102 Habits for Positive Living

Article by Kristen Butler

Sometimes living a positive life in a world with challenges seems difficult. It can be if you don’t equip your mind, body and soul with the simple, yet powerful tools necessary to truly embrace the lifestyle of positive thinking.

Daily and weekly habits for positive living, once implemented regularly, will propel your life forward and switch the positive thinking light on more automatically.

“We become what we repeatedly do.” – Sean Covey

101 Habits for Positive Living:

1. Smile all throughout the day. 🙂
2. Get in the sunshine, when possible, at least 15 minutes per day.
3. Surround yourself with loving, positive people – both in person and online.
4. Connect with Mother Earth – Disconnect to Reconnect
5. Talk with God / The Universe / Angels / Your Guides / Your Intuition (whatever name you relate to)
6. Read something that inspires you and teaches you something new
7. Stay Active Daily
8. Do something for yourself that you truly enjoy
9. Look in the mirror and compliment yourself. Take it further – do Mirror Work.
10. Take a relaxing Epsom Salt Bath (lavender is our favorite)
11. Laugh A LOT!! We’re talking 100-200 laughs till your belly hurts. 😉
12. Help someone in need
13. Throw away worry
14. **Dream more** 🙂
15. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable sometimes
16. Check at least one thing off of your “To DONE List” every day
17. Focus on what makes you happy
18. Say “Good Morning” to anyone you pass (in the AM of course 😉
19. Cuddle with a pet or bond with an animal
20. Reflect on what you’re grateful for and appreciate often
21. Get enough sleep and take a good nap when you need it
22. Exercise MORE!!!
23. Believe in YOURSELF!
24. Achieve a goal, go after another.
25. Keep your Morals
26. Get/Give at least 5 BIG hugs a day – 10 is even better!
27. Focus, Focus, Focus!
28. Eat two Brazil Nuts for Selenium Benefits – good health and happiness.
29. Wake up and drink a BIG glass of filtered lemon water

“Everything you are used to, once done long enough, starts to seem natural, even though it might not be.” – Julien Smith

 

7 Things to Remember When You Think You’re Not Good Enough

I think that the following article is useful for everyone, not just those with mental health issues or chronic illness afflictions. Sometimes we are much too hard on ourselves and need to sit back and take a break. This is a short and important read!

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Photo by: KelseyyBarbara

“We can’t hate ourselves into a version of ourselves we can love.” ~Lori Deschene

Sometimes I am really terrible to myself and relentlessly compare myself to other people, no matter how many times I read or hear about how good enough or loveable I am.

On an almost daily basis, I meticulously look for evidence that I am a nobody, that I don’t deserve to be loved, or that I’m not living up to my full potential.

There is generally a lot of pressure to “stack up” in our culture. We feel as if there is something wrong with us if, for example, we’re still single by a certain age, don’t make a certain amount of income, don’t have a large social circle, or don’t look and act a certain way in the presence of others. The list could truly go on forever.

Sometimes in the midst of all the pressure, I seem to totally forget all the wonderful, unique things about myself.

I get stuck in my head and allow my inner critic to completely tear apart my self-esteem until I hate myself too much to do anything except eat ice cream, watch daytime television, and sleep.

The other day, while I was beating myself up over something I can’t even recall at the moment, I read a comment from one of my blog readers telling me that one of my posts literally got them through the night. Literally. And if that one simple word was used in the intended context, this person was basically telling me that one of my posts saved their life.

I get comments like these on a pretty regular basis, and they always open my eyes to just how much I matter, regardless of my inner critic’s vehement objections.

Such comments also open my eyes to all the things we beat ourselves up over that don’t matter—like whether or not we look like a Victoria’s Secret model in our bathing suit, or whether or not we should stop smiling if we’re not whitening our teeth, or whether or not the hole in our lucky shirt is worth bursting into tears over.

Lately I’ve been trying harder to catch myself when I feel a non-serving, self-depreciating thought coming on. And I may let these thoughts slip at times, but that’s okay because I’m only human.

While my self-love journey is on-going, here are a few things I try to remember when I’m tempted to be mean to myself:

 

Living with Chronic Pain

I am always saddened to read stories like this. Being born with a chronic pain illness is one thing – acquiring it as an adult is another. However, the worst has to be getting injured while trying to do something good. I know that most of you have had the thought, “What the hell? I have been a good person, I have done good things, I have/am/done… Why am I being punished this way?!” It’s a common sentiment and there isn’t always an explanation. I wish everyone well, and please let me know in the comments your thoughts on acquiring chronic pain later in life.

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Living with chronic pain: ‘I was determined to overcome the challenge life had set me’

By Ian Semmons
Last updated: Wednesday, 30 January 2013 at 3:59 pm

A few minutes some 20 years ago changed my life for ever. Trying to prevent a robbery left me critically injured and fighting for life – a broken back, shattered ankles and head injuries led to many operations, nine months in hospital followed by 12 months in a rehabilitation centre as my battered body fought to recover.

It was tough with many ups and downs along with days of despair and frustration but I was determined to overcome the challenge life had set me. A constant companion was pain at a level I had never experienced before which left me physically and emotionally drained, often getting in the way of my recovery.

It made me irritable and at times difficult to get on with. I hate to imagine what people thought although I often wondered if they really understood my pain as they could not see it or feel it. Heavy doses of medication left me feeling out of control of my life along with physical discomfort which manifested in several ways. I had this nagging believe that one morning I would wake up and the pain would be gone.

After all the injuries I had suffered in the past, I wondered why the pain was not fading away this time. My family life suffered; the inability to play with my young daughter upset me and my partner asking why I got involved in the first place contributed to wearing me down.

 

Fired Arizona Professor Aims to Resume Research on Pot, PTSD

Click here for original article (Courtesy of The Daily Courier)

7/20/2014 6:00:00 AM

TUCSON (AP) – Veterans, medical marijuana activists and scientists welcomed the first federally approved research into pot as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

But their hopes for the research were dashed when the University of Arizona fired researcher Suzanne Sisley, who undertook the study after clearing four years of bureaucratic hurdles.

Sisley, a medical doctor who also taught and researched at the university, sought the project after years of treating military vets who told her that marijuana was the only drug that helped them improve symptoms of the disorder that affects up to 20 percent of those who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

The university said it let Sisley go on June 27. In a letter to Sisley, released Friday to The Associated Press, the university says she was fired because funding for part of the work she did with the medical school was running out and because the telemedicine program she worked with is shifting direction.

Chris Sigurdson, a spokesman for the university, said the school is committed to continuing the project and is looking to replace Sisley with another researcher who can raise more money.

Sisley says she lost the job because state legislators who opposed her work had put pressure on the university – a claim the school denies.

Her study would have measured the effects of five different potencies of smoked or vaporized marijuana in treating symptoms of PTSD in 50 veterans.

“Basically ours would have been the first and only controlled study looking at marijuana effects on PTSD. There are very few randomized control studies,” Sisley said.

Sisley says the battle is not over. She is asking the university to reinstate her. If she fails, she intends to try to get another university to take on the project.

Ricardo Pereyda, an Army veteran of the Iraq war, said the end of the study is a tremendous disservice to military vets.

Pereyda, of Tucson, said his symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder – anxiety, insomnia, depression – were eased when he smoked marijuana.

“It allowed me to get some much needed rest and sleep because I was suffering from insomnia,” Pereyda said. “It reduced my anxiety attacks. It just allowed me to regain something that I had lost overseas during my deployment and allowed to me reconnect with those around me.”

Getting federal approval to research marijuana is a laborious and long process. While the federal government approves and funds many studies that look into the negative effects of cannabis, it has been reluctant to approve those that consider its positive ones.

Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance under the federal government’s Controlled Substance Act, meaning it is too high-risk for abuse and has no accepted medical applications.

“In regards to medical marijuana, the DEA of course recognizes the pain and suffering of individuals with serious illness and their need for medication,” DEA spokesman Matt Barden said. “However, the FDA has repeatedly concluded that marijuana has a high potential for addiction and has no acceptable level of medical use.”

Marijuana research advocates argue that if the federal government were to allow and fund medical marijuana research on a large scale, it would have the evidence it needs to reclassify the drug.

“It is unequivocally a situation you would describe as Catch-22,” said Malik Burnett of the Drug Policy Alliance. “Basically the Drug Enforcement Administration and the National Institute of Drug Abuse tandem to put tremendous amounts of barriers to conducting cannabis research.”

 

Chronic Pain is About Being Afraid

This article is simply a good read-and-share. Let everyone you know and trust read this in order to further understand the life we sometimes live. It may help in their understanding and patience.

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Click Here for the Original Article (Courtesy of stuff.co.nz)

GUNNAR COTTLE

HIDDEN FEAR: Chronic pain means never knowing how well you’ll be able to function.

I have a broken back, nerve-damaged knee, arthritis and to compound all that, obesity – a direct byproduct of the injuries and severe depression that came along with them.

I wrote this when someone near to me said she couldn’t understand what I went through on a daily basis, but wanted to.

I hope this help others who suffer chronic pain explain it to their loved ones. This may not be how it is for everybody but it seems true for many, judging by the responses I’ve had.

What is chronic pain?

 

For Pain Patients, the Physical and Emotional Are Intertwined

This is a great article to pass along to friends and family. While we (those with a type of pain affliction), know and sometimes even understand what is going on with our body, we truly suffer from multiple directions. Not only are we stuck with the pain, we are also stuck in our own heads with what to do with this knowledge. Pain, being an invisible illness doesn’t help us in the least. It is impossible for us to relate the measure of our pain – either physical or emotional. There is no way for those without pain to relate to us, and in most cases pain can cause a wedge in relationships. It is exceptionally difficult to keep up with the daily grind and pretend like nothing is wrong. Hopefully this article can shed some light to those you choose to share it with. Another excellent resource to share with friends and family is: butyoudontlooksick.com run by a phenomenal silent-illness advocate (Christine Miserandino).

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Click Here for the Original Article (Courtesy of healthline.com)

Written by Shawn Radcliffe
Published on July 28, 2014

Areas of the brain that process physical pain share real estate with our emotion centers, making a multipronged approach to pain treatment essential.

No doubt many people suffering from chronic pain have heard the phrase, “It’s all in your head.” The reality is that all pain — whether caused by a broken leg or fibromyalgia — is processed in the brain, right alongside parts of the brain that regulate emotions.

This overlap between emotion and pain, however, is not a roadblock to better health. Instead, it can provide a pathway for people to gain control over their chronic pain.

“I’ve found that being positive and optimistic, staying hopeful, and really focusing on helping other people has been a wonderful way to get through it,” said Ashley Boynes-Shuck, a blogger and health advocate from Pittsburgh, Pa. She has been coping with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and chronic pain since she was ten years old.

Pain and Emotion Share Real Estate in the Brain

 

Website Changes Coming Soon!

I will be adding newer and more relevant content in the coming weeks as well as changing the layout of the site a little. I will be pulling more info from not only reputable news sources, but through blogs on the same topics. Stay tuned as this blog becomes a better user experience for YOU! Please check out our new image page titled, “Spoonie Images“. This will be a personal repository of images that are related to Christine Miserandino’s Spoon Theory.

 

Germany Allows Chronic Pain Sufferers to Grow Their Own Cannabis

This seems like a phenomenal idea. This allows the patient to put their care into their own hands. I wish America would follow suit on this. Cultivating your own medicine and regulating your dosage allows for a sense of control usually lost on patients who use medical marijuana for legitimate purposes.

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Article courtesy of Fox News. Please click here for original article.

Published July 22, 2014

(REUTERS/Andres Stapff)

A German court ruled on Tuesday that some people suffering from chronic pain should be able to cultivate their own cannabis “for therapeutic purposes”.

Five people suffering from chronic pain brought the complaint to a court in Cologne after Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) refused them permission to grow the plant at home.

The court said the BfArM had to reconsider three of the requests that it had rejected.

While the plaintiffs all had permits to buy and consume cannabis for therapeutic purposes, they wanted to cultivate their own because they could not afford to purchase the drug and their health insurance did not cover it.

 

Illinois Legalizes Medical Marijuana For Children With Seizures

I am glad that finally someone has discovered the sense to act on this. Illinois has now legalized medical marijuana for children with seizures. I thought that this would have take much longer to come to fruition – it has been hard enough to legalize MMJ for adult use! I am interested to see where this goes. I am just glad that children are now getting the relief they need.

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Posted: 07/20/2014 5:29 pm EDT Updated: 07/20/2014 5:59 pm EDT

The highly-rated strain of medical marijuana ‘Blue Dream’ is displayed among others in glass jars at Los Angeles’ first-ever cannabis farmer’s market at the West Coast Collective medical marijuana dispensary, on the fourth of July, or Independence Day, in Los Angeles, California on July 4, 2014 where organizer’s of the 3-day event plan to showcase high quality cannabis from growers and vendors throughout the state. A vendor is seen here responding to questions and offering a whiff of the strain | FREDERIC J. BROWN via Getty Images

July 20 (Reuters) – Illinois children and adults with epilepsy will soon be allowed to use marijuana to ease their symptoms under a law signed on Sunday by Democratic Governor Pat Quinn, the latest in a series of measures loosening restrictions on cannabis by U.S. states.

The move to add epilepsy and other seizure disorders to the list of conditions legal to treat with marijuana or its extracts comes as numerous states have made medical use of the drug legal. Two states, Colorado and Washington, have legalized its recreational use.

 

walls around my body