How I'm Dealing With Pain

I want to eat more salads this week.

I suffered such pain this past week.  I won't go into all the details, except to say that my skin suffered a flareup.  Yes, I think it's coming in cycles.  I do what I can about it.  I even took naproxen sodium for the pain, which I promised to stay away from but to no avail.  

I told my hubby that I felt like going to the emergency room.  I even told him that I question why I should be alive if just to suffer this horrible pain.  Hey, I'm just being honest here.  No one who has been in such horrible pain can tell me they've never wondered the same.  It seems like the pain will never end...and yet, I must go on.

Enough of the pity-party.  Here's how I bore the pain:

1. I took Benadryl orally because that, I've heard, can dissipate rash from an allergy.  It's the histamines in the body that caused me intense itching.  I had to attack it from the inside.  It helped about 70% of the symptoms.

2. I slept.  I'd heard that Benadryl would make me sleepy.  That was so true.  I took enough of the medication, which hubby bought.  Sleep, sleep, sleep is what I did.

3. Writing helped, too.  I journaled about some of my frustrating thoughts about the economy and how people love to berate our president.  Everything is being blamed on him, and that upsets me so much.  Too many people do not understand that situations in the past set up what happens in the future.  Our President can only do so much when his hands are tied by Congress and the Senate; even my fifteen year-old understands this concept.

4. Spent time with my family.  I decided to play Wheel of Fortune on the Wii with my family.  It was fun.  I loved that we spent a few minutes together.  I loved that my family was practicing their spelling skills.

5. Finally, I read for pleasure.  I can keep reading for information online but sometimes I need to read for the mere fun of it.  Yes, I'm a kid at heart.  I love reading the Nancy Drew series.  A few weeks back, my hubby had bought my daughter some more of the books, and I had been looking forward to reading some of the books.

Here are my goals for this week to improve my health:

1. Sleep more and on time.  Sleep, it's been said, helps heal the body.  I've heard that the hours between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. are the optimal hours for the body to heal.  I'd also like to get up early to eat with my hubby.  A healthy start to the day with a breakfast leads to a better day.

2. Take my vitamins and supplements.  I want to take my Chlorella, cinnamon, and ginger.  I'd also like to research what other foods contain anti-inflammatory properties.  Perhaps I'll create a blog entry on just that topic.

3. Eat more plant-based foods.  I'd like to try to eat more salads and nuts.  Today, I turned on the TV to a PBS channel.  I found Dr. Joel Fuhrman speaking on how he's helped many people lose weight.  That's not what perked my ears; it's when he mentioned inflammation, which I suffer from.

 

Well, thanks for reading about how I dealt with my pain and my health goals for this week.  I appreciate it very much.

How about you, my readers?  How are you all doing?  Have you struggled with your health?  Have you suffered with inflammation?  I encourage you to consider bite-size changes in your life, gradually accumulating the better habits in your life.  If you need to improve your health, in any form, please ask God to help you.  Surely, He will, if you pray for His guidance.

This is an entry for Medical Mondays.  For past entries, click here.

 

 

Understanding Our Interconnectedness: My Contemplation of Verse 39 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I am focusing on verse 39 of the Tao Te Ching, particularly these portions:

When man interferes with the Tao,

the sky becomes filthy, 

the earth becomes depleted,

the equilibrium crumbles,

creatures become extinct...

The pieces of a chariot are useless

unless they work in accordance with the whole.

A man's life brings nothing

unless he lives in accordance with the whole universe.

Playing one's part

in accordance with the universe

is true humility.

We are part of a global society.

A sense of interconnectedness is what we are experiencing.  I've been seeing the morning news.  British people feel unprotected by the police.  Some have banded together to police the streets.  It is sad that people feel unsafe in their own city. 

I think the world is reeling right now from the economic waves.  We are one in this global society.  No one is immune from this.  People are watching the stock markets.  Everyone is waiting to see what else will be happening.  

Some would like to bury themselves in ignorance.  Others are panicking.  I say we should ban together.  We should come up with solutions.  We can't leave it to our government to help us.

When representatives from the S & P group downgraded the United States credit rating, they caused chaos.  I believe they interfered with the balance of the economy.  Still, the Source of everything, God, is ultimately in control.  That's why I choose not to worry.  

If people were to offer jobs to those who are unemployed, the economy would improve.  People, including my family, would spend money.  The economy would be boosted.  That can't happen overnight, but the ball can get rolling with more optimism.  I think that's what our president did; after his speech, the stock market regained some of its loses.

Let's remember that we are all interconnected.

I think right now is a perfect opportunity to improve our society.  We stand a chance to make wise choices.  We can contemplate our past mistakes.  We can change our ways.  We can spend our money more wisely and show our children that the economy will rebound just as it always has.

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it.  

I hope this post blesses you, my dear readers.

I've got some questions for you: Do you see us all as interconnected?  What do you think about those making decisions about our economy?  Are you relying on those decision-makers?  Or are you resting your hope on God, the Source of everything?  I pray we all seek God and His provisions. Let's ask God to give us peace and resolve to keep moving forward.  He will surely help us.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.