Take a Break: Make Patterns/Art from Symbols

I was inspired by watching Saki Mafundikwa’s presentation at TED Ingenuity and elegance in ancient African alphabets.  I love Mafundikwa’s comment about the importance of looking inward for inspiration.

Today’s take a break is about making a drawing, sketch, painting or whatever else, this is inspired by symbols and alphabets. Below are resources to help get you started.

• Alphabets 

• Egyptian Hieroglyphs 

• West African Wisdom: Adinkra Symbols and Meanings. This includes Sankofa-Return and get it or learn from the past.  

• Celtic knots 

• What’s your sign: Signs and symbolicmeanings 

Get Rid of the “Stuff”-De Cluttering will make you feel better

We live in a very confused culture. On the one hand our economy is driven by how much is being bought and sold, and on the other, there are TV shows about hoarders, who are literally being buried alive by their junk. Where is the happy balance? How much does one person need? Does the clutter add to our ill health?

 It the past few weeks I’ve been helping a family who is assembling all the things they need for newborns and, at the same time, assisting several families that are sorting and cleaning up after the death of a family member. What an eye opener. This experience has caused me to completely re think my own living space and what I truly need versus what I have. I’m currently in day six of a “one bag a day for 40 days” de cluttering.  More on that later but first:

Ask yourself- “Who is Going to Clean Up After Me?” Look around your house and ask yourself the question, “if something should happen to me today, what would I be leaving my family and friends to deal with?” This can lead to all sorts of other questions-“but I wouldn’t want my mother (brother, Aunt Jane etc.) to see this.” I had a friend that made me promise that if she should get sick or worse, I was to remove certain personal items from the bottom drawer of her dresser before her parents arrived.

Pose this question to friends, family members as well as support group participants. You’ll find the results interesting.

How Clutter Impacts Health. For starters the more clutter you have the greater the chances of falling or tripping over something. You don’t know where things are so you can easily skip medications, exercise or even eating properly. You can spend more money as it becomes easier to “just get a new one,” then looking for the five you already own. The clutter, the inability to find things etc.,  can quickly become a major source of frustration, which feeds into anxiety and stress. There is also the germ factor and, depending on the level of clutter, you may start to become anti social as you don’t want people to see how you are living.

Those with excessive clutter, such as “seen on TV” A.K.A. hoarding shows,  often have very serious issues and many in the mental health profession view this as a diagnosis in its own right.

Where Do You Fit on the Clutter Scale?: The National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization has a very intensive scale, which you can read on-line, but for a quick assessment, check out the 7 Deadly Sins that Lead to Hoarding. 

Benefits of De cluttering: Besides more physical space, people who do a good job of decluttering feel calmer, are less stressed, spend less money, find it easier to clean, are more productive, have the time for doing what matters the most and, in general, fell better and are healthier. One interesting side effect is that it seems to help with weight loss.

One woman wrote the following about adopting a minimalist lifestyle. It feels good. It feels good to not buy, to not shop, and to not worry about what to buy and where to shop and instead, to simply go without. In fact, it feels better than what you feel an hour or a day after you buy something, you know, the low after you’ve come down from the high of shopping, the unfulfilled desire nudging you to go out and shop some more to feel better, the never-ending cycle of high-low from never quite having bought enough.... Now I understand the irony that our stuff, which was supposed to bring us happiness and joy, finds a sneaky way of trapping us. And our freedom, which we cherish and protect so much, gets silently trapped in all the mess. Unless we pay attention because true freedom, it turns out, is in the intangibles that we can’t see or touch but feel. The stuff that we can’t put on shelves, but we can put in our hearts. And there, it can stay safely for a long time without taking up much space at all. Falling into Minimalism: How I Became an AccidentalMinimalist 

Clear Your House of Household Hazardous Waste: This may not be the first item on the "Clutter Buster's" list, but having spent four weeks trying to figure out what to with hazardous household waste (HHW), cleaning supplies, paints etc. for one family,  it is a major concern. Because this blog is for those affected by chronic conditions, HHW is a very important topic.

In their efforts for clean, many don’t realize how much bleaches, and general household cleaning products contribute to poor indoor air quality and can make you sicker. I wrote about this a year ago-Are Your Green Cleaning Products MakingYou Sicker? -so start there to determine if your current cleaning products could be a factor health problems you are experiencing. Save money and help your health by only using baking soda, vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon, fragrance free liquid soap and good quality cleaning clothes. Natural oils, such as olive oil, are far better for your home, health and furniture than what you spray out of a can.

Please note that air fresheners are bad news. Want clean smelling air? Open a window, slice up some lemons and leave on the counter, open a box of baking soda, take out the garbage, and check the nooks and crannies for items that could be rotting or worse.

The Less You Own, the Less that Owns You: Just say no to bringing stuff home.  Avoid impulse buying by doing the following:

• Make a list of what you want to buy from which stores and take the list with you.

• If you have to take kids shopping with you, just say “no” to their urge to impulse buy.  Involve the kids in list making and tell them they are in charge of helping you stick to it.

• Don’t shop on an empty stomach as there is a greater chance of impulse buying when hungry.

• The quicker you can shop, the less chance of buying things you don't need.

• Use cash instead of a card.

• Turn off TV commercials

• Don’t go to stores to hang out

• Buy only to replace items.

How to Declutter: There are many excellent websites on how to sort, remove and reduce the quantity of stuff in your life. My current favorite is 40 bags in 40 days. Basically, write down 1-40. Each day for the next 40 days, put down what you’ve tossed, recycled or gotten rid of. In my case, I’m in day six of the “40 bag” program and found that I’ve bagged up way more than six bags. However, getting them out of the house is a bit of a challenge since the transfer station (dump), library, thrift store are only open a few days each week. The good news is that by staying on task of at least getting stuff sorted, when I can get to the recycling center, library etc. I’m actually unloading a lot more than six bags.

It’s very helpful to have a friend, or even a professional, help you de clutter. They may be able to throw out things you are holding on to. If you weren’t around, your stuff would be sorted into one of the following piles: sale/auction/; donation;  recycle; goes to friend/family; and trash. The trash pile is often the largest of the group.

To help you de clutter, check out the following:

• Deciding What Stays and What Goes: This is an excellent chart to help you decide which pile to put an item in. 

• Throw Out Fifty Things Workbook: Very helpful.

• 10 Creative Ways to Declutter Your Home: I really like a lot of the suggestions offered here-particularly the hanger test. 

• How to Declutter Your House 

• FlyLady.net 

• Best Organizational and Decluttering Websites fromApartment Therapy 

• Your Total Home Organizing and Decluttering Guide 

Take a Break: Plan an end of summer party

With every other ad on television announcing “back to school sales,” to say nothing of the chirping crickets, foggy mornings, cool nights,  ripening fruit and heavily laden tomato plants, fall is definitely on its way. Even though the bounty of harvest lies ahead, for many, autumn is a hard time of the year. Letting go of lazy summer days and preparing for shorter days, and the eventual cold, and harsh conditions of winter, can be depressing. However, embrace the change that’s about to happen and linger over these last warm days by planning an end of summer or “welcome autumn” party. 

This could be a special BBQ, bonfire, drive-in movie, beach day or whatever strikes your fancy.  If you know someone in the hospital, this could be a very fun way to spend an afternoon.

Pick a Theme. For the dreaded “back to school blues” people,  liven it up by doing things that are a fun spin on school, such as create a “class project”-tie dyed T-shirts, make their own chalkboards etc. You can even make a “brown bag” lunch.  Since I hate the heat of summer, I’ve always liked the idea of “welcome autumn” as a theme. “One last swim” also works, since many people close their pools after Labor Day. If you’re stuck for a theme, think about who you’d like to invite, That should give you not only a “theme” but some ideas of what they might like doing.

Invitations: Some people love to send out print invitations, I’m an e-mail/phone kind of person myself. Check out Pingg  for free e-mail invites. For someone in the hospital, send an invitation so they not only know when to expect you, it gives them something to look forward to.

Decorate the table: Note: If you are taking this to someone in the hospital, live plants may not be allowed. If at all possible, see if you can take the party outside.

• If your basil is going gangbusters, take sprigs of it and put it in small glass jars with water. Not only will these grow roots and can be potted, these can be placed on the table so guests can take them home.

• Gardens are at their peak at this time of year, so decorate the table with things like tomatoes, peaches, squash, vases of herbs etc.

• Make a center piece of potted plants or wildflowers. Sunflowers are in full swing.

• Keep the table linens and napkins simple and crisp-white, yellow, pale blue, unless you are thinking fall and then go for the rust colors.

Food: This time of year is all about the tomatoes for me, so think up plenty of ways to use them. BBQs are fun, but consider all the fresh produce in the store and/or garden and plan accordingly.

Activities: While the theme will dictate the kinds of activities to do, consider some of the following:

• For the evening bonfire, upgrade smores by using really good chocolate and putting them on cookies versus graham crackers.

• Since fall is on the way, consider a fall craft project that guests can take home to help them welcome the new season. Need some ideas, check out 50 Favorite Fall Craft Ideas. 

• This is a great time to host a “canning” party, where you can take advantage of the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. It doesn’t just have to be jam or spaghetti sauce. Consider things like salsa, dilly beans, and pickled watermelon rind. In the dead of winter, there is something very special about opening a jar of sauce, beans, tomatoes etc. that you made on a hot day at the end of summer.

• One of my favorite parties involves everyone bringing a dish that is made from either local foods only, or with the primary ingredients coming from your garden. 

CAM: Qigong for Your Health

Under “Obama Care,”  The Affordable Care Act says that insurance companies "shall not discriminate" against any state-licensed health provider, which could lead to better coverage of chiropractic, homeopathic and naturopathic care. This means that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)- meditation, acupuncture, chiropractic care, homeopathic treatment etc.-may become a lot more accepted. To help understand the different types of CAM, this week begins a series on various modalities.

I’m starting with Qigong, as it’s something I practice everyday and find it extremely helpful for my well being.

There is evidence that some form of Qigong was being practiced as early as 5,000 years ago. The term itself came into use in the 20^th century and today it is an important part of Chinese Medicine. Qigong (Chi Kung) means cultivating energy. The types and styles range from martial arts, medical to spiritual. Regardless, they all involve sets of moves, breathing techniques and meditation. No matter what your physical condition, moves can be modified for maximum benefit. Learn more about the history of Qigong

The self-healing and health enhancement methods of China -- Qigong and Tai Chi (also Chi Kung and Taiji) -- are experiencing a kind of renaissance in the Western societies. Research on the wellness practices of China currently separates Qigong and Tai Chi into separate categories. The basic health enhancement concept in both Qigong and Tai Chi, however, is shared – purposefully manage posture/movement, breath and mind focus. It is proposed that when the research base on both is combined the magnitude of the impact on health policy and planning is increased significantly. Qigong and Tai Chi: TraditionalChinese Health Promotion Practices-Qigong and Tai Chi-in the Prevention andTreatment of Chronic Disease 

Researchers from the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (Santa Barbara, California), Arizona State University, and the University of North Carolina analyzed 77 articles reporting the results of 66 randomized controlled trials of tai chi and qi gong. The studies involved a total of 6,410 participants. A majority of the studies compared tai chi or qi gong with a nonexercise control group, but some included a comparison group that practiced other forms of exercise, while others included both exercise and nonexercise groups to evaluate the effects of tai chi and qi gong. Of the many outcomes identified by the reviewers, current research suggests that the strongest and most consistent evidence of health benefits for tai chi or qi gong is for bone health, cardiopulmonary fitness, balance and factors associated with preventing falls, quality of life, and self-efficacy (the confidence in and perceived ability to perform a behavior). Evidence is mixed, according to the review, about tai chi or qi gong's effects on psychological factors and patient-reported outcomes (reports from patients of symptoms related to disease). NCCAM 

Qigong is offered in many different places: hospitals, health centers, cancer centers, gyms,  senior centers, community halls, support groups, private studios etc. There are also a wide variety of videos, including some that are featured as part of PBS fundraising drives. It’s very helpful to start by taking some classes so the instructor can help you with breathing, body placement etc. Costs should be nominal.

To see if Qigong is something you’d like to consider, check out the following videos:

• Tai Chi and Qigong for Health and Well Being 

• Qi Gong for Health: Exercise to heal 

• Three Simple Qigong Exercise 

• Dragon Tiger Medical Chi Kung 

Take a Break: August Holiday Gifts to Start Now-2013 Edition

It’s the first Wednesday in August, so once again, it’s time to post five holiday gifts to make now.

Crayons: Given the intense heat, I thought there should be at least one project that took advantage of the sun. Use the dribs and drabs of crayons you have laying around the house. Break them up so they fit into silicone molds, cupcake tins (might want to use the disposable kind or ones just for craft purposes) and set in direct sun. If you want to have mixed colored crayons, break them up in small pieces and put into a large bowl. If they are small enough, and you set them out around 10 am, by 4 pm, they should be ready. If it’s rainy where you are, try using your crockpot  or put in a preheated 225 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until completely melted. Let them harden and cool completely before unmolding. These make good last minute stocking stuffers.

Beaded watch bracelet: Watch bands don’t seem to last very long for me, and I’m allergic to a lot of metals, so I decided to make some beaded ones. I found this video to be very helpful: Making Interchangeable Beaded Watch Bands.  Once you get the hang of it, make some special holiday ones.

Penny Crafts: What to do with the loose change rattling around in your pocket, bed stand or the draw where you toss change? While you can certainly make a kitchen counter out of them, what about covering paper mache letters, creating one of a kind art work? Check out Loose Change. With 340,000 pennies you can lay a floor. Drilling a hole in the penny can result in all sorts of projects including jewelery and key chains. For more penny craft ideas.

 

Fabric Covered Canvas: Interesting fabric stapled on canvas can be the perfect accent piece for any room in the house. You can even use a favorite T-shirt. Check around at thrift stores for canvas pictures that could use a new cover.  If you’ve never tried this before, follow the easy instructions from Fabric Covered Canvas. 

Fruitcakes: My friends that are in the fruitcake business have been hard at work since spring making and putting up their cakes to sell during the December holidays Since fruitcakes do best if they “age” for a while, make one and store in a cool space so it will be deliciously

“mature” by the Holidays. If you don’t have a recipe, here’s one to try. 

“Turn the Other Cheek” Means to Respond to Injustice/Abuse

I’ve probably labored over this post far more than I should have. However, over the years I’ve watched a lot of abuse and injustice, both real and imagined, among those I’ve worked with, I feel compelled to start the dialogue somewhere, recognizing this is a very big topic that has considerable impact on health and well being.

Most of us have grown up being told to “turn the other cheek” when someone hurts us. The idea is that we forgive and forget. But is this really what Christ meant on his Sermon on the Mount?

“Turn the other cheek,” was actually a non violent stance against injustice. In Jewish custom at the time of Christ, the left hand (reserved for “unseemly uses”) would not have been used. It would have been a backhanded blow to the right cheek, which means a superior hit an inferior. Social equals only fought with fists. Therefore if the inferior (e.g. peasant) were to turn the other cheek, an overhand blow with the fist would be required thereby making the inferior equal to the aggressor. The True Meaning of Turn the Other Cheek

While we’re at it, I might as well mention the other adage -“go the extra mile.” That too is a lesson in non violent protest, By Roman law a Roman soldier could force anybody to carry his equipment 1 mile. In Matthew 5:41 Jesus told his followers 'if somebody forces you to go 1 mile go 2 miles with him', thereby putting them in a very socially compromised position.

Interestingly both Rev. Martin Luther King Jr and Mahatma Gandhi noted the Sermon on the Mount as providing the foundation for their political non violent protests. The basic message is use other means then violence, but absolutely respond when injustice is done to you. Forgive-yes, forget-really, do you want to have to relearn the lesson?

People put up with horrendous behavior, rationalizing it in many different ways-“he didn’t mean it,” “I’ll be the bigger person,” “she’s sick,” “they don’t know better,” “they were really angry (upset, sleepy, hadn’t eaten etc.), “they had a hard childhood,” “they are oppressed,” or they incorrectly quote the Bible about turn the other cheek. In fact, this quote, as it’s been interpreted today,  helps to let people off the “emotional hook” by just ignoring the offending behavior. These types of situations are loaded with anger, fear, jealousy, aggression,, betrayal etc. and aren’t easy to deal with. It’s easier to be a door mat than a door stop.

Whether it’s a caregiver upset by how unkind the person they are caring for is to them, or the person with a serious illness who remains in an abusive relationship because “who else would have me,” the message is the same. When people treat you badly, are abusive or violent towards you, regardless if it’s a spouse/partner, friend, work colleague, a patient, medical provider, pastor, the government or anyone one else, it’s not okay. Further, ignoring it doesn’t change anything and may make it worse.

Consider the following:

• We are each responsible for our behavior, emotional well being, feelings and how we respond to any given situation. If you interviewed a group of people about to go rock climbing for the first time, some will be euphoric, others might have some concerns and still others are beyond terrified. Same situation, but each responds differently. It is for this reason more than any other that you should not take on anyone’s emotional issues other than your own. In addition, since it’s not your decision how they respond, spending a lot of time trying to justify or rationalize their behavior isn’t helpful.

• Start with yourself and examine what you are bringing to the table. If you say or do something that is hurtful apologize and make amends if required.

• Don’t add to problematic relationships by firing off e-mails, sending texts or leaving voice messages before you have carefully thought it through. Attack only leads to counter attack and before you know it, you’re in a vicious cycle.

• Forgiveness is key to your well being. If someone has hurt you, forgive them. As long as you delay forgiveness that person has power over you. The sooner you can forgive, which doesn’t mean forget or feel the need to reinvest in them, the sooner you regain control. "Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for it to kill your enemy." - Nelson Mandela.

• You cannot change the people around you, but you can change the people you choose to be around. Limit your time with those who exhibit perverse behaviors (lacking in respect, lying, hostile, manipulative, unkind, violent, abusive, mistreating other people etc.). Forgive, offer prayers, compassionate meditation etc. but by no means continue to engage in a relationship that is not healthy for you.

• Unless you say something, or do something differently, people will assume that how they treat you is fine.

• Recognize the signs of abuse.

-       Signs ofAbuse and Abusive Relationships 

-       WorkplaceAbuse Checklist 

• If you are a medical provider or a caregiver, if the person is being abusive, you do not have to care for them. By the same token, if you are a person living with a chronic condition, it does not make you any less of a person and you do not deserve to be abused. Resources

-       Ending the Patient Physician Relationship(American Medical Association) 

-       When and How to Say “No” to Caregiving 

-       Help for Abused and Battered Women 

-       Help for Abused Men