Freedom

Born to be free...

* Climb mountains, not for the world to see, but to see the world *

When you are free from your fears,
Free from worry,

It's like standing at the edge of a cliff, and below is a clear pool so blue and pristine.
You want to jump off the cliff into the pool and there is nothing stoping you.

You are thrilled.
You know there is nothing holding you back.
You stretch your hands outwards like an eagle spreading her wings..
And you take the leap of faith.

You know that at the bottom of the cliff is acomplishment.
You know that you will not get hurt.
You are sure that no matter what, you will get out unscathed but totally renewed..

You feel the wind, your eyes are closed..
Then you focus your sight and align your body..
And finally you pierce the water and break through beneath the surface..
The water is cool but it feels invigorating
The adrenaline powers your entire body and you swim through the water like a dolphin.

Then you rise to the surface and swim to the edge..
You look back and feel the entire experience all again.
And you smile.. You have done it and it feels good to accomplish a mission.

And now you cannot help but store that feeling deep in your soul..
Because one day you will need to remember this moment and face the challenges ahead.

As you power through life,
Adrenaline and faith propelling you..
That is when you realise that you have experienced the most elemental form of freedom.

Free from fear.
Free from guilt.
Free from negativity.
Free as God intended it to be..

This is Serenity...

More reads:
※  The aftermath...
※  Wild by Nature
※  RISING ABOVE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES...
※  Recovery of the body: Mind and Spirit
※  You are loved
※  Love and faith....

Image credit: youtube.com

Fibromyalgia: Feeling the Funk

lifewithfibro.blogspot.com

When the funk hits..
And you feel like nothing is worth it..
Remember..its just a funk..
The beat will stop at some point..
And life will go back to normal..

Through out my journey with fibromyalgia, I have learned to deal with the "hills and valleys". There are times I could go for months leading a very normal pain-free life then the funk hits...and you feel like you are now in a valley. The funk can be triggered by an illness flare or extreme mental stress. 

Feeling the funk..
It starts with a serious fatigue episode.
Sometimes it starts with serious migraines or deep muscle pain.
Then the brain fog and memory burden (when its an uphill task to remember simple things).
Then the episodes of pain.. On and off and all over.
It can last anything from a week to a month straight on. 

Sometimes it's confusing, with bouts of flu-like symptoms, fevers, chills, high white blood cell count as if i have an infection... 

Gastric issues, nausea, lack of appetite... Just being weird and sickly at the same time yet there is nothing visibly wrong.

The funk is usually unpredictable but it can be anticipated. After a highly stressful episode like an illness or an inter-relational conflict, you can anticipate some funk. The sooner you start dealing with it, the sooner it will lift. Do not rush the process though. Let it run its course as you employ the coping mechanisms listed below.

Coping in the funk.. 

°Eat well..
Most times during a fibro funk, I experience severe appetite loss.
This can cause you to be extremely fatigued and experience weakness.
This makes everything worse.. The pain and brain fog seem to tripple when my appetite is down.
I have a food journal and set reminders on my phone to alert me every couple of hours to have a meal/snack. (supplements come in handy... A meal replacement shake helps keep the nutrition balanced).

°Nutritional supplements
I have learned to stay on top of my nutritional supplements game especially during a flare "funk".
~B vitamins help in stabilizing the neuro pathways and this has a co-relation with sensitivity to pain.
- Magnesium is very handy in helping cope with sensitivity to pain.
- Zinc helps boost immunity so you are less susceptible to opportunistic infections, especially if eating is a problem.
- Protein shakes/mass gain/meal replacement shakes help in maintaining your nutritional levels even if for some reason you cannot eat. A tasty milkshake or smoothie or even ice popsicle will help provide nutritional comfort food when you need it.

°Take time off and relax..
Despite the tight schedules we all have, take some time off and relax.
A fibro flare "funk" can cause you to feel more burdened in life, especially if you have a lot going on.
- Relax even if for just 15 minutes a day. Listen to uplifting material and avoid depressive music or literature. Fill your mind with positivity and light.

-. Relaxation techniques help with coping with the funk mentally.
- If you exercise you can reduce the intensity or give it a break. This reduces the physical burden your body has to carry.
-Take advantage of your free time and relax. Switch off your phone and just zone off. 

°Manage the pain..
- You can see your GP for short term pain therapies that you can use to manage the pain.
- If possible get a deep tissue massage to help relax the muscles.
- Whenever you can, get a good sleep.
Its normal to experience insomnia during a funk. Before bed, a good self massage or stretch can help induce sleep. Avoid sleeping pills - unless you haven't slept for 2 days or more. 

°You are not depressed..
A fibro funk can leave someone feeling emotionally tired or feeling the weight of the world.
Remember, you are not depressed. This is a physical issue that will go away with proper management.
Your physician may prescribe medicine to help combat depression but remember..fibromyalgia and the ailments that affect your neuro-pathways are closely related.
You are not dealing with depression.
You are dealing with a flare up. It will definately cause more stress. Remember the relaxation techniques and rest as much as possible.

°You are not lazy..

Also, you are not lazy. A week off from normal routine should not make you feel bad or guilty about not being your best..you are already doing the best you can.

Most of all, stick to routine as much as possible. Go to work even if its half day. Go to class. Perform your chores even if you are much slower than usual. 

www.iainclaridge.co.uk

°You need to keep on moving..

A sedentary lifestyle makes everything.worse. Keep moving. You are much closer to recovery when you stick to your plan..even if you took a day off. Make up for it the next day.
The moment you toss your plans out of the window you will have a harder time picking up the pieces once the funk lifts.You will end up with a form of atrophy.. And that, will make your days worse..

(Atrophy; (of body tissue or an organ) waste away, typically due to the degeneration of cells, or become vestigial during evolution. Or, the gradual decline in effectiveness or vigor due to underuse or neglect)

More reads:

※  Chronic fatigue syndrome
※  INFLAMMATION: A SMALL PEEK AT WHAT MAKES US FEEL PAIN
※  About Fibromyalgia: What on earth is FIBROMYALGIA?
※  Mental illness: what is it?
※  Depression: Is it really genetic?
※   Sleep deprivation

Butterfly thoughts...

crestock.com

Every butterfly starts off as a worm..
Every peacock starts off as a yolk..
The difference between the start and the end is the transformation that takes place.

Wormy thoughts...

The Bible teaches that we should be "transformed by our thinking".

Naturally, unless trained to move towards the positive, our minds will tend to gravitate towards the negative.
This is especially so because life ever has its boxing gloves on - there is never a day without a challenge no matter how positive we are about it.
What determines the end result is how we handle the challenges that come our way. 

It was never meant to be easy...
That is why we are encouraged to train our minds, so to speak. 

Unless we decide to dwell on positive thoughts, life can beat us down even in our achievem

ents. Discontentment will follow us everywhere we go no matter how high we rise.

Butterfly mentality...
Instead of living with a "barely-get-by" mentality, always fill your head with positive thoughts.
When you are tempted to feel like a worm, always remember that..

You are blessed
You are talented
You are valuable
You are confident
You have been hand-picked by the Creator of the universe.

deviantart.net

※ Reprograming of the mind..
This is not just a way to overcome one challenge.
When you think positively, you are reprogramming your mind - opening doors you never thought existed.

When you gain confidence on yourself, you get the confidence to turn things around...

Like...
※ walking out of a bad situation.
※ Saying no when you know you are being exploited.
※ Chasing a business deal that seems out of your league.
※ Approach a very respected person and ask for advice without feeling like a failure..
The list is endless..

As long as you are stuck in the "worm" mentality, your mind will only think on how to get by...not how to get there.

A worm is stuck on the ground.. It can only see as far as it is..the ground. Some cannot even see...so they just get by., so to speak.
A butterfly is in the air and will get to see something that is far from it, spread its wings and get there.

**Perhaps the butterfly is proof that you can go through immense darkness and emerge immensely beautiful**

 

That is what transformation does for us.. You see something that seemed so far off, but you are not scared to reach for it. You believe thay you have it in you to fly there and get there.

This does not happen overnight, its a day-to-day process. And it all starts in the mind.

You may find yourself asking about a particular subject...say about getting someone to finance a project..and the person tells you how you can expand your business without even borrowing!!
Had you not had the courage and confidence to speak up, you would never have landed on that secret.

*Confidence is never about being better than everyone else... Its the secret knowledge that you have the capacity to outdo yourself.*

Confidence can help you think farther than you can see.

They say you always get what you look for...so when you set your mind on a certain goal you will find ways of getting there.
But as long as you believe you can never achieve it, you will not have even a single clue come your way.

colorslive.com

Start each day knowing that...
You are blessed
You are talented
You are valuable
You are confident
You have been hand-picked by the Creator of the universe.

Then go through the day believing that.
Five months down the line, you will be amazed by the result of such a simple exercise.
One year down the line you will be on the lips of all and sundry, and everyone will look to you for inspiration.

It all starts today...

Transform your mind. 

 This is Serenity...

More reads..  

※  You are loved
※  Effective force versus Brutal force
※  The power of Purpose!!
※  Self promotion is not self glorification
※  Sexual violence: A disgrace to society claiming to be civilized
※   For my family and friends; From a crazy animal lover

When You Believe....

When you believe...

♥♥♥It is one thing to ask in faith; and another to receive in faith...

photo credit: http://xpectamiracle.blogspot.com/2013/10/miracles-happen-when-you-believe.html

I remember the first time I was entrusted with the family car; I was beside myself in joy and excitement!! I always wanted this day to dawn!! I had gone for my driving classes, got my licence.. now I had the chance to drive the pick-up truck without a "chaperone"!! 

Problem was, I had no clue if I could survive the trip without a fender-bender!!

I had asked for the chance.. and now I had the key in my hand. The only way to know if I would survive my crazy town was to get in the car and drive to town..

※※Which brings me to my point...

I will use myself as an example (as usual!!!)

Often times, I have asked God for a couple of stuff in faith. I totally believed in the One I was confiding in, His ability to grace me but I had one problem...
I would sit and anxiously wait for my answers.. as if to see if my "request" got through. 

Right now, I wonder what it is that made me so..

※ I was not sure that I actually deserved what I asked for..
※ I undermined my own needs and so I imagined that God also saw them as petty...
※ I wasn't sure I was asking for the right thing or was I being vain...??

... I still prayed for them and surprise surprise!! My prayers were answered!!
Not once, not twice... all my prayers were answered by what I asked for or something even better!!!

**Life is a journey and in this trip, I keep on stumbling into little unseen truths about myself. **

I just realized that while I asked, I never stretched my hands to receive; as if it's a shameful thing to receive.

But then, my relationship with myself was also complicated. I was a paradox.. I believed in myself but then again, I wasn't so sure...

It wasn't until I had faith in myself that I started seeing gifts for what they were; gifts!!
Not crutches!!
Not little reminders of what I lacked; simply something extra to make life more blissful!!
I had to open up and accept what I had received of late wasn't out of pity or charity but out of love..
and then it dawned on me that I needed to apply the same with God.

I would ask for healing but feel so ashamed that I was ill in the first place...
I asked for peace but was too ashamed that I had got myself in that "predicament" that consumed my peace...
So, how could I receive when my hands were balled into fists of agony??!!

♥ I had to let the hate go.. and love myself and allow it to flow....♥

It is one thing to ask, and another to receive...

You cannot receive when your hands are full or hidden. But then, you cannot wish away the fulfilled promise in front of your eyes..

The peek-a-boo game has had to end!!
I have decided that I will not anxiously hide my face then pop in to see if I have been blessed... I had the faith to ask.. I better have the faith to receive!!!

※Faith without action is dead..※

As long as I have asked, I will make my next step in accordance with my plans, for He has gone ahead of me and straightened my path.

I have no business remaining in the same spot out of fear... I better keep my end of the deal and REMAIN faithful, and keep on moving..

God is good enough to answer our prayers.. He was good enough to sit and listen in the first place!!

♥ Courage is the fear that has said its prayers- Anon  ♥

This is Serenity!!

****

※  Of relationship articles: Sow to reap...
※  Learn to let go..
※  Goals and Passions...
※ "If Today Was Your Last Day" - Nickelback
※ The normal man...
※ Learn to love yourself well: Self promotion is not self glorification.

****

INFLAMMATION: A SMALL PEEK AT WHAT MAKES US FEEL PAIN

www.inflammation2011.com

What Is  Inflammation?

Inflammation is a process in which the body's white blood cells and chemicals help protect us from infection and foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses. Inflammation is a protective response that serves to eliminate the initial cause of cell injury and to remove the consequences of such injury. The inflammatory process is closely intertwined with the process of repair.

In some diseases, however, the body's defense system (immune system) triggers an inflammatory response when there are no foreign substances to fight off.

In these diseases, called autoimmune diseases, the body's normally protective immune system causes damage to its own tissues. The body responds as if normal tissues are infected or somehow abnormal.

Types of Inflammation

Clinically, there are two main types of inflammation, active and chronic.

1. Active (acute) inflammation occurs on the time scale of hours to days and is characterized by the cardinal signs of inflammation; ie, redness (rubor), swelling (tumor), heat (calor) and pain (dolor). Acute inflammation represents an initial concentrated effort to eliminate an injurious agent.

2. Chronic inflammation occurs on the time scale of weeks to months and is characterized by the simultaneous presence of active inflammation, tissue destruction, and attempts at repair. Clinically, the process may be characterized by the loss of proper function of the tissue, but is often an asymptomatic, subclinical response.

www.raacupuncture.org

What Diseases Are Associated With Inflammation?

Some, but not all types of arthritis, are the result of misdirected inflammation.

Arthritis is a general term that describes inflammation in joints. Some types of
arthritis associated with inflammation include:

-Rheumatoid arthritis
-Psoriatic arthritis
-Gouty arthritis
-Systemic lupus erythematosus

The most common form of arthritis called osteoarthritis (also known asdegenerative arthritis) is a bit of a misnomer. It is not believed thatinflammation plays a major role in osteoarthritis. Other painful conditions of
the joints and musculoskeletal system that are not associated with inflammation include;
-fibromyalgia,
-low back pain, and
-muscular neck pain.

process of inflammation;;

INFLAMMATION

The inflammatory response (inflammation) occurs when tissues are injured by bacteria, trauma, toxins, heat, or any other cause. The damaged cells release chemicals including histamine, bradykinin, and prostaglandins.
These chemicals cause blood vessels to leak fluid into the tissues, causing swelling. This helps isolate the foreign substance from further contact with body tissues.
The chemicals also attract white blood cells called phagocytes that "eat" germs and dead or damaged cells. (This process is called phagocytosis.) Phagocytes eventually die. Pus is formed from a collection of dead tissue, dead bacteria, and live and dead phagocytes.
(source)

sources;
courses.washington.edu 
en.wikipedia.org
web.md
nlm.nif.org

More Reads;

Finding the new normal... 

BULKING UP AND BODY BUILDING: Muscle regeneration and the role proteins play

Cinnamon oil: Essential and infused oils

Fibromyalgia: Feeling the Funk

Chronic fatigue syndrom