Obsessive Rep Point Checkers Club (Volume VI)

Hey, BF!

It goes up the top of the escarpment behind Wollongong and Kiama. It is not for the faint-hearted (me). The road down (Macquarie's Pass) was better, thankfully.

Throwing you in the deep end, huh?

How hot is it up there? We're hitting consecutive 30s here for the first time since early in the year.

Oh no!! I just checked the Gold Coast forecast. Raaaaaaain. All week!

That'll put a (literal) dampener on our whole walk-along-the-beach, read-by-the-pool plans.

Oh, I wasn't driving. I was a passenger. Ain't no way I'm doing that driving!

It's pretty pleasant here at the moment. Temps all week forecast to be in the mid 20's.

Oh no! Boo hiss! Rain is not wanted on holiday!

Good morning. Anybody out there?

BF, rain on holiday is no good. Maybe the weather will move through quickly and you’ll get plenty of sunshine and clear skies.

I slept last night, which is good (three nights in a row of insomnia wasn’t fun) but I’m still tired this morning. I could have used another hour or two. But it’s time to chauffeur. I’ll be back, if anyone is around.

Hey, Lil!

Yay for getting some sleep! You'll probably need a couple of nights of good sleep in a row, eh? Either that or a nap this afternoon. *g*

Good luck with the chauffeuring!

ETA Sadly, I probably won't be around when you get back from chauffeuring. But I'm not going anywhere tomorrow!

Goodnight, Jay!

Your drive sounded fun/scary.

My car wouldn’t start again this morning but luckily I was able to just hop in my son’s car, so chauffeuring went off without a hitch. Well, the first phase, anyway. So, this means I need either a new battery or the alternator went belly up. It’s always something, isn’t it?

Morning everyone. it's nice and cool this morning in FL so *yay*. But the change in weather left me wondering what truck decided to run over me overnight.

*sigh* But it's tuesday. Another day another dollar.

Bryan, I feel for ya. Those shifts suck, especially these days when they flip-flop daily until they settle into a new season.

Anyone deal with seasonal affective disorder? I have a friend going through a really hard bout this time. If you have any helpful suggestions, even old wives tales, I'd love to hear 'em.

Lillian_Blaire said:

How did you know about my hot flashes??

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We are leading mirrored lives. Except, I can't wear heels.

Also thanks for the pretty dancing emojis. But what did I do to deserve all that??

Parallel lives. I meant parallel lives....

Hey everybody!

MRF...are you talking about the reps I sent you? Well, this is Reppers thread so we like to give out reps whenever we hit a milestone and so last night I repped everyone as a belated 30K celebration. If you’re talking about something else...I have no idea what you’re referring to.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is no fun. I have no helpful hints (and am not qualified to give advice), except that I know they sell specialized lamps for people with that condition that give off a certain kind of light to counteract the effects. Might be worth researching. It’s one of the reasons I live in the south and why my house has a lot of big windows—I need as much natural light as possible. Going for daily walks helps me, too, when I can get outside. Like everything else, if it gets bad, your friend should see a professional.

It’s called Light Therapy, and they have Light Therapy Lamps that are said to improve symptoms in some people. Not giving medical advice here (because that’s a no-no), but just something I’ve heard can help.

Southpaw said:

Bryan, I feel for ya. Those shifts suck, especially these days when they flip-flop daily until they settle into a new season.

Anyone deal with seasonal affective disorder? I have a friend going through a really hard bout this time. If you have any helpful suggestions, even old wives tales, I'd love to hear 'em.

Click to expand...

I use light bulbs that are supposed to have the same light range as sunlight. I haven't tried it, but have had recommendations that I use a special light--darn, I can't remember what they are called. They are medical grade devices that produce light that is the same as sunlight. You sit in front of them so they shine on your face. I think the time of day when you use these light devices matters.

Exercise helps a lot. It has to be vigorous and aerobic, so the endorphins get pumping. I think 30 minutes 3 times a week is minimum.

Vitamin D supplements might help. This is my own anecdotal observation.

Various mindfulness practices are helpful, particularly ones where you reflect on how you are more than the depression.

I have not yet gone into my dark times nose dive. I'm not sure why. It might just be lurking in the wings, waiting for DST to end. It might be that I have so much other stuff bothering me that I'm not noticing the slide into SAD.

If I can think of anymore ways to deal with it, I'll share them.

Yeah, it certainly seems to be a common issue. I know lots of people who suffer from it to one extent or the other.

Oh! I got my new battery and the car is running smoothly again. hallelujah!

She does have the special bulbs and she does see a therapist and doc. She also had her thyroid tested. BUT I totally forgot she broke her foot and hasn't been able to do exercise or even walk in months, that could be adding to her depression. I'll have to remind her about that!

I think she would be willing to put tomatoes in her socks if it might help.

- - - Updated - - -

By the way, I don't think Monday ended.

That's it: light therapy lamp! I don't know where my brain is today.

And yes, Lil, it was the reps. You may still not know what I'm talking about, though. Sometimes I don't.

I did not know I needed to put in a disclaimer when I shared tips. I hope I remember the next time....

Glad that it was only the battery!

I had this nightmarish event last March in which the alternator failed on a major and busy highway. I was on the way home from the hospital ER to pick up clothes and a toothbrush for one of the twins.

And then not a month later, the battery died....

So, I'm very glad your issue was the less expensive one.

Maybe, we are just having Monday again? Like in the Twilight Zone? I swear, yesterday was not Monday here, but today is.

Good afternoon, reppers!

Thanks for all the reps, Lil! They were a pleasant surprise.

I too suffer from SAD. Mine usually hits in January when the weather is at its coldest and dreariest. I also have a friend who suffers from it as well. He uses one of the medical lamp devices. He says it helps. For me, I just try to stay busy.

And while we're on the topic of SAD, let me just add that I'm cold! That is when I'm not having a hot flash. And it's 71 degrees in the apartment. I. Should. Not. Be. Cold.

A broken foot would definitely put a damper on things, for sure. I wish i knew magic and could help, but I don’t (obviously, or else I’d be super rich).

Yeah, I was glad it was only the battery, too.

So, you guys may have read (over and over) about me helping my youngest get into public school after years of homeschooling. I won’t go into his particular issues, but he has struggled quite a bit and the district wanted him to repeat a year of schooling, to which I fought and won. Well, he won the chance to go to the next grade IF, after the first term, he was doing well. If he didn’t do well, they were going to send him back a grade. But!

Drum roll please...

He got all As, except in math(s), where he was just one point shy of an A (but a B+ ain’t bad, right?!?). So he gets to stay in his current grade and he’s so happy and proud of himself (as he should be) and determined to get all As next term. For this particular child, this is nothing short of a freakin’ miracle. I’m so happy I could cry.

Woo hoo! Way to go for your youngest, Lil! That's an awesome achievement! He should totally be proud of himself!

Re: SAD... yeah, I used to hibernate in the winter when I lived in Canada. It's not so bad here in Aus - lots more sunshine in the winter, which helps. I do tend to get into a funk when we've had several grey days in a row, though.

Today, the sun is shining, forecast highs are around 25C, and I'm sitting here in shorts and a t-shirt. The only down side to today is that it's a bit windy.

That's great, Lil!

Agreed! Lil that is awesome!

Thanks, guys! I really appreciate your support. I needed a win today.

So much great conversation today. On SAD, the light therapy helps, as does Vitamin D3. I have also heard that an uptick in Melatonin at night (take 5 to 10mg of melatonin at night). You may want to consider something like St John’s wart and Valarian root. Both are natural mood elevators.

YAY Lil for your kid’s grades. That is so super fantastic!

I have bought my plane ticket. At least I get to go home for a week, and it’s over my birthday too. I will even get to see Scooby for 2 days, provided that his deployment isn’t extended (Mind you, the boat is only doing circles for three weeks so not overly concerned about that). And I will be home for a full six days!