Dreary Weather....Again
We're having another dreary day here in Southwest Missouri.  Yesterday was beautiful and it seemed like the whole town was out enjoying the sunshine.  Today, once again, we are engulfed in gloomy, rainy weather.  The month of October has been the wettest and coolest on record in our area.  That's hard on a person's mental health, especially when prone to depression. Many of my family members have been sick the past few weeks.  Hubby and I have had our turns with various bugs too.  So far, none of us has gotten the H1N1 virus.  Anyway, relationships suffer when it's gloomy and people are sick, because we try to avoid passing the germs

Online Friends
I've made some good online friends over the past several years.  I've come to treasure some of these relationships and hope to continue to make new friends online.  My online friends are often very instrumental when it comes to chasing away the blues.  I can usually count on them to listen when I need to talk and give a few words of comfort when I need it.  I hope I do the same for them. The state of my mental health (depression)  depends a lot on my relationships and how well I am getting along with friends and family.  I've found it helps a lot to stay in touch on Facebook enjoying light hearted sharing with each other.  I also int

Free Happier Tests!
I recently came across a new website with a different twist on depression.  It's called Happier.   Instead of focusing on the things that make us depressed and trying to overcome those negative feelings, this site focuses on doing things that make you happier.  The happier.com website launched on September 23, 2009 and is designed to help people not just be happier but “do happier.”  This innovative website provides online tools and exercises for users to make an immediate positive impact on their lives.  The website allows

Deadly Downpour
Southwest Missouri had a deluge of rain for two days this week.   It proved to be a deadly downpour for three of our high school students.  They were driving home from school in the middle of a terrible downpour, going down a hill.  Their car hydroplaned, sliding sideways into oncoming traffic.   All three teens were pronounced dead on the scene.  Our community is mourning their loss.  An article detailing the accident can be found on KY3's news website. I've no idea how the families of these children will ever face another stormy day.  I am blessed that my four adult children are

One More Flu Shot
Yesterday my husband and I made our way to Walgreen's to get our seasonal flu shot.  We had to wait a while and fill out the necessary paperwork, but eventually both of us received our shots and a band aid and were on our way.  Now we have one more flu shot to go and we'll be dreading when the h1n1 vaccination becomes available in our area. I usually don't have much problem with the seasonal flu shot.....maybe a bit of soreness in my arm but once in a while I react with symptoms that resemble a mild case of the flu.  That was the case today.  I felt a bit of depression about not feeling well but I expect to be my old self again tomorrow.....at least I'd bett