• Home
• Music
• Entertainment
• Design
• Books
• Technology
• Help/Environment
• Wellness
• Life Banter

Going Oprah on you today, with a post about keeping peace in your life.

First of all I recommend removing the toxins. I'm not just talking about your physical toxins which you can flush out of your body, but the toxins in your life which drain you emotionally. I understand it is easier said than done, but it is necessary. There are some people who bring you down and you know it. There's that person who 90% of the time has nothing positive to say, they complain about everything, they suck the energy right out of the room. Those people are not going to change and you need to be the one to remove them from your life. It will help you in ways you never though imaginable.

If you're not sure you need to remove those people toxins then ask them. Be straight forward with them, because we're all different and they might not realize their impact.

"We often figure that other people see the world in the same way we do and overestimate the degree to which they understand our approach and actions. Rather than making assumptions, ask for clarification; even ask about their intention to harm you ('Did you realize when you did that, it affected me in this way?' They might not be aware of it). Be willing to take the first step in opening up such conversation. Also, when we think we'll be rejected, we tend not to smile, we make less eye contact and stand farther away. The other person may perceive these gestures as a brush-off. Go out of your way to say hello. Or smile or make eye contact. We have to take a deep breath and try to recognize that we all feel anxiety. Go in and learn."
— Linda Tropp, PhD, director of the psychology of peace and violence concentration at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Next, to show that you're listening, occasionally pause and rephrase the other person's point ('It sounds like this is what you're saying'). Once they're done talking try to make your point ('Here's my perspective; do you see where I'm at on this?').

Most importantly, if open commuincation isn't working then be strong enough to realize you must walk away from this person; even if they are family. You cannot become part of something co-dependent. You will be enabling their toxicity and they will be breaking you down. What good can come from this?

Labels: communication, Emotional, toxic people

Do you know someone who has been diagnosed with psychiatric condition called borderline personality disorder (BPD)?

People who suffer from BPD show erratic mood-swings and find it difficult to trust and understand the motives of others. As a result, they suffer from fraught personal relationships with friends, colleagues and partners.

Brooks King-Casas at Baylor College of Medicine has researched possible activity in the brain that might reflect BPD behavioural tics. Specifically, he searched for areas which respond differently in healthy and BPD brains, in response to the size of the investors' investment. He found one - the anterior insula.

The insula has increasingly become the focus of attention for its role in body representation and subjective emotional experience. Functionally speaking, the insula is believed to process convergent information to produce an emotionally relevant context for sensory experience.

Other psychological studies have suggested that this part of the brain plays a role in assessing fairness, and it has a particular propensity for reacting to injustice. In ultimatum games, where one player offers a share of a pot and the other decides whether to take it, the anterior insula is most active when offers are low and when players reject. When people watch someone else being punished, their anterior insula is most active when the parties are punished after apparent fair play, and least active when the person actually cheated.

Regular meditation has been shown to thicken the cortical region of the brain. This region is related to somatosensory, auditory, visual and interoceptive processing. Regular meditation practice may also slow age-related thinning of the frontal cortex. Who knew meditation may be associated with structural changes in areas of the brain that are important for sensory, cognitive and emotional processing?

It is amazing how the brain works isn't it? I always say if we understood our brains better and could somehow work on fine tuning our use of our brain imagine all we could do.

Labels: borderline personality disorder, brain, Emotional, neurology

Should I be insulted when I open a gift and the item on top is a bar of soap called "Demon in the Dark." The ticket stated I could wash away my inner demons. And I thought to myself, how did this sender know I had demons to cleanse myself of!?

The package ended up being from my brother and his girlfriend Jada. They sent a whole set of stress relieving/relaxation goodies from Lush.com.

Lush hand makes all of their cosmetics, soaps, haircare, etc. They have crazy names for their products and colorful packaging. All of the products are made with fresh, natural ingredients and are not tested on animals. In case you are wondering what kind of fresh ingredients, here is a quick list:

coconut
seaweed
strawberries
papaya
ginger
lemon
blueberries
wheatgrass
avocado
fresh mint
ocean salt

The gift package I received is called "Serenity." It is, "For people who are finding it difficult to achieve a bit of peace and quiet in their lives; the Serenity box brings you Lush products with calming properties for your hands, body or head - everything you need to spoil yourself rotten."

Perfect!

Thanks guys. It was very sweet of you to think of me and my well being. You didn't have to do that, it was quite a surprise and I really appreciate it!

Labels: Emotional, Gregory, herbal, Jada, mental health, natural, soap

When you don't know what to do in an emotional situation things can get pretty tense. This is heightened when there is tension between you and a loved one.

I recently read about a Seattle couples therapy or in some cases it is for whole families. The sessions are held with Brien R. Wood, MA, MHC, MFT.

He is devoted to helping couples and families improve strained communications. His philosophies stem from research that shows "couples with well functioning relationships are less likely to get physical illnesses like cancer and heart disease, have stronger immune systems, and increased ability to handle stress and anxiety. Long term committed relationships are hard work, worth the effort, and provide a safe haven in a complex and uncertain world."

He will help you to "explore the benefits and limitations of your habitual ways of responding to the environment and experiment with increasing your power to choose behavior, and ability have deeper and more meaningful interactions with yourself and others."

Communication is key. It is not wrong to seek a third party to help you with learning better communication techniques. In fact, it shows you are mature enough to admit you may not know it all and responsible enough to do something about it. =o)

This post has been sponsored.

Labels: Emotional, Mental, therapy

The relaxation response is a state that is opposite to the stress response.

Learning what to do to make your body trigger relaxation could improve your overall health. It is possible to be taught how to better manage the negative effects of stress and reduce stress-related symptoms.

Technique for meditation:

How to Do It

1. Find a quiet place and sit in a comfortable position. Try to relax your muscles.

2. Close your eyes.

3. Choose a focus word, phrase, or prayer that has special meaning to you, is firmly rooted in your belief system, or makes you feel peaceful. Some examples are "one", "peace", "The Lord is my shepherd", "Hail Mary full of grace", or "shalom".

4. Breathe slowly and naturally. Inhale through your nose and pause for a few seconds. Exhale through your mouth, again pausing for a few seconds. Silently say your focus word, phrase, or prayer as you exhale.

5. Don't worry about how well you are doing and don't feel bad if thoughts or feelings intrude. Simply say to yourself "Oh well" and return to your repetition.

6. As the time comes to a close, continue to be aware of your breathing but sit quietly. Becoming aware of where you are, slowly open your eyes and get up gradually.

There are classes you can take in Massachusetts at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine. You can also learn more about the relaxation response at their website.

Labels: Emotional, Meditation, Mental

You may or may not know me, but I think a higher being intended for me to be a nurse. I'd love to be, truly, but I'm far too emotional for such a job. I would befriend every patient and carry all of their pains with me. I would bring it home. Not the job for me.

However, I am always sick and so I have learned what it is like to be a frustrated patient. But thanks to my son, Braeden, I have also learned a great deal about our immune systems.

Braeden has an IgA Immune Deficiency. Basically, this means that his IgA immunoglobulins are lacking and his mucous membranes are far more susceptible to picking up a cold or a virus or really anything he could touch and breathe. The annoying things like colds, stomach bugs, sinus infections, ear infections, bronchitis, etc. He has asthma, he has had tubes in his ears, he has had several x-rays and cat scans. He sees doctors all the time and has made good friends with most of them. Braeden is three years old, he will be four in October of this year.

In the past 12 days, Brae and I have been to a doctor's office or lab a total of seven times. This is more than usual, but not necessarily atypical. We are currently waiting for blood work results and a TB reading and those tests are stemming from having found a lump on the left side of Braeden's head.

Me. I get sick a lot, too. Because my son is sick a lot. You see how that works. I have Multiple Sclerosis and was diagnosed when I was 21 years old. I am currently in remission. I also suffer from a chemical imbalance which causes severe depression. Thanks to great people in my life, talk sessions and medicine I have been able to regulate that and am moody still...but definitely far more balanced.

Why am I telling you all of this?

I wanted to create a Wellness section for BRING ME UP and I wasn't sure how to explain why. But those are the reasons why. I am faced with new health issues constantly and am always looking to learn more about them.

In this section I hope to post news on all realms of wellness whether it be physical, mental or emotional. It's important for people to realize that you are allowed and encouraged to talk about your health. There is no reason to feel any sort of embarrassment or shame. We all have bodies that run on chemical reactions and none of us are built perfectly.

And so without further adieu.

Welcome to Bring Me Up: Wellness.

Labels: Braeden, Emotional, IgA, Immune System, Mental, Physical