Research and Reading
I have continued to do well on my new eating, vitamin, and supplement regime. I would like to take it "up" a notch. To do this, I have done the following:
- Purchased a few books which have lead to more changes.
- Begun applying the KonMari method to my home. This has already reaped benefits. I have only completed the first category and I already have experienced a better attitude, sparked some creative projects, and brought some positive energy my way. I have experienced a recent increase in the number of job postings that I am truly interested in and some projects in the form of web design work.
- Made an appointment to see a functional medicine practitioner. I was thrilled to find one with 45 minutes of my home. The appointment is next week. I anticipate she will be putting me on a strict diet and have been grocery shopping with this in mind. I'm not buying my usual snack foods.
Books
I have purchased the following books:
- the life changing magic of tidying up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing by Marie Kondo (finished) and I immediately bought...
- Spark Joy: an illustrated master class on the art of organizing and tidying up by Marie Kondo - (currently reading)
- The Autoimmune Solution by Amy Myers, M.D. (currently reading)
- The Immune System Recovery Plan by Susan Blum, M.D., M.P.H.
- Wake Up Happy by Michael Strahan
Somewhere along the line, my research lead me in the direction of autoimmune disorders. The changes I made initially to get my digestive system healthy made such a dramatic difference in how I felt made me think something wasn't right in the first place. A few changes in diet made this big a difference? A friend told me about Amy Myers, M.D. and I looked into her research a bit more. She was a pioneer in functional medicine. Diet can trigger autoimmune responses, but it can also put them into remission. It sparked the epiphany that I was on to something with the autoimmune disorders and diet.
Amy Myers has a very strict diet to follow initially. I haven't reached the details yet in my reading, but it prompted me to make the appointment with a functional medicine practitioner. I have had gastric bypass surgery and I need high amounts of protein, don't absorb nutrients as well, and felt I needed some one on one guidance.
Winter Blahs
Winters in Michigan are long, dark, and cold. It is common for everyone to start feeling down in January and February. I am usually not the exception. Add the fact that you are unemployed and fruitlessly job searching and facing rejection you would expect to be depressed. This is why I purchased Wake Up Happy. I expected to be depressed and thought I would be preemptive. The book was listed on a "feel good" book list and I bought it with some of my Christmas money. So far I haven't needed to read it.
I want to read it, I am still interested in improving my outlook and I am not usually a morning person. I can be grouchy in the morning. I am looking forward to reading it, just haven't had a lot of reading time with the additional job opportunities I am applying for and the web page work. All good.
I am so grateful I have managed to remain positive and optimistic this winter!
