Today’s post is in two distinct parts. The first section is the cognitive half (encourages thinking) and the second will hopefully shine some happiness into your life. 

MH TOPICS (Part one)  

You may have noticed that the daily blog posts are categorised under 11 headings. The list starts with “Anxiety” and finishes on “Asking For Help”. 

A few weeks ago I had one of my analytical thoughts. Would it prove useful to analyse the markings? So I looked at the period from 1 January 2023 to 15 May. The results are in descending order:

Personal   Development   (22)

Self   Care                           (21)

Happiness  Strategies      (16)

Positivity                             (16)

Acceptance                       (9)

Depression                        (9)  

Gratitude                           (7)

Asking for help                 (4)

Anxiety                              (1)

Medication                       (0)

Mindfulness                     (0)

Total                                105   

You may have noticed that there are 135 days in the period reviewed (4.5 months). The difference is explained by the fact that some posts have not being categorised presumably because they covered more than one subject. 

What are my conclusions from these results? 

1. The first four highest scorers are not a surprise.

2. I am surprised that ‘anxiety’ appears only once.

3. The two bottom categories (Medication and Mindfulness) have been mentioned in MH discussions so again I am a little surprised they failed to score. 

One of the reasons I did this analysis was to give me some ideas for subjects of future Posts. Maybe I should write about each of the bottom 3 scorers. What do you think? 

Finally, can you think of any other categories that should be included in the list? 

SUNSHINE (Part two)

I hope when you come to read this the sun is still shining. I think most people are aware of the benefits of getting outside in the sunshine. It has an uplifting effect on both PH and MH. However, the sun does not shine every day (what a profound statement!) so how can we remember it and to replicate its effect? I find that nature and music help.

There are many yellow flowers that shine. Pride of place must be the appropriately named ‘Sunflower’. The name is derived from the ancient Greek word “Helianthus” where “Heli” means sun and “Anthus” means flower. True to its name the flower heads follow the sun as it moves from east to west during each day. The American State of Kansas is known as the Sunflower State.  

I find listening to ‘sunshine music’ really beneficial and there are several songs on this theme. The Beatles make a big contribution with:

Good Day Sunshine

Here comes the sun

I’ll follow the sun 

I also know:

Walking On Sunshine  (Katrina and the waves)

You are my sunshine (Johnny Cash)

You are the sunshine of my life (Stevie Wonder)

Seasons in the sun (Terry Jacks)

Sunny Afternoon (The Kinks)  

You may know others. 

So how would you describe somebody with a sunny disposition?

Teg

A Moodscope member