Jill Prouty

On motherhood, mental illness, and the importance of memory
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    • Get Out of Your Head

      Posted at 7:00 pm by jillprouty7, on July 29, 2018
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      A recent study published in The BMJ reports that deaths related to cirrhosis increased 65% from 1999-2016. Cirrhosis, irreversible scarring of the liver, has many causes, including alcohol consumption, obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis. Cirrhosis can lead to liver cancer and liver failure, both of which can be fatal.

      It caused me to think back on what Dr. Sanjay Gupta said on Anderson Cooper’s Special Town Hall: Finding Hope, Battling America’s Suicide Crisis. Gupta said that life expectancy as a whole in the United States had plateaued and dropped over the last couple of years. The most common causes of premature death for the middle-aged white working class population were liver cirrhosis, typically due to alcoholism, opioid overdose and suicide – the “deaths of despair.”

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      I think most people have felt despair at one time or another, but how we deal with it can make or break us. I used to deal with stress by overeating. Some people turn to alcohol. But those “fixes” are temporary and eventually leave a person feeling worse than they did to begin with. When I began my weight loss journey in early 2014, I discovered vigorous exercise to be a powerful antidepressant. The higher the intensity, the more feel-good staying power. Spin classes were especially effective.

      Despite being a self-avowed “non-runner,” I decided to give running a try with the goal of completing a half marathon in 2015. For a long time I listened to music while I ran, creating playlists that motivated me to get out there and get it done. On the occasions when my phone wasn’t charged, my runs were pure drudgery. Then a month or so ago I had a late-night run in with a creep outside of my favorite grocery store which caught me totally off guard. As a result, I decided to give up listening to music on my runs so that I could be more aware of my surroundings. I became almost hyper-aware of the sounds around me – the chipmunk in the leaves, the birds in the trees, the rhythm of my footsteps. To my surprise, what I once considered drudgery became my calm. I was able to “get out of my head” and just be. It’s a glorious feeling.

      I’m not suggesting that running, or any kind of exercise, alone is the cure for all that ills us; but it can play an important role in one’s overall plan to getting and staying well, both physically and mentally.

      For more about the mental health benefits of running, I recommend Scott Douglas’ new book, Running is My Therapy: Relieve Stress and Anxiety, Right Depression, Ditch Bad Habits, and Live Happier (The Experiment, 2018).

      Posted in blog, books, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged alcoholism, anxiety relief, cirrhosis, depression, despair, fatty liver, fitness, happiness, mental health, mental illness, obesity, running, stress, stress relief
    • Are We Less Happy?

      Posted at 9:49 pm by jillprouty7, on June 25, 2018

      Anderson Cooper hosted a CNN Special Town Hall last night: Finding Hope, Battling America’s Suicide Crisis. Much of the hour was spent talking to survivors of suicide (Anderson’s brother, Carter, took his own life 30 years ago) as well as survivors of suicide attempts.

      asia bald blur buddhism

      Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

      However, the standout of the evening for me was CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta who shared that life expectancy as a whole in the United States has plateaued and dropped over the last couple of years, with the middle aged white working class population being hit the hardest. He went on to say that the most common causes of premature death for this segment of the population were liver cirrhosis, typically due to alcoholism, opioid overdose and suicide. He called them the “deaths of despair.”

      The Town Hall was followed by the last episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, in which he travels with friend and film director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) to Bhutan.

      adult ancient art asia

      Photo by Mikes Photos on Pexels.com

      The small, mostly Buddhist country is the originator of Gross National Happiness (GNH), a philosophy which might seem strange given that Bhutanese culture expects one to think about death five times a day. How can they be so happy when they think about death every day? Those of us who’ve experienced loss up close know that being familiar with death makes us appreciate life all the more. Suddenly having the latest and greatest whatever doesn’t mean much anymore and we’re able to better focus on what gives our lives meaning. We want to live the best lives we can as a way of honoring those we’ve lost.

      The show ended with Bourdain and Aronofsky stopping at the Burning Lake, one of the most sacred sites in Bhutan, to leave a traditional spiritual offering honoring the dead. The men sat and reflected on their trip, wondering what the future would bring for Bhutan, a country with little modernization. Historically, transportation in Bhutan has been difficult, if not downright dangerous, due to the unstable geology and extremely high (and narrow) passes. As they build new roads bypassing some of the more dangerous areas and shortening trips times, the friends wondered what would happen to the country that Bourdain likened to Shangri-La? An end to innocence? Materialism and everything that comes with it? A lower GNH?

      I was left with my own questions:

      Do the stresses of modern life fuel the unsettled mind?

      Has modern life outpaced the evolution of our species?

      Is our fast-paced lifestyle a contributing factor in the rise in suicides in the United States?

      Posted in blog, Uncategorized | 2 Comments | Tagged anderson cooper, Anthony Bourdain, bhutan, buddhism, despair, finding hope, gross national happiness, materialism, modern life, modernity, sanjay gupta, stress, suicide, suicide crisis
    • Recent Posts

      • Nature vs Nurture
      • More Time, Memories
      • Get Out of Your Head
      • Blueberrying – A Family Tradition
      • What Makes Me Happy
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