Communication Is How We Are Heard

Sometimes I want to write and find myself trying to find the right words to explain just how I am feeling.  There are days when I can write something right off the top of my head in a few minutes and other days when I know what I want to say,  but I struggle to put on the page.  Effective communication  is a way of getting others to hear our voice and understand what we really mean.  Writing is a method of communication and without non-verbal cues such as body language and tone of voice.  We must learn how to write to so our reader knows exactly how we feel.

Capturing an audience of readers is what a writer is ultimately looking for.  I started my blog to entertain my family and leave something for them to read.  I was journaling my life with Laney and then of course it turned to my husband's journey with Cancer.  The journey was not always pleasant, but documenting it has helped us learn a great deal from it.  I hope it has helped my children and others realize that life has it's ups and downs and heartache, but we keep learning and moving forward knowing that there is life after unpleasant experiences.   I hope too that people realize it is not shameful to seek help from health care professionals and therapist who can help heal the mind and body. Finding someone to listen, validate your feelings, and build a trusting relationship takes courage and strength, and in the end the reward is peace and happiness for yourself.  It may take you seeing a couple of different health care professionals to find someone who you can build a trusting relationship with, but remember you are worth it.  It is your life and your happiness that is important.

As time passes by, we experience new life events and the trauma from the Cancer lessens.  Our family's thoughts have been shifted to new adventures in life.  It does not mean we have forgotten the past events and we may even have triggers that bring a fear of the Cancer returning, but we are able to focus more on the days before us.  I have read that usually five years after a frightening life event the mind no longer focuses on the event.  I am finding this true as we are now approaching that five year mark.  I hope and pray that we continue on this path of living and enjoying life.

Anger over life events lessens as distance grows.  It is like a raging fire that a burns out when their is no more fuel.  The life event burns out when we are no longer having to focus all of our energy on it.

It has been nice now that my husband's  doctor visits have grown farther apart. The mind doesn't focus on them daily and we are able to view life as being healthy.  We appreciate everyday and have learned about the simple aspects of life that bring us great joy.

Your body is your temple and you need to take care of it and live everyday to the fullest.  Love yourself and take care of  yourself and the rest of life will fall into place.  I have learned that I am the only person  who can help myself.   It took a lot of courage to admit I was hurting and something was wrong with my thought process, but it lead me in the right direction to being healthy.  Never let anyone shame you and make you feel that you are not worthy of being heard.  Fear is only alive if we don't speak up and learn to trust our self to get help.  Other people can not hear the silence of our pain.  We must speak up in order to be heard.  Sometimes we need to keep speaking until someone hears us.  I have learned to believe in myself, and I know that the pain of others belongs to them.

Life is beautiful and communication is important to live a happy life.  Let yourself be heard !!

Love, Elizabeth:)

Harmony in the Body Is Beautiful

I forgot yesterday to mention that my sweet Laney had another birthday.  She is now nine years old and it has been nine wonderful years with her by my side.   She is still bringing a smile to my face everyday and I think quite often if she had not come into my life that this blog probably would have not been.  She spends her days lounging on the couch sleeping.  I love her so much.  Happy Birthday, my four legged friend!

Mother's Day is almost upon us and for those of us that have lost our mothers, we will be sending love and hugs to heaven.  I was out shopping yesterday and couldn't resist buying myself some flowers in honor of my own mother and mother-in law.  They both loved flowers.  And of course, there is nothing like flowers to make me feel happy.  Still waiting to plant some outside, but the rule of thumb is to wait until after the 15th of May.  We sometimes have frost in May. It is hard to believe that the days of May are already slipping away. 

I am so happy to report that I am really enjoying life and so is my husband.  I remarked last evening that I can feel the changes in my body since last fall.  My body is adjusting to the supplements prescribed by the doctor.  I have learned so much about micro nutrients, vitamins and minerals and their importance in keeping our bodies healthy.  The cortisol belly is finally going bye-bye and my racing heart beat has subsided.  I no longer feel anxious and I sleep like a baby.  I have learned so much about stress and the effect on the body.  I can tell that eliminating coffee and caffeine from my life has definitely helped along with getting rid of stressful situations.  The doctor and I are still adjusting a few supplements to get my body back into balance.  I was told that it would take about a year to heal and it has now been eight months.  Sometimes it takes patience and some readjusting. I think that my thyroid is starting to function correctly now.  It is amazing how deficiencies such as the vitamin D play a significant role in the thyroid.  I cringe to think how long I had that vitamin D deficiency and how I suffered for years.   I am so glad that I found a doctor that would check for the deficiency, as I had suspected it was part of my problem.  It is a big issue here in the north due to our winters and the fact that we wear a lot of sun screen. 

My other big concern was a magnesium deficiency.  My bone scan revealed osteoporosis had set in, I am hoping with the replacement of the supplements that I can build new bone density.  I thank myself everyday now for taking that leap to find doctors that studied integrative medicine.  My back aches that I suffered from for years have subsided and now that my thyroid is readjusting I have noticed that my Achilles' tendon pain is subsiding.  I was not put on synthroid medication, but my supplements are helping to support the thyroid so it can function properly.   A lot of my health issues have been connected to hypothyroidism.  I searched back into my own health records to discover almost 25 years ago that my thyroid panels were low.  I remember that I always felt tired and I had ridges in my fingernails and an intolerance to cold and heat.  I was never treated with an medication, as I was told that the thyroid deficiency wasn't that bad.  It is amazing that when things get out of whack in our bodies, so many other organ functions are effected.  I recently found out that my dad has thyroid problems and he was told also that he didn't need to take anything to correct it.  I am wondering if it is the culprit to a to many of his health problems.  

I wish more doctors would study about vitamins and mineral  deficiencies and their relationship to correct some medical problems.  We need to have more research conducted on the role of vitamin deficiencies and other micro nutrients to help keep our body in harmony.  I hate the thought of what would have happened to me if I had not reached out and decided to be tested for the deficiencies.  It is also a shame that insurance companies will not pay for a lot of testing for the vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  For me the money spent was the best money I ever spent on myself.  I am like a new person these days and this Mother's Day for me is going to be special.  

Harmony in the body is one of the most precious things in life.  Sometimes even when you eat healthy, we do not get all the nutrients we need to keep the body healthy.  We might have absorption problems or other underlying problems. Always check with your doctor before taking supplements.  They need to be monitored and of good quality to be effective.  My supplements are all prescription written.  If you suspect that you may have a deficiency in something and your doctor does not do test for them, then ask for referrals to integrative medical doctors.  The ones I see are board certified doctors of Internal Medicine.  It has changed my life.  Life is happy and full of love when you feel healthy.  Your are worth the extra effort it takes to get healthy. 

It's not where you go or what you do, it's who is beside you that counts....unknown author.

Happy Mother's Day !!

Life is beautiful !!!

Elizabeth