Chances
are you're not having quite so many devastatingly low days now. You're functioning
a little better overall, but you're still not ready to run any marathons yet or
run for public office. Don't worry about it - this recovery takes time, and it
happens so subtly you may not notice it till someone else points it out. You're
probably still not eager to spend too much time outside your home, but the cyberworld
provides many diversions (you can wander around it in your pajamas, and no one
will know). I've found that things of beauty are both soothing and refreshing
at this point, so that's where we'll start first.
Art/History
- The best place to start your art cybertour is, of course, the Louvre.
There is also a Louvre section at the Web
Museum, Paris. This page also provides three tours of Paris.
- The
State Hermitage Museum has an incredible
collection, and much of it can be viewed online.
- Go to Vatican City to
see Michaelangelo's Sistine
Chapel.
- You can "virtually" visit the Musee
D'Orsay with their panoramic viewer.
- The
Museum of Fine Arts, one of my favorite places when I lived in Boston, has
a website.
- Visit The
Chagall Windows, Marc Chagall's stunning stained-glass windows depicting Jacob's
blessings to his sons, the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
- The
Smithsonian Institution
- Fine Arts
Museums of San Francisco
- MuseumSpot
is a guide to museums and other cultural information online.
- Galleria
degli Uffizi
- ArtMuseum.net
has virtual exhibits.
- National Gallery of
Art
- Artcyclopedia is a
fine art search engine.
- If modern art is your style, go to the Museum
of Modern Art's web page.
- Art Crimes:
The Writing on the Wall showcases graffiti art.
- Entropy8
is an online gallery.
- The Vincent Van Gogh Information Gallery showcases his paintings and letters.
Fitness(Mental and Physical)
- Paradoxically,
it's during this time when most depressed people are beginning to feel better
that some attempt suicide. This is due to the fact that while someone is profoundly
depressed, they don't have the energy or clear mental processes necessary to plan
and carry out a suicide. Please remember, if you begin to have suicidal thoughts,
that there are people available to help you deal with your feelings. SA\VE
- Suicide Awareness\Voices of Education is a web page which provides suicide
education and support. See the Suicide Links
section for more resources.
- The philosophy behind holistic medicine, that
we should treat the body as a whole entity instead of just addressing the sick
"part", is appropriate both for treating depression and for this stage in your
recovery. De-stressing is important, since it will relieve the depression to some
extent. To this end, think about exercising. I know it's hard to even keep up
with normal stuff, but even a half hour walking a few times a week should help.
I hate to exercise, but I've been forcing myself to do it for
the last couple of years since it makes such a difference in whether I slide back
into depression during stressful times.
- Ask Dr Weil: Relaxation has some good suggestions for de-stressing.
- If you're not ready for aerobic exercise yet, get your body ready by doing some stretches. Yoga Class and Yoga.com have a lot of good info.
- Also think about whether you've been treating your body well, nutrition-wise.
Eating well can help your antidepressants to work better. Nutritiously
Gourmet will help you plan meals that are good for you and taste good.
- You might be ready to stretch spiritually or re-discover your faith. About.com's Religion section is a good place to start. The ORCT (Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance) page covers many aspects and issues of many different religions. Interlude: An Internet Retreat is a site with inspirational meditations, prayers and poetry. My favorite is the Native American prayers.
The World Outside
- Google Earth is addictive. Using it, you can view satellite photos of almost anywhere in the world. Some of the most popular spots are the Grand Canyon, the Lincoln Memorial, Venice and the Golden Gate Bridge. You can also view the Forbidden City in exquisite detail.
- Use Earth Explorer to
explore the Earth from outer space.
- Castles
on the Web is a well-designed site of links to castles all around the world.
- Claude
Monet's Garden, Giverny shows the real-life inspiration for the beautiful
series of paintings.
- Dale Coyner's
Appalachian Highways might be your cup of tea.
- The
Natural History Museum site has many fascinating interactive exhibits online.
I was fortunate enough to visit the real thing when I was in London.
- Graham
Hawker's journal of his Journey
to Beijing depicts the trip in pictures and text.
Some of my favorite cams:
- Eiffel Tower
- Manihi Pearl Beach Resort in French Polynesia
- British Antartic Vessel on a science cruise
- Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Animal Webcams at the National Zoo
- Earthcam
is a webcam site that's very well organized.
- Africam also has some great cams.
- The World Heritage Tour site has 360 degree views of places like an Egyptian pharaoh's tomb and the Forbidden City in Beijing.
- Take A
Tour of My Garden and look at Cheryl Netter's beautiful roses.
- Travels with Samantha
- You can take a virtual tour of the New York Botanical Garden
- You can read about the voyage of the Endeavor in the Papers of Sir Joseph Banks.
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