By

Judith Lawrenson/Pink Magazine October, 2020

  Things change-Okay? Get Used To It!

    The Uphill skater I have been talking about emotional, physical, and mental health for quite a number of years now and you might think that those things would be pretty constant, wouldn’t you? I mean good eats are good eats, right? Also, if you are on the ball and can do a cross word puzzle you are pretty okay. If you don’t cry at the drop of a hat and you aren’t hoarding automatic weapons you should be pretty stable too, yes? Well, I guess not so much, you guys. First of all, food advice seems to change regularly with each book someone puts out or every time Dr. Oz appears on the cover of a magazine-and we all know from standing in line at the grocery how often we see him on the cover of whatever! Spinach used to be really great for you but oh, now it has too much acid. Oranges are all right, but watch the acid. An apple a day used to keep the Dr. away, but now it has to be an organic apple that was grown on a sustainable tree. I grew up on a farm and we ate eggs. Now yo can buy so many different kinds of “eggs” that it boggles the mind. Cage free, gently raised, vegan diet, vegetarian diet, more vitamins, and on and on. Honestly, and you know this, eggs range in price from 88 cents a dozen to over five dollars-who knew? I think not the chickens so much, but the chicken farmers maybe?? All of this and much more make writing a column about food quite a challenge. On the other hand, mental illness and things like depression have not changed at all, right? Well, wrong again. Behaviors that were once considered outlandish are somehow some kind of new normal. I know I am old-fashioned, but setting buildings and businesses on fire and pulling statues of George Washington over in parks seems a bit bizarre to me as a way to show displeasure with politics, but I guess that’s just because I don’t get it-I am also not quite sure what it is that I don’t get. At a different level though and not kidding around any more, mental illness and associated conditions have made great leaps and bounds. No longer is the subject taboo and not up for discussion. Depression is acknowledged as a real condition, not just being sad. New drugs have literally changed people’s lives for the better. We can talk about it now too. Autism, learning disabilities, and even abhorrent behaviors are dealt with in very open ways, thank God. Gender issues are also pretty open for discussion and differences of all types are much more tolerated Again, keeping up with all of this is quite a task. We used to say that when you felt downhearted you should take a shower, wash your hair, and clean the house. Go our and get a perm. Go to the movies. Bad advice for those who really do suffer from depression. Talk to someone yo trust and seek professional help is much better advice and shows a degree of caring that I hope we can all support.  We have talked about food and the many food changes and the multitude of mental health issues that have been readdressed and redefined based on the growth of scientific knowledge, so now let’s talk a bit about physical health. Either you are sick or you are well. Is that right. Well, yes and no. Leave it to me to give those really clear answers! Well, as we all know, health and health issues have changed drastically and I don’t mean Covid. I mean the multitude of advances in preventative medicine. To my mind, this is the real leap in medical advances. How do you prevent someone from getting something? No, no, not how do you treat an illness. I know that is also important, but what if you never had to be sick in the first place? Preventative medicine, yes and vaccines too, have saved countless lives and improved the quality of life for countless others. This all relates back as you can see. To eat well and keep your mind sharp and to keep yourself healthy is not a cure all, but but, it sure is close.  Obviously I am not a Doctor, but I read everything I can get my hands on and I’ll tell you what, keeping healthy is not all that hard. It is also not that expensive. First of all, walk. That is free. I have a cheap Walmart Fitbit and I do my 10,000 per day. Keep your weight within reason. That is the new thought by the way. Not to look at your scale regularly for just that right weight, but to be sure you can button your pants without lying down n the bed, your blood pressure is good, and eat well. I am not going to list all of the good foods this time. Maybe next month, but you already know that fudge is not on the list and lettuce is, right?  So my point is that while so many things change, there are constants. PINK has been an advocate for  woman’s rights for many years and continues to be so. Pink also follows trends and reports on women who are unique in their own way. Pink does not judge. People, not just women, need to do the same-keep up with information. Form your own opinions. Stand tall. Love, Judith