September is National Suicide Prevention Month.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. 

Please help share these resources, as you never know whose life you might save. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255 or online at: 

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/




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It's Really All About You. No Excuses.

Focus on Reality.  You Can Only Ever Change You.

The current social and political climate has become violent and toxic.  The fighting and the angry rhetoric have to STOP, folks. It ALL SOLVES NOTHING. Posting defamatory Biden posts, hate Trump posts only says that you're interested in creating constant negative chaos and fear. NO ONE EVER CHANGED THEIR MIND BECAUSE YOU BEAT THEM SENSELESSLY ABOUT THE HEAD AND FACE with angry rage and attacks.

What have you done today to make the world a BETTER PLACE, instead of seeing everyone who disgrees with you as the enemy?

I am FED UP with all the political infighting, especially in Congress. Our most trusted institutions play patty-cake with our lives like 2 year olds on the playground fighting over the next one on the slide.

Violence is violence, no matter what form it takes, and it is wrong, wrong, wrong. If you are posting Hate Memes it is wrong. Hate speech is wrong. If it's violent, then it's NOT a protest.

The POTUS is just as guilty as Nancy Pelosi. Period. NO EXCUSES.

I wake up every day and ask God to Forgive ME. That's right, me. Forgive me when my Ego runs wild. Forgive my past misdeeds. Forgive my short comings. My defects of character. Forgive my inability to forgive myself or others when I am angry, hurt, or scared. I ask for forgiveness when I do stupid things, say stupid things.

And then I ask for help. Because I understand one very basic thing about life. See, it's not about you, it's about ME. How am I going to choose to live in this short space I have here, this life? I cannot change one single person in this world, but with God's help, I can change me, who I am, who I WANT TO BE.

And this has made all the difference, God has given me a peace beyond all understanding, and fortitude to persevere in this tumultuous time. A space to bring love and joy to my elderly father, and peace to my neighbors and friends.

So... I invite you to try something different. Focus on what's wrong with YOU, instead of everybody else. Fix that, and see what's happens. Focus on gratitude, and what's right about the people around you. I guarantee you will make miracles.

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Practicing Peace in Times of Chaos

Practicing Peace - Thriving in Difficult Times and Chaos
There seems to be a spike in crime, anxiety, and depression ...

Every one, please keep your cool, call a friend, do some yard work, spring clean, meditate, BE KIND.  I know what I have to do when I get this Stressed. I have to TUNE OUT and find my center.

I turn EVERY THING OFF - people, news, FB, the phone, etc.
I make no apologies ... this is my anxiety management. I come back to center and meditate.

The thoughts in my head are my worst enemy ... FEAR will run rampant, if I let it.

When I become still ...

I hear the songbirds singing, the rain sounds soothing, the Earth is waking up ... the sun came up, the world is still turning ...

No one is complaining and I find myself again, my strength, my inner core, my ability to heal, my belief that all is as it should be and every one is my teacher, not the enemy.

I set my intention to believe in the best of everyone and LET GO OF WHAT I CANNOT CONTROL.

All of this takes PRACTICE.  Because ... We become what we practice.
And yes, the Inner Peace I take time to cultivate, takes over in time.
And no, this doesn't mean I run from my feelings.

I acknowledge how I feel, then I practice maintaining inner calm; instead of ruminating or hypnotizing myself into a state of panic, which I can easily do.

You can manage your emotions and even thrive during difficulties, but you have to be
willing to practice and not let your emotions take over and your imagination run wild.

If you want peace, you must practice peace. Try it. Make it your mission to master peace
in this time of trial.

Miracles, Truth, and Cultural Narcissism

Cultural Narcissism and Illusion
We must come to understand that fighting and arguing, (especially on FB and social media) about politics (or what have you) is just an addiction born out of the Cultural Narcissism this country suffers from; egos out of control and power struggles that render all parties drained and impotent to find workable solutions to the difficulties we all face. Marinating in confirmation bias only robs us; as we become crystalized in our own limited versions of reality, that is merely a self-created illusion. Worse yet, we become unteachable, incapable of learning from the opposition we so vehemently lash out against.  Confirmation bias is a trick of mind.  The Ego needs to be "right" and so justifies self-deception and lying to ourselves about how true our beliefs actually are.  We believe what we want to believe, see what we want to see, all so we can rationalize the righteousness of our actions.  We create projections about what we believe to be true and create distorted illusions we believe are reality, instead of realizing we merely see portions of a larger truth.

There is more to the story.  Living in the Illusion of Self-Righteous Brawling is a waste of our precious time, something we have so little of.  Real truth lies in the ability to hold both sides of any issue equally balanced in your mind, and see the validity of both sides. True Enlightenment comes when we realize that, "To know, is not to know."  To think and behave as if we are omniscient beings is folly.

Miracles and Truth
From this comes real freedom. The freedom to choose a course of action based on our intuitive and true understanding of any situation; instead of knee jerk reactions founded on "labels" and subconscious conditioning. We understand that things are not what they appear to be and we become open to new possibilities because our perceptions of what we see before us are clear and unclouded by bias. We are free to choose the best possible action for ourselves and how to spend our limited time. We become free to embrace unforeseen potential in a realm of thought unfettered by ego power struggles and the limitations of proving, "I'm right and you're wrong.", which in reality is subjective anyways. In truth, everyone is right and everyone is wrong, according to our individual prejudices and illusions.

Miracles happen when we can suspend our beliefs about what we believe to be " ultimate truth" and arrive to live comfortably in the great unknown for the true source of all understanding. Only then can the "unseen" become "seen"; the unknowable become known, and we are free to see beneath the surface limitations of faulty perceptions to a deeper core of reality.   We intuitively find answers and arrive at solutions we were blind to, yet were so obviously there.


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Gratitude Update - Breathe, Smile, and Move


If money is your God right now, then I assure you - you will be miserable.  If gratitude is your mindset, then you'll see the futility of worry and anxiety and entitlement in our present situation.  NO AMOUNT OF MONEY is going to bring back a loved one lost to this illness  or make you well, if you contract the pneumonia that this virus sets up in the lungs fast and you can't breathe, and the hospitals are full and there are no ventilators.

This corona virus flu is HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS, spreading rapidly for reasons still unknown.  It has the potential to wipe out our health care system - so please, STOP thinking you are entitled to go out and have a good time just for the sake of a good time because you think you won't get sick and stop worrying about your damn pocket book and selling off stocks in a panic.

Stop your belly aching and whining, and get grateful that you have the basics right now and are healthy and alive.   This too shall pass ... You can live on potatoes and beans and rice for a few weeks, and shed a few pounds you don't need anyways, and rebuild your life when this is over.  I am tired of listening to all you spoiled brats and whining cry babies.

When all else fails, breathe, smile, and move ...

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Nightly Healing

Healing as a Meditation Practice

Before I go to sleep each night, I meditate - a healing meditation for certain people I know who are in need of healing.  You may not even know that you're on my secret list or you might be a close friend or associate or maybe someone I've had conflict with.  I do this practice nightly to offset the constant negativity of the news, politics, or disgruntled individuals I may encounter.

It is my choice to decide how I project my thoughts and intentions onto the world and no one can take that from me.  At the end of the day, it is my choice to bring thoughts of healing to my unconscious mind, instead of fear and agitation about things over which I have little or no control.  The World will be what it is, with or without me.  But the mantle I choose to carry with me in my being is my sacred possession and I alone am responsible for that energy.  My secret meditation list remains that, my anonymous gift to myself and others that keeps me free of the toxic negativity that can be so damaging in the World.  Try it.  I guarantee you will garner some amazing results.



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About Suicide, Mental "Ilness" & Mental Health Stigma

Mental health stigma still has us in the Dark Ages

Boot Straps Stoicism has killed more people than anything I know in the form of alcoholism, addiction, suicide, and the long slow death of denial and PTSD.  Depression, anxiety, and PTSD are not illnesses to be scorned or defects of character - they are neuropsychological responses to extreme stress in numerous forms that affect every one differently and are NOT to be shamed by ignorant bystanders who would lay judgments on people struggling. 

While it's getting better, mental health stigma still persists like a bad dream, even today. So, while addiction and suicide rates climb, competent qualified mental health professionals are at a premium, and often difficult to find in rural areas and small towns.  Good mental health care can be found if you know where to look.  The search is worth the effort, and this blog has a number of links on our home page to get you started.

Self Help Strategies

 

If you are struggling with mental health symptoms and are uncomfortable seeking a therapist, counselor, or life coach, then get out a notebook, and START WRITING.  Write whatever comes into your head, don't censor it and UNLOAD.  When the paper owns it, you'll be able to look at it and see yourself more clearly.  This is the first step to well being.

No one knows better than you do what you are thinking and feeling, and the pen and paper are your vehicle to clear the channel, especially if you are bogged down in hopelessness, feelings of despair and raging emotion.  Remember, suicide is permanent, and feeling wretched might feel like it will last forever, but if the paper becomes your friend, then you can process those feelings and move thru them.  Being emotionally stuck is like being constipated, something has got to come out.
 

What about online coaching & therapy?

Studies have shown that online therapies can be quite effective in those dealing with suicidal thoughts. Even texting can be an effective intervention. What's important is reaching out for help, instead of suffering and staying stuck because it seems like there's no where to turn.

Below are some links to some interesting scientific articles on suicide prevention.  If you're feeling over whelming symptoms of distress, as outlined below, please seek professional mental health care.  There's no need to stay miserable and suffer endlessly alone!

 

Suicide Prevention and Texting - Easier Than You Might Think

Text Following Hospital Discharge Suicide Intervention 

 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5745353/

 

 

New Year!! Oh, Dear!!

New Year's Resolutions - What's that all about?

Check back soon for the New Year's Blog post ...

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