Coping with pain

I have recently been struggling with severe, crippling pain and sickness feeling in the back. It’s nothing new; I usually have been getting them every couple of months.

Remember you’re never completely alone with your pain. There are others who know exactly what it’s like to have to handle chronic/severe

At one point my physical agony was so intense I went into a state of panic and had no idea what to do with myself.

I jumped in and out of bed for no reason and just ripped my clothes off! Lol. Now when I think about it I am amused.

Today I am so much better.

I am so grateful that this ordeal is over. It made me not want to do much of anything. I lost much of my desire and really just wanted to sleep or lay around. But now I’m back and things are so much better.

Some things that helped me see it through are:

A Pain Relief meditation by meditationoasis.com

They have lots of free and great meditation mp3’s. Very soothing and helpful to calm and relax the body & mind.

Staying positive. I kept telling myself the pain will not always be this bad and will eventually ease and I tried to keep my thoughts positive, although it was very hard at some points. Reading positive and uplifting quotes on Jonathan Lockwood Huie’s page: http://www.jonathanlockwoodhuie.com/

Helped me a lot.

Physical Movement-It was really hard but moving like walking helped handle the pain. It seemed like staying in one position too long made my pain worse when I would get up.

Laughing/Amusement: Although it hurt to laugh, the laughter helped me in general. Funny pictures, jokes, Facebook pages….all helped lighten my pain.

Music: soothing and positive music helped me as well

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I hope everyone struggling with any kind of physical or emotional pain can find some comfort and coping mechanisms. I have some plans for making this blog a little bit more entertaining. I don’t know much about html stuff but I have some good content planned for entries.

🙂 ❤

Even through the pain

I have been struggling a bit with depression (for no specific reason) and some tmjd issues which have been quite severe.

It’s unfortunate but true that depression makes a person feel utterly and desperately hopeless and even the positive and amazing things no longer thrill the person.

Sometimes depression can sap so much energy and strength and desire that nothing helps the person feel better at all.

I have gotten in the habit of dwelling on the positives and letting them impact me even when I’m deeply depressed.

Not too long ago when I would suffer a severe bout of depression very often nothing could affect me to make it lift a little. There was nothing I was able to consciously or intentionally do to help me see the light and help me see it through.

But I frequently have made it a point to focus on the greatness in life no matter my mood, good, bad, or desperately hopeless.

This has helped me more often to be able to see some glimmer of hope and spark of positivity even in my lowest depth of despair and pain.

Depression has a way of leading someone to become in the habit of being pessimistic and negative even when the depression lifts. The habit has already been formed and deeply ingrained. But remember a habit CAN be undone and changed.

One of the most incredible things that have helped me are the positive songs and websites/blogs I have come across.

Even when I don’t necessarily agree with every perspective of an author or creator of a blog or website, I still get the gist of the warm message being conveyed.

Here are some pages online that have had a tremendous and positive impact on me.

These are in no specific order:

 

1.) http://www.positive-focus.com

 

2.) http://www.positivelypositive.com/

 

3.) http://www.jonathanlockwoodhuie.com/

 

4.) http://www.enlightenedmessages.com/

 

5.) http://www.csulb.edu/~tstevens/hcontent.htm

 

Number 5 is an amazing e-book written by a psych. doctor!

 

6.) http://www.lifelonghappiness.com/welcome

 

7.) http://www.inspirationline.com/

 

These pages/blogs are amazing, uplifting, positive, and so helpful!

 

I have subscribed to all of them that have a subscribe option so every single day I open my e-mail inbox and it’s full of so much positivity & inspiration. I hope everyone else will also benefit by checking all of these out! ❤ 

:-D. Keep smiling and remember there’s always something to smile about. 

🙂 

Make it a point to Smile :-) :-D <3

 

 

 

.  .  Hello darlings! Today I am making it a point to make a big leap to consciously look for the good in the day and things! Many, many days, the positive aspects jump out at me with ease and not much work is needed. But today is not really one of those days. I am feeling physically unwell, getting over the worst cold of my life and struggling with the consequences of severe lack of sleep, some mild tmjd issues, and extreme heat of 105 degrees I think and it’s taking somewhat of a toll on my mind as well. In my house and at my workplace the air conditioners feel more like broken fans and sometimes even blow hot air out. Yuck! I won’t say I’m exactly uninspired but it’s a little bit harder for me today to feel the positive. The negative is tugging at me BUT I will definitely make it a point to not succumb and to go out of my way LOOKING for and listing the positives and good in today.

Earlier today I was acting like literally a spoiled little brat. Worse than a bratty young teenager, I was kind of acting like a restless three year old toddler because of a disagreement with my dad. I was refusing to eat anything because of my anger.

Then it hit me how I was being and my negative emotions started to melt away and amusement started to creep in and I found myself laughing at myself. A 26 year old acting like a 3 year old! 😉

Now I’m at work for an 8 hour shift which isn’t bad but the heat is oh so scorching and completely uncomfortable.

   I decided to train my brain to look for and focus on the positive aspects of the day and to look for the greatness surrounding me today.

1.) I had a disagreement with my dad BUT at least I have a daddy who I usually always get along with.

2.) It’s so hot today BUT at least I have shelter and cooler weather will be here soon enough.

3.) I got very little sleep last night because of the heat BUT as I said at least it will be cooler and I can get more sleep.

4.) I have a headache and some tmj pain BUT at least it’s not unbearable or even bordering on severe. It’s uncomfortable but mild.

5.) I’m physically un-well BUT at least it’s ending and not just beginning.

Some other positives

❤ I’m sitting here enjoying the daylight and breeze softly blowing the trees, there’s stunningly beautiful deep pink flowers with vibrant green leaves in the distance outside my work window, I have my phone, friendly smiles…. 

It truly helps to look for the positive sparkling amidst the darkness. ❤ 🙂

Thanks, my loves, for all the sweet & wonderful Blog lovin’!! :-D <3

I just want to thank each and every person who reads, likes, comments, shares, or takes time just to check out my blog even if you don’t comment/like/share!! I truly & deeply appreciate it very much. I love to help & inspire others and even if my blog only reaches one person or a few, I will be happy!

I’m not very blog savvy and kind of inept when it comes to this so it’s possible I will accidentally miss or skip over some comments/likes/shares. I am very new to blogging and I use my mobile phone so I can’t see everything as on a computer. But I absolutely love love LOVE meeting people whether it’s online or in person and I love reading personal blogs about people’s lives/families/friends and inspirational/self-help blogs! If you have a blog you would like me to check out, please send me the link in a comment here (I’m not quite sure yet though how to manage comments so I may not see it just yet) or to my e-mail at Jacq04@temple.edu or facebook it to me: facebook.com/kimberly.mccarthy3

(You can request me on Facebook as a friend, subscribe, or just inbox me! 🙂 )

I will gladly check out, follow, and share your blog! I have a very strong interest in people and love all kinds of people not just ones who are extremely similar to me. And personal blogs about the sweet details of people’s lives and also ones with randomness or the theme of positivity, gratitude, and inspiration are my favorite. 🙂 <3. Please don’t hesitate to reach out and contact me. I will get back to you!

What my job has taught me/Helping Others

I work at an ice cream/water ice place making ice cream sundaes, milkshakes, gelatis, pizza pretzels, banana splits, and so much more. I work the register, make things, and serve people. I admit my job itself isn’t the most important job in the world. I’m not literally saving lives. I don’t help people physically live. My job doesn’t make the world go round for the most part. It’s not even healthy food I’m serving. Lol but it’s sure delicious!

I always dreamed of having a job helping people like a counseling job. I always wanted to listen to people, inspire people, help others, and teach them some coping skills. And I still dream of doing this someday. But after years and years of working a job serving people and coming into contact with so many various kinds of people I have come to realize how there are so many opportunities, so many ways to help people in just simple ways that may seem unimportant but are actually very important to the life being touched by this simple gesture or act or word.

Just a simple warm smile and friendly hello can turn a person’s day around. Just a simple caring question “Do you need napkins with that?” Or “How are you?” Shows compassion and concern for another person’s life and well-being at the moment. When I ask “How are you?” To a customer at work, I am genuinely interested. I care how the person is even if I cannot really help out in significant ways. I see the looks of appreciation on their faces and I hear the gratitude in their voices when I go above and beyond what is expected of me at my job. I sincerely care about the customer’s satisfaction not merely because it’s good for business but because it’s good for the person. I learned how families and young children operate. I have learned how to make it easier for a parent or guardian or any family member to purchase a water ice for their young child. Most children do not want a small water ice even if they won’t eat a whole larger one. They want a big one. When they hear a mommy or daddy or other adult ask for a small they often start screaming and crying and throwing a fit asking for the big one. So I learned to hold up the smallest cup and ask the parents if they would like that one. If they do then they say yes and the child will not know it’s the smallest. If they want the bigger one, the adult will say no I’ll take the bigger one and the child won’t mind hearing “bigger one”. I have learned that’s it’s often easier to put a small water ice into a larger cup to avoid spills if the person is walking a long distance or is a young child. I take special orders even if they are difficult. I make sure they get their money’s worth. I stay after closing to serve the last couple of people when I know others turn them away and even though it’s more work for me. My customers and my job have taught me so much. I love the looks on their faces, kids and adults alike when they see ice cream sundaes and banana splits. Their eyes light up. So my lesson is that even at “unimportant” or “simple” jobs, there are ways to reach out and warmly, positively touch people’s lives and help them everyday. 🙂 <3. I think this is one of the greatest things about living, helping others in any way possible.

The Importance of Acknowledging Gratitude

Why gratitude and consciously making a point to acknowledge it is important:

 

1.) It makes us focus and be aware of the positive in our lives. We all have good & bad. Too many of us too often let the bad take over and weigh us down. It’s so often so easy to get caught up in the stress and negative of life. So consciously and intentionally making a list of the positives and even negatives that we are grateful for can train our minds to live gratitude as a way of life and it will seep into our beings unconsciously as well. The list can me mental but it’s great to write it down

 

2.) It can transform your bad or negative point of view into a positive perspective: If you have come across a difficult person, you can be thankful you are not that person or like that person and focus on what that person can unintentionally or unknowingly teach you. We all have lessons and things we can teach each other. If your job sucks, you can focus more on the fact that you have a job! If your kids are causing you stress, you can dwell more on the great love you feel for them anyway….

 

3.) Negatives can remind you of how well off you actually are even when you may not feel that you are doing well or have many blessings:

Is your job stressful? At least you have one until you can focus on getting a new and better one. Too many bills? At least you have a house, phone, internet, shelter….. Arguing with a friend or lover or family member? At least you have a person in your life that you are close to. It may not always be easy but still worth it! 

 

4.) Acknowledging your blessings in a positive way can make you act more positively:

When you live in gratitude, it makes sense that you’ll be happier and more pleasant in general. And you’ll treat others pleasantly.

 

My suggestions:

<3. Have a gratitude session or meditation when you wake up to think of everything and everyone you are thankful for.

<3. Thank people personally when they do good for you. Thank Your friends, family, strangers, anyone. You can say it in person or text, message, e-mail, or call. No matter how small the act of kindness is, it deserves a thank you. ❤

<3. Have a gratitude journal where you frequently list things you are grateful for.

<3. Always make an attempt to see the positive even in negative situations or events and then giver thanks for it.

<3. Be thankful everyday all year, not just on the holiday.

 

I am very open to other people’s ideas so please if you have any to add, let me know!  

Thank you so much for reading! 😀 ❤

My Gratitude List for the day :-D <3

 

1.) I’m grateful that I woke up today.

2.) I’m grateful that my health in getting better.

3.) I’m grateful that my pulled muscle is healing well.

4.) Grateful for water and air.

5.) Grateful for cherry water ice and delicious food.

6.) Grateful for rest.

7.) Grateful for the whole day.

8.) I am grateful for my phone.

9.) I am grateful for plans and goals and

10.) A grateful heart. ❤