After a trip to toxic places I eat a custard cup of frozen blueberries as soon as I can. This seems to mitigate the severity of any reactions I may have. And frozen berries are more effective than fresh for some reason. It doesn't work every time but it works often enough that I now make sure there's always at least one package of frozen blueberries on hand.
Once I've run the gamut of whatever physical reactions I'm going to have - which may take anywhere from 12 to 48 hours - the next phase involves a slump in my mood. This can be mild or quite severe. As I climb back up to something approaching normal I very often find myself online, shopping. If it's not books, dvd's, or music at Amazon.com I'm checking out the sale categories at eQuilter.com. Most recently I went shopping for sequins in the hopes of finding something I could use on my parrot piece (scroll down about halfway). These came from Cartwright's:
Meanwhile, my LQS is having a sale on their clearance bolts. I stopped in there today on my way home from the food co-op to check it out. Unfortunately the air was pretty bad this time. That made it very challenging for me to make any decisions. But I managed to come home with these pieces anyway. :- )
The stars may become the backing of the "big girl quilt" I'm supposed to be making for my youngest granddaughter. The green was just too good to pass up. The pink and the blue with purple dots are fat quarters that were not on sale. Honestly, if I could afford it I would have a piece of nearly everything in that store! 
It's always good to identify the things that make us feel better, and blueberries and shopping sound like a powerful combination. I'm glad you're feeling better.
ReplyDeleteI've heard the biggest part of the battle is to identify what causes the reaction and what relieves us. I'm glad to hear you're making your way through to relief.
ReplyDeleteA good friend of our son who was killed three years ago is the produce manager at the Food Co-Op. Very nice young man. He was so comforting for us when we lost our son.
What LQS do you go to? I like the fabrics you purchased. Nice colors.
That is so interesting about the blueberries! I know they work as anti-oxidants and have anti-inflammatory benefits, the chocolate is my personal favorite with those phenlethylamines...up my mood anytime! And shopping...one of the hardest for quilters to resist. Our serotonin recptors just beg for a releasing of those neurotransmittors...don't they? Hey,if it's not broken, don't fix it, and whatever it takes to do the job...that's my motto;) I do believe we have some chocolate covered Oregon blueberries unopened from Christmas. Stress relief, here I come!!
ReplyDeleteI've just recently started learning about the healthy qualities inherent in blueberries. Now I eat them frequently.
ReplyDeleteRetail therapy in terms of craft/sewing supplies is a wonderful way to mitigate a few woes while creating something positive.