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When Your Brain's “Get-Up-And-Go” Has Got Up And Gone...
Plus: one hip pain, two causes, three solutions
The 10almonds Team
October 07, 2024
In partnership with
❝Be open to where life leads you❞
In A Rush?
Today’s 30-Second Summary
If you don’t have time to read the whole email today, here are some key takeaways:
Some days, it can seem that your brain barely works, and your get-up-and-go has got-up-and-gone.
Today’s main feature examines common reasons why this may be, and troubleshoots each of them.
Would your body benefit from a little extra rejuvenating boost?
Today’s sponsor Harlo are offering a blend of electrolytes, collagen, and creatine, to help keep your body in optimal condition.
Today’s featured recipe is for caramelized caraway cabbage—a delectable way to get a lot of good nutrients.
Read on to learn more about these things, or click here to visit our archive
A Word To The Wise
Watch and Learn
Overcome Front-Of-Hip Pain
Dr. Alyssa Kuhn, physiotherapist, demonstrates how:
Prefer text? The above video will take you to a 10almonds page with a text-overview, as well as the video!
Psychology Sunday
When Your Brain’s “Get-Up-And-Go” Has Got Up And Gone…
Sometimes, there are days when the body feels heavy, the brain feels sluggish, and even the smallest tasks feel Herculean.
When these days stack up, this is usually a sign of depression, and needs attention. Unfortunately, when one is in such a state, taking action about it is almost impossible.
Almost, but not quite, as we wrote about previously:
The Mental Health First-Aid You’ll Hopefully Never Need ← this is about as close to true mental health bootstrapping as actually works
Today though, we’re going to assume it’s just an off-day or such. So, what to do about it?
Try turning it off and on again
Sometimes, a reboot is all that’s needed, and if napping is an option, it’s worth considering. However, if you don’t do it right, you can end up groggy and worse off than before, so do check out:
If your exhaustion is nevertheless accompanied by stresses that are keeping you from resting, then there’s another “turn it off and on again” process for that:
Fuel in the tank
Our brain is an energy-intensive organ, and cannot run on empty for long. Thus, lacking energy can sometimes simply be a matter of needing to supply some energy. Simple, no? Except, a lot of energy-giving foods can cause a paradoxical slump in energy, so here’s how to avoid that:
There are occasions when exhausted, when preparing food seems like too much work. If you’re not in a position to have someone else do it for you, how can you get “most for least” in terms of nutrition for effort?
Many of the above-linked items can help (a bowl of nuts and/or dried fruit is probably not going to break the energy-bank, for instance), but beyond that, there are other considerations too:
How To Eat To Beat Chronic Fatigue (While Chronically Fatigued) ← as the title tells, this is about chronic fatigue, but the advice therein definitely goes for acute fatigue also.
The lights aren’t on
Sometimes it may be that your body is actually fine, but your brain is working in a clunky fashion at best. Assuming there is no more drastic underlying cause for this, a lack of motivation is often as simple as a lack of appropriate dopamine response. When that’s the case…
If, instead, the issue is more serotonin-based than dopamine based, then green places with blue skies are ideal. Depending on geography and season, those things may be in short supply, but the brain is easily tricked with artificial plants and artificial sunlight. Is it as good as a walk in the park on a pleasant summer morning? Probably not, but it’s many times better than nothing, so get those juices flowing:
Neurotransmitter Cheatsheet ← four for the price of one, here!
Schedule time for rest, or your body/brain will schedule it for you
There’s a saying in the field of engineering that “if you don’t schedule time for maintenance, your equipment will schedule it for you”, and the same is true of our body/brain. If you’re struggling to get good quantity, here’s how to at least get good quality:
And, importantly,
Take care!
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Please do visit our sponsors—they help keep 10almonds free
This Or That?
Vote on Which is Healthier
Yesterday we asked you to choose between artichoke and cabbage—both very nutritious options, but ultimately we picked the artichoke (click here to read about why), as did just 35% of you!
Now for today’s choice:
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Click on whichever you think is better for you!
Recipes Worth Sharing
Caramelized Caraway Cabbage
Cabbage is an underrated vegetable for its many nutrients and its culinary potential—here’s a great way to make it a delectable starter or respectable side:
Click below for our full recipe, and learn its secrets:
One-Minute Book Review
The Menopause Brain: New Science Empowers Women to Navigate the Pivotal Transition with Knowledge and Confidence – by Dr. Lisa Mosconi
With her PhD in neuroscience and nuclear medicine (a branch of radiology, used for certain types of brain scans, amongst other purposes), whereas many authors will mention “brain fog” as a symptom of menopause, Dr. Mosconi can (and will) point to a shadowy patch on a brain scan and say “that’s the brain fog, there”.
And so on for many other symptoms of menopause that are commonly dismissed as “all in your head”, notwithstanding that “in your head” is the worst place for a problem to be. You keep almost your entire self in there!
Dr. Mosconi covers how hormones influence not just our moods in a superficial way, but also change the structure of our brain over time.
Importantly, she also gives an outline of how to stay on the ball; what things to watch out for when your doctor probably won’t, and what things to ask for when your doctor probably won’t suggest them.
Bottom line: if menopause is a thing in your life (or honestly, even if it isn’t but you are running on estrogen rather than testosterone), then this is a book for you.
Penny For Your Thoughts?
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Wishing you a peaceful Sunday,
The 10almonds Team
