Wellness Wednesday

I have been unnaturally tired for the last couple of weeks and I endured a headache yesterday. It made for a long day.

As my workday ended, I decided that Wellness Wednesday would be the theme of the evening. So I stopped for a walk on the way home and savored the fresh air, stopping occasionally to touch the bark on a tree or to examine the light hitting a shallow stream.

My house needs a good cleaning, my closet is in shambles, the trash needs to go out and the list goes on and on. Fortunately, these things can wait a while so I fed Scout and went to bed.

Warm pjs, soft pillows and a purring kitty cat are my idea of self care. Here’s hoping today is better.

Sometimes self care is candles and a bubble bath. Sometimes it’s doing the work you have been putting off. Sometimes self care is drinking the water and eating the vegetables. Sometimes it is surrendering to the demands of your body and just going to bed.

Learn to listen to your body and learn to know the difference. Understanding what you need is a true skill and one we all should master.

Health And Gratitude

This hasn’t been a banner week for me. I’m doing better (thanks to those of you who have expressed concern. I’ll live!) but I’m not up to par.

This week, I have worked and slept and haven’t done much else. There has been no exercise, no household chores, no projects, no blog posts.

While I feel a bit like a slug this week, I’m ok with it. We can’t be 100% everywhere all the time. My energy is mostly getting used up at the place that pays my bills and, for this week, that’s most important.

Something else that’s important is gratitude for good health. Feeling a little under the weather is a temporary problem but always a helpful reminder to be grateful for the days we are well.

John Muir’s Wisdom

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. John Muir

Under The Weather

These last two days have found me under the weather. Just so you know – I’m terrible at being sick.

Life is better when you’re up and moving. Whether on the go anod doing fun stuff or staying home and puttering around the house – life is better when you are able to do something.

I am not a Netflix and chill girl. It is rare to find me just hanging out on the couch with a snack and the tv. There’s always a chore, a book, a hobby or something else more entertaining than just sitting around.

I spent yesterday in bed thinking of all the things I would do if I felt better. I scrolled Pinterest while Scout napped at my feet and Law and Order played in the background.

The whole day was so out of character that Scout was clearly worried. He hardly left my side, occasionally biting at my feet or grabbing at my arm in a sweet attempt at coaxing me back onto my feet. Doesn’t he look worried?

My Pinterest activities cracked me up because I was all over the place. If you aren’t familiar, Pinterest is a type of social media where you can find, upload and save images and links that inspire you on virtual boards.

Watercolor tutorials, gluten free vegetarian recipes, inspiring quotes, writing tips, photography challenges, winter wardrobe images, decluttering challenges, and ideas for transforming my dining room into a library were among the things that caught my eye.

It occurred to me that my interests are vast. I badly wanted to get up and clean out my closet, paint a picture, reorganize my kitchen and make something good for dinner. Instead, I stayed put, ate frozen pizza and read some.

Today is a new day. Here’s hoping it is more productive.

Best Served Warm

You’ve probably heard the phrase “revenge is a dish best served cold.” Well, gluten free bread is best served warm. That goes for the English muffins and wraps too!

I have been working at reducing my gluten intake since learning that it can help with thyroid symptoms. At this point, I avoid gluten at home but simply do what I can other places.

I don’t eat a ton of bread but sometimes enjoy an egg sandwich, peanut butter and jelly on a toasted English muffin or the occasional veggie burger on a bun.

The good news is that there are a number of gluten free bread products in the frozen food case. So, even though the price for gluten free products is always exorbitant higher, there’s no waste like if I buy a fresh product that I forget is sitting on the counter. It probably all balances out in the end.

There are a couple of products from Kroger that are quite good. One is a thin bun and the other is an English muffin that has nice flavor when toasted.

This week, I needed something quick for lunches and picked up some gluten free wraps from the fresh bread shelf. One day, I made a breakfast burrito and was able to heat the wrap in a skillet while my eggs cooked. The next day it was just a regular cold wrap that reminded me of rolling up my veggies and avocado sauce in a piece of college ruled paper.

It’s incredible what a little heat can do to change the flavor and composition of food!

In case you are wondering, I do notice a difference when I eat gluten. The brain fog is real and I tend to feel more tired and sluggish, a gloomy reminder that a random piece of cake or family reunion light roll really isn’t worth the sacrifice.

If you have hypothyroidism, I would recommend experimenting with gluten to learn if or how it stresses your body and mind. Just remember to warm it up first!

Thyroid Update

Back in April, I shared with you that I had been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and gave an overview of what that has meant to me. You can read that confession here. Two months later and I am sick of thinking about it but understand that an update could help someone else.

I made this picture on a hike in the Hocking Hills last year. This picture of emerging from the darkness and climbing worn, uneven stairs toward the light is the perfect imagery to illustrate where I am right now.

It is notoriously difficult to adjust thyroid medicine. My circumstances are improving but it has been a slow climb. My energy is improving but I can still sleep ten hours and wake up feeling like I didn’t sleep at all.

Hair loss, joint pain, and sudden raspiness of voice persist. Fatigue in the afternoon is a pain and brain fog is still sometimes an issue. Finding the rights words is hard work some days. I had been combatting this with a bit of Diet Coke in the afternoon but have discovered that pop and sugar make things worse.

Reducing gluten has been a game changer and eating a banana most days has helped too. My medical provider advised me to listen to my body but to push myself to do more. So I’m trying to get back into hiking or at least walking the local bike path as much as possible. I have been trying to get to sleep early in hopes that someday I will awake rested.

Thankfully, many of my symptoms like weight gain and occasional dizziness seem to have leveled off and that is encouraging.

So I take my medicine religiously and try to walk that tight rope between rest and pushing.

I’m far behind in chores and work around the house because all my energy seems to be used up by my job and by trying to have some quality of life through an occasional adventure day.

I have a big trip on the books later this summer so I’m trying to do some training on the hiking trails. I will need more energy and more muscle power if I intend to enjoy that trip.

So things are improving even if it does feel like a slow climb out of the dark. If you have a thyroid problem, give yourself some grace. Personally, it feels like my body hates me and I hate my body. It’s a toxic relationship but I still choose to believe there is hope.