Category Archives: Anxiety

Mental Health Awareness Month Part 1

Posted on by
Reply

Before I get started and you continue reading, please be advised I am NOT a medical or mental health professional, nor am I giving any advice. I will share the knowledge I gained through hours of careful research because I wanted to share factual information regarding this essential subject.

Since 1949, the United States has acknowledged May as Mental Health Awareness Month. Unfortunately, there is a negative stigma surrounding mental health, and people may feel uncomfortable talking about it for fear of judgment and ridicule. While we should always recognize the courage and resilience of the tens of millions of Americans who are living with at least one mental health condition, we must make an extra effort during May. The mental health professionals who have dedicated their lives to aid in the healing of those struggling with mental health deserve acknowledgment and appreciation for their selfless efforts. Loved ones who remain devoted and supportive, standing with the one dealing with any mental health situation through every step of the journey to overcome the challenging battle should also be embraced with compassion, consideration, and empathy because this can be an emotionally draining and love road to travel.

A mental illness is any condition affecting an individual’s thinking, behavior, or moods and can drastically impact one’s day-to-day living and how they relate to others. The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) intentionally uses the terms “mental health conditions” and “mental illness/illnesses” interchangeably because there is not a massive difference between them. An important fact that must be understood and relayed is that mental health conditions are prevalent. We may not hear about them often because many stay silent because they are too scared to be open and talk about their struggles.

There are many known mental health conditions affecting people, and the estimated number of cases is upsetting because too many people are not being properly treated or diagnosed. Sadly, too many people suffer silently and try to weather the storm alone. The NAMI has made public the following statistics, but please keep in mind these numbers could be a little higher or substantially higher.

One in five, 19.86% of adults (nearly 50 million Americans), in the United States experience mental illness yearly.

One in twenty, 4.91%, of adults in the United States experience a serious mental illness yearly.

One in six youths, ages 6-17 in the United States experience a mental health disorder yearly.

50% of all lifelong mental illnesses begin at the age of 14, and 75% by the age of 24.

The second leading cause of death among those between ages 10-14 is suicide.

The staggering numbers I have shared are only estimated and could be much higher due to many undiagnosed and untreated cases because of not seeking the necessary help.

Throughout the rest of this post, I want to share common warning signs of a mental health issue and common symptoms (but some different conditions include other unique symptoms). Before going any further, please understand a mental health condition is not a result of a single event. Research has suggested that multiple bonding causes, genetics, environmental factors, and lifestyles may determine whether an individual develops a mental health condition or not. Those who have a stressful or work life or traumatic events in life can be susceptible to developing a mental health condition. A few takeaways from this so far are if you have a mental health condition, it does not indicate you are broken beyond repair or that you or your family did anything wrong, as there is no one at fault for mental health conditions. Anyone who deals with a mental health condition can live a happy and meaningful life, including but not limited to healthy social, school, and work relationships, which is far more likely to happen with proper treatment.

Mental health professionals are acutely aware of many mental health illnesses and understand each has their own set of unique symptoms. Unfortunately, this can make distinguishing the difference between expected behaviors, behaviors resulting from physical illness causing altered actions and thoughts, or an actual mental illness. There is an abundance of common symptoms for mental health illnesses, which include extreme levels of worry or fear, feeling overly sad, disorderly thinking or difficulties concentrating or learning, drastic mood changes, extended or intense feelings of irritability, evading friends, family, and social interactions, an inability to understand and or relate with others, delusions or hallucinations, overusing substances such as alcohol or drugs, multiple physical ailments without a cause, and suicidal thoughts.

Mental health illnesses can begin during childhood. Young children are still growing and learning ways to communicate and identify their thoughts and emotions, and their signs may vary from adults. The most common and clearly defined mental health signs in children revolve around behavioral issues. Some signs include changes in performance in school, heightened levels of anxiety, hyperactive behavior, increased nightmares, habitual disobedience, aggression, and temper tantrums. These issues are typically more intense than children not getting their way or acting out.

The issues described above are only part of the battle when considering mental illness and the most common symptoms directly related. As a whole, mental health issues are unique, complicated to diagnose, and difficult for the person suffering to understand and accept. Mental health issues are comprised of numerous factors an individual endures. The following symptoms are critical to consider and the ways they may contribute to mental health conditions but may help when deciding on treatment options.

Anosognosia is a neurological condition causing a person to lack awareness of their mental health condition and instead are in denial. They do not have insight into that something with their thought process is not rational. An individual can have moments of clarity, and acknowledge their illness, but their insights shift back and forth.

The risks of suicide and suicidal thoughts can be terrifying, but it is crucial to understand help is available. We may be able to avoid this terrible outcome if we reach out to family and friends occasionally, so they know you are available and care about them. There are several warning signs of suicide, but the following are only a few and include an increase in alcohol and drug usage, aggressive behavior, withdrawal from friends and family, drastic mood swings, and impulsive or reckless behavior. Again, these are only a few signs that scratch the surface, but when a person has suicidal thoughts, they can go far deeper.

Self-harm is not as simple as it sounds and covers a range of different actions. Unfortunately, this is an issue extremely common in adolescents and young adults. One who is causing self-harm is displaying signs of emotional distress and uses pain as a coping mechanism. Self-harm can make an individual feel additional shame on top of how negative they are already feeling about themselves. Self-harm may include frequent cutting or burning, drinking alcohol, or doing drugs. Once the person has caused themselves enough scars, they may start avoiding interactions with others because they are unable to hide their scars.

Approximately 18 million people with a mental illness smoke as a coping mechanism to deal with symptoms or stress from life. Adults with a mental health illness have a higher rate of smoking than someone without a mental illness. The nicotine in cigarettes can temporarily alter moods and distinguishing symptoms, which makes a person consume more cigarettes. Smoking is not only a temporary relief but an unhealthy way to cope as it can cause more negative health consequences.

Substance use disorders is the continuous misuse of alcohol and or drugs. Those experiencing mental health issues may misuse drugs and or alcohol to cope with the overwhelming symptoms they are experiencing. The term for this combination is known as dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorders. The symptoms of a substance abuse disorder may include withdrawing from family and friends, drastic behavioral changes, involving themselves with risky behaviors, development of a high tolerance and withdrawal symptoms, and feeling they need the drugs or alcohol to function in their lives.

Thank you for visiting my site today, and this will be all I will share today. I did not want to provide an overwhelming amount of information because I wanted you to be able to absorb as much as possible before adding the common mental health illnesses. I am working on completing the second part of this post, which will cover the most common mental health illnesses. I feel this information is important because mental health is consistently neglected, and our society has shunned it. We all must make a conscious effort to understand these issues better, so we can attempt to acknowledge when we or someone we know is suffering. There is no way to force someone going through a mental health illness or crisis to get the necessary help, but if we can start by understanding them, we might be a step ahead. 

Always, Alyssa

Letting Go

Posted on by
Reply

Good day! Let’s make today a phenomenal weekend♥! No matter how you spent the Thanksgiving holiday, I hope it was a wonderful day for you and your family. I am sure there will be many sales in the stores luring people to venture out shopping and spending as much money as possible. It seems like a sick and dirty game retailers play the days after Thanksgiving every year. Do you have plans to go out and see the “exciting” sales and power through the disorderly sea of people? I decided years ago there would never be a sale worth dealing with the shopping chaos. I have never enjoyed large crowds because they can cause me too much anxiety. For years, I have heard too many stories on the news regarding violence occurring in the shopping areas on Black Friday. Unnecessary violence does not make sense to me, and I will always avoid areas where violence may erupt.

I am not proud to admit this, but I have harbored too many negative emotions lately, which is not typically who I am. Dwelling on negative emotions is toxic for our mental and physical health. I can say this with 100% confidence because since I have done nothing but dwell on pessimistic thoughts lately, it has had nothing except a negative impact on my health. Regardless of whether the negative situations experienced were self-inflicted or caused by another person, this can create numerous feelings that are not understood. Until we can muster up the strength and courage to let go of anything negative that occurred, we will not be able to move on and live the happy life we all deserve♥.

I am going to work on letting go of as many toxic thoughts as possible and turn the page to better days that are ahead♥. Unfortunately, the world has become overwhelmingly negative with all we witness on the news. It can be challenging to avoid negative issues in our personal lives, but we do not need to allow the events to consume our minds. Nothing in life must be permanent, and we do have the power to eliminate things from our lives that are unpleasant and unwelcome. It is not easy to move past challenging situations, but once you acknowledge what is to be eliminated, life will get easier. As I let go of the negative thoughts consuming my mind for a couple of weeks, it will make room for a new and exciting future!

Thank you for stopping by my site today. I meant to publish this post earlier but got a little distracted and lost track of time. I hope you had a wonderful week and are looking forward to the weekend. Over the past few months, I have made friends with a few outside cats, and I am completely in love with one of them. Who am I kidding? I love all animals and will do anything I can to care for them to the best of my abilities. Unfortunately, I am unable to bring any of the outside cats inside because I do not want to upset our other cats! I always look forward to your comments, and I hope you enjoyed what I shared today. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love♥, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Sunday Thoughts

Posted on by
1

What does Sunday mean? The weekend is about over, and we must face the week another long week. Early yesterday morning, I received a text from my mother’s husband to let me know my mother was in the hospital. Talk about a terrible way to start the weekend because it is in my nature to stress about everything, and my mind automatically goes to the worst-case scenario. One of the worst parts of this is that I am over 1,100 miles away, and there is nothing I can do except overthink what is happening and what could happen. The logical part of my mind knows her being in the hospital is the place to place to be to keep her safe and get her well, but there is the illogical part of my mind that runs in overdrive.

I have always known looking things up on Google can be a blessing and a curse, but most of the time it is the latter. You can find great information on Google, but you can also play hell knowing what to believe and worry about and what to take lightly. Lord knows, when I looked up information about one of my lab results and our older cat’s test results, it was enough to make the sanest person lose their mind. I know the reason why my mother is in the hospital, and even though some of this does not make sense, I can only hope she will heal quickly and be able to go home soon. At this point, I do know she is going to be in the hospital for at least one more day or until her oxygen levels remain normal without the oxygen tank.

I know things could have gone a lot worse than they did for my mother, but please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she gets better from pneumonia. She and her husband have had a hell of a stressful weekend, but I am thankful he has been there for her. While I am over 1,100 miles away from them, I am trying to keep my mind occupied and not overwhelm myself with stress. I might have been driving our oldest cat crazy because I bought a new brush for him, as being brushed is something he hates more than anything else. In my defense, he has long hair, and if he would learn to cooperate and let me brush him, he would not have so many knots.

Thank you for stopping by my site today. I hope your weekend has been great and you are prepared for tomorrow when the new week begins. I know I mentioned I had a few posts that were not completed, and I planned to finish them over the weekend, but I was unable to do so. Hopefully, I will have them completed early next week, but I cannot make any promises. I look forward to reading your comments and will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love ♥, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes.

Always, Alyssa

Let It Go Friday

Posted on by
Reply

If we are left alone with nothing but our thoughts, the mind can quickly become a chaotic maze with no exit in sight. Numerous and random thoughts may start clouding the mind and feel overwhelming. It might seem like you are trying to sort through and organize them in a sea of quicksand. Never making any progress because thoughts continue to pour in more vicious than a hurricane mixed with a tornado. A battle between logic and the mind can quickly become an impossible war to win. How do you put a cork in the flow of thoughts when they are more powerful than any barriers available? Thoughts can have strength in numbers and will continue to evade you until you find a way to relax your mind, calm your anxiety, and deal with unresolved emotions.

It does not matter who you are, the amount of money you have in the bank, the number of luxuries you possess, or even how happy and perfect your life appears on the “outside”. Unfortunately, everyone has struggles with painful or challenging times in life. It is important to remember that most of the issues we face, including but not limited to the hard times will not to be permanent and will pass. Sometimes, we must take a step back and reevaluate life. We must try remembering what has changed or which choices we made, leaving you feeling helpful and defeated. There will be times when we must dust off defeat and allow time to recover.

No matter how much you have endured during your life or how painful the challenges have been, remember that you overcame them and are stronger than you were before. You do not have to rush your recovery time and should take the required time you need so the memories can be left in the past. Nothing is worth putting your mental well-being in jeopardy. There is no time limit to recover from anything negative in life because YOU are the only person that matters during any hard situation you are dealing with.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you found what I have shared helpful and that it helps you to let go of the negativity in life. No one should have any hold over your happiness, and you should be able to enjoy YOUR life. I have always thought that Friday was the perfect day to let go of any negative emotions the week might have stirred up, or even if it was from another time, NOW, is the time to let go of them so you are able to enjoy the short weekend😊! I would love to read your comments. and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes! 

Always, Alyssa

Let It Go Friday

Posted on by
1

Happy Friday, y’all! I hope you had a wonderful week and, you are looking forward to enjoying the weekend! The weekend means you do not have to make any plans or have any must-do tasks, and you can relax, and recuperate from the week. Of course, you can have plans, but only if that is what you want to do. The workweeks always feel long, and then the weekends feel super short, and probably because they are. We have two carefree days, which is why I always think Friday is the perfect day to let go of any negativity the week may have created!

For those of you that have been following my blog for any time, you know I try to share a quote to help you let go of anything causing you stress or negative feelings. There is no reason to carry any negativity into a weekend that is already short, and we should be able to enjoy the weekend to the fullest. I hope you will find the quote I am sharing helpful, and you can see how meaningful it is. I understand how challenging it can be to not worry, but there are some things we have no control over, and no amount of worrying will change the outcome. Anger is one of those emotions I always to avoid, as it causes me too much anxiety, and no one needs that! Honestly and kindness are easy for me to do because I do not like dishonesty or meanness, so why would I be either of these?

We survived another week and are getting ready for the weekend😊! Do you have any plans? The only things I want to do this weekend are repotting a few plants and keeping a close eye on our cat. Our oldest cat, Sundance, has asthma and appears to not be feeling well☹. He has gone through this type of thing before and has always gotten better, but I cannot help but worry about him. Sundance has the most loving, and kind heart, and soul. The reason it is so hard for me when he is not feeling well is you can see it in his big blue eyes, and it brings back painful memories for me when our cat, Chloe, passed away. It is like PTSD, but I am trying to stay calm, and rational, and I already sent his doctor’s office!

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you enjoyed this post and that you have a wonderful day. I am looking forward to reading your comments, and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please do me one small favor, and keep my sweet cat, Sundance in your thoughts. He is a good baby boy, and we would be lost if anything ever happens to him. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes! 

Always, Alyssa

Keeping Pets Calm during the 4th of July

Posted on by
3

The 4th of July can be exciting and much fun for us, but traumatic for the pets that we love. Many animals do not enjoy loud noise, but it can cause them fear and anxiety. As loving and caring pet owners, it is our responsibility to make the 4th of July holiday as stress-free as possible. You are probably aware I have three of the best cats in the world, but I am partial and think they can do no wrong. All three of our cats are frightened by the fireworks and even a lawn mower outside. I believe the reason they are like this is because we maintain a calm and quiet home. In this post, I am going to share some tips to keep your pets, both cats and dogs calm during the festivities that will be taking place tonight.

Of course, as a cat owner, I know they can be feisty and fearless, except for one thing, which is loud noise. It seems any loud noises can startle cats, causing them to jump, run, and hide. The following tips may be beneficial to keep your cuddly and precious kitty calmer during the fireworks and any other loud noises.

It is best to refrain from scolding any of your pets. Remember, our sweet pets do not understand what is going on outside of their homes, or why it is so loud. Only about 34% of cats are terrified of fireworks, and your cat may or may not be part of this 34%. With loud noises, they might become scared and act out (more than normal😊). If you get upset with your cat due to their behavior, understand they are anxious and are unable to verbalize how they are feeling. Scolding or disciplining your cat will make matters much worse and should be avoided, as this will only terrorize them further. Keep calm, and remember your cat feels they need to defend themselves and are in survival mode.

We should offer our kitties a hiding place. We all know our cats’ behaviors, and they all have their “secret” hiding places. Cats tend to take refuge in dark places when they are scared, as this makes them feel safer. Some cats may remain out in the open but curl up beside you or on your lap when they are scared. Others will prefer to hide when they feel stressed pr threatened, and it is best to allow them to do so. It is important to NOT force them out of their safe space and handling them during their stressful time as this can cause more stress.

It may seem like a reasonable thing to do to close your cat into one part of your home when they are stressed, but we should never confirm our cats. One of the worse things to do is to leave your cat alone when they are stressed and scared, as this can do more harm than good. Allowing your cat free access to the house allows them to roam around and go wherever they feel safest and most comfortable.

I understand becoming upset and stressed when we know our pets are in distress, but we need to remain calm. If we act overly concerned or show our cats too much attention, it may cause them to think there is something they should fear. Cats are very intelligent and can sense our emotions. Acting casually around the house as we normally would show your cat there is nothing to be feared, and they are safe. It is common for cats to be scared until the noise stops, but if you are calm, it will help them to not panic more than they already are.

Provide your cat with the comfort they want, and need during the times when they are scared. It is possible that your cat does not hide when they hear the fireworks and instead, follow you and cling to you. Maybe they will climb into your lap or bury their little head in your neck as this makes them feel safe and content. Other cats might not want to be touched, but they also want to remain close to you. Just let your cat set the pace, and gently, and slowly pet them.

No matter their size, dogs are also afraid of fireworks for two main reasons. The first reason is the most obvious, they are loud. Dogs have extraordinary hearing. They can hear twice as many frequencies as humans. With their hearing being so outstanding, the second reason dogs fear fireworks are they are unpredictable and random. The randomness and unpredictability make a dog hide, run away, or possibly become aggressive.

All dog owners understand the behaviors of their dogs, but should still know when they are in fear, they can be unpredictable, just like humans. The following tips may help your effort to calm your dog during tonight’s festivities.

1. Regardless of whether you keep your dog inside or outside, during the 4th of July holiday, it would be ideal to keep them inside, especially at night.

2. Offer your beloved dog a safe and comfortable space, preferably away from windows. An ideal place would be in a basement if you have one as this would be away from windows and the sounds would not be as loud.

3. Of course, dogs need to be walked for exercise and to use the bathroom. It would be best to walk your dog before the sunsets, and the fireworks begin.

4. Provide your dog with love and comfort. This could mean petting them with long, and firm strokes, or however, they prefer for you to pet them.

5. Another way to comfort your dog during the 4th of July festivities is to play white noise, such as a TV or a radio to mask the loud fireworks.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope the information that I shared will help you and your pets to enjoy the 4th of July a little easier and with much less stress. I know my neighbors have been setting fireworks off since last Friday, and they are terrorizing our cats, but we are doing the best we can to keep them calm and know they are not in any danger. I look forward to reading your comments, and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Happy Friday Eve

Posted on by
3

Happy Friday Eve, y’all! I hope you are having a good week, and you are looking forward to the weekend! I think I am always looking forward to the weekend starting on Sunday evening😊! My reason for looking forward to the weekend before the week begins has nothing to do with not enjoying my job because I have a good job and great co-workers. I just enjoy the weekend because I do not have to get up nearly as early! Unfortunately, even when I do not have to get up early, I am always up early.

Many of us probably have random doctor’s appointments, which are NEVER exciting. One of the worst things about dealing with appointments is the medical jargon and trying to understand what is going on. People who work in the medical field understand things much better than those of us not in that field, but most of them are not good at explaining things. Of course, if you read about test results online and come across something that you do not understand and decide to look it up on Google, things go from bad to worse!

Recently, I went to the OBGYN for the first time in many years. This is not the type of doctor I look forward to going to because it is a very uncomfortable type of appointment. I know it was not a good idea to postpone for as long as I did, but I do have my reasons, even though they might not be logical. Tuesday afternoon, my test results came through in my email saying they were available to view in My Chart. Much of what I read was confusing, so I decided to look up the terms. Probably one of the worst decisions ever because it was at 9:00 at night, and of course, the doctors were not in the office. I cried because in the one paragraph explaining what I did not understand, the only word I saw was “cancer”.

After I explained to my husband why I was upset, he told me not to worry, or get upset until I spoke with the doctor’s office. He also said if it was serious, I would get a call from the physician. I know he was just trying to help and make me feel better, but he is a man and does not understand. I tried putting it out of my head last night, and of course, the doctor’s office called me. Instead of giving me good news to relieve my anxiety, she told me that I was going to need further testing. Things that I was unaware of is that cancer does run in my family, on my mother’s side. So now I just must wait for another appointment.

I want to try to end this post on a positive note. After I talked to a very wise woman about my stress about the test results, she gave me some great advice, and it is something I have said to many others before. She told me to think positive thoughts and positive things will happen! It is not easy to remember things like this when you are in a landslide of stress and fear, but it is good advice. I hope you will find the quote that I am sharing helpful and that it offers you a sense of positivity!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and that you have a wonderful day. I would love the chance to read your comments, and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Rights To A Safe Life

Posted on by
1

The world seems to be filled with hatred and chaos. There once was a time when my husband and I looked forward to going to concerts because we enjoyed live music, but due to several years of COVID, it has been years since we were able to enjoy this. Is there anything that brought you joy that has been sitting on the backburn for numerous years? If so, what are these things that you enjoyed doing and are you planning to start back up again?

There are many concerts over the next few months that I really want to go to, but I asked my husband what I think is a very valid question, is it safe? We have all heard about the daily acts of violence in the United States, so who is to say it is even safe anymore? There appear to be shootings happening nearly daily at different places, from schools to restaurants to malls and in the streets. Even though I do understand we are all going to die someday, I would much prefer to not die at the hands of a mentally unstable person who thinks they have a right to own a gun.

In the United States and anywhere else around the world, we all have a right to a happy and safe life, which means there must be better control and understanding of ownership of a firearm. I think people think that guns are interesting and fun, which I am sure they can be, but there needs to be an understanding of safety. There is much more involved to the meaning of the 2nd Amendment right or at least there should be. Regardless of if the 2nd Amendment needs to be amended or not, it is also crucial for people to understand we all also have a right to not live in fear!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have been able to enjoy your weekend to the fullest. For the past two days, I have been feeling very fatigued and therefore did not have much energy. Last week did a number on me, and I needed this time to do nothing. I do understand there will be some people that disagree with what I have shared in this post, but that is your right, and I respect your opinion. I hope you can respect my opinion as well that I believe everyone around the world has a right to live life without fear. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Grudges and Forgiveness

Posted on by
6

Letting go of anger, bitterness, resentment, and grudges is easier said than done, especially when you have been holding onto it for too long. Unfortunately, many of us have been hurt by the words or actions of another during our lives. Maybe this was inflicted by a parent who disappointed or criticized you multiple times or a friend or partner that deceived you, or possibly you encountered a traumatic experience, such as a form of abuse during your life. Deep wounds from the past can create these negative emotions and so much more, but we do not have to be held prisoner by them.

The fact is that holding onto and dwelling on the pain will only cause you more heartache. When you can embrace forgiveness, you will feel peace and less pain. Embracing forgiveness may lead you to physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

What does forgiveness mean? The actions that caused you emotional pain may always stay with you, but forgiveness can release and reduce the grip the resentment has on your heart and soul. Forgiveness can give you freedom from the control of the one that hurt you, In time, forgiveness may even provide you with a sense of understanding, empathy, and compassion for the person that hurt you.

When we are hurt by a person that we love and trust, it can be easy to hold a grudge. The feelings that are involved with this grudge can steam from anger, sadness, confusion, resentment, and hostility. Allowing these negative emotions to take hold and derail the positive thoughts can cause you to become overwhelmed with bitterness.

Holding onto a grudge can be toxic and have several negative effects on our lives. A few negative effects a grudge can impact our lives with may include:

~Carry anger and bitterness into new relationships

~You may become so consumed with your anger, you are unable to enjoy your life

~You may experience depression, irritability, and anxiety

~You forfeit valuable and rewarding connections with others

Letting go of a grudge you have carried and moving into a state of forgiveness is a commitment that takes practice and time but may offer you several benefits. Forgiving someone for their wrongdoings does not excuse their behaviors nor does it mean you will forget what happened, but this is necessary for your mental well-being.

A few benefits to forgiveness may include:

1. Building and maintaining healthier relationships

2. Improve our overall mental health

3. Reduce anxiety, stress, and hostility

4. Lessen symptoms of depression

5. Lower blood pressure

6. Maintain a strong immune system

7. Enhance self-esteem

8. Improve heart health

I hope you found this post helpful. I do try to not hold onto grudges, but there have been several times when I have failed miserably. It is not healthy and will only hinder you in life holding onto grudges and resentment whereas letting go and allowing for forgiveness will only free you from the negativity. I do not think it would cause anything negative if we try forgiving those that have wronged us. Again, this does not mean we will forget what happened, but it can allow us to be less burdened with negative emotions!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend doing what brings you the most joy and peace. I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. There are many people that I can forgive for what they did wrong, but there is only ONE person that no matter how hard I try, I will NEVER forgive. Even though I am unable to find forgiveness in my heart, I do not allow this person’s wrongdoings to prevent my happiness. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes! 

Always, Alyssa

Dentist experience update

Posted on by
3

We survived this week and can now enjoy the weekend! How was your week? Mine was spent dealing with my least favorite kind of doctor, the dentist. I went to one earlier in the week because she was right around the corner, but she was anything but helpful. Not only was she not helpful, but she also lied. First, she told me that she was unable to pull my tooth and she needed to send me to an oral surgeon, and she also said the tooth was not infected. None of this made sense to me because my husband had a tooth pulled that was even worse than mine.

Considering I was desperate to get this tooth taken care of before we went on our vacation to celebrate my husband’s birthday, I called my original dentist. The only reason I did not go to her in the first place is that she is a little further away and I was trying to get things done during a long lunch break at work. I ended up calling my normal dentist and having the x-ray sent to her and she said she could pull the tooth for me.

I left work at lunch yesterday and went to the dentist to have her pull my tooth. I was a nervous wreck because I have never had a tooth pulled before and I am already terrified of all dentists. For someone who hates all dentists and fears them to an irrational level, I do like the dentist. It helped that she let me have her little dog on my lap while she pulled my tooth. The little dog was so sweet and just laid on my lap and offered a lot of comforts. The entire process was not too bad, but it was not fun either. Of course, when they did the shots to numb my mouth it hurt, but not for too long. The cracking sounds when she was pulling the tooth were a little uncomfortable.

Once the numbing medication wore off, I was in pain last night. I was only able to eat soft foods but could not eat much because I was very nauseous, which was probably because of the infection the first dentist said I did not have. Things were better today, but I was still not feeling 100%, but I did work today. Thankfully, work has been very slow, so I did not have to do too much. Overall, I highly recommend therapy dogs be at doctor’s and dentist’s offices because they make the experience much better.

Thank you for visiting my site today. The reason I have been absent from blogging is because of the tooth pain, but now that is all taken care of, and I am thankful the weekend is here because I need to rest. After the traumatic experience of having my tooth pulled and fearing the dentist, I think I could sleep for an entire day! I hope you have had a good week and you are able to enjoy your weekend. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa