＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:https://skawa68.com/
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
In 2019, due to the Emperor Heisei’s abdication（平成天皇の退位） before his death and the accession of a new emperor, we had the longest series of 10 consecutive holidays in our history. Some of you may have taken 11 or more consecutive holidays.
However, there is a concern that many people may suffer from physical and mental illness after the long holiday weekend. Although the “Konome-doki(bud time)” has passed, there is a word “Gogatsubyo(May illness),” and some people may experience symptoms that could be called “Renkyuakebyo(post-holiday illness). Everyone feels depressed after a long holiday weekend, not wanting to go to work.
You need to regain the rhythm of your life, but “don’t be in a hurry” to get it back. Relax, take it easy, and let your body and mind gradually get used to it.
１．The time of the bud of the tree (Konome-doki)
The “bud time” refers to the period from March to April, when trees are budding and insects are on the move after the winter. It is also a seasonal term for spring in haiku.
“Dusk is falling on the color of night when the sea and the buds of trees are budding” (Hara Sekitei)
・「夜の色に暮れゆく海や木の芽時」（原 石鼎）
During this time of year, there is a drastic difference in temperature from warm to suddenly cold, and the weather is often irregular and the atmospheric pressure is often low. The human body and mind are unable to cope with this, and stress builds up, causing the autonomic nervous system to become unbalanced, leading to mental instability and many people complaining of poor physical health.
Symptoms such as “I have no motivation,” “I feel tired,” and “My body feels sluggish. Since these are pathological symptoms caused by weather changes, they are called “weather-related illnesses.
Asano Takuminokami（浅野内匠頭）, famous for the Ako Incident (Chushingura), was suffering from a “Tsukae” (chronic nervous gastritis), and the “cloudy weather” (low pressure) on March 14, Genroku 14, also affected him. It is believed that he slashed at Kira Kozukenosuke, without regard to the location of Edo Castle.
２．Many environmental changes are also a factor.
This time of year is also a time of encounter and separation in school and social life, as well as of moving into new environments such as moving on to higher education, entering a new school, finding a new job, personnel transfers, and relocating, all of which can contribute to a loss of mental balance.
When I was young, “May illness among college students” was often talked about, and I remember that this was a similar symptom to “Konome-doki(bud time)”.
３．Preventive measures and how to get through “Konome-doki(bud time)”
Thus, during tree buds, people are more susceptible to depression and insomnia because they are more prone to mental imbalance.
(1) Preventive measures
Preventive measures are to be calm and accept the fact that “everyone feels depressed more or less at the time of tree buds, and that is normal. It is, so to speak, a “reopening of the situation（to become defiant）.
(2) How to get over it
The autonomic nervous system is “the part that keeps one’s own balance,” so to regulate it, “it is important to get up at a certain time, eat at a certain time, sleep well, and move well.
In-season foods such as fatsia sprouts, garlic sprouts, budding greens, bamboo shoots, and spring cabbage have nutrients that help to relax and relieve stress, so eat what is in season as much as possible and do not miss moderate exercise.
For exercise, we recommend walking, yoga, or other relaxing and gentle exercise, rather than too strenuous exercise.
Also, since this is the season when people tend to become overstressed and have mental problems, it is a good idea to consciously create a time for relaxation (conscious relaxation time).