I decided to write a blog tonight and just reread my last blog.

Last March I wrote…

“It’s like every fiber of my being is exhausted and no one can tell me why.”

Wow. I am sooo glad that I’m beyond that period of feeling unwell! That exhausted state that felt like I was on the brink of collapse lasted about 8 months for me, from late July 2020 to early April. In March of this year, in desperation, after the thyroid medicine that I took last Fall failed to work, I tried a lot of different things. I cleaned up a lot of what I ate; cut out processed food and increased fruits and vegetables. I didn’t totally cut out meat but did focus a lot more on plant-based eating.

During the spring, both a medically trained friend and a doctor gave me some advice which I think turned the corner for me…get outside, back to nature and take time to rest. They both said that it sounded as though my adrenal system was overdrawn and I needed to recharge.

My husband found a cabin located in an area that is at higher elevation than where we live. Near the cabin, there were hiking trails that wandered among thickly growing pine trees and provided us with shade under a canopy of branches.  I loved walking along those trails. I could hear the gentle rustling of the top branches in the trees; they sounded like the murmuring of a brook. I had forgotten how walking in a forest is a feast for all of the senses…eyes, ears, touch, even smell. I remember I purposely breathed deeply during the walks, inhaling the aroma of pine needles that brought back childhood memories of camping with my parents and siblings. My husband and I joked about “hugging a tree” to get all those healthy forest ions to recharge me. Seriously, I really did purposely walk by and touch trees…anything I could do to help me, I was going to do it.

Somehow, those getaway weekends at the cabin pulled me back from my overdrawn, stressed out, exhausted state. To this day, I am not exactly sure how, but by the end of May I was feeling myself again.

It’s a good thing that I revived my energy levels because the summer was insanely busy in terms of work. Normally, summers are a slow time for us but this summer was just crazy. I called it the “Rip Van Winkle effect”. Companies decided to start moving forward again with graphics after the pandemic seemed to be lifting and summer was the time to do it. We weren’t complaining though; we were glad to be busy. It’s unclear what will happen now with this Delta variant but will just have to see how it affects business.

I’m going to post this now and go to bed. I will try to post shorter posts but more often going forward.