Sunday, September 6, 2020

Sunday, September 6, 2020

Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2008. My mother in law, sent Mattie this foam puzzle of the map of the world. Mattie loved puzzles and as soon as he opened the package, he started to assemble the puzzle. After the puzzle was fully constructed, Mattie sat on it, because the foam was comfortable. I got a kick out of this photo and entitled it, "Mattie sitting on top of the world." 

Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins. 

• number of people diagnosed with the virus: 6,268,757
• number of people who died from the virus: 188,791

Peter has been under enormous amounts of stress. Taking any one of the issues he faces could make anyone anxious, but altogether it is like the perfect storm. As Peter is dealing with a job search (during the horrors of COVID-19), he is managing the estate and paperwork of our deceased neighbor as well as dealing with the complex dynamics and personalities of our neighbor's family and friends, he lives with daily concerns about our personal safety living in Washington, DC and of course this Tuesday is the 11th anniversary of Mattie's death. 

This morning I found that Peter couldn't sit still and seemed very agitated. Not to mention nauseous. Symptoms I know all too well! Not because of Peter, but because of myself. Since Mattie's death, I have dealt with anxiety and panic attacks. So much so that I thought I was having heart issues and my doctor sent me to a cardiologist. The only thing the cardiologist did for me was cause more anxiety, at which point, I ripped off all heart monitors and stopped the 24 hour heart test. I live with anxiety, therefore, I knew what Peter was experiencing today. I think having someone normalize your intense feelings and thoughts helps. 

I also know that the best medicine for anxiety with nausea (besides my good friend Zofran) is movement. Sitting still and being confined at home doesn't work. Or it doesn't work for me, nor does it work for Peter. So I told Peter to go outside and walk. He walked two miles and he came back and we sat outside with Sunny for a while. Our brains can get overloaded, and stress can manifest in a physical way. It is said that the stress you feel from the havoc in your brain sends signals throughout your whole body, eventually reaching your stomach. Anxiety with nausea is real, and for anyone with severe anxiety, they know just how frustrating it can be to add sickness to emotional distress. While nausea is more common than getting sick, it's a sign your body is under stress. While not everyone experiences anxiety on a regular basis, when it gets severe enough, the body is programmed to make you feel nauseous. 

Mid-day, we took Sunny for a walk at Turkey Run park. Sunny honed into a sound! When we looked, it was this cute chipmunk. Mattie absolutely LOVED chipmunks and he even wrote about them in kindergarten. Mattie called them "chippys."

Sunny staring at the chipmunk!

The beauty of Turkey Run. I love the greenery, peacefulness, and little to no people. 

I stopped Peter and Sunny from stepping on this toad! Do you see him?

This evening, we have been invited over to a friend's house. I think this will be a positive diversion for Peter. To the dinner, we are bringing a homemade Blueberry Pie. When Peter was in Boston, he went blueberry picking with him parents. So when I returned home from Los Angeles, I found several bags of blueberries in my freezer.  

I am also bringing a Corn and Tomato Salad. This has to be one of my favorite salads to make in the summer months. It is very easy to do and very tasty! It goes with just about any kind of meat or fish.