The Sequel!

I am so excited about this movie!! Can't wait to see it! I hate the title, but I guess they really wanted to catch people's attention. I LOVED the first movie. It changed my life.

It is in select theatres now, and it will come out on DVD (and I'm hoping Netflix) in December

Put Nightmares in Proper Perspective

I have a lot of dreams, usually every night, and they are usually pretty intense and often frightening. I'm learning about these nightmares and how to view them so that they don't bother me as much. My counselor sent me this helpful article,

"Put Nightmares in Proper Perspective"

Put nightmares in proper perspective for better sleep

A surprising number of people are often disturbed by nightmares, disturbed to the point where it affects their ability to consistently get a good night’s sleep.  Here’s a few ideas to help put nightmares in proper perspective for better sleep.
First, rest assured if you are having a nightmare that you are in fact actually sleeping, and for those with trouble sleeping that’s a good thing right there.
Dreaming is a continuous process through sleep cycles, but typically the most vivid dreams occur during REM sleep. This suggests a nightmare is normally experienced during REM sleep, which means you can be assured of several more benefits beyond the fact that you are actually sleeping.
REM sleep normally occurs at the end of much deeper sleep phases.  So if you have a nightmare, you are in fact benefiting from the most restorative and physically refreshing stages of deep sleep that usually precede REM sleep.
Even if the nightmare is disturbing, in balance the physical benefits you receive from experiencing deep sleep are likely far more important to your overall well being.
Second, although the exact function of sleep and dreams is still not completely understood, many sleep experts believe dreaming and especially REM dreams help consolidate memory, process events, and help re-set one’s mood for a new day.   So even if you have a nightmare you can be assured that you are in fact processing events in your life as you should be through your dreams.
Some psychologists suggest that recurring nightmares are a symptom of trauma, stress, and anxiety experienced during waking hours.   If you are experiencing unusual stress or anxiety that affects your daytime functioning, counseling can help.  In this way professional counseling might also help reduce the frequency and intensity of bad dreams.
Finally, at the risk of stating the obvious, nightmares are in fact only dreams. They are not real. Reminding yourself of this might help you let them go, be less disturbed by them, and just accept them for what they really are — including the aforementioned significant benefits.
Putting nightmares in a realistic and accurate perspective might help you say what many of us say when we experience them: “Whew, I’m glad that’s only a dream!”
Nightmares are only dreams.  They can’t hurt you.
For more sleep tips and information on ways to sleep better naturally, or if you have a sleep-related question, feel free to contact us.

Put On My "Stress is My Friend" Glasses

I watched my first "TED Talk" How to Make Stress Your Friend (I know! It's amazing that I haven't watched any before now. But I'm ok with that). This was the video, and I am SO glad I watched it. She talks about her findings being "new research" and yes, perhaps this is the first academic research conducted in this way, but these studies just scientifically prove many of the concepts I've been taught my whole life. For example, our prophet, Thomas S. Monson just spoke again about how reaching out to others blesses not only them but especially us. "Love - The Essence of the Gospel"

But I had not thought of it before in connection to my stress response, so I am very thankful for that new perspective. I have also been taught through the gospel that the way we see the world and what happens to us will largely determine our happiness. For example, in The Book of Mormon, Nephi and his family went on a very difficult journey in the wilderness. They left their home and their possessions, following a commandment of God, in search of a promised land, the new world (before Jerusalem will be destroyed around 600BC). They were travelling in the wilderness 8 years. It was a long an hard journey. They went hungry, had family strife, had children in the wilderness, had no place to call home.

Nephi doesn't pretend that it was easy. He attests that, "we had suffered many ^aafflictions and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all,"

Yet, Nephi had an attitude of gratitude. He knew that stress/trials/afflictions were a part of life, our mortal journey, and he didn't see those experiences as the enemy, but as an opportunity to see the hand of God in his life, and to develop and progress. He says,"

"And we did travel and ^awade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our ^bwomen did bear children in the wilderness.
 2 And so great were the ^ablessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon ^braw ^cmeat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings. And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and ^astrengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did ^bprovide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.... [and] we were exceedingly rejoiced... "

(1 Nephi 17 Italics added)

Nephi chose to be Grateful in Any Circumstances But his older brothers, Laman and Lemuel, see their journey and all their trials as the worst ever. They saw everything with a mental filter of negativity which magnified all their sufferings. They say,

"20 And thou art like unto our father, led away by the foolish^aimaginations of his heart; yea, he hath led us out of the land of Jerusalem, and we have wandered in the wilderness for these many years; and our women have toiled, being big with child; and they have borne children in the wilderness and suffered all things, save it were death; and it would have been better that they had died before they came out of Jerusalem than to have suffered these afflictions.

 21 Behold, these many years we have suffered in the wilderness, which time we might have enjoyed our possessions and the land of our inheritance; yea, and we might have been happy."

(1 Nephi 17 Italics added)

Who sounds like they were more happy? I'm going to pick Nephi. He took the same journey as his brothers, but yet because he saw his journey differently and remembered his purpose for taking his journey, he made the stress his friend. He let it help him grow. He saw it as a blessing. I want to be like him. I will try to be like him. I'm not perfect, but the cool thing is, neither was he! Yet he chose happiness, and so can I.

It's all about our perspective. Which glasses will you choose to see out of? I am going to choose the "Stress is My Friend" glasses.

11 Steps to Help You Face Mental or Emotional challenges

How to best respond when mental or emotional challenges confront you or those you love

"Likea Broken Vessel," Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, General Conference, Oct. 2013

 

1. Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend. As President Monson [has] said: “That love never changes. … It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there.” ⁴ Never, ever doubt that, and never harden your heart.

2. Faithfully pursue the time-tested devotional practices that bring the Spirit of the Lord into your life.

3. Seek the counsel of those who hold keys for your spiritual well-being.

4. Ask for and cherish priesthood blessings.   

5. Take the sacrament every week, and hold fast to the perfecting promises of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

6. Believe in miracles. I have seen so many of them come when every other indication would say that hope was lost. Hope is never lost. If those miracles do not come soon or fully or seemingly at all,

7. Remember the Savior’s own anguished example: if the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead. ⁵

Photo from https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/the-savior-suffers-in-gethsemane?lang=eng#gallery=

8. In preventing illness whenever possible, watch for the stress indicators in yourself and in others you may be able to help. As with your automobile, be alert to rising temperatures, excessive speed, or a tank low on fuel.

9. When you face “depletion depression,” make the requisite adjustments. Fatigue is the common enemy of us all—so slow down, rest up, replenish, and refill. Physicians promise us that if we do not take time to be well, we most assuredly will take time later on to be ill.

10. If things continue to be debilitating, seek the advice of reputable people with certified training, professional skills, and good values. Be honest with them about your history and your struggles. Prayerfully and responsibly consider the counsel they give and the solutions they prescribe. If you had appendicitis, God would expect you to seek a priesthood blessing and get the best medical care available. So too with emotional disorders. Our Father in Heaven expects us to use all of the marvelous gifts He has provided in this glorious dispensation.

11. If you are the one afflicted or a caregiver to such, try not to be overwhelmed with the size of your task. Don’t assume you can fix everything, but fix what you can. If those are only small victories, be grateful for them and be patient. Dozens of times in the scriptures, the Lord commands someone to “stand still” or “be still”—and wait. ⁶ Patiently enduring some things is part of our mortal education.

Break Free from the Past

I watched this video today about how The Atonement can Clean, Reclaim and Sanctify Our Lives. I don't think I'm digging up past things that I've done wrong as much as my subconscious is digging up or holding onto things that have happened to me in the past that have hurt. They hurt "real bad." But it's been a long time, and I need them not to hurt me anymore. I have pretty severe anxiety. I'm working through that with kind and loving people who I know God has guided me to. 

I know God has helped and healed me many times from the very things that still scare and hurt me now. I know that I need to let them stay in the past, and I need to enjoy my life as it is now, and not be afraid that the past will repeat itself or that something even worse could happen. It's debilitating. As I talked out my deepest fears with my wonderful counselor this week, she taught me that these thoughts, these deepest fears that are haunting me are really physically and emotionally and mentally hurting myself as if these terrible things were actually happening to me because my brain doesn't know the difference! That was a revelation. And I think....I know she's right. It hurts me like it's actually happening. Our imaginations are very powerful, and I want to channel that very creative imagination of mine into things that feel great, not tragic or disastrous. So, I'm breaking-free! I'm starting right now! Will this be an instantaneous transformation? No. I know that, and I won't be disappointed if it takes a long time, or if I have to do it again and again. Life is about learning. It's about the journey. Want to come with me? Let's leave the past in the past, and break-free, live in the present. Enjoy the present, and while looking toward a bright future, focusing on the here and now.

http://www.pinchmeliving.com/

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I went to the pool to start my membership today. I'll still have a once a week PT appt. with my orthopedic therapist, but I can go to the pool on my own whenever I like now. It felt really good to push my limits in a good way. I did a 50 min. workout in the pool. I was able to do 10 min. straight water jogging this time I want to increase my time by at least a minute each time I go. I'm very thankful to be at this point, and that I'm learning in so many ways.

Choose Peaceful Response, Not Painful Reaction

This is something I'm working on. I'm on the step of recognizing triggers, and trying to widen the gap between them and my reaction so that I can choose a peaceful response. It is going to take a while, but I'm thankful that I am already more aware, and I know it is helping me and will bless my life in the future as well.

Helpful, Healing Meditations

Here is a playlist of the Most Helpful Meditations I've found on You Tube, and I'll also include them separately below.

This one is excellent one to do after your morning prayer. (or anytime during the day - not at bed time)

Guided Morning Meditation 

This one would also be great for the morning (or anytime during the day - not at bed time). It would be a very good one to do in the middle of the day too. If it's warm enough, you could go recline in your car during a break and take 15 minutes to clear your mind and reset your thoughts for a super positive uplift.

Positive Meditation Uplift Your Emotions

These next two are the best ones I've found on Youtube to do in your bed right before you go to sleep. (You can also do them during the day, but I think it's best to lay down to do them.) They help me quiet my mind and send a calm restful feeling throughout my body. 

Guided Light Meditation for Beginners

and

Healing Light Energy, Full Body Scan Guided Meditation

This is the meditation that Angie Holpuch supports most. My homework for a few weeks was to do this once during the day and once at night. It was very helpful to get my mind and body to relax (although she's a bit mono-tone and the music isn't my favorite) - still a great tool though!

Physiological Quieting

and this is a CD that I HIGHLY recommend. I found this even before my diagnosis, and it was the first thing that truly started to shift my mindset and help me relax and calm my mind and body. Seriously, this is the best $9 I've ever spent on Amazon!

Stress Relief: Deep Relaxation Exercises

You can also get the individual tracks at the link above, and if you are interested in that, these are the ones I'd recommend in order of helpfulness for me for certain times:

Before bed/while falling asleep:

Flowing Comfort

Progressive Relaxation

Relaxing Restful Breathing

Guided Imagery - Floating Through Colors

Autogenics

As a rejuvination/de-stresser/energizer mid-day:

Power Nap

Guided Imagery - Inner Energy

Relaxing Restful Breathing

As an Emotional Reset:

Guided Imagery - Inner Wisdom

As you can tell though, I recommend getting the whole album. Why not? It's only as much as a Chipotle Rice Bowl with a Side of Guacamole and Chips, and we could all give that up once for relaxation, calm and a good night's sleep :)

I hope that all/any of this could be helpful to you. Please feel free to share with anyone you think it could help.