Unspun fleece is a lovely and fundamental thing, unprocessed and in its natural state. The sort of thing that, like character, adds body to something else. Unspun fleece joined to your thread of acrylic, cotton or wool yarn add body to finished product, much as character adds body to personality of a person.

To thrum something, you work these wisps of fleece into your project, and result is a mitten, let’s say, that’s very soft on inside, and far warmer than it would’ve been without thrumming. In other words, it’s insulation!

Here’s a photo of a thrummed mitten: http://cast.off.net/images/thrummitt.jpg .

Here’s a photo of fleece, and a further definition: http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/thrumfaq.html .

So how can you “thrum” your life? And why would you want to?

Well we all need insulation from slings and arrows of fortune. We know that going it alone – isolation – is one of worst things we can do to ourselves. And “isolation” isn’t about being around other bodies or things.

We know we can be in a room full of people (or material possessions) and still feel isolated.

We can work in an office all day long, surrounded by tens to hundreds of other people, and feel more alone than we would sitting at home by ourselves.

It’s not physical presence of others that eases isolation and gives comfort; it’s having an emotional connection with them. And this is a two-way connection. We need to be able to give this as well as receive it.

When we develop our emotional intelligence, we’re thrumming out lives.

One of best reasons for developing emotional intelligence is that it contributes to your wellness. It gives you that insulation, that protection that you need. When we can connect with others, everything goes better. We live longer, healthier and happier lives. We survive illness better, and are more resilient. We find meaning and hope in our lives.

For other articles which you are free to use, see http://www.innerbonding.com

Title: Food, Anxiety and Depression Author: Margaret Paul, Ph.D. E-mail: mailto:margaret@innerbonding.com Copyright: © 2005 by Margaret Paul URL: http://www.innerbonding.com Word Count: 761 Category: Self Improvement

Food, Anxiety and Depression By Margaret Paul, Ph.D.

In our current society, there are many factors that can cause or contribute to anxiety and depression. Certainly money and work problems, relationship and family issues, as well as illness and loss of loved ones are major contributors to anxiety and depression. Also, how we feel about ourselves and treat ourselves contribute greatly to how we feel. Even in worst of times, if we are treating ourselves with compassion instead of self-judgment, we may be able to manage big challenges without anxiety or depression. In addition, being able to turn to an inner source of spiritual guidance and comfort is vital to weathering hard times.

Food is another major factor that greatly affects how we feel. Most people don’t really notice that what they put into their bodies affects how they feel. They might know that if they “sugar out” they may crash emotionally, or if they drink too much they will feel hung over, but they are often unaware of how other foods may be creating anxiety and depression.

In over 35 years that I’ve been a counselor, I have frequently encountered individuals whose anxiety and depression completely cleared up by tuning into how food was affecting them.

For example, Marnie discovered that dairy, wheat and sugar kept her up at night. She would wake up at around 3:00 in morning with intense anxiety, and would be tired and depressed next day. By experimenting around and cutting out different foods, she discovered that she slept fine when she stopped eating dairy, wheat and sugar. All her nighttime anxiety vanished and she was no longer tired and depressed.