Blog post #2 (Week 3)

Physical well-being: I definitely rate low on the poll for this one. I have lost a significant amount of weight but I have a long way to go. I'd rate myself at a 2. I also rate myself at a 2 because my seizures are so out of control.


Spiritual well-being: 9 for sure! I am a pan-spiritual person meaning that I embrace all different beliefs and ways of spiritual thinking. I attend an inter-faith church that is a home for queer spirituality and it is there that I have really found myself and have allowed myself to let go and connect with the one who I call God.


Psychological well-being: I'm at an 8 here with plenty of room to grow. I love my life and I have an amazing circle of friends who are always there to support me. I do however become easily frustrated which makes already stressful situation worse than what they need to be.

My goals would be to just continue to grow in each area. Life is a constant learning process that never ends, so it's best to remain open to change. I continue to get plenty of exercise, eat healthy, take vitamins and herbs to control my seizures (I just started this), attend a church that accepts me for who I am, continue on my spiritual walk and I meditate every day to help me relax.

My experience with the relaxation exercise was peaceful. I listened to the tone of the speakers calm voice and allowed myself to be centered and focused on my breathing. Now I'm ready to face my day. :)

For the Love of Pickles, just Relax! :)

I'm sure that most of you remember the childhood game "Pickle in the Middle", right? It involves a ball, three people with two on opposite ends and one in the middle. The people on the end throw the ball back and forth to each other while the one in the middle tries to catch it. When I was little I spent hours playing this game with my friends but I always ended up in the middle. I was shorter than most of my peers, so I would spin in circles, jump as high as I could and stretch my arms as far as they could go but I was never able to catch the ball which left me feeling frustrated and unable to win the game.

The art of relaxation is difficult for an adult to master, so think about how much more difficult it must be for a child. Had I known back then what I know now, I probably could have taken a few deep breaths, relaxed, jumped up and caught the ball with little effort. Pickle in the Middle reminds me a lot of life in general because all too often we get stuck in one place and it causes us to panic. Have you ever thought about taking a deep breath and accepting that the "situation is what it is"? By doing this you are able to accept that life is not always perfect and in that relaxed state of mind, you will find the courage to overcome the situation through the power of positive thinking.

I know that I make it sound easy but I know for a fact that it's anything but easy! The other day my family went to the beach and we took my seizure alert dog, Zoey. Zoey is my BCF (best canine friend) and I love her to pieces but she is still a rambunctious puppy and sometimes she can be a little trouble maker. It was her first time at the beach and she just loved the water but unfortunately she also loved digging in the sand and barking at other dogs. I started feeling overwhelmed knowing that I was going to be stuck here all day and it once again left me feeling like I was trapped in the middle unable to catch a break. We packed up our things and found something else to do that day but I know that the situation could have been handled differently and taking some deep breaths would have been a great start. ;)

Today was a busy day, so when it came time to relax I decided to jump right into homework. I enjoyed the relaxation exercise so much that I did it twice! After I finished I felt refreshed and ready to move on to my next task with more energy. When I did this exercise I lit candles, turned on my fountain, sat on the floor and allowed myself to enter into relaxation in full body, mind and spirit.

I'm still that "pickle in the middle" but I'm ready to relax now, catch that "ball" and teach others how to do the same.