Side Effects of Getting Healthier

I figured it was time for an update.  I've discovered that there are some side effects to getting healthier.  I've been anti-depressant free for about 4 months now and overall it's been great.  I find that I feel better and now that I feel better, I want to do more.  It took some time, but we got our house mostly organized.  Of course, with 2 kids and a nerd in the house, there is always a sense of chaos, but we're getting there.

I started gardening again.  Before, I didn't have the energy to even think about how to tackle our over-grown garden and allergies kept me from doing much outdoors.  I cleared a big patch out and we planted watermelons, carrots, cucumbers and zucchini  (all seeds we had purchased before with good intentions).   Well, the carrots and the cucumbers decided not to make an appearance, but the watermelons and zucchinis are growing.  Whether we actually get any fruits is another question entirely.

In the garden, I tackled a giant rosebush this week.  This bush was here before we moved in 8 years ago and it has never flowered since we've been here.  There was a lot of dead undergrowth, so I cut it right back and hope that it will spring to life again.  It was a bit of a monster and I have the scratches to prove it.  Next step will be to cut back the lilac bushes that have been growing without being pruned.  Who knew that you needed to prune them?  Did I mention I don't really have much of a green thumb?

One thing that I have been learning is that I tend to forget that I have depression/anxiety.  I went through a really stressful time last month and it made me physically sick.  I was wondering why I couldn't handle the stress and I pretty much had to stop and think about it.  I had been feeling so good that it kind of slipped my mind.  Once I remembered and I cut myself some slack, I started to feel much better.  If it hadn't gotten better at that point, I was just about ready to visit my doctor and have a conversation again.  I'm glad that I didn't need to this time, and I'll be sure to monitor my stress levels a little more going forward.

One day, I want something like this in my garden!

Overall, I'm feeling good and I feel like I'm getting somewhere now.  I'm not sure where exactly I'm going, but that is half the fun!

I should invest in this book!

Things have been humming along here at home. We're making lots of progress in getting rid of stuff. Decluttering takes a lot of effort! The biggest thing I've found is that it's a lot easier to do something now rather than wait until later. I'm trying to do this and get the kids on board.

We spent most of the Victoria Day weekend cleaning out our front garden. When we moved in here, there was a lovely garden, but we discovered that the plant that was used as filler wasn't the best because it completely took over the garden. We have pulled it up numerous times and had a neighbour with a background in gardening tried to help us too. This year, we pulled it up, used this black cloth that supposedly blocks weeds, put some cedar mulch down and now we are hoping for the best. I planted some peonies because I just love the big, colourful flowers that used to grow in the garden we had in the house I grew up in.

Next plan is to tackle the back garden so we can plant some veggies. Being vegan, it would be nice to be able to eat the fruits of our labours here at home. We shall see how it goes.

In the meantime, I'm still culling items from the house. It feels good to get rid of stuff, especially when it can be given to someone who can really use it. Or to toss it when it's simply not good any more. I'm considering working from home in the near future, so I'm going to need a clean area to work in. Of course, I won't get preference for working from home yet, so we shall see.

And that is about it!