Sometimes, you just need a mental health break. A day to rest and recharge. So, that’s what I did yesterday. I took a mental health day. Technically, I took a sick day for a migraine, which was true. I had a migraine all day yesterday, but I also just need a day to myself with nothing to do. I went to my happy place, i.e., I lay on the couch and watched Star Trek all day. Normally, that means watching Deep Space Nine, but I decided instead to watch Discovery. I know a lot of Star Trek fans don’t like Discovery, and I usually watch episodes only once when it is released on Paramount+, but I decided to rewatch the last two seasons. I should have started from the beginning or at least watched season two, but I decided to start with after they traveled to the future.

I also watched Obi Wan Kenobi on Disney+. It’s a pretty good show. Actually, I think all three of the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and now Obi Wan Kenobi, have all been very entertaining. I am not as big of a Star Wars geek as I am a Trekkie, but I’ve always enjoyed the original trilogy. The Han Solo movie was also pretty good. However, while Star Wars is just a story of good vs. evil, Star Trek is about hope for the future. That’s why I like to watch Star Trek when I just need to zone out, because even though it’s science fiction, I still find it very hopeful. I doubt we will make first contact by 2063, and I hope we don’t have WWIII before then either, but I find the ideals of the United Federation of Planets inspirational. Someday, maybe all of humanity really will believe in equality and forgo greed and hatred.

Anyone who suffers from depression and/or chronic pain, you know that there are good days and bad days. Yesterday was a bad day. The headache pain seems never ending, or at least somedays it does. Lately, it seems that my headache medication is just not as effective anymore. Part of it may be the weather in Vermont has been fluctuating wildly. One day, it will be very warm; the next day, it may be 30 or more degrees cooler; and other days, it’s raining. All of these things affect my headaches. Atmospheric changes wreak havoc on my trigeminal neuralgia. I try not to let the pain get the better of me, but there are times that all I can do is surrender.

Then, there is the depression. Most days, my medication helps. Somedays, it also gets the better of me. Whether it’s worrying about my health or worrying about money, I have days when I feel hopeless and really depressed. Writing about my state of physical and mental health is much easier than telling a friend my problems out loud. It’s never been easy to talk to anyone, even very close friends, about what is bothering me.

I’m hoping today will be a better day. As I went to bed last night, I was seriously considering that I needed to take a mental health day today. Some days, you just can’t push through the pain, whether it’s mental or physical.