Beating the blues

The weather turned grey, cloudy, and colder—and matches my outlook on things at the moment. There's just a lot to do: taxes, which are different this year and therefore need to be figured out; extra music for additional services at church during Lent, plus a memorial service tomorrow; and the rest of the list I've mentioned here too many times already. And, of course, the constant reminder that we're at war. I don't watch the news on television, not even PBS anymore. But I read the paper every few days, listen to the radio sometimes, and see the headlines on the internet.

Via one of the sites I came across when I was reading about grass-fed beef (April 1 below), eat wild by Jo Robinson, I found a site publicizing a book on which she collaborated, When Your Body Gets the Blues. The research was done, appropriately enough, by a professor at the Univ. of Washington School of Nursing. The results of the study of mildly depressed women determined that the following activities improved their outlook:

1. Walking outdoors at a brisk pace for 20 minutes, 5 or more days a week.
2. Greatly increasing their exposure to natural and artificial light during the daytime but decreasing their light exposure in the late evening hours.
3. Taking the following six vitamins and minerals in these doses: 50 mgs each of vitamins B-1, B-2, B-6; 400 mcg folic acid; 400 IU of vitamin D; and 200 mcg. selenium. (Most of these doses are higher than those found in one-a-day multi-vitamin tablets, but all are within safe limits.)

Very simple but effective.

One of the items sold at the online store reminded me of a once-upon-a-time fashion trend: bubble umbrellas.



I guess in Washington you have to try every trick possible to get as much light as you can!