O.k., today’s post may seem silly. What does hair have to do with depression?
Actually, more than you might know.
I got to thinking over these years of depression-free years what has been my one constant? The one constant was my hair. It’s wild, unruly, and I have a lot of it. I’ve colored it for years but somewhere over the years, I gave that up. At least the permanent color. Sometimes I still add a temporary color that fades away in a few short washings. All it really does it tone down my too-bright hair.
I guess I’m bringing this up because I just looked at some recent pictures of myself when I thought my hair looked good and, some when, well, it didn’t. Our hair humbles us like nothing else and we need to make peace with our constant dissatisfaction. It’s just hair, after all.
I can actually gauge what my mood is going to be like by what my hair looks like. Every woman alive knows that “a good hair day” is a good day in general. But when you deal with low moods it’s even more important. I take great care to make myself and my hair presentable every day. It helps set the tone for the rest of the day.
That’s why hair is important. The last thing a depressed person needs is to look in the mirror and see a disheveled wild person staring back at them. I’m not saying that if I’m weeding my garden or painting a room that my hair never looks messy. I’m talking more about the effort than the result.
So if you’re having a bad day, do this one thing for me. Go wash your hair and do something with it. It’s kind of amazing how mild to moderate depression responds so well to the little things we do.
When you’re really down, I know, I know, it’s an effort to even get off the couch and move. But, please, do it anyway. It doesn’t cost much (unless you use really expensive shampoo). It requires very little time.
Our concern with our appearance is an important part of managing our depression. Think about it. If you’re in the hospital, don’t you feel so much better when you get wash up and brush your hair.
It’s kind of like you’re telling yourself that you at least care enough to make yourself presentable and then that might translate to telling yourself you can take the next step. One step leads to another and you find yourself moving and feeling a bit better.
Do you find that if you look better, you feel better? Or are you wanting to look bad so people will feel sorry for you? Good question, huh?
Make sure that person looking back at you in the mirror is someone you’d like to know if you were meeting you for the first time.
God bless and have a safe day.
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What to do when anxiety won’t go away
What should we do when anxiety won’t go away? (I’m sorry I’m so late today.)
Sometimes, there is no reason for our anxiety. Today was such a day. It was a red-letter day for me.
I just talked to someone at my publisher’s office who was doing the content analysis. This is not the big analysis. The editorial analysis is next. That’s the analysis where I’ll I’ll probably end up in tears.
Anyway, she told me that I had passed Zondervan’s and Nelson’s review, meaning they are giving a go-ahead. I’m assuming that is big. She said it was, so I’ll believe her.
Right!
Can I just say I’ve been a wreck all day worrying about this book and this blog, etc. I’ve been working on all these apps at the same time: Tailwind, Canva, Book Funnel, MailerLite, MindMeister. Not to mention getting up to speed with all the rest of my social media accounts.
And then there’s Christmas. Oh, my, did I really just say Christmas? Don’t even.
The solution when anxiety just won’t go away.
However, I had a really good time with God this morning and I told him how anxious I was but the anxiety was still there.
I think the lesson here is that anxiety just doesn’t go away sometimes but you don’t let it stop you. But wasn’t feeling well either so I listened to God when he spoke about “making me lie down in green pastures” and took a nap!
After working out, I fixed a latte’ and waited for my important phone call. Now, wouldn’t you think that would have calmed me down? It really didn’t, but I’m still movin’ on.
Sometimes, I think we expect our troubles to instantly go away because we are praying fervently and sincerely. There are no great unconfessed sins…
Sometimes the past is the problem with anxiety.
Where anxiety is concerned, if there is childhood trauma in the past, our brains become hardwired to automatically revert to anxiety. This has been scientifically proven.
It is my personal opinion, but based on my readings, I wonder if the Apostle Paul’s “thorn in the side” could have been some sort of emotional “thorn”. He certainly experienced some emotional issues.
When you are anxious, try not to let it stop you. Sometimes, anxiety just has to be lived with. I know it’s hard but I’m no stronger than anyone else.
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What my messy devotional table looks like.
Today I am sharing what my messy devotional table looks like. First of all, here are the pictures of the devotionals I am using right now. “My Utmost For His Highest”, is a standard. There is a reason I added a few more for my time with God.
I thought it would be interesting to see if some days I received the same “message”. And there were. One day in particular.
I was pondering an action to take so I read from each devotional and two of them pointed me very specifically to the answer. That was exciting.
So here’s what my “messy devotional table” looks like most morning. Some days it’s worse! That’s my BUJO at the bottom of the page. It is a messy devotional table, isn’t it?
I am always on the search for good pens so, of course, that justifies having so many. How else will I find the right ones?
I have found all of these, except for this particular My Utmost For His Highest at thrift stores or garage sales although I have two other MUFHH’s that I have bought at thrift stores or garage sale. However, the bottom two are the newest and I’m really enjoying them. And, of course, Joyce Meyer is always spot-on because she doesn’t mince words.
The pens and pencils are from my never-ending supply which adds to my messy table.
I tried keeping them in one spot but I need them everywhere, so everywhere is where they are.
I told you my table was messy. Right?
And, of course, the never-ending cup of coffee. I bought a small Keurig at a garage sale and we are loving it BUT, I also order a “milk frother” from Amazon last week and now I am brewing up lattes. I’m going to try and learn “latte art” in the coming weeks. I’ll send you pics.
The point of it all, my time with God
Anyway, I guess the point of this post is that it doesn’t matter how messy or how obsessively neat we are, devotions are highly personal. But some days I’m even messier as I usually have my laptop and phone nearby for research.
Do what you need to do to make your time with God as special as it can be. Overflow your table or not. Have something to drink or not. Just spend time with God. Just pray.
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Why it’s really good to expect God to show up.
Why it’s really good to expect God to show up is really not hard to understand. It benefits us because it makes us more alert to God’s interventions in our lives.
We should expect God to show up. We don’t always though. Last Saturday God showed up three times for me. Maybe I should say He surprised me. Three times!!!
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Now, if you haven’t had this experience, you might not believe this but I can only share my experience with you. God surprises me often. However, by surprise, I mean I see His hand in the process. I see His hand in the circumstance.
Of course, we can choose to not believe that way. But the reason I do because every day I ask God to reveal himself to me. I expect to see Him in my circumstances and I usually do, right at the moment it happens.
But do I always? No. Not because Goed isn’t showing up, but because I’m too preoccupied and don’t always recognize Him.
First of all, we were at our cabin. I have a dear friend of many years that lives a few minutes away from there. I only see her when we are up north. We had decided that because of Covid, we probably shouldn’t get together. She is maintaining her “bubble” and I am doing the same.
But I had made her a darling DIY pumpkin and wanted to get it to her. I needed to go to Hobby Lobby anyway so I thought I would drop it off at her house. Hobby Lobby first, or drop off the pumpkin first? I wasn’t sure. Hobby Lobby first, I decided.
I. The surprises begin: number one
It had snowed just a little at the cabin but nothing was lingering on the trees right at our cabin or anything. But as I got about five miles from home and on to the highway, can I just say it was absolutely breathtaking!
The sun glowed. The snow rested on the outrageously colored leaves that had not yet fallen. On those that had, the snow laid heavily on the skeletal branches making them look outlined against the warmth in the sky.
The snow sparkled like diamonds hanging from a woman’s ear lobe, as it often does in winter but this wasn’t winter. The white snow shimmering on the trees, the glowing sun, the sparkle…….
Unreal. A blend of fall and winter. God’s surprise number one.
(a.) God’s surprise number two
I got to Hobby Lobby and as I got out of the car, I heard someone call my name. Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw my friend. It was so good to actually see her and take a few minutes to talk before she had to leave. And, of course, I gave her the pumpkin. God’s surprise number two.
But now it really gets good.
(b.) God’s surprise number three
First, of all, have I told you how much I love used book stores? More so than new bookstores. Want to know why?
Well, even if you don’t, I’m going to tell you.
Very often I will find various items tucked inside the worn pages, the older the book the more likely this will happen. A note. An inscription. A bookmark. A receipt. I love it when that happens and it happens a lot to me. (Of course, I am in used book stores a lot, so there’s that.)
Listening to a Hope@Writers podcast last week, I learned writers can hone their skills by reading poetry. The owner of the store directed me to the right area and I immediately spotted an older red book.
I picked it up and started rifling through some pages. As I got ready to close the book, I flipped back to the cover pages and spied a page where there was an inscription.
Bingo!
I looked at the handwriting and then looked again.
Not possible, I thought. No way.
But it was. It was my husband’s handwriting, an inscription for our friends, a couple we cherished then and now as well. It had been a Christmas present.
You got it. Right?
It was a gift we had purchased for my friend I had just seen at Hobby Lobby and her husband. What are the chances?
I couldn’t help but tell the store owner the whole story. She was pretty amazed as well. When I told my friend, she was astounded as well. I was pumped all the way home.
It has been often said, that you get out of life what you expect out of life. I agree.
2. Expecting God to show up
And I think the same could be said of our relationship with God. If we expect God to show up, we are much more likely to see Him when he does. God’s surprises shouldn’t really be surprises anyway, should they?
It’s kind of like when you wake up in the morning. If you decide that the day is going to be good, it probably will be. (Not counting, of course, that life can sure throw us some curves some days. Like this whole pandemic. Plus, I am not suggesting a Pollyanna attitude. I’m about as a realist as you can imagine. )
It does no good to expect the bad when we can expect the good just as easily. Click To TweetLife is short. We don’t like to admit it, do we? There are going to be enough bad times for all of us. We are going to experience struggles. That’s a guarantee. We are all going to experience grief as well. Again, a guarantee.
I feel it makes sense to anticipate the good for as long as we can. The more we train our minds to expect the good, the more we might well strengthen our resilience for the tough times. It’s kind of like building an inner-strength muscle.
I hope you have a really good day today and God bless.
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