That is my word of the day. My mind is full. I won’t call it stress. It’s just full and I need to empty it a bit and calm myself. I’ve been dealing with some weird health symptoms (lightheadedness, mostly) and am trying to determine how much is this new sober life I’ve adopted. If those symptoms are temporary, then so be it. If not…well I need to find that out as well.
Maybe I’ve taken on too much at once. In the excitement of going AF for approx. 115 days, I’ve also been able to change my health habits quite a bit. I’ve lost about 15 pounds, I no longer need the heartburn meds, and my doctor has just removed all of my blood pressure meds (apparently alcohol raises BP and my meds have brought that number down too low). I have weaned myself off of the antidepressants I’ve taken for more than 20 years. So my medicine cabinet holds only an 81 mg. aspirin, a fish oil capsule, and a multi-vitamin. Wow. 60 years old and I no longer take RX meds. That’s great news. But I feel different. I’m not always nice anymore. I’m not the Stepford wife that my husband is used to. The antidepressants always kept me on an even equator and now I have more emotions. Not necessarily bad emotions – just emotions. I feel things now. My brain is changing. And I’m AF for the first time since I was 16 years old. I don’t recognize myself. I feel like a blank canvas.
I want to simplify my life. I want to unplug from technology and live in the woods and pick mushrooms. I’ve begun cooking difficult recipes and baking things from scratch. I’ve never done that before. I’m reading whole books and remembering the plots.
I want to stop spending money on stuff I don’t need. But mostly, I want to stop making lists in my head of all these changes I’d like to make. I just want to relax and enjoy each day and simplify my life.
changingcoursenow 
I’m right there with you. I’ve been making lots of pasta sauce from tomatoes we grew and working in the yard a lot. I have lists of things to do with my evenings, though I haven’t started them yet. I’m trying new makeup and got advice on the kind of glasses woman with gray hair should wear! I have never been on meds but wonder if I shouldn’t start on hormones at the ripe old age of 62! Sex is better sober but I think it could be even better with some estrogen!! now that I can remember what happens in the evenings (don’t let my husband read that). Anyway, I’ve been relaxing or trying to simplify by just slowing down and saying f.. It to a lot of things that used to get to me. I don’t attribute all to being sober, some of it is age. I’m enjoying milk baths ( I made the potion myself) and listening to audio books, just escaping. It feels good. I’m not ready to live in the woods, but my husband and I have always dreamed of a small farm (that’s not going to happen ). Wish you were around here, we could have coffee and commiserate. Do you remember the book Simple Abundance by Sarah Breathath, it was popular in the late 80’s, can’t remember much but I might check it out again. Good luck.
Sharon
I love this post, from the title on down. Simplifying my life as much as possible has opened a great number of doors in my sobriety that, as you can imagine, never existed while practicing the art of drinking excessively.
Thank you for having expressed your thoughts here as they provide further inspiration for me on my journey in recovery.
Thanks Glenn – glad to have you here with us, enjoying the sober life!