and, not only are you right in a conversation with your husband, but, in describing how you are right you also get to utter the phrase,
“I blame the raccoon.”
Look! Some Shiny New Things!
This is just a quick note to update you on some of the cool new things being offered by the people who’ve been featured here in the “A Little Bit Of Soothing Wednesdays” series.
1. Heidi and the Aardvark have released a new potion , “Presence: Curiosity + listening = Magic! Wear Presence and watch the world change, without forcing, without pushing or pulling anything.” They have also introduced their new line of Pulse Point Potions:
“Pulse Point Potions are 10 ml. (1/3 oz.) of concentrated potion that you can roll onto your wrists, neck, collarbone or wherever you want their magics. Pulse Point Potions are no muss no fuss to apply, and, given their size, easy-peasy to unobtrusively carry in your pocket.”
Click here to read my original interview with Heidi.
2. Lisa B., of Zen At Play has a new, free ebook out titled “23 things you might not know about you“; “a love note of encouragement to your glorious self,” and “A gathering of wise, gentle nudges to remind you of your magnificence, your sense of possibility, your beauty and your truth.”
Click here to read my original interview with Lisa.
3. Life Coach, NLP Practitioner, Hypnotherapist, and All-Around Awesome Babe Shannon Wilkinson now has a gorgeous new home on the Internet at Perception Studios. net. She has also started offering Monthly No Cost Group Coaching Calls on the second Tuesday of each month. Says Shannon,
“During the call, I’ll cover a specific topic, share some strategies to help you coach yourself out of the stuck place, then I’ll take questions and do some live coaching. At the end of the call you get to relax as I guide you through a perception shifting experience.”
Here are the scheduled topics so far:
- May 10: Overcoming Overwhelm (**this call was recorded and is available for purchase on the website**)
- June 14: Moving through Inertia
- July 12: Power of Perspective
Click here to read my original interview with Shannon.
4. The next “Bite The Candy” with Cairene MacDonald is scheduled for Thursday, June 30. You can find out more information as well as sign up right here.
Clilck here to read my original interview with Cairene.
5. The first installment of the next book in the Amnar series by Isabel Joely Black, “Amnar: The Excision” will be released on the Amnar blog tomorrow. You can also purchase the three previously released books in the series on your Kindle.
Click here to read my original interview with Joely.
6. Andrea Schroeder has opened up the next session of her Creative Dream Incubator. Due to a mix-up on dates, she is extending the registration until Wednesday, June 1 at noon CST.
And she is also offering the first session of the Creative Journal Magic e-course ( http://www.creativemagicacademy.com ) starting on June 13.
Enjoy!
A Little Bit Of Soothing Wednesdays: Creative Journaling Magic With Andrea Schroeder
Today, in this week’s installment of my series dedicated to sharing some things I’ve found that help me to feel a little more comfortable when I’m having a Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad, No Good Day, I am excited to be featuring Andrea Schroeder, Creative Journaler Extraordinaire.
1. Hey, Andrea, and welcome! Thanks so much for coming to visit with us today! Now, I know you have a few different sites and many different offerings. Could you give us a quick overview of all the things you are up to online?
My “original” blog is here: http://www.ABCcreativity.com which is where Creative Journaling and Creative Meditation collide in sparks of Creative Magic.
My Creative Dream Incubator blog is here: http://www.CreativeDreamIncubator.com which is all about growing your creative dreams.
And I am starting something new – a whole Academy of Creative Magic. Right now it’s just one little thing but I will be growing it over the summer:
http://www.CreativeMagicAcademy.com
2. How long have you been doing this kind of work? What are some of the ways it’s changed your life?
I’ve been doing this kind of work, like as work I do for other people, for about four years.
I’ve been doing this kind of work, like as in using these tools for working on my stuff, for about fifteen years.
And I don’t know that I could possibly list every way it’s changed my life. It’s been so magical and amazing and that’s why I am so passionate about sharing it with others.
The main thing is that it helps me be more me and believe in me. It’s helped me to break through limiting patterns and beliefs and make big sweeping positive changes in my finances, my health, my self esteem and my career. It’s helped me to be a heck of a lot happier.
3. What do you hope that other people receive from what you do?
Above all I want to help them believe in themselves and believe in their dreams. Because when you’ve got that – everything is possible.
4. Have you ever used what you do in the context of art therapy, or working with people like us who live with long-term health challenges?
I have never done a course specifically for people with long-term health challenges, but I have certainly had people with all sorts of health challenges participate in my courses, and as private clients. What I found is that people who are suffering from something can really benefit from that little bit of relief that comes when you’re in that bubble of creative magic.
A big part of my training does involve healing work, and I have worked with clients and help them activate their body’s innate ability to heal. I have had some dramatic results, (You can read about that here: http://www.abccreativity.com/2011/02/09/new-thought-healing-practitioner/ ) but I don’t present myself as someone who does this, as there are no guarantees. But I would eventually like to do an online creative journaling course on healing work (I have done these in person).
5. Bearing in mind that we are generally dealing with some kind of pain, or fatigue, or other illness-related limitation on any given day, could you maybe give us some suggestions for a very easy way to make some art a la Andrea?
The real magic in my creative work comes from me being where I really am. Writing how I’m really thinking. Painting what I’m really feeling.
So I would suggest starting right there. Write out what sucks. What hurts. What is annoying.
Really get in touch with how it feels. What colour is it? Paint over your words with that colour. Scribble. Add other colours in. Write some more if more words come to you.
Just take what you are feeling inside and put it down onto the paper.
Being able to see it outside of you can be profoundly transformative. It can give you inspiration and information.
And sometimes it can provide relief. Obviously you have a big and painful physical component to what is going on, and Creative Journaling is not a cure for that. But beneath that there are also many emotional things happening – like judgment and resistance and frustration. Being sick sucks and it triggers all sorts of emotional stuff. Creative Journaling can ease those parts of it, which can sometimes provide some relief from the physical components too.
6. Do you have any new or any upcoming offerings you’d like to tell us about?
I do!
I have a new session of the Creative Dream Incubator e-course ( http://www.CreativeDreamIncubator.com ) starting on May 30.
And the first session of the Creative Journal Magic e-course ( http://www.creativemagicacademy.com ) starting on June 13.
Thanks so much for inviting me over Jenny.
I love what you’re doing here.
xoxo
Andrea 
I Could Sure Use Some Of This Right Now
This Week’s Soothing Wednesday Post
Today Is International Fibromyalgia Awareness Day
I wish I could write a brilliant post to mark this day, but unfortunately all of my energy and resources are tied up in Being Really Sick Today.
So instead, I’m offering a random sampling of things to both honor all of us who suffer with this excruciating illness, as well as hopefully help increase understanding for those of you who love us and take care of us.
1. If you’d like to make a donation to help support further research on fibromyalgia, you can go to the National Fibromyalgia Association donation page. (I have nothing to do with this. I’m just pointing the way for people who’d like to donate. I get nothing from it.)
2. If you’re on Facebook you can go “like” or just check out the “May 12th – International ME/CFS & FM Awareness Day” page.
3. You can copy the two images of ribbons here and place them on your online stomping grounds.
4. You can go to the “But You Don’t Look Sick” website and read about The Spoon Theory, which is the best piece I’ve ever read on how to explain to someone what it’s like living with this illness.
5. You can read, “A Letter To The Normals”. I’ve seen this around the Internet in a few places, so I’m not exactly sure who the author is.
These are the things that I would like you to understand about me before you judge me…
Please understand that being sick doesn’t mean I’m not still a human being. I have to spend most of my day flat on my back in bed and I might not seem like great company, but I’m still me stuck inside this body. I still worry about school and work and my family and friends, and most of the time I’d still like to hear you talk about yours too.
Please understand the difference between “happy” and “healthy”. When you’ve got the flu you probably feel miserable with it, but I’ve been sick for years. I can’t be miserable all the time, in fact I work hard at not being miserable. So if you’re talking to me and I sound happy, it means I’m happy. That’s all. I may be tired. I may be in pain. I may be sicker than ever. Please, don’t say, “Oh, you’re sounding better!” I am not sounding better, I am sounding happy. If you want to comment on that, you’re welcome.
Please understand that being able to stand up for five minutes, doesn’t necessarily mean that I can stand up for ten minutes, or an hour. It’s quite likely that doing the five minutes has exhausted my resources and I’ll need to recover – imagine an athlete after a race. They couldn’t repeat that feat right away either. With a lot of diseases you’re either paralyzed or you can move. With this one it gets more confusing.
Please repeat the above paragraph substituting, “sitting up”, “walking”, “thinking”, “being sociable” and so on … it applies to everything. That’s what a fatigue-based illness does to you.
Please understand that chronic illnesses are variable. It’s quite possible (for me, it’s common) that one day I am able to walk to the park and back, while the next day I’ll have trouble getting to the kitchen. Please don’t attack me when I’m ill by saying, “But you did it before!” If you want me to do something, ask if I can and I’ll tell you. In a similar vein, I may need to cancel an invitation at the last minute, if this happens please don’t take it personally.
Please understand that “getting out and doing things” does not make me feel better, and can often make me seriously worse. Fibromyalgia may cause secondary depression (wouldn’t you get depressed if you were stuck in bed for years on end!?) but it is not caused by depression. Telling me that I need some fresh air and exercise is not appreciated and not correct – if I could do it, I would.
Please understand that if I say I have to sit down/lie down/take these pills now, that I do have to do it right now – it can’t be put off or forgotten just because I’m doing something. Fibromyalgia does not forgive.
Please understand that I can’t spend all of my energy trying to get well. With a short-term illness like the flu, you can afford to put life on hold for a week or two while you get well. But part of having a chronic illness is coming to the realization that you have to spend some energy on having a life now. This doesn’t mean I’m not trying to get better. It doesn’t mean I’ve given up. It’s just how life is when you’re dealing with a chronic illness.
If you want to suggest a cure to me, please don’t. It’s not because I don’t appreciate the thought, and it’s not because I don’t want to get well. It’s because I have had almost every single one of my friends suggest one at one point or another. At first I tried them all, but then I realized that I was using up so much energy trying things that I was making myself sicker, not better. If there was something that cured, or even helped, all people with FM then we’d know about it. This is not a drug-company conspiracy, there is worldwide networking (both on and off the Internet) between people with Fibro.If something worked we would KNOW.
If after reading that, you still want to suggest a cure, then do it, preferably in writing, but don’t expect me to rush out and try it. If I haven’t had it suggested before, I’ll take what you said and discuss it with my doctor.
Please understand that getting better from an illness like this can be very slow. People with Fibro have so many systems in their bodies out of equilibrium, and functioning wrongly, that it may take a long time to sort everything out.
I depend on you – people who are not sick – for many things. But most importantly, I need you to understand me.
6. You can read this interview which gives more of a scientific explanation of fibro, what we know about it at this point, and what the current treatments are.
7. Or, from my Internet friend, Jacqueline, ”
.send a virtual hug to anyone you know who may be suffering with fibromyalgia pain….it’s the best, most pain free way to show you care.”
A Little Bit Of Soothing Wednesdays: Michelle Russell And The Rogue Adrenals
Today, in this week’s installment of my series dedicated to sharing some things I’ve found that help me to feel a little more comfortable when Im having a Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad, No Good Day, I am excited to be featuring one of my recent favorite blog posts written by my friend, Michelle Russell, of Practice Makes Imperfect. Enjoy!
Molecules Charged with Conspiracy, Intent to Overwhelm
FRONTAL LOBES, BRAIN – Intracellular police apprehended several fleeing epinephrine molecules after a high-speed chase through the sympathetic nervous system yesterday, sources say. Pursuit began in the adrenal glands, where the molecules were surprised during an attempt to induce breath and heart rate acceleration, and continued up the spinal cord to the brain, where they surrendered to frontal lobe authorities.
The apprehended molecules are part of a band of roving hormones know as the Adrenalinos. Upon questioning, they divulged the existence of a much larger underlying conspiracy, which includes a plot to lure humans into overwhelm mode by providing them with a never-ending stream of self-improvement tasks to perform.
Complicit in this plot is Magic Bullet, a wanted criminal known for his aggressive attempts to coerce people into the serial use and subsequent disposal of various systems, products, methods and concepts to solve their (often deliberately blown out of proportion) problems.
Bullet, who has been operating in the neuronal shadows for many decades, has proven elusive. This is largely due to his strategy of masterminding and directing groups of independent operatives such as the Adrenalinos. He is particularly adept at working with the mass media, which regularly launch highly effective advertising campaigns for the aforementioned products and systems.
Apparently Bullet believes in his own innocence, as evidenced by a synaptic tape recently delivered to frontal lobe headquarters. Its contents reveal that he views his work as beneficial. “Because of what I do, people are always primed and ready for action,” the tape states. “I also provide a constant supply of new hope.”
But such hope is false and detrimental, claims noted habits researcher Dr. Y.U. Doothings. “Humans lose the vital component of self-trust,” he states. “They pursue a Magic Bullet item or agenda, but when it doesn’t deliver the promised results quickly and painlessly, they drop it—and then blame themselves for their inability to follow through. Self-esteem tends to sink lower and lower with every repetition of this cycle. The resulting cost to each individual organism, as well as to society, is high.”
“The best way to escape the influence of Magic Bullet is simple avoidance,” counsels Chief of Police Otto Nomic. “But that’s almost impossible in modern society. Therefore, citizens should be remain alert and aware when venturing into common problem areas, such as health and body image, personal finance, and relationship issues.
“However, false Magic Bullet claims can be found almost anywhere,” he concludes. “Remember the old saying—‘If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.'”
Meanwhile, the captured Adrenalinos have been taken into custody for an as-yet undetermined period. A formal hearing before the Superior Vena Cava is scheduled for this Thursday. Should the epinephrine molecules be willing to undertake public service activities such as parasympathetic nervous system activation or vagus nerve functional upgrades, their incarceration time could be shortened considerably.
—special report filed by Medulla Oblongata, A.P. Nervewire
Michelle Russell helps people discover what “enough” looks like to them through one-on-one coaching, online seminars and teleclasses, and her blog. She is also on Twitter as @joyfulmess .
So This Pretty Much Sums Up How My Week’s Been Going
And This Is Why No One Wants To Be A Fly On Our Wall
So the other day I was stupid (SHOCKER!).
After about 10 days of actually being able to get out of the house and go to actual, live events and interact with actual, live human beings, my fibro reared up and said, “ENOUGH!”
And so I planned a day of rest.
Which to me, of course meant, “Don’t take your pain medicine in the morning, because you will be driving yourself to the bookstore-the one that involves driving up the highway to get to-so that you can finally buy that book you’ve been thinking about for the past week. And then, five hours later, be crying and in excruciating pain. Without even having made it to the bookstore.”
Because unfortunately, as Lynne frequently reminds me, “Pain makes you stupid.” Meaning that, after your pain gets to a certain level, you truly do become unable to access your higher brain functions. And then you forget how to take care of yourself and do really stupid things like suffer for five hours with excruciating pain instead of taking your pain medicine.
And the really sad thing was that I knew that I was going to do exactly the same thing the next day, and the day after that, if I didn’t stage some sort of intervention for myself.
So I called my husband and explained the situation to him, and after he reminded me to TAKE YOUR DAMN PAIN MEDICINE ALREADY, WOMAN!, he agreed to take me to the bookstore that evening in order to preempt further stupidity on my part. Because he’s nice like that.
As he’d never been with me to this particular bookstore before, I did my best to provide him with directions, part of which included the fact that, “it’s in the same shopping center as the Best Buy.”
And while he has been to that particular shopping center before, he’d never been to that store before. So he didn’t believe me. Even though I have been to that bookstore, on multiple occasions, and so I clearly knew what I was talking about.
Finally we got close enough to see the store from where we were, but even then, when I pointed out the actual, physical building to him, he still didn’t believe me.
“Look,” I finally said in frustration, “I know what I’m talking about. They’re in the same shopping center.”
“All right,” my husband grudgingly granted me, “but when we get there, I’D BETTER SEE CONTIGUOUS PARKING LOT.”
“YES,” I declared, “YOU WILL. THERE WILL BE CONTIGUOUS PARKING LOT THERE FOR YOU TO SEE, I PROMISE.”
We are such dorks, I know. But I’m also pretty sure that no one else ever has as much fun as we do.
Today’s Hairstyle Is Called…
