Taking a mental break

I am traveling this weekend. I went to my college reunion (partly to prove to former classmates that I am not dead yet - but they are concerned about my health and some believe they should protect me safety cones and a rope around me so nothing happens).  Its nice to see them again. We are staying in the dorms and eating in the dining hall just like way back when.

Its also a mental break from the stresses at home. I need a few days away where my health can be ignored while we reminisce.

We had a discussion last night on reasons for happiness. Money isn't important, but more feeling content, enjoying what you do and being able to get a sense of satisfaction from giving back in some way. It was interesting. Money doesn't buy happiness once you can pay for a roof over your head and put food on the table.... just some food for thought this morning.

Your brain on creativity

I have blogged this before that during chemo a friend told me I needed a hobby and I took up knitting and crocheting. That was the fall of 2007. I have since made scarves for almost everyone I know and even ventured into craft shows where I sell my wares at the holiday season. I have become a yarn junkie and am a member of SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy).

I have come to like knitting and crocheting a lot. I like to learn new techniques and create different items. I might even make a hat this year.When I feel like crap and not into doing much of anything, I sit and knit and it relaxes me.

Now I have proof on its benefits. Yes there are health benefits to knitting and other crafts. I'm not sure why it took so long for people to figure things out.

"Crafting can help those who suffer from anxiety, depression or chronic pain, experts say. It may also ease stress, increase happiness and protect the brain from damage caused by aging."

Basically when you are stressed, your brain is in the fight or flight mode. It doesn't distinguish between kinds of stress -  another chemo infusion or another PET scan or, to quote the article, a bear attack. But the brain can only process so much information so when you knit/craft, your brain focuses on the repetitive activity and your body relaxes. Here's the fancy stuff:

"Our nervous system is only capable of processing a certain amount of information at a time, he explains. That's why you can't listen and understand two people who are talking to you at once. So when someone starts creating, his existence outside that activity becomes "temporarily suspended."...

...The effects of flow are similar to those of meditation, says occupational therapist Victoria Schindler. Science has shown meditation can, among other things, reduce stress and fight inflammation.

Our bodies are in a constant state of stress because our brain can't tell the difference between an upcoming meeting with the boss and an upcoming bear attack, Schindler says. The repetitive motions of knitting, for example, activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which quiets that "fight or flight" response."

So I am happy to keep on knitting and selling my wares. And now I know that  its helping me in more ways than I expected.

Its a holiday

We all need a  holiday once in a while. A holiday is a day to enjoy. Its Christmas and for the religious, they may include services in their day. For the non religious, services will probably be omitted. But for all we should take a day to include friends and family and food. Some will head to the movie theaters. Some will head to a Chinese restaurant.

As an official US holiday, we should take the time to enjoy ourselves. The news just listed a bunch of restaurants which are open today. Anyone who has to work, should have been given it as an option and not a requirement to keep their job.

Shopping? Absolutely not. Its not a day to rush out and spend money on things we don't need. I grew up in Massachusetts where on Sundays as a child, nothing was open except the drug store and corner store for a few hours. You could not go shopping if you wanted to. So we didn't. We enjoyed ourselves with friends and family.

Today, take a moment to enjoy yourself with out spending a cent. And with out going to a mall. Take a few minutes hours to enjoy what you have. Relax, don't think about work, and enjoy.

And appreciate your health.

Its a holiday

We all need a  holiday once in a while. A holiday is a day to enjoy. Its Christmas and for the religious, they may include services in their day. For the non religious, services will probably be omitted. But for all we should take a day to include friends and family and food. Some will head to the movie theaters. Some will head to a Chinese restaurant.

As an official US holiday, we should take the time to enjoy ourselves. The news just listed a bunch of restaurants which are open today. Anyone who has to work, should have been given it as an option and not a requirement to keep their job.

Shopping? Absolutely not. Its not a day to rush out and spend money on things we don't need. I grew up in Massachusetts where on Sundays as a child, nothing was open except the drug store and corner store for a few hours. You could not go shopping if you wanted to. So we didn't. We enjoyed ourselves with friends and family.

Today, take a moment to enjoy yourself with out spending a cent. And with out going to a mall. Take a few minutes hours to enjoy what you have. Relax, don't think about work, and enjoy.

And appreciate your health.

Your brain on creativity

I have blogged this before that during chemo a friend told me I needed a hobby and I took up knitting and crocheting. That was the fall of 2007. I have since made scarves for almost everyone I know and even ventured into craft shows where I sell my wares at the holiday season. I have become a yarn junkie and am a member of SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy).

I have come to like knitting and crocheting a lot. I like to learn new techniques and create different items. I might even make a hat this year.When I feel like crap and not into doing much of anything, I sit and knit and it relaxes me.

Now I have proof on its benefits. Yes there are health benefits to knitting and other crafts. I'm not sure why it took so long for people to figure things out.

"Crafting can help those who suffer from anxiety, depression or chronic pain, experts say. It may also ease stress, increase happiness and protect the brain from damage caused by aging."

Basically when you are stressed, your brain is in the fight or flight mode. It doesn't distinguish between kinds of stress -  another chemo infusion or another PET scan or, to quote the article, a bear attack. But the brain can only process so much information so when you knit/craft, your brain focuses on the repetitive activity and your body relaxes. Here's the fancy stuff:

"Our nervous system is only capable of processing a certain amount of information at a time, he explains. That's why you can't listen and understand two people who are talking to you at once. So when someone starts creating, his existence outside that activity becomes "temporarily suspended."...

...The effects of flow are similar to those of meditation, says occupational therapist Victoria Schindler. Science has shown meditation can, among other things, reduce stress and fight inflammation.

Our bodies are in a constant state of stress because our brain can't tell the difference between an upcoming meeting with the boss and an upcoming bear attack, Schindler says. The repetitive motions of knitting, for example, activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which quiets that "fight or flight" response."

So I am happy to keep on knitting and selling my wares. And now I know that  its helping me in more ways than I expected.

I needed a time out

My  life has been a little crazier than normal recently. Both my parents have had health issues. My health has been its usual (un)cooperative self meaning if its not one ailment its another which speaks up and ruins my day. It is craft fair season and I am actually trying to make some money selling my knitted and crocheted projects at them. I am in the middle of a huge paid volunteer project with a very strict deadline. And I never seem to get enough rest.

I needed a time out. I also thought my husband had been a bit neglected and wrapped up in his own stuff as well - at least he is healthy.

We ran away for the day. Yes it is October. But we went to the beach...

It is one of our favorite things to do - or at least my favorite. We woke up to rain but it cleared out and we had a clear blue sky. We got there for low tide. I found a nasty piece of broken glass and threw it out. I found a nice big whole sand dollar and gave it to a little girl who ran off to show her parents.

I saw a big piece of drift wood that looked like it was part of a very old ship wreck which surfaces periodically on the beach.

I waded in the ocean - it was a little cool.

Then we went out for an unhealthy meal of fried seafood.

But I really needed it.

I came home and got some of my volunteer work done. We had a light but healthy dinner and went to bed early. Today I feel a lot better mentally. I needed a time out.

Taking a mental break

I am traveling this weekend. I went to my college reunion (partly to prove to former classmates that I am not dead yet - but they are concerned about my health and some believe they should protect me safety cones and a rope around me so nothing happens).  Its nice to see them again. We are staying in the dorms and eating in the dining hall just like way back when.

Its also a mental break from the stresses at home. I need a few days away where my health can be ignored while we reminisce.

We had a discussion last night on reasons for happiness. Money isn't important, but more feeling content, enjoying what you do and being able to get a sense of satisfaction from giving back in some way. It was interesting. Money doesn't buy happiness once you can pay for a roof over your head and put food on the table.... just some food for thought this morning.

A day to myself

Even though I work part time, I seldom have days to myself. I usually am running all over with volunteer work, errands, doctors appointments and whatever. I did stay home on Wednesday this week but that doesn't count. There was a blizzard and I couldn't go anywhere. And my husband was home so I spent time with  him. Not that there is anything wrong with spending time with him but it wasn't a day to myself.

Today I dropped my husband off at work because the car is being worked on. Now I am up early and have time to do the things aI want. I will go to the gym on my own schedule. I will deal with the garage and the car repair and I will pick up my husband later. But for most of the day I am here, by  myself - well with the cat - to do what I want.

Next week I believe I have three days with doctor appointments. And I have to get to work four days because of the blizzard day this week. I am not looking forward to next week.


But that is next week and I'll stick with this week first. I will enjoy reading the paper with my feet up and sipping tea. And focus on me for the day. Although I am really in avoidance of next week.

Stress

I have a favorite coffee mug these days. It says "I didn't survive cancer to die of stress".

It is true. I try to avoid stress at all costs these days. Ten years ago I was working downtown with a relatively high pressure job where my boss believed yelling at people and making people cry would motivate them.  I didn't like that, nor did I like the way my commute aligned with my  new husband's - he was home an hour and a half before me. I found a new less stressful job which was shortly followed by a  highly stressful cancer diagnosis.

Since then my health has been less than ideal and I have to live with the constant stress of new medical twists and turns every week (this week is an MRI and potential knee surgery). Stress started having a way of taking over my life as I focused on each stressor.

I learned to develop some support systems through support groups, online communities, writing (my blog), therapy, exercise and more. I try to do what relaxes me. I think while I am certainly not healthier, I am happier and less stressed.

Now doctors are catching on and prescribing stress management to patients and developing stress management practices. New research shows that 60-80% of ailments are caused by or exacerbated by stress. That is a scary number. I don't feel that my health issues were caused by stress but I do know if I am having an overwhelming day of stress, my aches and pains increase.

Medical centers are looking at offering everything from counseling, nutrition, meditation, yoga, tai chi, and more to help patients get their lives in balance. Everyone could try this by themselves, give yourself a five minute time out when stress starts taking over to close your eyes and relax and clear your mind. Or take a ten minute walk. Or join a gym, start a new exercise plan. Something besides sitting there and stressing.

A Day Off!

Today is my first day off in months. Seriously. You may be thinking but she only works part time, she has lots of time off. My life is full of lots of obligations.

• Doctors appointments - none this week.
• Volunteer work
• Craft fairs - almost caught up.
• A huge DOD peer review project which ended just before the holidays (and I was very honored to participate but it took a lot of time).
• Research - webinars etc for work
• Planning, shopping, and cooking for Thanksgiving
• Spending time with family
• Spending time with friends
• Cleaning, making beds, and spending time with house guests
• Not getting overtired

Yesterday was recovery day from Thanksgiving. The houseguests were gone so we had to clean up and do laundry, go to the gym and all the normal things one does. My husband also wanted to put out the holiday lights but it was a little rainy. We also have stuff to put away after accomodating five house guests for several nights.

At some point in the afternoon I realized that I had no plans for today. Well almost none. I mean I am meeting a friend for a walk at 1230. I slept until 8am. I wandered around and fed the cat who was mad because he was reduced to eating dried food which he hates.

Then I read the paper looking for that cancer cure in the health section on Mondays as I optimistically do each week, hopped on FB to catch up with my friends, read blogs, think about cyber Monday shopping and then I started on my email.

There was a message from my husband reminding me (eek!) that he is bringing teriyaki chicken wings to work tomorrow for a potluck for 30 people. To be fair he did offer to go to the grocery store for the chicken and whatever else we need. And he did tell me about it weeks ago but evidently we both forgot.

That was a quick change of plans. I could  not find my decades old, much requested recipe for wings. Plan B, I called a friend of mine who also makes good wings for parties. She gave me her recipe (which is a secret - not! Take a jar of low sodium Kikkoman marinade and baste and pour over wings) which forced me to take a shower, get dressed, brush my teeth, and get to the grocery store asap (where I ran into a lady who was shopping in her PJs).

Today I now have lots to do. My friend will be here in five minutes to walk. I have to come up with something for dinner. Then once my husband gets home, there will be a few more things to do - like cook chicken wings, get the crock pot ready for tomorrow). Then there is a little pile of bedding to get put back in bags in the basement and fold five loads laundry that never made it back upstairs so I have to wait until my husband gets home.

So basically today I get to pretend I am a normal person without any health issues and just take care of life. That is very unusual.