potatoes are my life!

Depressives make the worst bloggers, I swear. LOL. I did want to share my interesting experience of this week, though, just on the off chance that it helps someone.

I’d been in about my worst funk in recent history….I know it was precipitated by sleeping too much, as well as worrying about some health issues I’ve been dealing with. I did some more research (which I really should cite here & hopefully will get a chance to do later)….apparently depressed people dream more that non-depressed people, not only that but their dreams tend to involve more mental activity, with the end result that you can end up feeling exhausted *from* sleeping. Some anti-depressants actually work by suppressing REM sleep. At any rate, I know that a bit of sleep deprivation always helps me to feel better, so Monday and Tuesday night I kept it to about 4 hours. Still felt pretty crummy but could at least get my butt off the couch long enough to get my chores done, so that Dave didn’t have to do them for me anymore. And of course as always when I’m down I crave carbs like mad, and of course as always I tried my best to eat a somewhat balanced diet anyway. Until yesterday afternoon….I just gave in to it & had a big bowl of instant mashed potatoes with canned mushrooms & vegan gravy, and like half a bag of frozen corn. The whole meal had just a smidge of protein from the mushrooms, and no fat to speak of. After I ate it I felt a little sleepy & told Dave that I was going to lie down. He was going to wake me in like 10 minutes but he got stuck on the phone and didn’t make it down. I woke up on my own about half an hour later, with the weirdest feeling like “What am I doing on the couch in the middle of the afternoon?” Once I got up I felt *really* good, but assumed it was just a boost from the carbs & that it would wear off when they did, but it *didn’t*. The depression was just *gone*, and I still feel really good today.

I have no idea what happened. I’ve never had it just…..leave like that, so quickly, with a nap as the line of demarcation. Dave and I have been laughing that I cured my depression with mashed potatoes. And heck yeah that’s the first thing I’m going to try next time I’m down but I’m sure it had to be more than that. I mean, as those of you who’ve exprienced it know, it’s not just a matter of now I’m in a better mood….there’s a whole host of physical symptoms that go along with depression. Basically you feel like you’ve been hit by a truck and covered with a lead blanket and then told to try & go about your life as usual. And all of that was *gone* after the nap. And it hasn’t come back. Weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced.

At any rate, now that I’m feeling better I have to try & catch up with life. Will be doing some work on my Etsy shop this evening and hopefully getting some new stuff listed. Back into the swing of Ashtabula Animal Advocates as well. I’ll try to post daily while I’m feeling up to it :)

Interview on Vegan Etsy blog

There is an interview with me on the Vegan Etsy Street Team blog.   Check it out  :)

Etsy Street Teams

I’ve joined a couple Etsy Street Teams to help promote my shops, and Etsy as a whole. One of the things I love about the place is the social consciousness. Many people use their shops to raise money for charities, including other charities. I’ve also found Etsy to be a vegan-friendly environment. And the committment of many shops to recycling, upcycling, and using eco-friendly materials is really inspirational.

I was already a member of Etsy for Animals (EFA) with my AnimalProtectvLeague shop, but I’ve added my fashionsplatter shop as well & made that my “official” member shop, so that I can take part in challenges with items that would represent that shop. EFA is a group of Etsians who use their skills to support animal causes, and I’m proud to be a part of that movement.

I’ve also joined Vegan Etsy, a group for Etsians who are vegan and maintain vegan shops. This seems like a very positive group, interested in spreading, not preaching, the positive message of veganism. The groups founder has featured my shop on her blog :)