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This is a re-write from something I wrote back in January 2007…

Finding Empowerment Through Adversity

When we are suffering it is very difficult, if not impossible, to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  But it is there.  We will get through it.  And in time, our wounds really will be healed.

Can something good come out of adversity?  Often in the face of adversity, we are unable to see anything through our pain.  The only thing we can think about are questions.  Why is this happening to me?  How will I go on?  How will I survive?

Although we may want to, we should not turn away from our pain.  It is very important that we feel all of our feelings during these times of adversity and heartache.  Denying our pain, or denying our feelings, will not benefit us in any way.  In fact, it will likely prolong our troubles.  But if we look at our situation, and face our problems head-on…we will triumph.

We may sometimes feel like we are losing the battle; but when we push through the battle, we come out on the other side the winner of the war.  That’s because we are empowered when we conquer life’s toughest battles.  Only at these times of empowerment do we grow into the people we are meant to be.  Think about that for a minute.  Who would you be right now, if it wasn’t for the adversity you have been through in your life?

For me personally, I wish I had never had to go through many of the painful events of my life – loss, divorce, illness, betrayal, just to name a few.  But I also know that I would not be the woman I am today, had I not.  My past heartache and my past pain, are what make me the compassionate person that I am today.  And in retrospect, I don’t think I would want to be the kind of person who knows no hardships.  It is because of these hardships that I appreciate every thing I have, even the little things, the things that many people often take for granted.

I can now see that my past adversity, has truly been a blessing in my life.  And although I don’t look forward to future adversity, I do know it will come.  And when it does come, I will have the knowledge of my past strengths to help me overcome, and once again triumph.

My hope for everyone, is that they are able to one day look past their pain, to find their empowerment.

Can You Laugh Your Way To Better Health?

Diet and exercise are important for good health, but did you know laughter is too? If you want to be as healthy as you can be, than laughter needs to be part of your healthy living regimen. Is it?

Here are some of the Health Benefits of Laughter:

• Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases infection fighting antibodies. It increases our attentiveness, heart rate, and pulse.
• People who laugh heartily on a regular basis have lower standing blood pressure than the average person. When people have a good laugh, initially the blood pressure increases, but then it decreases to levels below normal. Breathing then becomes deeper which sends oxygen enriched blood and nutrients throughout the body.
• Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack, according to the study at the University of Maryland Medical Center (cited above). The study, which is the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.

Here is a Humor Survey by the University of Maryland Medical Center…

How Well Does Your Sense of Humor Protect You From Heart Disease?

Are you someone who easily finds the humor in things? What advice would you give to your super serious counterparts?

Anti-depressants have been in the news a lot recently.  There are new questions about anti-depressant use and the risk of suicide.  Questions about why anti-depressant use seems to be on the rise.  Questions about the risks of using anti-depressants during pregnancy.  And questions about the safety of using anti-depressants in adolescence.  Unfortunately, there are more questions than answers.

For me, these types of questions boil down to…Do the benefits outweigh the risks? And there is no right or wrong answer, I believe these questions need to be addressed on a case by case basis.

As with everything in life – Knowledge is power.  So in this post we will take a look at the latest news surrounding anti-depressant use, as well as links to information on diagnosis and treatment of depression.

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The latest research on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has it linked to a cancer-causing retrovirus…

Last week I was reading a lot about the latest research linking Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) to the XMRV Retrovirus.  Some of the articles even implied that people suffering with CFS (like myself) should be excited at the possibility that this news could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of CFS.  But, it’s not exactly good news for CFS patients, especially for patients hoping for a cure.  Here’s why…

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We all know that nothing stays the same.  And we know that life is constantly changing.  However, I think that we all under-estimate this fact in many ways.  What I mean is…When things are going great in our lives, we don’t think about the times that they weren’t so great.  And, when things are going badly and we are feeling sad, it’s sometimes hard to remember that we were ever happy.  In both these cases, it is important for us to not only remember, but to also reflect.

I think this is important because if we take some time to reflect on the bad days, on days that are going well for us, we can get a better perspective on our lives.  Seeing a bad day from the perspective of a good day, allows us to become “aware” of the notion that time heals.  Something that on our bad days, we may not be able to fully appreciate.

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Like many other moms out there, I’m getting ready to send my child off to college in a few weeks. So I thought a post that addressed some of the health and wellness issues of college students might be helpful.

One of the major health concerns for college students is Bacterial Meningitis…

Meningitis infection is characterized by a sudden onset of fever, headache, and stiff neck. It is often accompanied by other symptoms, such as…

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Understanding why we overeat is an important step on the road to making healthy food choices.  And for many of us, our unhealthy emotions are contributing to our unhealthy eating.

It’s called being an emotional eater.  Are you one of them?  I can admit…I am. I think if we are being honest with ourselves, we all do this to some degree. And in small doses, emotional eating isn’t so bad. But many of us have gone way beyond minor emotional eating. Many of us are using food to avoid dealing with our true feelings…and not only doesn’t it work, but it also compounds are troubles with feelings of guilt and anger toward ourselves.

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We all know that in order to be healthy (and happy) we need to get enough sleep. But still, most of us either don’t get enough sleep or our quality of sleep is lacking. Let face it, if you’re a mom you probably don’t get enough sleep. If you work you probably don’t get enough sleep. If you worry, you probably don’t get enough sleep. And if you’re a mom who works and also worries, you may have already forgotten what it means to get a good night’s sleep.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired all the time. I guess it doesn’t help that I stay up till all hours of the night doing my blog posts.

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KEEPING A PERSONAL MEDICAL JOURNAL — by Catherine Morgan – (cross posted at Be The Change You Want To See In Yourself)

Whether you are suffering from a chronic illness, pregnant, or just getting older. Keeping a personal medical journal, is important, and can really come in handy. Some may want to do this on a weekly or monthly basis, others on a daily basis, this will depend on the severity of your health issues.

STEP ONE: Just go out and get a notebook that you can use for this purpose alone. This journal will be helpful to you, as well as the medical practitioners you are working with. Especially, if you move, need to change doctors, or are hospitalized. Which reminds me, if you go on vacation, or extended holiday, bring your medical information with you, it will make it much easier if you need to see an unfamiliar physician, or be hospitalized.

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I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about today, and then I came across this interesting article on how reading can reduce stress. Since I love to read, and I also love anything that can help me reduce stress, I thought this would be a great post for today.

Are you stressed about the economy? Your job? Your kids? Politics? It’s no secret that life is very stressful these days. So…What can we do to reduce stress? Apparently, reading a book is one of the best ways to reduce stress.

Reading is the best way to relax and even six minutes can be enough to reduce the stress levels by more than two thirds or 68%.

New research by consultancy Mindlab International at the University of Sussex says reading works better and faster than other methods to calm frazzled nerves such as listening to music, going for a walk or settling down with a cup of tea.

Are you a reader? Does it help you relax and de-stress?

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