Bites

Waking up late this morning meant I had a raging headache. Since I’m typically up and moving by 6:45am, I’m typically drinking my first cup of coffee by 6:46am. Don’t talk to me until I’ve had a cup of coffee in the morning. I refill my rather large coffee mug 2 or 3 times during the 45 minutes I’m getting ready for the day and then one more time before I climb into my car.

Yep. I have a caffeine problem. I’ve gotten better, though. The coffee pot at work used to be 10 steps away from me and I refilled my mug all day long. It was so easy to do and, come lunch time, I didn’t feel hungry. The lack of hunger pains was a good thing, in a way. My work load was excessive and I worked right through lunch because I felt like it was the only way I could possibly complete everything that was expected of me. Fortunately, the coffee pot is much further from me these days. Unfortunately, my work load is still ridiculous.

I’m a spoon-full-of-sugar-in-my-coffee person. In an attempt to wean myself off of so much coffee I’ve been skipping on the sugar. It worked for a little while; I drank 1 or 2 cups while getting ready and didn’t finish the cup I took with me. I’m developing a taste for unsweetened coffee now, so my brilliant strategy isn’t so brilliant any more.

More recently I made a trip to Goodwill with my over-sized mugs. I’m drinking out of little mugs, the little white ones frequently found at pancake houses. The idea is to drink the same number of cups and since the cups are smaller I’ll drink a smaller volume of coffee. It’s totally psychological. It’s working, though. I can’t finish an over-sized cup of coffee anymore. It get cold, that nasty room temperature, before I can finish it which is strong motivation to not drink so much.

I’m still getting headaches if I don’t get to my coffee early enough in the morning. Clearly, I still have a caffeine addiction.

Lines for a Fortune Cookie for NaPoWriMo Day 21

The next time you feel down, someone will tell you to pick yourself back up and get over it.

You will "like" a Facebook page dedicated to mental illness advocacy and education.

Choose your words carefully. Stigma bites and it might come back and bite you.

An important message is waiting for you at http://www.bringchange2mind.org/

Someone close to you has a mental illness. They're just not saying so.

Stress is wearing you down. Slow down before you hurt yourself.

Talk to someone. You need to share and they need to hear.

Are you really OCD? Or do you just like saying that?

You will soon meet someone with depression.

Participate in your local NAMIWalk.

Sing. It's good for you.

Recovery is possible.

Are you crazy?

Meditate.

Just breathe.

Take one step at a time.

Your insurance will cover it.

Imagine your world if she wasn't sick.

Try listening to understand rather than to respond.

Good things will come to you if you follow this blog. ;)

You are the 1 in the 1 in 10 that will experience depression.

Your bad attitude is the reason people with mental illnesses don't seek help.

Every criminal is not mentally ill and every mentally ill person is not a criminal.

Suicide is not funny. Tell that to the next person you hear make a joke about it.

Remember to tell them you love them. Every day.

A is for Ativan

is for Ativan and Ativan is for anxiety. Anxiety is awful!

I know everyone experiences anxiety - it's part of the human condition. A certain amount of anxiety is to be expected and the level of anxiety is expected to correlate with whatever is going on in life. That's normal. I thought I experienced normal anxiety just like everyone else did. I was all grown up before I knew any different.

Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Heat-Milk-Without-Scalding

When I was a little girl, I used to have a hard time getting to sleep and getting back to sleep if I woke up in the night. I was worried but I couldn't tell you what I was worried about. My mom was wonderfully patient with me, always climbing out of her own cozy bed and blissful sleep to help me with a feeling that I could no longer manage on my own. We walked back to the kitchen, lit only by the single, dim bulb over the kitchen sink. She warmed a few cups of milk in a small saucepan on the stove, stirring constantly. As an adult, I understand that she was keeping the milk from scalding. As a child, though, she was stirring in calm and love. Adding a teaspoon of sugar made it perfect. I sipped on warm milk until I was relaxed enough to climb back in bed.

The little ritual has served me well through the years.

For more information about the 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge see the website of the same name.

Mental Health Foods: Kale

I've been a little hung up on how diet affects one's mental health, or lack thereof. Most sites repeat the same instructions: avoid caffeine and nicotine, minimize sugar and salt intake. After reading that same, tired advice for the umpteen millionth time I was ready to scream. Someone, somewhere must have advice on what foods someone trying to manage a mental illness should include. Trying to find a nice, neat list of foods that are particularly beneficial to someone living with a mental illness, however, proved to be more trouble than it's worth.

Face-palm. I realized I was working on the diet issue backwards. Rather than starting with the illness, I needed to start with the food. Pick a food and learn about its nutritional value, about its impact on the human body, especially the brain. What food to start with, though? The contents of my refrigerator made the decision easy - a bag of kale and a package of chicken.

Kale, it seems, really is as good for us as we've been told. To my delight, it also appears to be a good food for people with mental health problems. Here's the breakdown of the good stuff in kale:

• Calcium. 15% of the calcium needed for the day is in a single cup of kale. The release of neurotransmitters in the brain requires calcium and a lack (or excess) of calcium has been connected to depression, anxiety, and mania. Calcium and Depression from Livestrong
• Vitamin B6. B vitamins are necessary for the production of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that cross synaptic gaps in the brain. They make communication throughout the brain and body possible. Vitamin B crucial to children's mental health, study finds
• Magnesium. That one cup of kale contains 40% of the magnesium we need each day. The increased rate of depression in the US compared to 100 years ago is thought, by some, to be related to the decrease of magnesium in the typical American diet. Magnesium and the Brain: The Original Chill Pill from Psychology Today
• Vitamin C. 200% of the daily requirement is in one cup of kale. Low levels of vitamin C have been connected to mood disturbances. Improved vitamin C levels coincide with better moods. Vitamin C Rapidly Improves Emotional State of Acutely Hospitalized Patients, Study Suggests
• Vitamin K. 1,020% of the daily requirement but apparently does nothing for mood or anxiety. Vitamin K-2 for Anxiety
• Potassium. Low potassium and mental illness are related. Insufficient potassium has even been implicated in the creation of mental illness. Low Potassium & Mental Disorders
• Iron. Depression, anxiety, and mood swings are symptoms that can emerge due to iron deficiency. Can Iron Deficiency Cause Psychological Problems? from Livestrong

Additional source: The Truth About Kale on WebMD

I know kale is good for us and now I know how beneficial it can be to mind and mood. Armed with some new knowledge, a bag of kale, a package of chicken, and the following recipe, I fixed up a great dinner.

Braised Chicken with Kale and Tomatoes

(based on Braised Chicken with Kale from MyRecipies dot com)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (divided)
• 4 chicken leg quarters or 8 drumsticks
• ground black pepper (to taste)
• salt (to taste)
• approximately 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 (16-ounce) package cut prewashed kale
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
• About 20 ounces chicken broth
• balsamic vinegar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil.
3. Sprinkle the chicken with black pepper and salt. Place flour in a dish, and dredge chicken.
4. Place chicken pieces in dutch oven, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove from dutch oven. You might have to add 2 more teaspoons of oil and do this step again, depending on how much chicken you are cooking.
5. Add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to dutch oven. Add garlic and simmer for 20 seconds. Add half of the kale and cook for 2 minutes. Add remaining half of kale and cook for 3 more minutes.
6. Stir in diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
7. Return chicken to pan, cover, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
8. Serve chicken over kale mixture with a splash of vinegar (to taste).