bluegreen17 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bluegreen17) wrote2002-09-13 12:06 pm
bluegreen17) wrote2002-09-13 12:06 pm
books and being sick as usual
here's some book stuff.
i'm excited about a new book by sylvia boorstein,who wrote 'it's easier than you think' and that's the book that really helped me understand buddhism. her new book is called 'pay attention' and then there's a second part to the title but i can't remember it. i read a little bit in it yesterday and it looks great.
also peeked at martin seligman's new book 'authentic happiness'. he's got some interesting theories and is a central part of the recent studies of happiness...looking into why people are happy instead of what most psychologists do,which is trying to figure out why we're messed up. his book looks a little daunting to me at first glance,because it's got quizzes and what look like exercises and i generally am turned off by books that look like too much hands on work other than reading! i guess that's because i'm so much in my head. though i do like practical advice,as well as stories illustrating principles and general theories (i often like to apply theories but not be told HOW to apply them...i like to find my own way,or at least that seems to work best. a few years backed i had anxiety attacks and the relaxation exercises just made me more aware that i was doing that because i was NOT relaxed,whereas i found if i said to myself 'you're fine' or 'you're going to be fine' and reassured myself,that is what helped me keep a full blown anxiety attack from happening.it's called self talk in the psychological jargon,but i stumbled upon without knowing it was an actual technique used by professionals.i also used for a while a natural remedy called 'rescue remedy' that is homeopathic and once i knew how it calmed me down when i took it,all i had to do was think of it and it would work without actually taking it. i know that sounds weird but i think that's how homeopathics have worked for me...it's like teaching some sort of biofeedback.)
anyway,where was i?
oh,yeah,books.
i bought myself a copy of the fellowship of the ring to cheer myself up last night. after eating supper,i felt really sick and i was extremely nauseated off and on last night. it was bad enough to remind me of when i had food poisoning one time.all i ate for supper was one slice of cinnamon toast with a tablespoon of almond butter spread on it,and two chocolate chip cookies. i can't figure out how that made me sick.
anyway,in between when the bad nausea would be replaced by milder nausea which i've had over a week now,i'd have a weird kind of euphoria and feeling of surrender that was sort of peaceful. i guess it was the contrast. sort of like when you're traveling and you have to go to the bathroom really bad and you finally find a restroom and you feel high after relieving your poor bladder!
i called the nurse this morning. i feel like i am always bothering them,but i am really not doing well. i also hardly slept last night and i'm getting really tired because i haven't slept well since i took the adderall a while ago and had that insomnia the first day i took it. it's almost like it ruined my sleep pattern,but is that possible? it doesn't seem likely.
i'm really sick of feeling nauseated all the time. i have a cousin who was nauseated through two entire pregnancies. that must have been awful but at least she knew there be an end to it and that there was a reason for it.
well,maybe there's a reason for my sickness,but if so it's terribly esoteric!
my dark night of the soul has been going on for a long long time and i'm just hoping that old saying about it being darkest before the dawn is true in this case.
isn't it time for sunrise?
p.s. i first read the hobbit and the ring trilogy (and a wee bit of the silmarillion,but it's very dense,because it's history more than story) almost 30 years ago and loved immersing myself in that world. it was so vivid. my friend dan said he didn't finish the first book because tolkien goes on with so much physical description,but i like that,maybe because i'm a visual thinker and i like to form pictures in my mind while reading. that's also why i like to see a movie before reading the book...if i read the book i will already have a wonderful picture in my mind,and the movies rarely live up to it! amazingly,the fellowship of the ring movie did! if i know there's a movie made from a book and i want to see the movie,i will do that first and then when i read the book i have the movie images in my mind. also,i like surprises in movies,and i don't mind reading about stuff i already know,because i like history.
so,i just glanced through the fellowship book and just picking out a bit of writing here and there it looks good. it will be interesting to see if i find it as good as i did oh so long ago...that is,if i can focus on reading!
i'm excited about a new book by sylvia boorstein,who wrote 'it's easier than you think' and that's the book that really helped me understand buddhism. her new book is called 'pay attention' and then there's a second part to the title but i can't remember it. i read a little bit in it yesterday and it looks great.
also peeked at martin seligman's new book 'authentic happiness'. he's got some interesting theories and is a central part of the recent studies of happiness...looking into why people are happy instead of what most psychologists do,which is trying to figure out why we're messed up. his book looks a little daunting to me at first glance,because it's got quizzes and what look like exercises and i generally am turned off by books that look like too much hands on work other than reading! i guess that's because i'm so much in my head. though i do like practical advice,as well as stories illustrating principles and general theories (i often like to apply theories but not be told HOW to apply them...i like to find my own way,or at least that seems to work best. a few years backed i had anxiety attacks and the relaxation exercises just made me more aware that i was doing that because i was NOT relaxed,whereas i found if i said to myself 'you're fine' or 'you're going to be fine' and reassured myself,that is what helped me keep a full blown anxiety attack from happening.it's called self talk in the psychological jargon,but i stumbled upon without knowing it was an actual technique used by professionals.i also used for a while a natural remedy called 'rescue remedy' that is homeopathic and once i knew how it calmed me down when i took it,all i had to do was think of it and it would work without actually taking it. i know that sounds weird but i think that's how homeopathics have worked for me...it's like teaching some sort of biofeedback.)
anyway,where was i?
oh,yeah,books.
i bought myself a copy of the fellowship of the ring to cheer myself up last night. after eating supper,i felt really sick and i was extremely nauseated off and on last night. it was bad enough to remind me of when i had food poisoning one time.all i ate for supper was one slice of cinnamon toast with a tablespoon of almond butter spread on it,and two chocolate chip cookies. i can't figure out how that made me sick.
anyway,in between when the bad nausea would be replaced by milder nausea which i've had over a week now,i'd have a weird kind of euphoria and feeling of surrender that was sort of peaceful. i guess it was the contrast. sort of like when you're traveling and you have to go to the bathroom really bad and you finally find a restroom and you feel high after relieving your poor bladder!
i called the nurse this morning. i feel like i am always bothering them,but i am really not doing well. i also hardly slept last night and i'm getting really tired because i haven't slept well since i took the adderall a while ago and had that insomnia the first day i took it. it's almost like it ruined my sleep pattern,but is that possible? it doesn't seem likely.
i'm really sick of feeling nauseated all the time. i have a cousin who was nauseated through two entire pregnancies. that must have been awful but at least she knew there be an end to it and that there was a reason for it.
well,maybe there's a reason for my sickness,but if so it's terribly esoteric!
my dark night of the soul has been going on for a long long time and i'm just hoping that old saying about it being darkest before the dawn is true in this case.
isn't it time for sunrise?
p.s. i first read the hobbit and the ring trilogy (and a wee bit of the silmarillion,but it's very dense,because it's history more than story) almost 30 years ago and loved immersing myself in that world. it was so vivid. my friend dan said he didn't finish the first book because tolkien goes on with so much physical description,but i like that,maybe because i'm a visual thinker and i like to form pictures in my mind while reading. that's also why i like to see a movie before reading the book...if i read the book i will already have a wonderful picture in my mind,and the movies rarely live up to it! amazingly,the fellowship of the ring movie did! if i know there's a movie made from a book and i want to see the movie,i will do that first and then when i read the book i have the movie images in my mind. also,i like surprises in movies,and i don't mind reading about stuff i already know,because i like history.
so,i just glanced through the fellowship book and just picking out a bit of writing here and there it looks good. it will be interesting to see if i find it as good as i did oh so long ago...that is,if i can focus on reading!
no subject
the truth of the matter is that most psychologists do try to make you feel happy. to do this, they have to fix whatever is bothering you in the first place. happy people don't present with psychological problems, which may be part of the reason why they're happy. and keeping happy people happy is great, but as far as i know, positive psychology doesn't have to much to say about people who find themselves currently in the throes of a mental illness.
i guess what i'm trying to say is, if the book helps you, that's fantastic and i'm happy for you, but be careful - don't go into it expecting to find a cure-all within its pages.
(sorry, i'm not a big fan of seligman, as you can see :)
no subject
no subject
by the way, have you tried cognitive-behavioral therapy? it's designed to be effective for depression, but it can also work for many many other problems, like ADD (especially considering the behavioral aspects of the treatment).