Wellbeing Club

[Misanthropic Monster™]

I find fibre SO hard to get in my diet, but I find insoluble fibres are the way to go - I live on Chia Seeds for example - they are an insoluble fibre so really help keep things regular and good down there. I recommend them - you can buy huge packs of them and because they have NO flavor you can add them to basically everything you eat/drink (and I do)!

[sibusen]

you can add them to basically everything you eat/drink

I got a bag of chia seeds but I don't really know what to do with them! Do you just throw them into everything and drink/eat them whole?

I tried to make chia pudding but it never set. And then I tried to grind them in a small mortar and throw them into food but they are a bit crunchy. But maybe it's not that important to chew them...?

[Misanthropic Monster™]

I got a bag of chia seeds but I don't really know what to do with them! Do you just throw them into everything and drink/eat them whole?

I tried to make chia pudding but it never set. And then I tried to grind them in a small mortar and throw them into food but they are a bit crunchy. But maybe it's not that important to chew them...?

I literally put them in nearly everything; cereal, on toast, on pizza, in smoothies, in porridge, I mix it into cooking sauces, I sprinkle it on Greek Yogurt, I have it on salmon, on chicken... literally anything that could have a bit of texture, I add them to... and they've helped my IBS SO MUCH since I started eating them back in March. I highly recommend them if you have any kind of number 2 issues!

[3lsie]

I started cooking a lot more (I try to cook at least 3 days a week and then survive off leftovers) and I've almost completely cut fast food out of my diet because it was really fucking w my gastrointestinal system. I really try to focus on eating a variety of stuff to get the most balanced diet I can. I love eating these Green Giant Simply Steam™️frozen veggies, they're sooo good when I don't feel like cooking.
As far as dietary supplements, I was already taking vitamin c and d3 because I had deficiencies, but I take at least one capsule of Metamucil fiber daily and it makes a huge difference. Fiber is way more important than you think!

Working out is still kind of hard- I want to focus on building my upper arm and core strength, but the only exercising I find fun is leg stuff. I freaking LOVE playing DDR, and that's usually my daily workout. I can get 5,000+ steps in within an hour and it's the only kind of workout where I voluntarily break a sweat xP If you like rhythm games, absolutely recommend looking into stuff like Project Outfox or other ITG communities.

I LOVE the DDR workout idea - that sounds so fun!! Great work with the cooking, that's so good!

Sorry I've been AWOL on here for a few days. I'm going through a depressive episode at the moment and getting used to some medication changes, so my wellness goals have changed a little bit to just trying to step outside each day, and I've been using ready meals for my food, but I think that's an improvement on ordering takeout; it just requires a little more organisation since I have to make sure I have stuff in, but it's still a lot easier and more manageable than cooking. I'm going away tomorrow until next week, and I'll be doing some sightseeing and going to a convention, so that'll get me out and about and walking, which should be great!

I think one thing I've learned over the past couple of years is the importance of being able to adjust your goals to suit what's reasonable for you at a given time. After all, we're not always staying the same in terms of our health and lifestyle.

One idea I heard on YouTube (I can't remember the video but I can try to find it if anyone wants!) that I've loved and used is having multiple sets of goals. So you have your ideal goal, e.g. mine is a daily walk, but you have different versions of it that you can fall back on when you need, e.g. walking for 10 minutes instead of 30 if your utmost goal is 30, or just stepping outside for a few minutes, and you go for whichever version of your goal you can do on that given day. I hope this tip helps someone else too!!

[invader_gvim]

  I would like to join the wellness club.



TODAY IS MY HUSBAND'S BIRTHDAY       It means that today it is my job to try and make sure he has a good day. It's going to be very rewarding, especially since I consider it my role in life to be a caretaker for those that I love.

Usually, I have issues with myself caused by my own procrastination. I want to write, and my job gives me ample free time to do so, yet MY PROGRESS AT WRITING HAS BEEN AT A STANDSTILL. 

In more positive news,  I recently came to terms with the fact that I am a woman. Wearing fake boobs has done so much to help my body issues. I feel really super happy with the clothes I wear and how I look now. I feel like I love myself in a way that I haven't in the past.

Through all that, my husband has been so amazing and helpful to me. I was scared for a long time that he would leave me if I became a woman but he didn't. If anything he has somehow been even closer to me now.

As far as dieting goes, I've found that just telling myself "I'll eat that later today" works well at making me eat less in a given day as opposed to obsessing over if it is right or not to eat that burger.

[DiffydaDude]

random post: I feel like there's too much complex philosophical essay stuff online for my burnt out brain to handle. Like i have to use so much brain energy to really get it that i sometimes start getting that pins and needles feeling all over, like when you block your blood flow in your arm or leg by sitting on it, and then you get up and ur arm feels like BZZZZZZZZZZZ. is it okay if i wish there was more simple english stuff so i didnt have to use so much brain power, cuz i feel better using that stuff tbh

[MrsMoe]

Uh, hi.

I'd like to join 

I'm gonna be honest, my mental health is almost in shambles right now. I don't think it's appropriate to get too deep into why here, but a lot of it has to do with world events and the isolation of my current life. I've already whined about it in another friend and on my website's diary, but the area I live in is very isolated. I basically have nothing in terms of socialization and there's not much I can do about it, so that makes "go outside" and "talk to someone" pretty hard for me sometimes.

I don't usually think too much about my diet or try to moderate it. I usually just.....eat whatever, y'know? It seems to be fine for me since I had such a high metabolism, but idk. I'm severely depressed, so maybe there's something I'm doing wrong. As for meditation, it doesn't seem to have that huge of an effect on me. There's been several times when I've tried meditating while feeling anxious, only to just continue feeling anxious all the way through and continue overthinking once I'm done. I don't know why this so-called miracle works so well for everyone else on the planet, but not me.

[arcus]

I'll join.

I've been doing light excercise daily, and I'm working towards eating less pre-processed food.

random post: I feel like there's too much complex philosophical essay stuff online for my burnt out brain to handle. Like i have to use so much brain energy to really get it that i sometimes start getting that pins and needles feeling all over, like when you block your blood flow in your arm or leg by sitting on it, and then you get up and ur arm feels like BZZZZZZZZZZZ. is it okay if i wish there was more simple english stuff so i didnt have to use so much brain power, cuz i feel better using that stuff tbh

Start with Simple English Wikipedia articles. There's companion books for most philosophical writings, you can try those after Wikipedia. You could ask questions here and someone would be able to answer.

I don't usually think too much about my diet or try to moderate it. I usually just.....eat whatever, y'know? It seems to be fine for me since I had such a high metabolism, but idk. I'm severely depressed, so maybe there's something I'm doing wrong. As for meditation, it doesn't seem to have that huge of an effect on me. There's been several times when I've tried meditating while feeling anxious, only to just continue feeling anxious all the way through and continue overthinking once I'm done. I don't know why this so-called miracle works so well for everyone else on the planet, but not me.

Since you don't go out often, it's possible that you're lacking in vitamin D. It's worth getting a blood test for it and zinc. Zinc helps with absorbing vitamin D. If you're low in zinc, it effects how well you absorb it.

If you do start taking supplements, go for vitamin D3 and be careful with zinc. Some zinc tablets have high doses: 15 mg is ideal, while 30 mg is near the upper limit. Supplements won't cure your depression or anything, but it will make things less worse after about a week or so.

Meditation can really vary with neurodivergence and mental illnesses. There's other methods you could try, but it doesn't work for everyone. I've never gotten it to work myself.

All that said, it's natural to be depressed in a situation like yours. I read your blog, and I hope things turn up for you.

I've recently become more aware of things like vitamin and mineral deficiencies. I used to not buy into the hype of supplements because I was afraid it's all unnecessary and a waste of money as long as you eat normal, relatively healthy food, but after getting blood work done a couple of times the last few years I realised it's often necessary to supplement a little.

So just a tip that it might be worth looking into these things as they can affect energy levels and mood also.

Things like vitamin D and iron (ferritin) can really affect general wellness and are very common deficiencies.

You probably know a good bit about all this, but I feel the need to elaborate for anyone else in the thread:

Supplements are falsely advertised. They're there to help with deficiencies, and not much more. That's not to say they're not important, however.

Even if you do eat food with all the nutrition you need, it's possible that you're not absorbing it properly. Vitamin C―commonly found in fruits and juices, can hinder the absorption of other vitamins, if taken around the same time. Being deficient in certain vitamins/minerals can effect how you absorb other ones. Some disorders can effect absorption. The list goes on.

[3lsie]

Hi everyone and welcome to the new members!

How is everyone's July going and/or do you have any goals for August?

I've ended up with a couple of physical health issues that are delaying my progress, but I hope once I have them under control I can start to exercise again - it's been a while and I do miss it for the mental health benefits, especially climbing.

One of my friends has asked me if I want to join a D&D campaign, and I'm trying to weigh it up between it being something I'd enjoy and it being an extra commitment, which is something I'm broadly trying to avoid at the moment.

I also heard it's good for your mental wellbeing to do something giving, and I don't feel like I'm doing anything meaningful beyond small things for my friends and family, so I've applied for a volunteer position, and I'm just waiting to hear back about if I'll get an interview. Fingers crossed!

I'm reading The Conquest of Happiness at the moment. Has anyone read it or does anyone have any self-help books they like? I generally shy away from them, but I heard really good things about this one, so I was curious. I liked the chapter on the importance of having a zest for life. It's difficult to have zest while I'm depressed, but I found it motivating somehow, and it reminded me that there are good things out there in the world and lots of pleasure to be had.

Edit because I hate how I worded the volunteering point: I don't meant that to sound like I'm just doing it for my own gain - it's been on my mind for a while that I spend a lot of time seeing to my own needs, and I've been wanting to change that and contribute to something.

[sokil]

welcome to all the new folks

i wish you a speedy recovery @3lsie and hope you're able to get the volunteer position!

personally, i'm not one for self-help books, but i have heard good things about the conquest of happiness so i might give it a read one day. i'm trying to approach these things with a more open mind; i find it a bit hard within the context of self-help, though, because there's so much bunk info written by cranks

my july is going fairly well! i've had some ups and downs with my mental health (job searching has been miserable and i haven't had any luck), but i'm feeling pretty good now. since i recently found my wii, i've incorporated some wii fit or wii sports into my exercise routine; the past couple days i've done an hour long walk plus anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes of wii fit running and it's actually been kind of nice. it's also been a nice substitute if i'm not able to get out of the house due to bad weather. it may not always be the most efficient exercise method, but it keeps me moving and at least i'm doing something instead of sitting at my desk all day. since it was raining earlier today, i did forty minutes of running! i'll probably go for a walk after dinner since the weather seems to have cleared up

i've also done a decent job at fixing up my diet and not overeating so that's been a nice benefit.

i finally changed my sheets a few days ago, i'm doing laundry today, and at some point this week i'm going to work on tidying up my room. this burst of energy may not last long, but for the moment i'm currently on top of things and it's refreshing.

i don't really have any major goals for august beyond hopefully finding some work, continuing with my exercise routine, visiting friends more often, and purchasing a bike!

[3lsie]

Thank you @sokil I appreciate it!

That's usually my attitude towards self-help books too. I read a few when I was a bit younger and eventually realised it felt like the people writing them didn't really know any more than I did! I do think The Conquest of Happiness has been the best of the bunch though, and I don't regret getting it from the library - I'll probably read the whole thing. I'm about halfway at the moment.

Job searching is brutal - I'm sorry that you're not having a good time with it. I'm glad you're feeling good now though, that's great!

Wii Fit sounds so fun! I used to LOVE running round that island :D It sounds like you're doing really well with eating habits and exercise, and your August goals sound nice! Is the bike going to be for fun?

[sokil]

Thank you @sokil I appreciate it!

That's usually my attitude towards self-help books too. I read a few when I was a bit younger and eventually realised it felt like the people writing them didn't really know any more than I did! I do think The Conquest of Happiness has been the best of the bunch though, and I don't regret getting it from the library - I'll probably read the whole thing. I'm about halfway at the moment.

Job searching is brutal - I'm sorry that you're not having a good time with it. I'm glad you're feeling good now though, that's great!

Wii Fit sounds so fun! I used to LOVE running round that island :D It sounds like you're doing really well with eating habits and exercise, and your August goals sound nice! Is the bike going to be for fun?

i'm glad you're enjoying the book :D

it's lots of fun!! i have wii fit plus, so i like to switch it up sometimes between the basic run, free run, and basic run plus (the one that has a short quiz at the end). i don't do the last one very often since it means i'd have to run right in front of the tv in order to see anything xD. on lazier days, i might swap out any of the running games for the longer island cycle courses.

yeah, the bike would be for fun but also for transportation. honestly, i would walk everywhere if it were feasible since i love walking, but a bike would be much better. the only thing i have to worry about is cars since i live in suburban car hell i also just really missed riding a bike; i haven't had one since i was twelve!

[3lsie]

i'm glad you're enjoying the book :D

it's lots of fun!! i have wii fit plus, so i like to switch it up sometimes between the basic run, free run, and basic run plus (the one that has a short quiz at the end). i don't do the last one very often since it means i'd have to run right in front of the tv in order to see anything xD. on lazier days, i might swap out any of the running games for the longer island cycle courses.

yeah, the bike would be for fun but also for transportation. honestly, i would walk everywhere if it were feasible since i love walking, but a bike would be much better. the only thing i have to worry about is cars since i live in suburban car hell i also just really missed riding a bike; i haven't had one since i was twelve!

Thank you!

Ohh that's cool - I've never seen Wii Fit Plus so I didn't know there was a quiz mode?! This is inspiring me to get out Ring Fit Adventure. I bought it a while ago but haven't had much use out of it yet.

The bike sounds like a great way to get around if it's fun as well as practical! I live somewhere with heavy traffic too so I do feel your pain.

I've just bit the bullet and made some purchases I've been planning for a while: a fitness tracker and a sunrise alarm clock. They feel like such luxuries but I'm really hoping they're a good investment for my health and will last me a long time. My hope is the alarm clock will help with waking up feeling a bit more refreshed and the tracker will stop me being so sedentary and actually give me a better idea of my activity levels. I'll report back here with how it goes!