Chemistry and Attitude
The mind is a mystery. It depends so much on the little, outside things. How you face a day is sometimes out of your power. Something will always color your eyesight and tint your perception of whether it's a good day, a bad day, or a weird day.
Earlier this week I got up after a night of tossing, with a headache. It was gray and chilly. My headache wouldn't go away until mid-afternoon. I felt depressed, blue, and strange. I put the blame on the headache and the grey weather. But a couple of days later, I woke up with a headache after another troubled night. The morning started off grey. My headache wouldn't go away, even with a stronger medication. But I wasn't depressed. I was motivated enough to go out and do some errands I had been putting off.
Last night my last class was a conversation class. My student is a nineteen-year-old trying to finish high school once and for all. Normally two others show up, but not last night. He's an intelligent boy and we began talking about the reasons for terrorism in Syria and Iraq. We were talking so avidly, and looking up information, that the class continued a half hour longer without us realizing it. Other nights, even with intelligent conversation, the class would drag out and when it finished, I would sigh with relief. But after last night's class, I felt motivated through different avenues of thought, and ended up re-reading parts of Voices from Chernobyl, by this year's Nobel winner. Other Friday nights I crash until bed time.
The brain is made up of chemicals, and their reactions help to determine our feelings and thoughts. But only help, because though sometimes our thoughts follow a certain direction, we will see or hear or feel something that will throw the direction off and change completely how we see a situation. Depression is partly chemistry and partly our reaction to outside stimulants. In my case my mood is very much influenced by the sunlight. I feel moodier and bluer in the fall and winter and grey days. When blue peeps out through the clouds my blues join it and become joyous.
Our minds are delicate instruments that need quality materials and loving hands to fine-tune and keep well-oiled.
Earlier this week I got up after a night of tossing, with a headache. It was gray and chilly. My headache wouldn't go away until mid-afternoon. I felt depressed, blue, and strange. I put the blame on the headache and the grey weather. But a couple of days later, I woke up with a headache after another troubled night. The morning started off grey. My headache wouldn't go away, even with a stronger medication. But I wasn't depressed. I was motivated enough to go out and do some errands I had been putting off.
Last night my last class was a conversation class. My student is a nineteen-year-old trying to finish high school once and for all. Normally two others show up, but not last night. He's an intelligent boy and we began talking about the reasons for terrorism in Syria and Iraq. We were talking so avidly, and looking up information, that the class continued a half hour longer without us realizing it. Other nights, even with intelligent conversation, the class would drag out and when it finished, I would sigh with relief. But after last night's class, I felt motivated through different avenues of thought, and ended up re-reading parts of Voices from Chernobyl, by this year's Nobel winner. Other Friday nights I crash until bed time.
The brain is made up of chemicals, and their reactions help to determine our feelings and thoughts. But only help, because though sometimes our thoughts follow a certain direction, we will see or hear or feel something that will throw the direction off and change completely how we see a situation. Depression is partly chemistry and partly our reaction to outside stimulants. In my case my mood is very much influenced by the sunlight. I feel moodier and bluer in the fall and winter and grey days. When blue peeps out through the clouds my blues join it and become joyous.
Our minds are delicate instruments that need quality materials and loving hands to fine-tune and keep well-oiled.
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