Month: April 2022

“#SoSC” Prompt for Week is “zip, zero, zilch”
Celebrate Life · Fun · Health and Wellbeing · Men & Womens Health

“#SoSC” Prompt for Week is “zip, zero, zilch”

Looking for the Light2 Comments

StreamOfConsciousnessQuaintRevival2019

 The prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “zip, zero, zilch.” Use one, use ’em all, bonus points if you use all three. Have fun!

This year has been one of growth and disappointment. I decided to expand my gardening horizons and bought bulbs and tubers to start. Well, that hasn’t worked out well. Of the 18 bulbs I planted about nine came up but only one is still alive, the others lay wilted.

Of the tubers, I planted only two have come up so far. They’re about an inch tall but it’s successful in that they are hardy. That’s very disappointing odds for the number planted. I’m not sure I will do the same next year when I got zip, zero, and zilch this year!

This is my magnificent Gardenia bush, it’s my first and it smells out of this world. It has grown and produced so many flowers.

Have a great weekend! See you next week.

Melinda

Join us for the fun and sharing good media stories. 

For more on the Stream of Consciousness Saturday, visit Linda Hill’s blog. Here’s the link:https://lindaghill.com

Here are the rules for SoCS:

  1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
  2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
  3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.
  4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.
  5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.
  6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
  7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.
  8. Have fun!

 

Just Pondering
Celebrate Life · Fun · Health and Wellbeing · Men & Womens Health · Mental Health

Just Pondering

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Bella Grace Field Guide by Stampington

What is one simple ritual you can add to your day that will make a huge impact?

Melinda

Fun Facts
Celebrate Life · Fun · Health and Wellbeing

Fun Facts

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I’m so glad you are enjoying fun facts, I learn something new or quirky each post and love your comments.

Each year 16 million thunderstorms happen around the world, and at any given moment, there are about 2,000 thunderstorms in progress. (nssl.noaa.gov)

Sweden has 267,570 islands, the most of any country in the world.

Australia contains a number of pink lakes, but the most stunning is the Pepto Bismol-colored Lake Hillier. The color may be the result of certain algae. (australia.com)

At over 29,000 feet tall, Mt. Everest is the highest point on Earth, but it doesn’t compare to the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench, which is over 36,000 feet deep—nearly seven miles—in the Pacific Ocean.

This isn’t exactly a “fun” fact, but there are over 200 dead bodies of climbers on Mt. Everest because it’s so difficult to bring them down. (outsideonline.com)

Enjoy!

Melinda

Autistic Masking — Guest Blogger Change Therapy
Health and Wellbeing

Autistic Masking — Guest Blogger Change Therapy

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For autistic persons, masking is a complicated and costly survival strategy. It usually entails learning neurotypical behaviours and then imitating them in social circumstances. Masking can sometimes be used to hide activities that people believe will not be approved. People may hide their autism symptoms or traits for a variety of reasons, including advancing their […]

Autistic Masking — Change Therapy
#Weekend Music Share *Recovery by James Auther-I love this song
Celebrate Life · Fun

#Weekend Music Share *Recovery by James Auther-I love this song

Looking for the Light6 Comments

 https://youtu.be/m9DO3zpdWqw

Welcome back to Weekend Music Share; the place where everyone can share their favorite music.
Feel free to use the ‘Weekend Music Share‘ banner in your post, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #WeekendMusicShare on social media so other participants can find your post.

Melinda

Everyday Magic 4/28/2022
Celebrate Life · Fun · Health and Wellbeing · Men & Womens Health · Mental Health

Everyday Magic 4/28/2022

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I’m so glad you are enjoying Everyday Magic. I find it a good place to wind down and ask some important questions. 

Bella and Grace by Stampington

Imagine that this beautiful bench nestled among the trees is at a park near your home and you could visit it whenever you wanted.

How would you spend an hour on this bench?

 

Enjoy your day! 

 Melinda

What Your Body Needs To Stay Healthy-Nutritional Health
Health and Wellbeing · Men & Womens Health · Mental Health

What Your Body Needs To Stay Healthy-Nutritional Health

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Staying healthy doesn’t mean you have to eat like a rabbit or cut out all of your favorite foods. It’s like everything else, moderation. Eating healthy is critical for your overall health and doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing approach.  

We are indulged in a lot of daily activities. To carry out these activities a large amount of energy is required. This energy comes from the food we consume. Food is vital as it provides the energy needed for growth, repair, and other life processes. All these come under the life process called nutrition.

What is Nutrition?

“Nutrition is the process of taking in food and converting it into energy and other vital nutrients required for life.”

Nutrients are the substances which provide energy and biomolecules necessary for carrying out the various body functions. All living organisms need nutrients for proper functioning and growth. But they show divergence in how they fulfill this demand. Some animals feed on simple inorganic compounds to meet their nutrient requirement, while others utilise complex compounds. The mode of nutrition varies from one species to another.

Also Read: Nutrition in Plants

Poor nutrition can lead to a lack of energy, digestive problems, food allergies, weight gain, depression and anxiety as well as many of today’s most prevalent chronic diseases like coronary heart disease, cancer and ADHA. Having nutritional knowledge and making informed choices about the foods you eat can help you achieve optimum health over your lifetime.

Nutrition is also about why we choose to eat the foods we do, even when we know they may not be good for us, what is going on at a cellular level and how that affects what we crave and therefore set up food cycles that are unhealthy or damaging. Nutritionists advise people on what to eat and how to modify their diet so they can maintain or restore optimal health or help relieve ill health and combat disease.

Here’s a post I did on Superfoods which can help you jump-start your healthy eating process. Superfoods are a great way to add a big punch to your diet and many have properties to help with health conditions like immune disorders and they boost energy. 

Just making a few changes to your diet can go a long way to a healthier lifestyle. 

Like:

Greens

Lean meat

Fruit

Reduce refined sugar

Beans

Oatmeal

Green tea

This post doesn’t cover all the vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy, that’s for another post. 

Melinda

Reference

https://byjus.com/biology/nutrition-modes-living-organisms/

https://www.schoolofhealth.com/nutrition-courses/what-is-nutrition/

https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2022/superfoods-for-increased-energy.html?intcmp=MOA-HLTH-FUTMED-VID-R3-POS2

Mental Illness and Me
Celebrate Life · Health and Wellbeing · Men & Womens Health · Mental Health

Mental Illness and Me

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I’m very open about having Bipolar Disorder and feel no shame. It’s a serious medical condition that has to be managed daily in order to stay healthy. I’ve been doing very well for several years but had a rough patch a few years ago that took 8 months to find a medication that would work.

 

 

That is one of the biggest challenges. Medication will stop working after some period of time and there is no standard handbook on what drugs to prescribe. At that time I was in bad shape, not suicidal but very dark. It took four different medications before he found one that worked.

I’m very lucky to have had the same doctor for over 30 years and it makes all the difference. He knows me, knows my limits, and knows when I can make decisions on my own with medication.

As an example, for the past two months, I’ve been having a problem with tongue thrusting, it was driving me crazy and making my teeth hurt. It didn’t occur to me that it might be medication but I contacted him anyway. He had me stop one of my stimulant medications and I’m doing better. I also take three stimulants a day so I cut it back to two a day just for now to see if that helps speed things along. I only did this after research that said that stimulant medication can cause this problem. I can’t go without that extra pill for long but for a week or so I will deal with the sluggishness to see if it helps. He trusts me to know my limits and will be ok with me skipping for a week or so. I can only do this because I’m healthy, if I were in bad shape I would not make this decision. 

I’ve had my hard years, many hard years, multiple times. I’ve had 21 Electroconvulsive Treatments and have stayed in-patient at a Psychiatric hospital several times for up to three weeks at a time. Those were hard times and I’m so thankful for my healthy years.

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder at 19 years old but didn’t take it seriously until my father committed suicide. When I started doing research I found that 75% of children of parents with Bipolar Disorder who committed suicide would commit suicide themselves I took action.

 

 

Staying healthy with a serious mental illness is a full-time job requiring patience, determination, and self-love. I say self-love because that is what you have to have to make sure you’re doing your daily routine and you forgive yourself when you don’t. You have to give yourself a pass and get back on track with your regimen.

Mine consists of nine medications for a total of 15 pills a day, this is not counting medication for other chronic conditions. If I don’t take my medication it causes problems because several of them are addictive drugs and you feel the withdrawal effects right away. I can skip a day, maybe two then my mood begins to spiral down and the withdrawal symptoms start to make me crazy.

I have found that keeping medication in an AM/PM case and close to the bed for bedtime medication is the best way to stay in sync. I try to take all medication at the same time a day and have my medication case right by my chair where I always sit. For me, habits are the best way to manage my medication.

Having a serious medical condition requires you to be honest with the people around you, your loved ones, and close friends. With mental illness, it’s important because oftentimes we can’t see the changes in our mood, and someone else can pick up on the changes.

I know it can be hard to talk about your illness with family and friends, I’ve had the same problem. My Granny couldn’t understand why I couldn’t come over or why I had to go to the hospital. I did the best I could to help her understand that it was the illness, not me.

I told my husband when we first started dating because my ex-husband didn’t believe anything was wrong with me and it caused many problems, ending in divorce. I wanted him to know what he was getting into and if he wasn’t able to take that on we could get it out upfront not a year down the road. 

It can be very frustrating and limiting at times but try to embrace your illness like any other chronic health condition by taking your medication, getting enough sleep, reducing stress, and not over-focusing on the negative or hard aspects of the illness. 

I feel it’s critical to set up an environment conducive to being healthy. You have to be honest with yourself and cut out the aspects of your life that are holding you back. Negative talk is a big one, if you think negatively about your illness, you will think negatively about yourself. 

You are not your illness! 

Melinda