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Posts tagged ‘mental health’

Sunday

It was Q’s rez day yesterday (birthday)… I got the notice and realized that I had totally forgotten. I made time to go in to SL (Second Life) (virtual platform) to spend some time with her. Wow she first appeared in my life in 2007.. She was an adventure into a virtual world, there were a lot of lessons to learn. I had to learn to walk, sit, build, communicate with others. Basically exist in/on a virtual platform… I did it … over the years I have progressed and managed to move around and adjust to the many changes one faces in a virtual environment. Photography of course is one of my greatest loves and challenges. I have over 6000 photos on flickr documenting the many changes over the years. I am definitely someone who has learned to live conducting and using my creativity as an avatar to navigate part of my life. The big buzz these days is Ai … which has filtered into “today” world in/on all platforms.

Listening to my lessons, studies, I am getting to know just how much Ai is out there. My visits to the woodlands are more frequent with the changing of the weather, There is something very humbling about being a human standing alone in the middle of acres of land … where a young moose can wander past, or the a call of a patrolling wolf warning you of his/her presence…. joins the chatter of the critters coming to greet you … looking for the treats you’ve brought for them to enjoy. I am finding a balance… outdoors with nature, and indoors with a computerized world…. both take the need to be “present” as an important factor in balancing one’s waking hours.

You will notice that while Q was out, she saw a lot of Christmas decorations in shops she visited.. So yes, Xmas has arrived in her “personal” space. I noted looking out my window last night, that there was a fully decorated tree, with lovely lights on the balcony across the courtyard. Might be time I changed my fall bouquet (on my patio) to something more Xmasy…I won’t want to be out there trying to do something when the weather changes and we are in a full blown “winter” season.

Today’s calendar

Avoid being careless or overconfident

Even though you may have put your best effort into doing something you still may have made some mistakes, that is why it is important to always work with a prayerful mind.

PL2019.16

Oyashikiri

Q isn’t one who smiles much (like me) but she is happy and content in her world…. (like me) =^_^= contentment is a beautiful state of BEING.

Thursday

“I’ll do it later. No, I’ll do it now”

To make progress do anything while it is still fresh.

PL2921.25

These words of wisdom have a message for me… I am a do it now person, I have always been like that, this morning has found me dragging out my medical books and researching and refreshing my “tired’ gray cells on my actions of the past few days.

I woke to the searing discomfort of the neuropathy symptoms all clamoring to express and shout their discontent at having to share my limbs with each other. Nerves screamed, and went into an unwelcome screaming fit. I could barely manage to balance as I made my way to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. I will not bore you with medical terms, the long and short of it was my muscles cramped and toes jerked up in protest… I have learned to quiet the mind and try to still the mounting urgency to rectify the physical reaction that happens when the the tendons and other fellow body parts go into their trauma mode.

I had a small amount of success with calming the body by using a cream infused with magnesium. I had done it faithfully for weeks, and I was having night after night with no symptoms… I got lazy, or forgetful, and took to reclaiming activities/tasks that needed to be done. but I did it all at once, I threw out my support pillow (for under the legs) and then didn’t follow through and get to the store to replace it. That meant I had to use a substitute knee pillow that was not the same angle/depth and composition of what my legs were used to.. I went out the next day and got the correct pillow, but meanwhile, the legs started to grumble…

AND that didn’t trigger or jog my gray cells to remind me to use the magnesium cream after my shower. I allowed myself to be distracted and and and.. I didn’t do it when the thought came to mind, I put it off and of course, it got lost.. I didn’t do it at all.

This morning my body told me in no uncertain terms… “it was not happy” and I had to deal with the fall out.

No its not just the magnesium, there are of course other factors.. but all could have been better planned and executed. … “do it now” when you can, if something comes to mind, and it is something that has shown to be helpful, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING…or not doing… and act accordingly.

Our bodies are our life long companions… we should not take them for granted.

Have a good day everyone…

Oyashikiri

just because – I bought an exercise stretch band ( the idea was a good one) , help with exercising the arms/shoulders… a good stretch… did I use it.. no it hangs on the back of the door. because I searched it out, found it, brought it home.. if I don’t use it… it is not helping me… right? Right !!!!

Just because – I studied and researched .. gathered info. sought solutions.. if I don’t apply them .. I am not being proactive to my well being… right? right!!!!

exercise

Easy movements, slow, mind focused on how your body is able to move easily into the different stances. then taking the time to sit and reflect on how we are coping with the day to day opportunities that come our way. That is a personal activity that one should do daily. The world around us is busy, constantly moving, so often, we move into the day and adjust our energy to merge in and out of the constant ebb and flow of what is happening around us, Not taking into consideration the affect the jarring and the noise will have on our own peace of mind, The effects are not always positive. In making time to take 10 – 15 min. in the day to meditate, contemplate you can give yourself an energizing lift. Even 3 – 5 minutes of silence with your elbows propped on a desk.. and your chin, cupped in your hands can produce a quiet calm that gives you an energizing lift, the body/mind relaxation during a busy day can increase productivity and do wonders for YOU, YOU matter.

With a prayerful mind, put your heart into everything you do,

Even when you’ve put in your best effort, you may have overlooked something . With a humble mind, take a second look to check for mistakes or oversights.

PL2014.7

We work better and we are more efficient and effective when our energy is balanced. We feel better and are able to get a better night’s sleep when we are happy with ourselves. There is an expression, “Misery loves company” ….. ….. personally, I’m happy to let the miserable enjoy their chosen way of life.. I prefer to be happy and live with kindness and goodness in my life. it is so much more freeing.. and it all begins with a genuine smile.

Oyashikiri

sequindo

I recall a trip we took years ago.. we drove to Montana, (my previous time to go there I had flown in, and never did I want to do that again).. So my husband the planner said, “let’s drive there” he planned out the route we would take from here in Ontario (Canada) and on a lovely September day, we took off with the two dogs for Montana. The only States I had visited before this was NY, Vermont, NH, Florida, and California. We drove down into NY State and from there he took us through as many of the middle states towards Montana.. What a diverse geography the landscapes were at times “mind blowing” especially as we got closer to Montana itself. I got to see Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wyoming, Idaho and then into Montana, It was many years ago now and my husband is no longer here to tell me if I’ve missed any of the States we drove through. He promised we’d go back, I had wanted to see Arizona and spend more time exploring, but we had limited time and our goal was my friend in Montana.

What brings the trip back is stories I have been listening to that take place in the “old west” life in the 1800’s and the fact that Brian always wanted to take me away during my birthday month. His birthday gift to me was to take me to places he wanted me to experience.(He had been a journalist and media personality, his work had taken him to all four corners of the globe. I used to love listening to his adventures.. ) Now of course I have to plan and decide my own “birthday month”.. After the years of having adventures planned out for me, I confess I was spoiled.. it is an adjustment.. I find myself, part of me anyway, wanting to pack the car and take off to explore… etc… however… another part of me says, “you’ve done that… and… blah blah blah)

In PL we say ” PL Precept # 1 Life is Art ” every day is a new beginning.. a new canvas.. At the moment I have a new living space to adapt to and make my own… a new “lifestyle” ….

The Excitement of life comes from expressing your individuality

In PL we say it is important to live each moment of your life expressing your true self with Makoto (sincerity) when we can do this we will experience the true joy of self expression.” Learn to live respecting one another and working for each other’s happiness.” a lesson we are reminded of daily when we recite the PL Prayer.

After mulling about what I want to do, and simply not getting anywhere, I opened my calendar to today’s reading…and et voila…

The picture for those who are unfamiliar with the Teepe or Tipi as it is traditionally know.. is a conical dwelling many Native American Plains tribes used as dwellings.

Whatever your day brings, enjoy .. smile.. be happy.

Oyashikiri

Why do teepees have 13 poles?

According to these teachings, the poles of the tipi represent the nations of people living upon Mother Earth and form the circle of life. Each one of the 13 poles also represents a trait to be honoured, starting with the three anchor poles that signify respect, obedience and humility. (wiki)

sexta-feira

It seems easy … just sit back, relax…. let the moments come and go.

I watched a short clip today, where there is a moving ball, starts at one side of the frame, moves slowly to the top (centre) of the frame pauses and then slowly slides to the other side of the frame. The caption and voice, asks that you watch taking a slow breath, then hold when the ball pauses, then release as it slowly drops down to the other side. Lovely reminder to pause during your day, to take a moment to just stop relax for a moment before hurrying on with whatever you are doing.

So often we live our lives on automatic pilot, When I was out yesterday driving to the conservation area I frequent, I thought about how often I had done this over this years.. and how the car just seemed to know where it was going. Ottawa is surrounded by green spaces. We are very lucky that way. I found myself asking the empty space around me (in the car) why I always went to the same locations. Why with hundreds of options, did I always go where it was familiar. (didn’t get an answer)(working on it)

When finally home, I settled down for a wee nap, and turned my iPad on to listen to one of my lessons, but instead of a podcast on male *health/ psychology, a story came up about a woman pilot.. a woman who had military training … now no longer in the military she was on a commercial flight when there was an incident that required quick thinking and the skills she had acquired while in the military,

This was not something usually on my radar.. but I was tired, comfortable, my eyes closed… so I let the story unfold. I woke to a story about a woman living in the wilderness of Nevada back in the 1800 when the land was wild, and civilization sparse ,… She tended a trading post on her own, in the middle of nowhere… stepping outside when she heard movement, she found an injured wolf… the story was about how she took responsibility for the injured animal.. and the consequences of her actions. (women did not have it easy!)

Both stories were nothing I would ever have searched out, but there they were.. … both told of courage, of kindness, of persons who put the safety and what was morally right first. Made me wonder what other “stories” were being offered. Interestingly I found that there are human interest stories .. that speak of kindness and helping others in all walks of life. There are consequences in life, and we are often the creators of our own “destiny”.

Have a great day everyone.. try something different. But keep smiling.

*this is a field of its own, men do have issues and problems specific to their gender.

New day

Sometimes when the world just gets too busy – when there is no spaces in the day/night we find ourselves in “overdrive”. It is hard to think clearly when we are bombarded almost 24/7 with chores/tasks/responsibilities. The “Universe” takes over. We get sick, we fall, we have unexpected situations, we have no choice, we have to take a time out.

When was the last time, now think before you answer…. you gave yourself permission to enjoy quality time for YOU.

No, you don’t have to have that cell phone with you 24/7. No, you don’t have to reply or do something “right away” because that is always what was done. When life gets so busy, you feel overwhelmed… it is OK.. to stop, step back.. and take time for YOU. YOU matter, YOU are important, YOU count. Yes the dishes have to be done, but they can wait, they will not disappear, believe me I know.. No one sneaks into your home to do them for you.

Its cold out, its raining… the mosquitos are bad… blah blah blah. yesterday, I toured a new nursery (to me) a huge indoor greenhouse, tons of happy vegetation, lush green leaves, interesting cacti, in the outdoors area, I got to enjoy Japanese maples, Honey locust trees, evergreens in all shapes and sizes. The herb section was a paradise of delightful scented air. When there is a will there is a way.

Today it is a long sleeve sweater day. We had steamy hot … take it all off .. weather not long ago… This is what life is all about. From one day to the next, it is a new beginning.

In PL, #1 Precept is. Life is Art…. # 2 To live is to express One’s Self. # 7 Everything exists in relativity. # 16 All things progress and develop. # 18 EACH MOMENT IS A TURNING POINT

Please make time for YOU.

know someone who needs this message.. pass it on.

Saturday

“The PL 21 Precepts are the basis of the PL Teachings. the 1st precept is

Life Art

Each Precept is written in simple and clear language, but the truth revealed in their words applies universally to all humankind”

The last few weeks have been very busy for me.. my body reacted by sending a cluster headache to keep me company. I’ve had to deal with this type of headache in the past… not fun. The doctor put me through all kinds of test, eventually life returned to normal and the clusters went away.

Patience is a virtue. Yesterday I was driving from point a to point b and thought, … this is soooo nice… I was driving along a known route, the trees were budding, skies were blue.. I looked over at the screen on the dashboard, something seemed to look amiss … and it was sooooooooooooooooo quiet.

You guessed right. I had left the house without my cell. That is why it was so quiet. no music, no pinging, I was alone in the car headed into the woodlands, and no cell. I thought about, but no ,, I didn’t turn around to drive back to retrieve the cell. I decided to trust the Universe.

The quiet was actually comforting… I realized that I have become used to the distractions, and altho’ blocked out at times… that annoyance is still there. The radio plays, music is on, the news happens, but … not when you don’t have your cell with you… it was blissfully quiet.

An adopted name I have, I used it for years… in Second Life, is Qyhat Harbour. I had tried for Quiet, but the game didn’t allow it.. so I fudged the letters and spelled it Qyhat and of course being Canadian I spelled Harbour, with a .u.. so it was allowed. That was back in 2007… to this day many know me as Q…. for some reason, seeing the spelling, the name was simply too difficult for others to grasp… I began to be addressed as Q…. Qyhat is still around although, these days very much retired.

What is in a name?

Anyone have a copy of the song Com Quem Contar?

Reality

Last night minding my own business, the bitmoji ap popped up and surprised me with a new look. Hmm did I do this in my sleep, the bottom one you’ve seen before that is the one I saw some time ago when I played with the ap. The new me, well.. that was a bit of a shocker. Got me thinking.

I try to be my “authentic” self, not a filtered version of myself. The “me” I’ve become over a life time of this and that moments that have left their mark/scars… on my psyche. None of the above look like me at all, at least I don’t think so… hair short yes, Asian eyes, yes, button nose, yes, In today’s world appearance seems to be important.

Yet… somehow … when I look around what I see, I don’t think is what the world around me is really like. I saw someone going for an interview the other day for an “office” position, and the person was wearing a pair of grubby jeans and a T shirt with graphics on it. Unheard of in my day, and then this morning I read where people book appointments and don’t show up, or call last minute with an excuse .. and want to rebook because “they forgot”..!!!

Sorry I am from a generation where such disrespectful behaviour just wasn’t seen or tolerated. OH.. yes the gray/white hair, that is me. I fortunately am in a position where I can shake my head and return to my quiet life. I even thrill when I find a good detective or police story where the there is actually a believable story line and the actors are in suits and ties (men) and the ladies in actually work clothes, skirts, suit jackets, slacks maybe, sometimes. Even the bad characters wear suits, casual slacks and shirts.

But then, clothes don’t make the man/woman … do they… but life experiences do. There are videos, tapes, podcasts, etc. on everything these days, all words.

Words, words, and more words. You don’t even know if a candidate /person wrote their own introduction/resume or it was generated by AI.. I was shocked to actually hear someone looking for work, just out of school, no work experience, complain that they were expected to work for less $ than a friend who also worked for the same company but had 5 years of service and experience in that field. and, it was added indignantly they would have to commute.

Sorry a bit of a rant… but if you can shed some light on some of the comments, feel free. For myself, I will not be using AI in my sharing with you, nor do I want it in my games and interaction with friends, I am old fashioned, I believe in sincerity/ respect for one another…. as a basic requirement in communicating.

Let’s listen to others until the end

When you interrupt or interject your idea when someone else is talking you will miss out on hearing the person’s true intentions. Clear your mind and listen carefully until the end. PL2014.30

Thursday

Whether coming or going, at home or 1000s miles away, There is no escaping, who you are, or what is happening in your “head”. We cannot always be where we want to be, or be with someone we want to be with. But.. always you are stuck dealing with the ramblings and thoughts that wander in and out of your “active” mind. Someone once said to me ” I wish I was on a holiday somewhere” I asked “why?” The reply I got was “so I don’t have to deal with all this “crap” “..”won’t it be here when you come back” I asked. “Yes! but I will have had time away from it all”

Sound familiar? ever have such thoughts? Ever try that? go away… take a break … when you come back is it easier to deal with?

For myself, if something is bothering me, I deal with it. I face it, deal with it, and then “let it go!” One blogger friend, I read took a solo trip … exploring this wonderful part of State that had amazing landscapes… I very much enjoyed her pictures, her adventure… that was a breath of fresh air … I didn’t have to deal with packing, unpacking, crossing state/provincial borders, dust, heat, strange sleeping arrangements. Guess I’m getting set in my ways… hmmm you think!

Willingly take on tasks that are behind the scenes

Be the one who is able to proactively take on the troublesome tasks that no one likes and for which they are not recognized. By doing so, you will be filled with a genuine feeling of accomplishment.

Life is full of surprises, some are happier experiences than others, but part of the journey is discovering new possibilities when we least expect it… I am winding down from the “need” to get a new car when it was not in my plans, or something I wanted to do.. I took my 2019 for her last drive to our haunts in the country, I loved that car,, she was my companion ..my comfortable place to be when the road got bumpy, I hope she will be happy where-ever she lands.

Everything in life happens for a reason, no matter the season… your life is what it is…. Sh#t happens, when we have been around long enough, we know… the only way out, is to focus on the road ahead and keep moving. It is all about the journey.

PL Precept # 17 Grasp what is most Essential

PL Precept #18 Each moment is a turning point.

Love a four letter word that defies any one definition

**no matter where you are, if you have a problem that won’t go away, distancing yourself physically, will not erase that “problem” from your gray cells. You will carry it with you…it will shadow you where-ever you are.

today

What is it about today’s world. How come we are always taking selfies?

Why would one need a selfie when getting out of the tub? In fact what is the fascination with taking pictures of what we are doing, should we not be out living our lives.. interacting with other people, catching up with friends, making new friends?

I got a message the other day about storage, I realized that I had zillions of pictures… like really.. how many times do I need to see a picture of a tree, and is that the same squirrel I captured with my camera the other day… was I really going to pay to store more pictures that I may or may not ever look at again.???

Really world, time to focus on living what is left of my life. I realize that out of thousands of pictures .. only a few are really important to me.. the rest are an accumulation of moments, that I lived.. and today, this actual moment is the moment I have to deal with NOW. I am going to make a serious attempt to clear out the non essential “stuff”…

How about you? How are you doing today? Have you done something new? Are you planning something or working on something that is exciting for you? Quincy (elder cat) is wanting me to get on with this so I can finish feeding he and Quinn … She has settled in and is now letting us all know.. she is here to stay… by far, she has the loudest purr I’ve ever heard.

Yesterday I put my chair out in the middle of a clump of snow cuz that is where the sun was shining the strongest… and just sat with my eyes closed enjoying the rays… I put on my sound identifier (birds) in ten minutes it had recorded over a dozen birds who serenaded my stolen moments. It was so peaceful, I didn’t want the radio on in the car when I started my drive home.

Please slow down .. make time for YOU … get out and enjoy the world as it unfolds a new season for us to experience ..

If you are going to do it, put your whole heart into it. Your degree of seriousness will affect the outcome. Your daily accumulation of effort towards your goals shows just how serious you are.

Oyashikiri

fyi. some of the conservation areas are now barred (closed) overnight. Unfortunately the grounds are being used late evenings by people with no respect for property and the wildlife.

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