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Modelling mojo and state of mind


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It might just be your recollections of certain memories fired other memories leading to a coherent paragraph - in writing mode you had tapped into your memory in a way that was effective at extracting the information but casually reading it back does not.

 

Generally at the moment I am on an up, though I did unexpectedly wake this morning feeling particularly depressed.  A bad dream had hit a number of triggers and I was quite upset when I first came round, had to let the dream fade and remind myself that it didn't matter.

 

Last weekend I decided I would begin to tackle decorating the house, have been putting it off for 6 years since we moved in.  I explained to the wife that the will is now there just the confidence is lacking so I am going to tackle it piecemeal with the stair banisters first - biggest challenge over three floors with lots of tight spaces.  There is no point setting a big target so I will get it sanded and only once I've got past that will I think how I will tackle the painting of it though I believe I will start with the tightest corners and work out from there.  Once the stairs are done then I can motor away at the other bits though the top floor walls are quite high to the ceiling with specialist ladders called for.  Some ladders will still be cheaper than getting a decorator in though.

 

The fact I have even suggested decorating to me is a massive step, I have used all sorts of excuses so far to avoid it so I must be up in confidence.

 

On the railway side, the rebuilt main baseboard is covered in track, the wiring is all working so next step is to put the Kadee magnets on and building platforms - something for the weekend along with sanding. 

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Well done for taking the decorating plunge. I know that feeling well, and I never try to do too much at once. The last area I tried was the upstairs landing which has 7 doors in its length. 

 

It is a daunting task, but I just planned for one door at a time - nothing too taxing, and if I became fed up with it, at least I would have completed one or more doors. 

 

I do agree with your point about dreams triggering depression early in the mornings. Sometimes I can barely remember the subject of my dreams, but I wake up in a really sad state that I know it must have been something quite tragic. I tell myself that it makes no difference now because I am awake and everything is normal, but it can be an hour or two before my mood lightens. It helps if the weather is nice outside. 

 

Not wishing to go too far O/T, but one dream the other night involved me in a group of litter pickers by a roadside. An old beat-up car drove slowly by and I had a sense of foreboding as it did so. It stopped and then reversed back in my direction, upon which the passenger window came down and someone was pointing a revolver at me. My reaction was one of resigned surrender, and I just pointed to my heart as a target as if to say 'aim for there - get it over with quickly'. 

 

Eventually I woke up in a big sweat; but it took a while to get over it during the day. Even a quick re-appraisal of the buildings I need to add above my hidden sidings did not help. 

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To conclude my previous post on a more positive note though, I went for a brew and came back. It occurred to me that there was no schedule on the job so I could just take my time and plowter on through it; I can worry about the replacement screen when I get to it. Taking my time and doing each panel carefully I got one end of the loco done and to be fair, it’s not too bad!

Perhaps forgetting we’re doing this for enjoyment is the cause of misplaced haste, leading to mistakes and frustration on the part of many of us.

I’ve found that the best thing to do when things aren’t going my way is to stop and take a break, whether it’s an hour, a day, a week or in the case of my Andrew Barclay that I dropped on the floor...a few months!

 

I’ve since found all the parts and have started to repair and re-assemble

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My understanding is quite basic in that I recognise that lack of certain, minerals, vitamins and essential nutritional elements along with the depletive effect of some medication can cause malfunction of brain function.

Has anyone got any thoughts or direct experience on this particular thinking? I have some if anyone is interested.

Phil

Phil,

A few years ago, quite by accident when admitted to hospital with a painful but thankfully, non-serious ailment, I was diagnosed with Pernicious Anaemia.  Basically it means I don't absorb iron easily which also affects my Vitamin B12 absorption.  Quite apart from being physically completely exhausted - my GP looked at my blood results and wondered how I was still functioning, let alone going to work! - it explained many creeping symptoms I had experienced over previous months, in some cases, years; difficulties with concentration, memory (sometimes forgetting names of people I still worked with daily for two years).  I'm only in my mid-forties; PE is usually diagnosed in geriatric medicine but is increasingly seen in younger patients.

 

What is noticeable is that many of the symptoms of B12 deficiency are similar to the early signs of dementia; my GP (a wonderful lady, sadly for me, now retired) explained that when families spot "the signs" in an elderly relative, these blood tests are always done first because it is frequently a diet-related issue and not actual dementia.  Thankfully this means it can be treated with cheap drugs and usually small lifestyle changes.

 

This isn't a fish for sympathy, I'm genuinely fine now; iron supplements, four B12 jabs and a couple of blood tests a year for life is a doddle.  All I can say IF YOU DON'T FEEL RIGHT, TALK TO YOUR GP.  It could transform your life.  It has mine.

 

Wow, this is certainly my most off-topic post on RMWeb to date.......

 

Rob

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Preaching to the choir, here, Rob; don't be British about it and talk to your GP sooner rather than later and it'll be when you want to, not when you need to!

 

As well as the nightmares, I also experience what are called hypnopompnic hallucinations, which are best described as when the nightmare continues as a very convincing illusion after you have perceptibly and observably by other people woken up and become responsive and active.  Visual illusion is accompanied by other sensory input, such as touch and smell, and the result can be truly terrifying.  You are in a state of shock for several hours, as if the event was real (after all, you perceived it as reality when you were fully cognitive and conscious), and have suffered genuine trauma.  Nothing messes you up better than your own self conscious, which knows the buttons to push better than you do yourself!

 

A calm and measured approach in the aftermath of this is vital, and this is one of the situations in which modelling can be a very effective diversion therapy.  I play ambient chillout music while I'm sleeping, not because I like it but because I find it very effective at calming the Night Terrors that the hypnopompnics emanate from, and for 'bringing me down' after one as well.  If there are any fellow sufferers of this phenomena, which is not fully understood by medicine or psychology, you have my unfettered sympathy; it's horrible, but there are coping mechanisms that lessen the horror, and modelling is one of them.

 

Don't attempt modelling straight away, though; you will need a few hours of other calming measures first!  Re-assure yourself with familiar activities, environments, and food, and keep your immediate surroundings quiet but not silent, and gently lit but not dark (indirect lighting plays a big part in this, turn off the spotlights).  An understanding partner familiar with the problem is a tremendous boon!  Go easy on the caffeine, but you need hot drinks; chocolate or cocoa are best.

 

I think I've said this before, but YOU ARE NOT ALONE; others suffer this terrifying thing and understand you.

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i used to get a visit from a horrific wolf in nightmares, it would howl in the darkness before approaching, it was and remains the single most terrifying dream I can have.

 

Luckily it's only happened a few times and I think it has been a few years now since his last visit.

 

Our minds can be so cruel to us.

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Good afternoon all. Been a while since I last posted. 

First just to say I have been 'off' Sertraline for about a month now and so far I'm not too bad.

Next, has anyone been looking at the (seemingly) recent developments regarding the linked between 'gut health' and mental health? I first became aware of this some time back and may have even mentioned it on here as regards the accepted issues with mental health of many of those that are Coeliac or Non Diagnosed Gluten Intolerant (NDGI)? 

I have been reminded of this interesting thinking with the situation where a Nutritionist friend of ours (SWMBO and myself), has been working with a well known private Mental Health support service that are wanting to take a serious look at the diets of their clients and provision of food for in-patients.

My understanding is quite basic in that I recognise that lack of certain, minerals, vitamins and essential nutritional elements along with the depletive effect of some medication can cause malfunction of brain function.

Has anyone got any thoughts or direct experience on this particular thinking? I have some if anyone is interested.

Phil

 

Phil, I'd agree with the posts about nutrition and mental health, I suffered strange symptoms while on medication around 5 years ago now and was diagnosed as anaemic, it took over a year of a high dose of Iron to correct as it is not easiy absorbed by the body. The GP that was treating me at the time wanted my levels to be mid range and told me that although you can have 'acceptable' levels within the current guidlines, lower levels can have a marked effect on health and well being. I try and eat the best I can, limit my alcohol intake, I hardly drink now, and exercise regularly. The Gluten intolerance is interesting though as I've read a lot of sportsmans accounts of cutting Gluten from the diet and a marked improvement in performance and well being, however here is, I belive, no proven studies to back that up. Medication can also paly a part in mental health, I have known a few people suffering with depression where the symptoms were actually caused by the medication being taken. 

After my experiences I'm reluctant to take any medication unless really nescesary and always be aware of any side effects.

Glad to hear you're getting on without the sertraline.

Steve.

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i used to get a visit from a horrific wolf in nightmares, it would howl in the darkness before approaching, it was and remains the single most terrifying dream I can have.

 

Luckily it's only happened a few times and I think it has been a few years now since his last visit.

 

Our minds can be so cruel to us.

 

Dreams can be frighteningly real, I get one where I'm playing football and cant run fast enough to get the ball or sometimes unable to move my legs to kick, I always wake up in a cold sweat. One time I ws trying to kick a ball so hard I actually swung my leg, kicked my fitted wardrobe and brought the doors crashing down on top of me! Funny looking back but frightened the life out of me at the time! 

Steve.

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The main brake on my modelling progress is the fear of ruining a half-built model by a mistake or clumsiness. The design-pattern built into most kits, that everything is permanently fixed in a single assembly, makes this worse.

 

I support the approach, voiced further up this thread, or just getting on with it and letting myself fail sometimes, but I'm currently in a position where I can't accept failure on most of my builds. Most of my stock of kits are out of production and can't be replaced. Those that are in production are expensive and I can't afford to replace them.

 

The cure for this has recently to produce my own model-making aids. Can't get axleguards on square? Print a baseplate that aligns them automatically. Can't drill out whitemetal buffers for  springing? Print buffers with the holes already in place. Can't set the buffer rams to the right lengths? Print a jig to set those lengths (When you have a 3D printer everything look like a CAD of a nail; but it works in other production techniques.) It's all about making a thing to make the model reliably rather than working directly on the model.

 

I wonder if there are other, undiscovered aids to model-making that would get people over their worst obstacles? Any thoughts?

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I do hardly any modelling in the summer months, because I just feel that with the weather being good I should be outside and appreciating nature (even if it is only sitting in the back garden watching the insects buzzing around). 

 

Therefore I tend to develop a modelling inertia each Autumn which needs to be overcome. I can't manage locos because every time I have tried, I have failed to get the chassis to work properly due to cow-udder fingers. However, coaches and wagons are more successful, but static building kits are the ones I like the most. 

 

Even so, I have had failures in constructing buildings which just don't look right. I believe part of my problem is my impatience in needing to admire the finished article, when the slow and steady method will produce the best result. I worry that if I don't get immediate inspiration from the first part of construction, I will lose enthusiasm for the rest of it and so corner cutting becomes tempting with disastrous results. In other words, I am my own worst enemy. 

 

My biggest discovery is the use of small Lego bricks on the inside of card buildings in order to both square up the corners, and to give the lower half of the building some weight and stability. I can buy packs of assorted bricks relatively cheaply - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lego-Job-Lot-150-White-Mixed-Bricks-Plate-slopes-Random-Parts-FREE-UK-P-P/292721598792?hash=item4427912148:g:2A0AAOSwIJdblqMe. and just fit them together and glue the card kit pieces to the outside. 

 

You may think this is an obvious thing to do, but it has done wonders for my confidence in construction and from something as simple as this, an enthusiasm for ever more challenging tasks begins to emerge. 

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You know, I hear the oft-repeated line "I can't do it because my fingers are too big" and I feel that we're doing it all wrong. Not that I'm criticising people for having big fingers, or saying that there isn't a problem with parts smaller than fingertips. I just think that any product that requires you to hold and position tiny parts just with your fingers isn't properly designed. Especially when the alignment has to be right within 0.1mm and the part is ridiculously fragile. This goes back to my thing about modelling aids, above. 

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Dreams can be frighteningly real, I get one where I'm playing football and cant run fast enough to get the ball or sometimes unable to move my legs to kick, I always wake up in a cold sweat. One time I ws trying to kick a ball so hard I actually swung my leg, kicked my fitted wardrobe and brought the doors crashing down on top of me! Funny looking back but frightened the life out of me at the time! 

Steve.

Maybe the late, great Bill Shankly had a point then!

 

D.

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It’s incredibly enlightening to learn of others’ experiences and coping strategies here.

It’s apparent that Mental Health is a broad and complex canvas as diverse and complex as the human mind itself.

The first paragraph of your last post interested me immensely, Jonny.

In the late spring this year I lost my much loved dog, Abi after 13 long happy years.

I coped with that sore loss by throwing myself into a project to upgrade my garden.

Initially it was a modest plan to make a small patio which was close to completion in June when Storm Hector came calling and demolished my garden fence pretty much in entirety.

A quick check with insurance showed I was on my own with this one so I had a bit of a grump then got myself out of it and into crisis management mode. I am extremely fortunate in having two of the best mates a man could ever be honoured with so, having ordered the necessary parts, we got stuck in over the next month or so replacing the fence. It became a self-fuelling process resulting in the wider and radical transformation of a rather woebegone place into a little sun trap where I want to spend every hour when the sun shines.

Like you, I feel a certain obligation in the long, light, days of summer to spend every minute available out there.

Only now as the northern days cool and shorten have my thoughts returned to modelling.

Touching on the subject of nutrition as being discussed, I have always suffered badly from low mood and energy in the November to January period and only recently did I consider the possibility that a lack of Vitamin D could be a factor.

When I reverted to part time working last year in early November I started to take a supplement.

I think I did feel marginally better.

Correspondingly, I always find my peak ‘good mood’ is from late April until mid July.

This is probably why I handled the loss of Abi in a positive way and I’m so grateful I never lost her in November of December; months I would cheerfully hibernate through given the choice.

I digress though; I have used my ‘new’ garden to stockpile Vitamin D for the winter, much in the way power stations stockpile coal.

I’m not sure when the optimum time for starting on the supplements will be again but probably soon.

 

Davy.

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How interesting that you mention late April to July being your 'best period'

 

That is exactly how I used to be when I was young - I was transformed in those periods so much people would comment on the difference.

 

Only a few years back did I get given Vitamin D supplements to help me, certainly it helps concentration, my team would remind me to have my capsule when team meetings drifted into 'Ooh look at that out of the window'

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Joining in for first time on this one. Mojo-wise a mixed bag. Inspired by Clive's Sheffield thread to pull stuff out of storage I have made another attack on the garage today, as predicted the old, very long-term stored, baseboards have died. I packed them well enough (they haven't warped) but the woodworm I found in something else has got into them quite severely and I am not going to take a gamble on treatment working. The one sadness, the frame of one of them (Marked A in image) had survived nearly 50 years from my very first proper attempt at a layout. I was hoping to re-use them for an oval OO test track. However, having humped them out onto the drive I don't think that would have been practical anyway, I'd forgotten just how heavy old style 2x1 and 1/2 inch chipboard topped baseboards were. 

 

On the positive the O9 layout I got burnt-out building to a show deadline back in 2011, and haven't touched since, looks OK. Will pull that out for a test run in next few days as today's garage tidy is getting the stock boxes for it accessible again.

 

Given I am actively tidying to get down to useable stock and remind myself of what I actually have - on balance a positive modelling mojo currently.

 

IMG_0389-blog-version.jpg

 

EDIT  Update: All worthwhile points, and the two spring loaded hinged leg support brackets, now recovered' ready for run to the skips at the dump.

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This may be why I'll never build the layout of my dreams.  You wouldn't want to be involved in some of my dreams...

 

It's got to the stage where I actually welcome the flesh eating zombies; I know that they're going to catch me because my legs don't work properly, and eat me, but I am also able to rationalise and recognise that I'm dreaming and confuse them by deliberately being caught so I can wake up screaming as they sink their teeth in...

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How interesting that you mention late April to July being your 'best period'

 

That is exactly how I used to be when I was young - I was transformed in those periods so much people would comment on the difference.

 

Only a few years back did I get given Vitamin D supplements to help me, certainly it helps concentration, my team would remind me to have my capsule when team meetings drifted into 'Ooh look at that out of the window'

 

Have you ever tried a vitamin D lamp or SAD lamp?

 

Not used one myself, but I know loads of Scandinavians who swear by them.

 

 

 

 

Jason

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I tried the lamp a few years back.

Didn’t make that much difference in truth but it may well work for others.

At that time though there were other factors at play including the last year in a job that had been making me increasingly miserable.

I may dig it out again this year and tackle things on two fronts.

I’m also fortunate that I can largely avoid Christmas too!

 

Davy.

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This may be why I'll never build the layout of my dreams.  You wouldn't want to be involved in some of my dreams...

 

It's got to the stage where I actually welcome the flesh eating zombies; I know that they're going to catch me because my legs don't work properly, and eat me, but I am also able to rationalise and recognise that I'm dreaming and confuse them by deliberately being caught so I can wake up screaming as they sink their teeth in...

I’m not a heavy drinker by any measure (sorry!) but I do notice that even when I have an occasional two-three bottles of beer on an evening I have a poor sleep. Also; I learned not to eat a main meal any later than 8pm and also to avoid tea or coffee after then as well.

What I do have is redbush (rooibos) tea and I also leave the phone downstairs when I hit the sack, unless I’m on an early start at work the next day.

That generally gives me a pretty decent sleep. Makes all the difference.

 

Davy.

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A decent nights sleep is an absolute must. One thing I did try is a de-ioniser in the bedroom. It did alter the air quality, and, it did work. Mrs Smith didn't like it, so out it went... Nowadays, she'll put up with my snoring...

 

On a positive note, I'm reaching that point where my proposed layout has to start. Track, rolling stock & gubbins has been stowed away for donkeys years. Looks like the end of this month sees the start. Bouyed up? Yes, I think I am...

 

Cheers,

 

Ian.

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I have not tried Vitamins, but I do take Milk Thistle tablets on a regular basis. 

 

They are supposed to be good for the liver, especially after over consumption of alcohol; but I find that they seem to improve my overall health. 

 

I could go on for weeks about nightmares. I have had them since being a small child. There seems to be no predictability to their frequency but the content will almost always be the same. I have to work on the top floor of a ridiculously tall building, which is probably 200 storeys high. I can go up most floors in a lift but the top few storeys have to be by the stairs. 

 

Unfortunately, although the stairs are enclosed at first, the higher they go the more exposed they become until I am on steps with nothing but a vertical drop either side. I then find that the only alternative is to walk on a narrow ledge across to the second part of the building without falling off. Someone once told me that if I ever fail from the ledge I will die in my sleep; but that was proved to be nonsense the first time I fell - because I just floated to the ground and then had to repeat the whole process again.

 

The strange thing is that the nearest I have come to this scenario in real life was towards the top of the Eiffel Tower, but despite expecting a panic attack I had no feelings of fear at all and really enjoyed the experience and the view. 

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I was lent one 2 years ago by a kind friend, and found that the amount of time you spent looking into the light was about the same amount of time that it cheered you up for, not really worth the effort.  But it may work for other people, though, and you've nothing to lose by trying it out if you can borrow a lamp before you buy one.

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sb67 said:

 

. Medication can also paly a part in mental health, I have known a few people suffering with depression where the symptoms were actually caused by the medication being taken.

 

I was on medication for depression about 20 years ago, Sertraline, if I recall, I got a lot worse. I went back to the doctor, was given another anti-depressant to balance out the side effects. I ended up so "balanced" I could hardly function at all. Medication doesn't work for all, certainly not for me. I've tried vitamins and supplements, but when I'm down and most need them, I forget to take them. And don't they smell horrible? Tried counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy, apart from sexual feelings towards the cute, young therapist, neither worked.

 

So I live with it. There are many triggers to negative feelings, and I recognise most of them. I have Raynauds, have had it for as long as I can remember, although as a child it was just called bad circulation. This affects liver function, for which they want to 'experiment' on me because I don't fit the normal profiles. I don't drink a lot of alcohol, I DO drink a lot of tea and coffee, mostly decaff now. I eat quite well, my better half puts plenty of veggies on my dinner plate, and I eat them - she's Greek!!!

 

What does this have to do with model railways. Well, I started a cakebox for the challenge earlier this year, 320 cubic inches approx. But, I won't finish it by the deadline. I am determined to finish it, because it's an experiment with materials and techniques. Now I don't know whether to keep it on the cakebox challenge thread, or move it to the dioramas forum. I have plans for a small layout too. Decorating, gardening and other household duties. Full time working in a job that I don't really enjoy. Interrupted sleep patterns.

 

If anyone tells me I've got it good, good job, reasonable income, a good life, how do I turn around and tell them that I'm not feeling it? How do you explain something that you can't explain to yourself to anyone that doesn't inhabit your head space.

 

Milk thistle sounds good. Can you dry it and use it on the layout?  :scratchhead:

 

Regards, and good health to all.

 

Bill

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