I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR MY BEAUTIFUL OASIS OF FLESH
I praise my own geography at last …
I am so grateful for my beautiful oasis of flesh which carries me about in this garden of life.
Each little dimple and wrinkle, each crevice and valley all my own.
There is no where else on earth I could find a place such as this, so alive, so divine and uniquely me.
I rub my hands gently absorbing the stories it tells me of holding life and birthing babies, slicing and taking away my gallbladder, walking up mountains, climbing tall trees and jumping off.
— True self-care is about holistic health. Jill Kay recently introduced me to Arbonne, the #1 global brand for healthy living inside and out. I tried the products and loved them! Check out their certified vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free, nontoxic products by clicking HERE. You will be very surprised! —
I remember walking across coals and never being burnt. My spirit telling me to go ahead, because it was all an illusion anyway.
My beloved body carries me to and through every moment there is and beyond, allowing me to respond to life and its glorious magnificence. Feeling the wet grass beneath my feet, snowflakes coating my hair.
I inhale the fragrance of Freesias, appreciate their vibrant colors and taste chocolate upon my lips, all with this sacred vessel in which I can experience the Divine and the all which I am! I praise my own geography at last!
This article was written by Morgine Jurdan
Click HERE to Learn more about Morgine’s work.
WEBSITE: https://morginejurdan.com/
I LOVE ME…
For everything I am
for everything i am not
I love me
at my best
and
at my worst
I love me
smiling frowning laughing
playing screaming crying pounding
I am always Grace
no matter what face I wear
you are my reflection
and I am yours
I love me
for the Sake of Loving
for the Honor and Appreciation
I feel and experience
fully embracing
all of me
for in Receiving
All I am
in
Every Precious Moment
nothing gets wasted
all of me remains
Whole and Perfect
held in the universal heart
where the Love
which is always embracing me
the Love
which is everywhere and endless
allows space for
my Grace to grow
and know itself fully
once again.
I am so Grateful
I am extended the gift
of my friendship
so i can dance into the beauty
I truly am
This article was written by Morgine Jurdan
Click HERE to Learn more about Morgine’s work.
WEBSITE: https://morginejurdan.com/
MINDFUL MOVEMENT
THE MOST VALUABLE EXERCISE YOU’LL EVER PRACTICE
There is a single, small difference between the people that "do" and the people that "don't".
It's the difference between strength and weakness, progress and stagnation, success and failure.
Each and every one of us has it, have used it, and have used it successfully – every single time.
And every single time – we have an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, our efforts are justified, and we bask in the glory of a tough job well done, and done well enough to justify its means.
There are several single words that sufficiently describe this characteristic; though for some reason these words don't sound as potent and powerful as they did when we were children.
Flow – Presence – Concentration - Focus – Attuned – Attention
In descending order, these are my six measured by depth. On their own, any single one of these is sufficient in their effect on an outcome, though in this context "Presence" is more appropriate.
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As it relates to wellness, health, and fitness there is not a single person that ever got lucky by accident… not one.
Whoever has achieved a deliberate outcome was present in all of the decisions responsible for creating that particular outcome. They felt, they focused on what they were doing when they were doing it. These people didn't necessarily focus on fitness and health every waking moment, they just focused on it when they were doing it – they were Present. This presence-of-mind / presence-of-moment slowly and eventually permeates into other relevant moments, naturally and otherwise effortlessly bringing them sufficiently close to their intended destination.
This Presence in their current moment afforded them an advantage that without, there would be no success.
They're paying attention to what they're doing while they're doing it, then they're present in each moment that arrives after that… every meal, every activity, every set, every rep.
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Whether practical, physical, spiritual or emotional - effort and intensity are relative and subjective; some days hard is easy, and other days easy is hard – this is true for everyone. But, 100% is 100% no matter which way you cut it. If you only have 70% today - great, then do 100% of that. If today's a good day and you're bringing 105%, give 100% of that, too. The only way you know what you have is if you're paying attention to what you're feeling at this very moment.
Presence is critical in all things we hope to improve about ourselves, inward or outward. If you want to maximize your efforts in eating right, then you'll need to be Present when you're choosing your meals. If you want to maximize your efforts in being a more attentive father, then you'll need to be Present when the opportunity arises to shoot some hoops with your six-year-old son. If you want to maximize your efforts in having a stronger connection to God or the Universe, then you need to be Present when there's an opportunity to tune-in to those vibrations.
It's astounding how quickly things change when you pay attention to the moments that determine their influence.
For a moment… think… think about a single and seemingly inconsequential change you could make that only you might recognize but would give you satisfaction in making this one thing different than it is now.
Now think of just one thing that frequently reminds you of its current state.
Your homework is to look for the opportunities that arise where you can choose to change its very history and see what happens.
This is the easy part – the hard part is going to be spreading your awareness to every part of your life, once you've seen how mundane a task it really is.
This article was written by Matthew A. Scarfo
Click HERE to Learn more about Matthew’s work.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattscarfo/
TRIAL AND ERROR: BROKEN METABOLISM AND HEALING
I remember going through different websites, looking for a trainer that would offer a workout and a meal program. Someone I trusted or had seen before. So, there was my solution: Jillian Michaels! I had heard about her from the show The Biggest Loser and had started seeing her supplements and other products at the store. So, I thought I'd give her a shot.
She had everything I needed on her website. An app that would help me download the workout schedule and programs, as well as the recipes to eat healthy and be in the best shape of my life. I have to admit, at the beginning it was daunting! I started off by throwing away all the junk food I had in my kitchen cabinets and fridge. Then, I restocked on the ingredients I would need for my healthy meals.
I was pretty consistent and disciplined with the meal plan and workout program Jillian had chosen for me and had started to notice positive changes. I also incorporated yoga and running into my workout program.
The last thing I added to my already-dialed-in-new-lifestyle was supplements such as multi-vitamins made from foods and not synthetics, organic protein powders and fat burners. It was these last ones that took my metabolism out of whack. The results were ugly: Insomnia and Amenorrhea. I was not dying, but I was sending my body the signal that I was. So, what did I do? I looked for help. I wanted to treat my insomnia first, so, I went to different doctors and they all told me to take melatonin and relax. They did some thyroid testing on me and it all came back fine. So, they assumed it was all in my head. I tried getting a different opinion from another doctor, but I was told the same thing. This time, though, I was sent back home with a benzodiazepine. Pretty much, a drug that would make me unconscious so I could "sleep". I had to taper to get off this medication once I was able to "sleep" again. My insomnia got "fixed" after a month of sleeping only 2-5 hours per night. The only thing that didn't get fixed was my amenorrhea. It took me 5 years to get that fixed. And, along those 5 years, I experienced some more insomnia.
It was then that I started looking for more experts in the Eastern/Functional medicine atmosphere and, only then, was I able to understand what was going on with me and how I could fix myself. I learned that what I ate would impact my sleep cycle and overall metabolism. And, I learned that carbs were not the enemy, that the good kind were actually needed by our bodies to create some hormones as well as the oh-so-feared-and-hated fat!
My fat journey started with Dave Asprey, then continued not only with him but with Dr. Joseph Mercola, Robb Wolf, Dr. Sarah Ballentyne and Dr. David Perlmutter. Most of these experts always followed a principle: Eat whole, gluten-free foods and listen to your body. That's what I had been missing for years: Listening to my body! We lack that mind-body connection that is so needed in order to be in harmony with our bodies, relationships and overall life. After cracking the code for what works for my body and what makes my metabolism happy, I knew I had to visit my demons and start working on my psychology and spirituality... And so, I started my meditation journey, which took me to places I never thought it would....
This article was written by Michelle Schacherer
Click HERE to Learn more about Michelle’s work.
WEBSITE: http://mschacherercrossfitter.blogspot.com
ORGASMS IN MY SALAD BOWL
Mother earth
delightedly tickled
by birds pecking for insects
in her soft green grass
roots of trees
sensuously digging deeply
into her rich brown earthen body
seeds bursting with new green life
twining up through the soil
undulating contracting stimulations
nematodes and earth worms crawling
animals digging sensuously or hard
burrowing creatures living inside her
sun stimulating growth
warming her body
and all that grows there
rain massaging her soil
into luscious soft wet mud
the cooling blankets of snow
allowing for pleasurable rest
orgasms of delight
beneath my naked feet
Bees sensually dancing
on a flower’s face
exchanging pollen
shudders of ecstatic delight
butterflies kissing blossoms
satisfying rapture peaks
as hummingbirds suck their nectar
spiders weave their webs
bugs joyfully adventure
between the petals and leaves
in the bark of trees
passion amidst the plants
zest and joy climaxing
in the sunlight
Luscious sounds
fertilizing flowers and trees
and all the plants i eat
birds songs
a chorus of frogs
crickets singing coyotes howling
love making in the moonlight
rainbows
the climaxing dance of the sun
caressing the rain
wind’s erotic play
with the leaves of trees
embracing clouds in the air
blowing the ocean’s waves
here and there
Orgasms in my salad bowl
exhilarating joyful
pinnacles of delight
eager avid eternal
exchanges of love
satisfying passions
the rapture and glow
wherever i go
nature in love with itself
in love with each other
my salad
lovingly prepared
feels so alive
so ripe and juicy
orgasmic vibrations
still flowing to me
and through me
as we become one
again and again
i pause and breathe in
the grace and love i feel
as orgasms explode
inside my body
and the circe begins again
This article was written by Morgine Jurdan
Click HERE to Learn more about Morgine’s work.
WEBSITE: https://morginejurdan.com/
SYNERGISTIC LIFESTYLE: PUTTING EVERYTHING TOGETHER
Changes are not easy; they bring with them a lot of resistance. However, I have learned to embrace them throughout the years, but, while they happen, they make me uneasy. They bring uncertainty, which drives me crazy. Nevertheless, whenever I find myself anxious about what the future will bring, I sit down, meditate and repeat the following mantra: "I trust". And I really do trust, I know that no matter what, the universe will never take me to a worse place, quite the contrary, I know it'll be to a better one.
And so, it was. After saying good-bye to toxic relationships, toxic environment I saw my life change for the better. The new changes I made included hanging out with positive people, people who were into health and nutrition, spiritual people, people who appreciated the different cultures of the world, open-minded people, and successful people. They say that you're the average of the 5 people you hang out the most with, so, I became very careful about who I let into my life, and, most importantly, who I spent my time with.
Moreover, I changed my environment for good: I got rid of blue lights and added incandescent lightbulbs to my house, Himalayan salt lamps, and an essential oil diffuser; I added blackout curtains to my room, and started using a night mask when I went to bed to make sure my body got adequate sleep; I made sure that the products I used on my body did not include SLS, Fragrances, nor a bunch of ingredients I was unable to pronounce (this was for anything touching my body such as shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, lotions, etc.); furthermore, I got rid of so much clutter in my living spaces: I kissed good-bye a lot of things I didn't use or old things which were only taking up room and not allowing new things to come.
When it comes to my diet, I went 100% organic and gluten-free, and reduced to almost 0 my sugar and vegetable oil consumption. Unfortunately, some foods will include these ingredients which makes it really hard to eliminate them from your diet. Some food examples where these ingredients lurk include: salad dressings, chocolate nut milks, bread, etc.
At the end, a major makeover was needed. And I took the same principles I used in fitness, diet and spiritualism to my professional life. I realized that drastic, overnight changes were destructive and that milestones needed to be achieved before reaching the big goals. I learned to give the best of myself that I could to every job I was doing, to care for it and to find answers whenever I didn't have them. I just had in place a system that worked in one aspect of my life and that I could replicate in other aspects of my life.
Life was good, life is good and I wake up excited every day excited, wondering what the next thing around the corner will be, what life will bring my way and how I will interpret it. I learned that I cannot change reality, so, I have to accept it. However, one thing I can change: the perspective or lens through which I see reality. That has helped me stay positive no matter how bad the outcome may be. If something's going to be bad, I try to find the silver lining in the bad thing. It works like a charm, so I invite you to try doing the same and see how the sad veil lifts up! :)
This article was written by Michelle Schacherer
Click HERE to Learn more about Michelle’s work.
WEBSITE: http://mschacherercrossfitter.blogspot.com
LOVE IS A STARTING POINT FOR ACTION
“All you need is love,” sang the Beatles many decades ago. It’s a song still sung today. And for good reason. The tune is catchy, and the message is hopeful: “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.”
Were it that simple. Love, after all, is our greatest joy. But it can also be complex and complicated. Loving someone “for better or worse, in sickness and in health,” means taking the good with the bad. And that’s not always easy.
Many—if not most—of us will have to take care of the person we love during an illness. It might be for a day, a week or even longer. Some may find it a daunting challenge. For me, it’s a call to action.
Over the past two and a half decades, my husband has been hospitalized many times. Often, it’s involved life-threatening illness with long periods of hospitalization and recuperation. In times like that, I do everything in my power to help him get better. Love is the starting point for advocacy.
Along the way, I have learned a lot about the hospital setting and the very real impact that families can have in making sure their loved ones get the best care. Hospitals are bureaucratic and scary places. For patients and their families, it can feel like being tourists lost in a strange land, not knowing the customs, the language or the culture.
Patients are weak and flat on their backs. They are usually in no position to advocate for themselves. Doctors are busy, rushing from one patient to the next; nurses are stretched, trying to meet the many needs of their patients.
Families can make a difference. They can represent the patient’s wishes and needs when their loved one is unable to speak for him or herself. Knowing the patient better than anyone else in the hospital counts for a lot when navigating the impersonal environment of a hospital setting. Families—working as members of the care team—can also connect the dots because doctors, quite honestly, don’t always communicate well with one another.
Families can fill in the blanks when the sick patient doesn’t fully comprehend everything being said or is not able to remember it later. They also can bring information, perspective and insight that patients may forget or are uncomfortable sharing themselves.
And when the patient goes home, continued care must involve the family to ensure instructions are followed regarding medication, doctor visits, exercise, restrictions, and more.
Much is written about patient-centered medicine. But research shows that patient and family-centered medicine provides the best clinical outcomes, increases patient satisfaction, lowers costs, reduces risks of readmission and can even save lives.
Families can and do make a real difference. They start with love and build from there. There’s one more line from the Beatle’s song that applies here: [There’s] … “no one you can save that can't be saved.”
The one you help save just may be the one you love most.
# # #
Bonnie Friedman is author of Hospital Warrior: How to Get the Best Care for Your Loved One and host of the podcast Hospital Warrior: Advocates and Experts on the Whole Care Network.
This article was written by Bonnie Friedman
Click HERE to Learn more about Bonnie’s work.
WEBSITE: www.hospitalwarrior.com
ECONOMICS OF THE HUMAN MOVEMENT SYSTEM
We know that if we practice something often enough that perfection is inevitable. We know this because science has tested this hypothesis an infinite amount of times throughout the ages. Frequent repetition increases our familiarity, familiarity increases efficiencies, efficiencies reinforce familiarity, and so on.
Since we can predict certain outcomes and these outcomes are measurable, we can reasonably approach any activity or exercise (physical or otherwise) to guarantee the best outcome. Reasonable in a way that maximizes our abilities thereby maximizing our outcomes.
Practice is simply recreating a pattern over-and-over, again. It trains the nervous system to become exceedingly familiar with the movement-related aspects of physical performance. And, it trains the brain to become exceedingly familiar with reasoning & learning-related tasks. It simply doesn’t matter what the activity is, it is simply just a matter of your level of acquaintance. Repeat something often enough, and eventually you’ll elicit “muscle memory” (I really don’t like using that term).
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Potential > Memory
I don’t like using that term because a muscle cannot remember anything, period. This “memory” - or familiar movement pattern – occurs when the repetition induces certain efficiencies to develop which allow for the brain to do something else while the body is executing a certain string of commands that have already been programmed and tested. We perfect an activity by practicing it so much that when the initiative spark fires in the brain it sets off a harmonious cascade of precise and predictable nerve impulses. These impulses fire sequences of muscle contractions to cause precise movements. It would be far more accurate to call this phenomenon "muscle-potential", though the latter iteration doesn’t quite sound so appealing.
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Efficiency Over All
Regarding movement, the human body wants to do one thing, and one thing only. It wants to preserve its valuable resources. Economy – same activity, less energy. Same result, fewer resources. Conservation is the only motivation – do something often enough and it will take less time, less thought, and eventually less work.
Your body's primary motivation when performing any task boils down to just one thing – economy - Same activity, less energy. Same outcome, fewer resources. Conservation is key. Get more familiar with doing something and it'll take less time, less thought, and less work.
We've all experienced this in some form or another: whether with a Yo-yo, Rubix Cube, walking to jogging to running (did you know that you burn about the same number of calories WALKING one mile as you do RUNNING one mile? It’s true).
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We occupy this highly specialized, highly adaptive machine whose primary objective is preservation - resource-preservation. To put simply, its objective is to use the minimum resources needed to complete a task, and not a single iota more. This is true from both a metabolic standpoint as well as a mechanical one.
For many people, they’ve been trying to lose weight for what seems like an eternity but because this machine opts for efficiency – the harder you work, the better you get at working hard – AND the fewer resources you’ll use to accomplish the same task. Unless of course, you force the machine to continually adapt. How do you do this? Well, you're going to have to work harder than you did yesterday, every single day.
One Layer Deeper
This neural reprogramming is the first (and least demanding) attempt to make whatever action that you're practicing economical enough to preserve your body's precious and hard-earned resources.
Generally speaking, it's only after the neural improvements begin to maximize that the body begins to explore other avenues to improve the efficiencies of exercise.
This article was written by Matthew A. Scarfo
Click HERE to Learn more about Matthew’s work.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattscarfo/
I AM THE MAGIC IN THE BIRDS SINGING
I am the magic in the birds singing
I am the colors in the rainbow
I color the sky with my radiance
and i fill the forest with my loam
I am the mountains meeting the sky
all day long
for in one drop of water
and in one grain of sand
in one cell of my body
the world
is made whole again
as i breathe
I take in life
and let it go
my hair, my skin, my breath
fall upon the earth
composting into soil
eaten by worms and bugs
eaten by animals and birds
who
living in trees
fertilize the tree
with their excrement
and the tree
growing fruit i eat
eating myself
again and again
becoming whole
and being
a part of it all
I am the beginning
I am the end
without an end
the deepest feeling anyone has
the deepest love
the deepest pain
the greatest longing
the peace beyond transcendence
bliss
anguish
terror
fear
they are all me
they are all mine
all Divine
all that I AM
There is no richness i cannot have
there is no pain i cannot feel
there are no lines
no divisions
no time
no separations
i come from a place
that remembers it all
and into which
all life flows
because
Love is all there is
and in the
moment of true reflection
I fall down
and weep
in the arms
of myself
This article was written by Morgine Jurdan
Click HERE to Learn more about Morgine’s work.
WEBSITE: https://morginejurdan.com/
DIG DEEP, AIM HIGH: FIVE STEPS TO FREEDOM
There are many layers to our existence, and the depth of our awareness determines the kind of life we lead. What we see on the surface—in the form of relationship issues, health challenges or money problems—may have very little to do with what’s really going on. If we dig deeper, we can tap into a whole new dimension of possibilities—in ourselves and in our world.
Take the case of 40-year-old Marie, whose life seemed to be filled with conflict and crises. Her relationships were everything she didn’t want, her work as a designer no longer felt fulfilling, and things rarely seemed to go the way she wanted them to. On the surface, she appeared to just be unlucky—attracting the wrong kind of guy, working in a demanding industry, and suffering the inevitable slew of health problems due to stress, pressures at work, emotional angst and fatigue.
If we dig beneath the circumstances, seeing them as signposts towards a deeper truth, we might see that Marie has some deeply engrained beliefs about not being lovable or worthy, and about life being a constant struggle because she felt she didn’t deserve to have it easy.
If we go deeper again, we might see that those beliefs have a strong emotional charge that attracts the very people, situations and dynamics that confirm the validity of those negative beliefs. (Thanks to exciting discoveries in quantum physics, we now know that our thoughts are electrical and our emotions magnetic, giving us the power to affect our circumstances, whether we do so consciously or not.)
If we dig even deeper, we might see that Marie is being challenged in the very areas where she is emotionally ‘wobbly’ (due to her upbringing), and that she is attracting the perfect opportunities for flexing her emotional ‘muscles’ in order to develop a healthier sense of self.
Going deeper again, we see just how powerful Marie really is, having created the perfect scenarios for growth and personal transformation. The challenges that she considered to be ‘bad luck’, the result of ‘all the good men having been snapped up’, or simply the inevitable price to be paid for having a demanding job, are actually the direct result of her subconscious pushing her towards wholeness.
By bringing her face to face with the physical manifestation of her low self-worth, her subconscious is giving her lots of opportunities to reclaim herself. For as long as she fails to see what’s really going on, however, those frustrating scenarios will keep repeating themselves until she gets the message. It’s not about the men out there, the industry she works in, or other people being difficult. It’s all about Marie.
Relationships fail because of our incomplete understanding of their true purpose as stepping-stones to self-discovery and personal autonomy. They mirror our ‘missing pieces’, reflecting back to us what’s missing inside as a result of how we were programmed to think and feel about ourselves. Whether we have issues with colleagues, clients, friends, family or lovers, all our relationships are powerful catalysts for change, challenging us to address whatever is in the way of healthy self-acceptance and self-expression.
Providing us with a unique perspective of ourselves, relationships show us that when we lack certain essential qualities, such as acceptance, respect, validation and support, we attract people with those same missing pieces—which is why we so often experience heartache and disappointment when we fail to get from our partner the very things we ourselves have been missing. Once we understand that filling in our own missing pieces makes us magnets for more of those same positive qualities, we can use our relationships as springboards towards wholeness …and the love, laughter, ease and fulfillment that automatically result.
Five steps to freedom
1. Identify what qualities are missing from your relationships. These often include acceptance, respect, trust, emotional honesty, validation and support—all of which are required for us to be ourselves and for our relationships to be harmonious, authentic and mutually supportive.
2. Find practical, everyday ways to start demonstrating those qualities in your life—especially towards those who fail to express those same qualities to you. Remember: what’s missing in your relationships is missing inside you.
3. Catch yourself if you think it’s about them. Stay focused on making you whole, rather than blaming someone else for not giving you what you need. When you take care of your own emotional needs, you attract others who have cultivated the same healthy self-sufficiency.
4. Take responsibility for your choices, actions and reactions. Our choices and boundaries define us, telling the world what we think we are worth. If we make unhealthy compromises in the hope of being accepted, for example, we perpetuate a cycle of neediness. We must accept, validate and honour ourselves first, if we want to see those qualities expressed to us by others.
5. Pre-live and pre-love your ideal future life. Since your emotions are magnetic, the more you think, feel and act like the person you want to be, the more you become that person—and then attract the perfect complement to it. Trust in your magnetism to attract what you truly deserve—and get excited about the good things coming your way.
Gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions we can experience in transforming our lives. If we feel deep gratitude and excitement about our ideal future reality—before it happens—we create a strong magnetism that draws that reality to us. Pre-living and pre-loving your ideal future reality is the most powerful way to make it happen.
Only Marie can change what she is attracting—by changing what she feels and believes about herself and what she is subconsciously transmitting to her world. She can reflect on some of her habitual thoughts (such as: this won’t work and there are no decent men out there) and feelings (such as frustration, disappointment and hopelessness) and ask herself: Do I want more of that? If not, she can focus on their opposites and start to embody the qualities that she wishes to see in herself and in her partner, colleagues and clients: optimism, confidence, validation and healthy self-worth.
Life gets exciting when we realize that we can orchestrate our own reality rather than being at the mercy of seemingly random circumstances. When we recognize the truth of our deeper selves, we can turn our lives around. We can consciously convert limiting beliefs to their positive counterparts; we can choose to feel certain uplifting magnetic emotions that align with the love and life we desire; and we can start to leverage the power of both in transforming struggle into ease, conflict into harmony, and work into pleasure.
The deeper we dig within ourselves, the deeper the truth we discover …and the truth will always set us free.
This article was written by Olga Sheean
Click HERE to Learn more about Olga’s work.
WEBSITE: https://olgasheean.com
MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLNESS
Several days a call came in from a parent that was distraught about a diagnosis that had been given to her son. She was mad, hurt, confused and scared.
After hearing her out, she asked "What does it mean." After asking several questions, from her perspective or what she heard was nothing related to what the diagnosis meant or was help there was available for her son as her as that parent. Spent more than an hour slowly helping her with a basic understanding. One that she could grasp and receive. I then provided her with referral information where to seek help.
This conversation got me thinking that part of the Stigma that is prevalent today our consistent use of the terms Mental Health, or Mental Illness.
In other words, we continue to "Enable" the Label and Stigmas. We need to be aware that what we are really talking about is Mental and Emotional Wellness. When we begin to see the affect that our language and definitions have on Enabling the Stigmas and Labels, we then will change and begin to truly think about the Impact we have on People we are called to serve.
Please think about this. To me it is extremely Important in our Service.
This article was written by Rev. Baisden, MACP, MIN
Click HERE to Learn more about Marc Baisden.
Website: https://www.alignable.com/anchorage-ak/recovery-intervention-services
RESPECTING THE POWER OF OUR SPOKEN WORD
Within “Spirituality Simplified” I included this passage because I felt it was a very important admonition:
“DO NOT SPEAK WHAT YOU DON’T WANT, because it is done when you speak it, every idle word. The laws of the universe do not sift through whether you mean what you say or intend it to happen. The creative process only puts it in motion.”
– Diandra, in “A New Day Is Dawning”
Now ponder on that for a moment…what it speaks to is that our words have POWER, much, much more than we realize. The concept of the “word made flesh” in biblical terms is related here as well.
SO, how often do you hear people speak about what they “don’t want” on a daily basis? The truth is, we are all guilty of it every single time we tell a “story” about something negative we are going through, or have been through, or speak in an anxious way about the future. Yes, every time we speak it we are building more and more energy around it and reinforcing it into our lives.
Some might say that we need to share feelings as opposed to stuffing them down. I get that, and, if one must “get it off their chest,” so to speak, how about this – do it ONE time with someone you trust who can hold the space of compassion, and who also can forget they ever heard it.
This as opposed to people broadcasting it all over Facebook and other social media sites and then having tens (or hundreds or thousands) of people adding even more energy to what they DON’T want!
This article was written by Jeff Maziarek
Click HERE to Learn more about Jeff’s work.
WEBSITE: http://blog.spiritsimple.com/
HOW TRAUMA CAN CHANGE LIVES — FOR THE BETTER
Most of us think about trauma as just about the worst thing that can happen to us. And for many, it is. Even if you’ve survived trauma, you still may be dealing with its physical and emotional aftermath, which perhaps includes emotional eating. How, then, can trauma ever have an upside?
In “How trauma can change lives—for the better,” Jim Rendon, author of Upside: The New Science of Post-Traumatic Growth, says yes, indeed, it can (TIME 8/3/15, p. 29). Therapists and the general public have long been schooled in the notion that trauma is terrible and nothing more, he says, one that changes peoples’ lives for the worse and stays with them to death. Post-traumatic stress disorder, with its nightmares, hyper-vigilance and flashbacks, can be frightening to experience or live with in a loved one.
What, then, is science telling Rendon that makes him believe that trauma sometimes can be anything but a negative experience? He says that “an estimated 75% of people will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime” and that, while many report negative effects, down the road, others report positive changes—greater inner strength, increased intimacy, and a “reorientation” in life toward more fulfilling goals. In short, over time, the pain of trauma can help people “change for the better.” Rendon maintains that “Growth begins with healing from trauma.”
He also says that growth and transformative change are based on the premise that people seek and receive help. Sadly, many trauma survivors don’t recognize themselves as having been trauma victims and, therefore, forgo clinical treatment. They’re too scared of opening up old wounds or too ashamed of what happened to them, even when they were innocent victims. Moreover, when trauma occurs, their pre-trauma mental health determines how they’ll react to and heal from it.
I’ve seen people do exactly what Rendon says: survive trauma and go on to change their lives—and the lives of others—for the better because of it. This happens when: women and men who are raped go on to become sexual abuse counselors and victim advocates, parents of murdered children put their hearts into changing gun laws and increasing access to mental health counseling, and when people hurt by drunk drivers work to educate the public about drinking and driving. If you’re a trauma survivor, consider how both trauma and healing might change your life for the better. Then, even if you’re afraid, get the treatment you need.
This article was written by Karen R. Koenig
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WEBSITES: http://www.karenrkoenig.com/
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CARING FOR OTHERS — THE HEART — FAITH
The Calling and Vocation to care God’s people I would say started on the first Sunday of August 2013. Through this journey there have been times of struggle, growth and clarity of God’s purpose in and for my life. There is a reason that this season is in God's plan for my wife and I. Now at 60 years, I have had the honor to see much of this world, interact with people, through traveling in many geographic regions, cultures and communities of the United Sates and other countries. Through my Calling and experience as a son, husband, parent, student, photographer, therapist, educator, searcher and servant I have seen many changes to our homes, people, the church, schools, communities, society and governments. Some Good and Some just plain BAD for all.
My faith has been challenged throughout this life, More recently: one of our son’s at age 12 was diagnosed with Osteo Sarconoma (bone cancer) in Sept 2014 and he asked if I would leave Alaska to come to Portland OR, to help while he was going through treatment and surgery. My wife and I felt that I needed to be there so, she remained in Alaska while I went to be with him. He currently is in remission of cancer and will require monitoring for the rest of his life. (Our son resides with his biological mother in Gresham, OR) What do you tell your son when he ask’s, “Why is God allowing this to happen to me” and you have No answer.” What would you say?
During that time of caring for my son, when I arrived and visited with my parents. I found that my parents had not been fully honest with me during phones calls and e-mails as to my dad’s health condition. My father and mother reside in Vancouver, WA. (Across the river from Portland, OR) My father is 83, a veteran who was in remission from multiple cancers, lived his life with severe Parkinson’s disease.) Due to his increased needs and symptoms he was experiencing, I became his caregiver as well, when not with my son. My father passed on in 2017. How do you divide myself and be a son, care-giver, father, husband etc..?
After 2004 my separation and ultimately Divorce from the younger Childers mother. 2 boys and 1 girl, at the time their ages were 3,2, and 11 months. Working 50 to 60 weeks, had weekly visitation with my children, sort of being a single dad part-time. Now some will say well that is not that bad. A little clarification. As I look back now, I ask “How did I do it” The answer then and now with Family and Friends. My oldest son (34) called me not long after the birth of his second daughter and asked me “Dad how did you do it, with Sean, Scott and Aleena. We had a great discussion after that about him and being a father.
This course I truly believe was started many years ago when my parents opened my eyes to wonders of our land, people, landmarks, inside/outside our borders. (Jeramiah 29 11-14) and now Romans 12v 12-22. My parents both served in the military and my father went on to become an officer. I also as an adult witness my parents coming to know the Lord as their LORD and Savior. I also witnessed the growth of my father in the Lord to be called as a Chaplain to the Elderly and had the Honor to Serve with Him.
Through this journey God has opened my Eyes and Heart to what service really is and that when his season arrives, we are to serve and be served, Disciple and Be Discipled to live in Christ and to share Christ with others. The gifts he has allowed me to share and serve for HIS glory is the calling and vocation he has provided.
“Your Heart (who you really are) is Known by the Path You Walk”
This article was written by Rev. Marc Baisden, MACP, MIN
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Website: https://www.alignable.com/anchorage-ak/recovery-intervention-services
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR SPOUSE IS SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION?
How to Spot and Support your Spouse through Depression?
Are you noticing a strange difference in the behaviour of your spouse from the last few weeks or months? Sometimes, it is a temporary issue that lasts for a few days because of the difference in mutual understanding or some bad phase of life. However, some symptoms are long-lasting and become a part of life. If the problem with your spouse is persisting for a long time, it can be depression. The term depression has become too common that you can find every second person suffering from it. Sometimes, it can also be a bipolar disorder but people mistook as depression. The depression treatment and bipolar treatment are two different things that only a psychiatrist can tell you with deep explanations. If your spouse is suffering from depression, it is your duty to help them in coming out of the situation.
Check Out Depression Treatment
