Tag: WOMEN

mental health

The Importance of Mental Health

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Cranberries lead singer Dolores O’Riordan suddenly died on Monday at the age of 46.
Now for all fans of Cranberries that are some shocking news.

Why is it so significant news for me though?

Not only did I like their songs, but there is another part in the story that interests me more than Dolores’s singing. And that is the mysterious reasons behind her untimely death.

It is still very early to know all the details (if we ever truly will know) surrounding her passing, yet some information is known already.

Dolores was diagnosed with Mental health issues, called ‘Bipolar Disorder’ only just about two years ago. However, her mood changes started a long time before that. When she would have felt on the top of the world (this is called mania) at some stage (pun not intended) and it would last for about 3 months or so. After that time Dolores would fall into depression. This is a common swing of moods in people with mental disorder called Bipolar.

What interested me in the articles where I read about her passing is, that she claimed to have been TREATED for this Bipolar disorder.

How Well Are We Treated For Death?

What that can mean for someone suffering the same symptoms is that they might not have been diagnosed yet and/or treated appropriately. What I meant by ‘appropriate treatment’ will be left to your imagination.

I would love to state that there are different forms of treatment for such an illness. However, most people in our western cultures are finding the final help in the hands of a psychiatrists. In the ideal culture, these symptoms would be understood as a change of perception and a break through the belief structures of the individual.

Now, my own question is “How do we educate people well enough to be able to foresee the signs of overall change of personality? And how to best deal with it naturally, without the need for chemical substances and locking the person up from their life?”

There is still a lot of stigma associated with mental illnesses. When more people come out of the closet and start to share their story and what it actually means to deal with some form of mental health issues, we will have more general understanding of the situation and how to best be of assistance.

In the meantime, please be open to learning more about the experiences of people with mental health issues. And if you know about someone in your environment who needs help with any aspect of their mental health, please be kind enough to point them in the direction of a suitable professional help in your location.

Breathe freely.

Sources:

http://www.tmz.com/2018/01/15/cranberries-dolores-oriordan-dead-dies/

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/the-cranberries-lead-singer-dolores-oriordan-dead-at-46-20180115-h0iriy.html

 

journey to my heart

The Journey Back To My Heart

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Imagine the day has come when you are finally surrounded by everything you ever wanted. You own all the luxuries and gadgets you so long dreamed about.

Now you look at it all and ask yourself: What is the one most treasured item in my possession? And once you locate that item in your life, ask yourself another question: Is it within the power of the item to bring me the ultimate happiness? Or will it provide only a transient feeling of temporary elation?

The teachers out there teach that gratitude and still more gratitude is the new-found key to personal fulfillment and more satisfying experiences and things.

And with that another question surfaced to my mind.

Is more ‘material stuff’ ever going to satisfy our deep human needs?

There is, inside me, a subtle flame, a feeling, a sense, that this is all transient and surface level happiness. The real ‘stuff’, the true joy in life, is elsewhere.

All things that we collect and surround ourselves with, might have a practical application, a reason for being. Whether it be a tool, a vehicle, a shelter, a piece of clothing, a food, a drink etc. All of it provides a desired function. And from that function, we are rewarded with feelings of comfort, and what perhaps could even be called well-being.

Yet, unless we also feel personal connection, a feeling of acceptance and feeling of self-worth plus more of similar feelings; despite all the ‘material stuff’ there is still an emptiness inside of us.

How do we then navigate from the overstimulated desire ‘to have’ to our more subtle desire of being whole?

So how to start the journey to our heart’s true fulfilled desires?

Let’s see if I have the correct strategic answers to that…

The Fulfillment Strategy

1) Let’s start by appreciating the whole journey called life. The miracle of life is very underrated by us all. Unless we step out of our individual perspective and come to see life from a broader perspective of planets, universes and energy, we might not realize the opportunity we have been given, by being alive here and now.

2) Next, let’s start by accepting ourselves the way we are now….with any perceived flaws and imperfections we might think about at times. And without the need to compare ourselves to anyone else, even us, in the past ! (yes, that’s truly hard, I know!)

3) What you might find helpful, is this practice. Once a week, find a quiet spot, sit for a few minutes just by yourself and do simple breathing exercises. Close your eyes and put your focus on your breath. Appreciate life force for each breath you are graciously receiving. And let go of any tensions you might have accumulated in your body.

When I have some discomfort, I focus my attention on my breath. And I try to let my thoughts slide inside without grabbing them by their horns.

Once we have come to the center of our being, life seems to flow through us.

So, what do I see as the key to my living happiness and joy?

Coming home to my true self, being unique and authentic in being ‘me’ with all that comes with that package.

Relaxing in the knowing that all is transient, even unwanted undesirable feelings or worries.

As you surely would know, our past colors our present, yet might not determine our future.

All shall pass. So, with that, enjoy each breath while it’s still FREE!

Breath freely!

How Can I Have It All And Still Be Unhappy?

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I have heard it many times before, if only in my mind. What do YOU have to complain about? You have all one can ask for, and more, yet you are still feeling down at times.

How is that possible?

Yes, in my past, I had made some rather defining life choices, which led me to live in a country with almost constant sunshine all year round. That alone should keep a smile on my face constantly, if nothing else.

And then as I compare my life situation with people who live in parts of the world where there is no running water, where there is no sanitation or where there is not enough fresh food, I have to feel more blessed again.

So where is this underlying un-satisfaction coming from?

The unhappiness comes from deep down inside, where I know that there is more to me than what I’m currently exhibiting. For so long I have been fed the phrase ‘unlimited potential’ that I later started to believe it. And then the unfulfilled feelings came in.

When I developed the so called ‘mental illness’ in the later years and by being repeatedly told how serious it was, it started to affect me and eventually I started to believe it.

I started to look for and see evidence of my disabilities in my every day life. It seemed that I am not as capable as other people around me. I would see others and think to myself: I wish I was that confident. I wish I was such a good communicator. I wish it was so easy to make friends for me. I wish I had more to say. I wish I had such a good memory. I wish I could I wish I could… just be myself and be accepted.

Then I realized something important. The problem is not so much with wanting to be better than I perceive of myself. The main issue lied in the fact, that I have been craving other people’s acceptance, whereas not accepting myself fully the way I am!

As they say: ‘You can’t give of what you do not have first.‘

So on that note, here goes a fresh affirmation, to uplift my (and your if you like) self and to find the strength to be who I am, no matter what:

“I am who I am and that is good enough. I am good the way I am. There is more to me than I currently experience, and that is ok. I don’t need to be anyone different to be myself. I am full of light and I am loved. Events are unfolding according to universal principles, which I am part of. I know all is well and I am looked after on all levels. In every moment I get what I need for my Well-being and joy. All comes at the right time. I allow experiences to fill me up. My destiny is fluid and changeable. There is nowhere to go, nothing to achieve. Life flows.”

Self Image By Design

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Let the sound of your breath guide you into the Abby’s of your internal environment. Let the mind ponder, let it jump, let it slow down, just for a brief breath, let it be still. Just for a moment. And then let it move again. Slow and fast, and slow and fast. And still again for another split moment when we experience the depth of eternity.

We are often here, breathing, yet not being present. Rarely we are being in the body, when so often the inclination of too many is to escape the prevalent discomfort through the faculty of the mind. Whether it’s the discomfort of physical feelings or uncomfortable emotions, we tend to fly away with the trickster that we have been given, our mind.

Having not yet mastered the faculty of imagination to a greater extend, we steep our mental pictures in repetitive worries, rather than enabling the creativity of new ideas.

Am I talking about you personally? If it feels that way, we have something in common.

We both have been given a gift. It’s more than a simple present. It’s not been wrapped, yet its hard to see it for what it is. Its value is greater than it’s size, yet it is rarely appreciated for what it’s worth.

At the beginning, we both received a breath of life, a body to carry us around and a mind to help us navigate the maze of life.
Now, that already makes for a gift of a lifetime! Mind you, our destiny is not preset by these gifts. The breath of life, the body to go with it and the mind to keep us occupied.

Well, what then shapes our destiny, you might ask? Though these surely are components in the universal equation, the most important particle is this. An intention. Yes, our intention.

The intention that precedes the getting up from bed every morning.  The intention to go with life or go against the flow of it. The intention to continue when the going gets tough.

And one core intention, which we make unconsciously, yet which is the most profound and most influential decision that we do make about anything. That is, the intent of ‘Who we are in each given day‘. Whether that is consistent or often changing, whether that is something we like being or who we don’t like to be.

Whether we put others on a pedestal and feel inadequate in comparison, or when we put on a pedestal our own self-image of who we NEED to be, to be good enough, we do us a disservice. The persona that is on the pedestal, is the problem that we have.

Can you relate? I certainly can. My persona on the pedestal is larger than life and so it’s seemingly impossible for me to match up to it. The problem is, that while I look up at the person that I have created as an ideal of myself, the better version of myself; the gap between who I see myself as and who stares at me from the screen is so large, that it feels absolutely impossible for me to merge the gap. Ever.

That my friend, is a huge self-d’-image issue. Are you still with me? Do you have a creeping suspicion, that what you want to become and where you are now are impossible to bridge? Welcome to my personal experience. 🙂

Now, a swap of hats….this is exactly the situation for a good Life Coach.

My personal Life Coach would be here to tell me, that it’s simple a matter of clarifying my end goal and then designing a plan to get there, step by step.

That sounds simple enough, and that is because it CAN BE just that simple. Time to re-adjust my life journey…join me if you are in the same boat.

Looking for suggestions?

  • Make a moment of silence or with soothing relaxing music.
  • Close your eyes and concentrate on your breath.
  • Stay focused on your breath. In and out, in and out….
  • After about 5 -10 minutes of breathing exercise, ask yourself a question:
    “Who do I want to be and what makes this person great?”

Take a pen and paper, if you like, and write down all that comes to you after you asked that question.

Reassess your current self-image and the answered image. Make a plan of actions to reach your ideal self. Get someone to hold you accountable.

Live your life.