Comments for just one anna

Comment on Beans and Cornbread by Jess

Jess — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:43:27 +0000

I made this last night, and it was delicious! It’s a very versatile recipe, I made some substitutions based on what I had on hand (mung beans instead of black beans, and ground pork) and topped it with avocado (on sale because of the Super Bowl) and a fried egg. Yum!

Oh, I also just simmered on the stove because I don’t have a Dutch oven (yet).

Comment on Big Bad Binary Brain by SemiCasual

SemiCasual — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:10:10 +0000

Makes total sense to me, that’s why I (tried) to present that last bit as just ‘This worked for me’. Yeah, the counseling was definitely tailored and it very much has to be; it mostly pertained to putting some old demons to rest that I had never truly addressed.

I really appreciate this dialogue, it’s actually given me a lot to think about.

Comment on Big Bad Binary Brain by Anna

Anna — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:53:01 +0000

SemiCasual » It’s OK – the internet has made it very easy to dispense a lot of advice (and I’m probably extra sensitive about it because most advice I get doesn’t work in my situation, but it gets given like I should’ve just thought of this super easy solution months ago! Yours wasn’t like that, but it still made me *twitch* a little). Counseling is weird because if it’s done right, it’s tailored to the individual, so while big concepts transfer well and can be very helpful to hear (like one day at a time, accomplish one thing – which I’m really working on), the rest of it has to take into account the individual situation and doesn’t always scan well as big picture advice. (if that makes any sense)

Comment on Big Bad Binary Brain by SemiCasual

SemiCasual — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:49:41 +0000

Sorry, wasn’t trying to just hone in on things that weren’t the primary focus of the post. Just wanted to put up my thoughts on the stuff that I actually know anything about. I’ve been to counseling but I wouldn’t say I have a whole lot of helpful advice for dealing with mental illnesses of any kind. My own troubles are/were fairly mild by any comparison.

I should really not toss out unsolicited advice… it’s a bad habit of mine and I wind up looking fairly ignorant or just full of myself (sometimes both!). I found the “one day at a time, accomplish one thing.” approach helped me, when I’ve been run down.

Comment on Big Bad Binary Brain by Anna

Anna — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:01:18 +0000

SemiCasual » I love to swim, and am quite good at it. Sadly, swimming ends up taking 2 hours to do, so I don’t do it. I can barely get myself together to do a 20 minute workout, let alone drive 15 minutes to the pool, change, swim, change, drive home, and shower. My doctor and I are also quite aware of the kinds of exercise I can do, and the benefits of each. This is, however, kind of beside the point of the post, which really isn’t about exercise. While it’s a good idea to compare to what you’ve done previously, and always strive to improve, with a massive joint disorder, “improve” is a very relative term (there are days when I can barely do my hair, other days when I can work a stapler with no pain, for example). I literally can’t “benchmark against what I’ve done in the past”. In the past I was an athlete. Right now I physically can’t be that, and it’s a mind trip and a half for someone with all the mental illness I fight.

Comment on Big Bad Binary Brain by SemiCasual

SemiCasual — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:47:06 +0000

If you can get your hands on one, an elliptical is an excellent stand in for running. No impact to the joints and unlike a treadmill you have full control over your speed. When I want to give my joints a rest I hit the elliptical, turn on the TV and tune out for a good half-hour run.

Barring that, swimming and lots of it! I had a friend tell me about an olympic runner he knew and the runner said the way he trained everyday was to swim with intensity. Running all the time isn’t good for anyone, but swimming is much harder to over do with great health benefits.

I’ve battled with anxiety and self-critical issues for a long time. What I’ve found to help is to keep benchmarking against what I’ve done in the past and what I see others do that are in roughly my position. Unfortunately it tends to make me a bit competitive which has its own troubles, but it keeps me motivated.

IE. I don’t care what a good run time is, did my run improve over the last time I ran? Yes? Awesome! No? Gotta push harder next time!

Comment on Big Bad Binary Brain by Mr.Moore

Mr.Moore — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:33:48 +0000

Tami sent this to me because…well it is me, to a certain extent. I’m not sure how to explain the little differences except maybe to say that sometimes I seem to “forget” to be so negatively against myself and I can just let life progress onward.

But there are days that make up for those forgetful days and then some.

Comment on Big Bad Binary Brain by Awlbiste

Awlbiste — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:36:31 +0000

Back when I had Untreated Crazy Brain, my therapist told me to just do one thing every day. If the one thing was take a shower and put on clothes, that day was a success. Now that I have behavioral tools to keep my anxiety in check I can add more things to my plate, but some days I have to go back to just doing one thing and calling it successful.

Comment on Beans and Cornbread by Dechion

Dechion — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:32:31 +0000

I first saw this linked by Tami last week. I’ll be putting out a few recipes / ideas as well, not just for beans and rice, but for other things as well.

Comment on A Handful of Years by Michael

Michael — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:59:04 +0000

Congratulations to both of you.

Yes sometimes the “sickness and the worse” hits a lot harder and sooner than you expect; I can certainly relate. I am so glad that you had the right person with you, and hat you were able to get through the past year together.