My Soul is Happiest When....

My soul is happiest when it feels Jesus. I am listening to a song by Third Day called “King of Glory” and singing along and I can feel Jesus so close right now that I have tears in my eyes and my heart feels so full. I love my Jesus and I know that I don’t often put that out there, but I just feel the need to tonight. I think that I need to share it more. I am on a mission to do His work, the work that our Heavenly Father needs me to do, so I need to share my love for Him and His love for me more often with others. 

I will be honest, I have been so caught up in school, kids, life and everything that I haven’t been showing Him all the love that He deserves so I am taking a time out tonight to say- Jesus, Lord, KING OF MY HEART and OF GLORY, I love you and I am grateful and forever thankful for you and what you have done for me! I hope that I can show you that through the work that I am going to spend my life doing for you!

Winding Down For a Little While

Yes, things are finally winding down for about 6 weeks for me, maybe even less. I will only be taking one class in school because I only signed up for two over summer semester, one was only eight weeks and the other is 14 or 16, I’m not entirely sure. I do know that for once in my life I am doing much better in a math class than I am in an English class, which is really strange, but I find it hard to give my opinion of a poem or to compare and contrast two essays and give insight in APA format. Doesn’t make sense to me to ask it to be done that way, but I am not the professor so I am not going to argue. 

My migraines are also winding down. This means that instead of getting one every day, I am now getting them about three days a week, sometimes only 2, and usually those days are subsequent so once they are over I don’t have to continuously deal with them (Praise the Lord for this one!).

So I do have some goals for the next few weeks while I am not going crazy with school work because once August 20^th rolls around, it is back on with a full course load again. 

1.       Start working out again. I am not sure if I am going to do Turbo Jam or Chalean Extreme or a           combo of both, I will decide when I wake up today.

2.       Write some blogs for the future so that I don’t go months at a time without posting anything. I feel  really bad about doing this because I really don’t like neglecting you guys or this page.

3.       Do some reviews on a few books that I need to read and a few products that I am wanting to try.

4.       Read a few books for pleasure.

5.       Get out and explore and try new things with the family.

6.       Blog about my experience with Women of Passionate Purpose.

As you can see I have several things going on and I think that I am going to expand my blog to where I write about more than just wellness things, because it helps me with my wellness and I want you all to get to know me a little better as well. I want to keep it lively and interesting. I want to share with you what makes me, well, me. What drives me and what God has made my passions and talents.

I hope to talk to you all again soon and until then I pray that you are all blessed with cool weather (we are in the 100s during the day right now) and rain if you need it. I pray that God provides for your needs and heals those that need it. May Jesus be the love of your heart and the focus of your mind.

The Job You Must Do

What am I suppose to do? I asked that recently and I think I got a resounding answer when a door got slammed in my face. 

You see, almost 3 years ago I set out on the path that I am on now to get my psychology degree and become a counselor, but about a month ago I was offered an awesome job at an antique mall- I love antiques and I was in heaven. The job was for sales and marketing and I jumped right in full speed ahead. I even considered not going for my Master’s once I finish up my Bachelor’s and just continue with what I was given the job for. 

The first week went great. I was told on Friday they would call on Sat and discuss the next week’s hours with me. I didn’t hear anything, but on Monday my boss called and said that he would have me come in later that week. Later that week came and he said it would be the following week. That week came and he said that it would be around Thursday of that week. I never heard back that week. The next week came and finally midweek I emailed and was told that they didn’t have the money to pay me but when they do they will call. 

I think I have the direction that I am suppose to go in. I am to stay on this path and God is showing me that. I think that I have found something that I would actually love to do while finishing up school and not consider giving up my chosen career for- I would actually like to be a virtual assistant or VA. I can be at home like I need to be, be a full time mom and wife like I want to be and still supplement our income until I get my counseling degree. 

As for coaching- I enjoy helping people and I am trying to coach a person here and there without having to charge them for now. I have just really given this a lot of thought and I want to really focus on counseling because that is the path that God has put me on and it is the path that I have to stay on. 

When HE gives you a job, it is the job that you must do.

The power of a research paper...

I learned something new yesterday- what we write about, regardless of the reason that we are doing it- can greatly impact our emotions. I had a research paper due for my abnormal psych class last night and I decided that I would do it on depression. The more I wrote, the more down I got. 

I know the symptoms of depression and I know how controlling it can be as a mental illness. I spent part of my teens and early 20’s battling it and never want to go back that, but within a mere few hours yesterday just doing this one paper and I was that person all over again. I was moody- frustrated, upset one minute, in tears the next. I felt alone and like I had no one in the world here for me. It is amazing how much influence something so small can influence our minds. 

I do know that it is important to not let the feelings and thoughts associated with depression take hold, so after waking up this morning and just wishing I could hide in bed all day- I got up and got in gear. I forced my way to being happy and cheerful by giving myself things to look forward to and getting out of the house for a couple of hours. I decided to avoid class work for today and by afternoon I was back to my normal self. 

I do know this- no more research papers on depression!

Finding Peace in Frustration

There are a million thoughts racing through my mind- Why didn’t I do this or why didn’t I say that? How could I have let this happen or how can this person be so blind? I am extremely frustrated and can’t get them to stop. I have given the issue to God, but the thoughts still persist. I know that we have all been there and when it gets like this it’s even more frustrating than the issue that we are frustrated about in the first place. 

I have found that we all probably have something that calms and soothes our souls. For some it could be scrapbooking, crafting, writing, drawing, chopping wood, exercising, just about anything- it really just depends on YOU. For me it is decorating or anything that has to do with it. I can spend hours looking for the perfect fabric for a window treatment and it is relaxing. A week and a half ago I was super frustrated and decided to paint my dining room by myself and it got rid of all my frustrations and I was very happy with the way my room turned out. I love hanging pictures on the wall or just getting ideas for my room layout. Decorating is my creative outlet. 

I can also get the same results with decorating a cake, baking something yummy or cooking a fantastic meal. I can spend hours making gum paste roses. I love seeing the end results of spending hours decorating a cake and hearing how much everyone enjoyed eating it. It may not always be something that a professional would do but my kids, husband and other family members and those are the only people I usually make cakes for. I love trying a new recipe and hearing the delight from my husband and kids as they take the first few bites and knowing that it is a keeper. I love even more coming up with my own recipes (such as my lasagna) and making it time after time knowing that everyone will enjoy it and will be talking about it for days to come. 

When I decorate, cook or bake, I always do it because I want others to be happy. Decorating our new place is about making it a home for our family. Everything that I do is husband approved. The kitchen and dining room reflect my personality, but those are where I spend my time while the living room reflects more of my husband’s personality. He spends more time with the kids in there- that’s where they play their video games and so it should be something that reflects him. When I cook, I do it because not only do I want to nourish my family, I want them to enjoy it as well. I want them to look back and know that I wanted them to enjoy what they put into their bodies. I want my kids to ask for recipes to share with their wives or to cook for their families. 

I hope that you have things that bring you peace when you are frustrated. If not, then I encourage you to find something that expresses who you are and start throwing your heart into. It will help your wellness because it really does help you discover who God made you to be. I used to worry that God didn’t give me any other talent than being able to sing in church, but when I grew up I discovered that He gives all something, sometimes it just takes some of us a little longer to find them.

Living Well While Living With an Illness

As most of you know, I have several illnesses that I will always have to live with- Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, recently diagnosed chronic migraines and mitral valve and tricuspid valve prolapse- but these illnesses do not mean that I will always have to be sick. I know that this sounds like an oxymoron or like it just doesn't make sense, but in to me it does. For me to live well means that I accept my illnesses, I work daily on my spiritual being with God, I work on my mental well being and that I take care of my physical body through diet and exercise. That is why I decided to name my coaching business Wellness From the Inside Out- I believe that all three- body, mind and soul - must work together in harmony to have complete well being while living with a chronic illness.

I believe that the soul and relationship with God is most important. I know that there are others that like to believe in other beings and other religions, but I do not put stock in those and as a Christian coach and acceptor of Jesus as my personal savior I definitely cannot and will not give them credibility in my blog or in my life and will not apologize for that. I believe that daily we have to pray and we need to study God's word. We need to seek Him out to draw closer to Him and seek His will in our lives. It is amazing how much He will help us and how much strength He will give us when we are seeking God daily.

Next I believe our mental wellness plays a major role in how our physical wellness is. If we think that we aren't feeling well, believe me we aren't going to be feeling well. The saying mind over matter really is true. If we dwell on negative thoughts and bad things that happen to us it is going to reflect in our physical bodies. Stress is one of the major reason for physical pain, triggers for migraines and other types of headaches and is even believed to be one of the factors for causing pain syndromes such as Fibromyalgia and Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome.

Physical wellness... this one is actually one of the easiest for us to change and take charge of by changing what we put into our bodies and by how we treat our bodies. Remember to leave the junk out and to put the good stuff in. I know this is easier said than done- I suffer from a disease that makes my body crave sugar. Hasimoto's has been proven to cause carb cravings. I have always wondered why it is when I eat one cookie I feel like my body wants another and then another and then another and now I know. I also know that I have to stay away from the first cookie or piece of birthday cake or my body will crave it for hours and days after until I give in. The only thing I can do at that point is ask God to take that from me and to give me the willpower to walk away.

Another thing to do for your body is to exercise. Get up and get to moving. Take some dance classes or go for a mile- 3 mile walk every day or every other day, join a gym and use the membership. It doesn't matter what you do, just get up and do it. Remember though a good combo of cardio and weightlifting does more for you than just one. Weight lifting has many benefits that cardio doesn't and vice versa.

Don't ever think that because a doctor says that you have an illness that it has to define who you are- it is still your life, it is just a part of your life. There will be days that it will interrupt and slow you down. There will be days when the pain is all you can think about, but you can still live a happy life and do the things that you enjoy!

Getting Back to the Blog!

I know that it has been a long time since I have blogged, but I have been one busy bee. I decided that I was going to work straight through the summer with school and not take any breaks and that seems to be a mistake. That was a major energy drainer. My husband and I also took several trips during this time, some to see family and some just to enjoy each other’s company. 

With my weight loss journey I am now down 50-51 pounds, it changes depending on my scale’s mood each morning and depending on if it wants to frustrate me or not. I just go with it. I have now gotten down to a size small and 4/6. It was never my intention to get into a size 4, I actually thought that for me I would be in a size 8 at 127 pounds, but I am a very petite person with a small bone structure so I am sure that has something to do with it. My mom swears that I am starving myself, but that really isn’t the case. I just eat, and try to make sure that I eat healthy, when I am hungry.

Unfortunately I have had to cut back on my exercising because I have been diagnosed with basilar type migraines and mitral valve and tricuspid valve prolapse. I have had migraines since I was 18 but we never knew what type until I was hospitalized in August and had an MRA (MRI that looks specifically at the vessels in the body) and CTA (CT scan that does the same as a MRA) and found out that I have a fenestration in my Basilar artery. Basically instead of having one large basilar artery I have two very small basilar arteries and this causes my migraines and actually puts me at high risk for stroke at 31 years old.

As for the mitral valve and tricuspid valve, that isn’t a huge surprise. These issues were found when I was 19, but the doctors thought that since I wasn’t a full grown adult yet that they would go away and when I went to my internist with dizzy and light headed spells he basically blew me off and said that it was nothing, although I also had other issues such as low blood pressure and fatigue (which got diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome). I actually plan on calling tomorrow or Friday to get my cardiologist appointment, I would have already done this but momma duty has called. I have had a sick daughter this week and she has been my focus.

On the up side, I have started my coaching business. I love working with others and helping them find their direction. It is just such a blessing to talk to someone and hear them discover that they have the answers and know how inside of themselves already. The client that I am working with right now is a wonderful lady and I enjoy or sessions, she is a blessing to my life. God has just given me such a passion for others and I know that no matter where I go I will always enjoy getting to know the people that God brings into my life.

I am looking forward to getting back to this blog and sharing with you all what I have learned and just about life in general! Blessings to you all!