October: Depression Awareness

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

October is a wonderful month. It’s a time to get spooky, watch the seasons change, and to observe the various awareness this month raises. While October is mostly noted for Breast Cancer Awareness, AIDS Awareness, and many others, it also showcases Depression Awareness.

Depression is a hard hitting mental illness and in October (especially on October 8^th) most places offer free screenings for it. Growing up, I’ve encountered depression from myself, my friends, or the world around me. It’s a complicated battle that’s worth the victory.

Needless to say, October is a great time for Depression Awareness and only now do I find it conveniently strange. October is when the weather starts to grow colder which can trigger SAD (Seasonal  Affect Disorder). SAD is a condition affected by the weather – the colder it becomes, the more depressed you become. You may gain too much sleep, you may lose sleep, you may become irritable, not want to eat, and possibly withdraw from social activity. It usually occurs around the same time for anyone who has it.

In the sense, I find that screening for depression when SAD begins is nipping the disorder in the butt. Should depression be discovered within the screening, methods can be done to counteract it as well as prevent SAD.  SAD and depression have similar symptoms and treatments such as light therapy, talk therapy, and even the use of medication.

Should you or you know of anyone who has depression, please refer them to all the events October has for depression awareness. There’s multiple free screenings, counselors to talk to, and seminars diagnosing symptoms of depression. Even outside this month, there’s hotlines, therapy groups (both virtual and physical), and so many other things that can be done to ward off this illness. Do not let depression consume or win – it must be fought and dominated for a better life.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment, critique, share, and subscribe.

So tell me, what will you do to raise awareness for depression?

Cast Away

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

At some point we all break a bone or more and from it we find ourselves in a cast. A cast is a medical cocoon that heals whatever injury you may have sustained. Having never broken a bone in my life, I recently had surgery performed on my right foot. To fix my foot, the surgeons had to realign it and remove some bones. Since the surgery, I’ve been lying in my bed with a cast.

Here’s some things I’ve learned while living with a cast.

5. You Don’t Always Need the Meds

Depending on how severe the situation was that led you into the cast in the first place, you are given medication. Most of this medication is pain killers. Pain killers are a narcotic blessing for temporarily relieving any pain. For the first two days after the surgery those pain killers did wonders, but now that I’m on my fifth day I find I don’t need them.  In fact, the medication is optional. It’s not a requirement that I take pain killers, only if I need them.

4. Everyone Has Different Pain Levels

Pain is something everyone will feel while they’re in a cast.  Pain also depends on how well one handles it and age. It is said that the older you are, the more pain you will feel and the more time it will take for you to heal. When you’re younger though, it’s supposedly the opposite.  Pain is also focused on where the bone was broken or where the surgery was done. My foot surgery may not hurt as much as someone who’s had a surgery involving their spine or sternum.

3. You’re Always Tired

Normally you’re up and about. You’re probably as energetic as the Energizer rabbit with a fully charged battery. But now that you have this cast on, you find that you’re more tired. No the cast is not secretly slipping you sleepy waves, but from moving around with the cast on to lying in bed is what tires you out.  The medication also makes you dopey, aiding in your new found exhaustion.

2. You Can’t Easily Get Up

Remember how you used to easily wake up and begin your day? With a cast, you find yourself taking a few more minutes to wake up. You may feel drowsier, despite going to bed early.  You have to wait a few moments before moving around just so you can get your bearings together. You can no longer function as you did before now that you have a cast on. You have to adjust yourself to move to get out of bed. Once you do, you have to go slow to get where you so desire on your first movement of the day.

1.Limited Mobility

Being unable to go about your daily routine isn’t pleasant. You can only move so much with your cast and have to reorganize how you move in general to work with it. You have to use ledges, one hand, no hands, or have people wait on you. A person waiting on you isn’t so such a bad deal, but it’s terrible when you live alone and have to fend for yourself while dealing with a cast. Also due to your limited mobility you may find parts getting stiff or sore, like you haven’t worked them in ages.

Thanks for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, have you ever had an injury or surgery put you in a cast?