I've been thinking about this annual end-of-year vacation I do, and this year, I was paying particular attention from the standpoint of tracking my mood shifts. I realized it took about a month for me to go through the entire process of being glad to be off work, then feeling isolated, then getting depressed about it, and then finally, beginning to feel better/more positive again.
Originally, I'd been concerned that when I hit my FIRE goals and stop regularly working, I'd fall into and remain in that depressed state indefinitely. I mean, this has been true for the last several years, but this year was a bit different. Part of it could be due to the sauna (watched a video by a PhD saying that a single session of sauna bathing has been shown to have an up-regulating effect on depression that can last up to 6 weeks!?), so having done that every day for a week straight might have sped up my depression cycle (this time frame also coincides with my starting to feel better). Based on how I feel this year, I'm thinking that it may take 1-2 months of being off work (after FIRE) before I start to feel ok/motivated again, but that I will, eventually, at which point, I can start finding things to do, like my welding projects, or home projects, etc.
As an aside, I did a quick estimation calculation on daily cost for running the sauna, and it looks like it's between $1-1.50/day, which is reasonable enough for me to be ok with using it every day. I was concerned that the cost my blow my budget, but I can adjust my energy bill estimate upwards by $30-45/mo. without much issue if i trim others. I feel pretty good about that, as I'm really enjoying the sauna & want to keep it up. I feel much better, even during the day, when I do, but especially after a workout. I seem to recover much better.
Still haven't completed the cold tub surround, but that might be something I work on today. I have 4 pieces left to cut/attach, and then I'll be able to install the insulation. At that point, I can fill it, get the chemicals right, and get the heater & filter/pump installed again. I'm a bit hesitant of starting the cold dips again, but want to find a way to combine it with the sauna sessions somehow. If I can't, I may need to adjust my work schedule so I can do the cold tub in the mornings before work. I also just realized that I haven't done any of the WHM breathing since I started vacation, and hadn't done much before that either. I really need to get back to it - I wish I could find a way to make it a daily habit, but that hasn't been very easy to this point, and I'm not sure why that is?
8:27 a.m. - 2022-12-16
Recent entries:
Same old... - 2022-12-25
Random appropriateness - 2022-12-23
Conclusion. - 2022-12-22
Out of nowhere. - 2022-12-21
Cold Tub, and 3-month plan. - 2022-12-18
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