Day 3 - 304 -- Ups and Downs

Have you ever wondered why one day you feel like everything is almost perfect and the next day you feel something very opposite to that? I've had a number of these days where moods swing up and then down with a lot of blah feeling flat days in between. The lower days seem filled with worry and fear or anger and crankiness. Some days all those emotions are involved, which makes it difficult to describe. Someone told me that grief shows up even when you don't recognize it as such -- like it is playing masquerade. The moods show up in the body as aches and pains or overall fatigue and yuckiness. Trying to make sense of the physical manifestations can be a challenge. How does one know if it is related to grief or really something that needs to be checked on by an expert?

Fatigue can be followed by other physical symptoms, too. Daily activities and special happenings seem less enticing than expected. Going for a walk helps sometimes as does listening to music. But often finding something that can disconnect the brain from the negative feelings is difficult. I've recognized these symptoms in myself and others in the past couple of months. It may be stresses of the academic year that exacerbate the issues we've each been dealing with before the term blew up as it is wont to do. One might think that dealing with things collectively could occur, yet sadly, such issues seem to be dealt with quietly and alone -- though I'd hazard this is much less effective.  

All that pondering led me to an interesting song written 50+ years ago by a major singer/songwriter. It notes that experience feeling down might help others in some way. Interestingly, it was written with an upbeat tempo. The video shared today contains a performance from a Gershwin Prize ceremony honouring the songwriter. The combination of artists and slight tempo difference from the original recording, adds further to the bounciness of the song. Enjoy! 

Man with the Blues -- Paul Simon ft. Buckwheat Zydeco