Feeling Blue? Here’s What To Do!

 

In 1587 this was the advice for the cure of melancholy. Again, I had to modernize the language and look up a few obscure words.

 

Apparently the spleen can cause melancholy. The organ is basically a blood filter and if it’s not working right, you get kinda cranky or sad. A cranky spleen can be the result of various negative moods: anger, care, sorrow, fear, dread, loneliness and lack of meat and drink. I know I get REALLY cranky when I’m hungry…

 

The best way to beat this is to be around honest and merry company. Be jocund (which means light-hearted), don’t overthink things, don’t study supernatural things or stuff you don’t understand (like algebra or geometry). Don’t lean down to read or write. Beware of naps in the afternoon!! Can’t stress this one enough!

 

Avoid melancholy meats (?) and hard cheese. The best definition of melancholy meat I can find seems to mean something that’s hard to digest. Kinda like how I imagine that blobfish would be. Sad to look at, hard to digest.

 

And if all of the above fails: Dry the lungs of a fox, make a powder of them and eat it with figs. I think I’d rather be melancholy…