Living life with a chronic illness is definitely not easy. But I do my best to push through all the barriers this illness puts in front of me! In my heart and mind, I believe maintaining a positive outlook on all situations in life will carry us through to much better times! I hope you find the information that I provide both helpful and inspirational!
Loss can distort our sense of time and may cause months or years to feel like only days. Although I am sadly aware our sweet cat Sundance passed away three months ago today, I remember every moment as clearly as it was yesterday. It is so hard to wrap my mind around the thoughts that three months ago, I had to witness him struggle in pain and take his final breath. Many have told me I did everything I could to take care of him, but I still feel like I failed him, and the image of his lifeless body haunts me. Sundance had a loving and pure heart and knew only love, kindness, and acceptance. Why did Sundance have to get an inoperable tumor on his lung, and why could the doctors not remove it and give him a donor’s lung? Why do bad things happen to innocent animals, but the vilest humans will continue living without issues? These issues hardly seem fair to me.
I know the way I am thinking about this loss is due to the continuous grief felt. The never-ending pain from losing our precious cat has been relentless, and his memories are in every part of the house and our hearts. I will always be thankful for our years with Sundance, and there will not be a day that passes that we will not miss him. For reasons I cannot fully explain, our house has an emptiness looming around because this little cat consumed much of the house and our hearts. Even though it has been three months since he passed away, I continue to expect his presence to be waiting when I get home, and although he is not there physically, I can feel the love, kindness, and magical parts of him that will never fade.
I cannot explain my reasons, but I blame myself for not saving his beautiful life. Of course, I realize I did everything I could to keep him comfortable and loved, but I am not sure that was enough. I might not be able to keep my emotions in check, but I know no human being can stop death from occurring because it is part of life. Mortality is not easy to accept and understand, but it will happen to all of us. Our mortality is much different than that of an innocent animal, or at least it is for me. Animals are one of the only creatures in this world that are purely innocent and deserve more than most receive. Animal cruelty does not make sense to me, and how anyone could ruthlessly kill their pet is a form of narcissism and evilness that is beyond shameful.
Thank you for visiting my site today. I do not typically do more than one post daily, but this one is an exception because Sundance should always be remembered, and never forgotten. I am thankful Sundance lived a happy life and was treated with love and respect. My husband and I do not have two-legged children, but we treat our cats like they were our children and may even treat them better than some treat their children. Of course, I even treat the outside feral cats with much love and kindness because I do not think they receive it from anyone else, which makes me sad. I hope your day goes well, and you can appreciate how I feel about the loss of our cat, but hope you never go through anything like this. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
Happy Friday😊! What a week it has been. I was at the dentist’s office on Tuesday, which took much longer than necessary, but they did nothing, and I had to return yesterday. The appointment yesterday was x-rays and a cleaning, and the appointment was not nearly as long as my appointment on Tuesday was, and it went rather well. I spoke with the head dentist, who reviewed the x-rays and helped me determine a better way to move forward on Monday when I will be returning a third time for minor dental work. This is huge for someone who fears going to the dentist, three appointments within days of one another. It was about two hours before I made it home, and when I pulled into the house, I was greeted by two of my outside kitty friends. It was adorable to come home to them waiting for me to give them more food. It seems my outside kitty crew is more excited when I come home than my inside cats, but that is probably because the inside crew expects me to be home and feed them.
We are at the end of the week and look forward to another short weekend. With that said, we must try to let go of any negative feelings we experienced during the week that might be harboring. Why waste time holding onto those negative feelings when something has not been corrected or changed, yet we cannot do anything about it now? Anything that might have occurred at work, all of the issues we experienced will remain until Monday. Next week could offer us another chance to make changes. If something in our personal lives goes wrong and we feel resentment or hostility, we can take the weekend to reconsider what occurred and deal with the issues when we have the necessary clear and calm mind. No matter what caused the negative emotions, we must laugh as much as possible, apologize when we should, and let go of what we cannot change. We might forget these simple things when we are feeling upset or angry. I hope the quote I shared resonates with you and helps you to see things more clearly and let go of anything you cannot change immediately.
Do you have anything planned for the weekend? The weather has not been friendly lately, as there have been crazy storms. Many areas experienced tornadoes, and if you live in one of those areas, I hope you remain safe. I find tornadoes intriguing and extremely terrifying. It blows my mind how suddenly the sky attacks at random areas. There seems to be no logic in the path of the tornado. The weather changes sporadically, so I never know what to expect. Yesterday, it looked like it would rain with the possibility of thunderstorms all weekend, but now it appears it will be cloudy. It doesn’t matter what the weather does anymore because I plan to be home either cleaning, writing, reading, or simply relaxing!!
Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you found the quote I shared helpful to let go of negative emotions, and you can enjoy your weekend in peace. Remember that when another person causes us to feel frustrated or angry, they may not remember the disagreement, and it causes them no distress, so we should not let it ruin our weekend. I am under the belief that when I leave the house, I do not care what another person thinks about me because they do not have to interact with me if they do not want to. I try avoiding people as much as I can because most people irritate me with their demeanor, plus we might have a lot of things we do not see eye to eye on. I will respond to all comments as quickly as possible! Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
Happy Friday Eve😊! I hope your week has been going as well as expected, but even better! I have been working on my second post for mental health awareness, but it is just taking me longer than I anticipated. Part of this is the increasing level of fatigue and simply not feeling all that well, which I blame on the weather. For reasons that will never make sense to me, I have an abnormally hard time adjusting to any changes in the weather, so when it changes frequently, I tend to feel terrible until it stabilizes. However, there are more mental health issues than I ever knew. I do want to let everyone know something vitally crucial in life mental health issues are serious, and we must try to show respect to those experiencing this terrifying experience. We must understand we are all living in unique and challenging times, and many suffer the consequences, so we are all in these challenges together.
We have almost survived this long week with all the challenges and frustrations, but the weekend is so close. Considering I am fully aware of how difficult life can be, I think it is essential to have something to pick us up from any low position it might be in today. Something must change the week into something positive and enlightening as one day remains. Of course, we can focus on the upcoming weekend, but they do not always go according to plan. I hope the quote I am sharing offers you the pick-me-up you need to help you through until the weekend arrives. I know Mother’s Day is on Sunday, but unfortunately, we do not always get to spend the day with our mother. If you cannot see your mother on Sunday, be sure you call to let her know how much she means to you. We do not get to choose our families, but we should try to appreciate them. A few of the most critical things we have in our lives are family, love, and forgiveness because without them, what would be the point in living our lives?
Every person has numerous differences and challenges, but we find ways to deal with everything gracefully and with dignity! Families and friends bring something unique to our lives, whether positive or negative. We have a choice to make if someone brings too much negativity into our lives. Do we continue allowing the same negativity to cloud our happy lives or cut ties with the person to avoid the darkness? If we are dealing with people who have mental instabilities and they refuse the necessary help, should we try to help them through the process of treatment? I believe we should always try to help others, but that is because I am a giving person who will always put everyone else’s needs ahead of my own. Unfortunately, there is only so much we can do for another person before you feel it would be easier to convince a brick wall there is a problem.
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you found the quote I shared a good pick-me-up, and that you enjoyed the rest of the post. Do you have anything planned for the weekend? I am certain that it is going to rain all weekend, but it rains where I live a lot! Some people enjoy the rain☔ and while the sound of rain can be soothing, it causes me way too much pain. It is just like everything else in life that is difficult, we learn to adapt and deal with it. I look forward to reading your comments and will respond as quickly as possible. I have another dentist appointment this afternoon. Even though the dentist appointment is only a cleaning, I am NOT looking forward to it! Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love❤️, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes🌈!
Happy halfway through the week😊! The week is halfway over, and we only have the second half remaining, and it should be easier! How has the week been going for you? I hope everything is going well and you are maintaining your sanity in the chaotic world we are living in. We might not go through the same situations, but we can see the many issues happening in the world that inflict the world with different stresses. Some of the insanity we see on the news seems more comical and not real news, but I suppose what we see is the media considers critical news. I think it is rather shameful there is nonstop coverage of a former president’s legal trial and “alleged” criminality because I believe there are far more critical things that should be acknowledged and relayed. I think it is obvious that I am more than tired of hearing the former president’s name, seeing his face, and hearing the lies coming out of his mouth. I apologize if you thought what I just said was offensive or if it upsets you, and if you disagreed, I would love to see your reasons.
That is enough of my opinions regarding the news, and now it is time to move on to an inspirational quote. Wednesdays are great because we have survived half of the week, and the weekend will return soon! I hope you find the quote I shared inspiring and motivating because we can all use that during these long and warmer days. I thought it was only spring, but these temperatures feel more like summer, which terrifies me on what summer will be like. I do not get along well with the temperature when it is too hot because it makes me feel terrible, and I do blame that on Multiple Sclerosis. Regardless of how your week has been so far, how do you plan to get through the rest of the week? If your week has been great, I am sure you want it to continue the same, but if the week has not been great, I hope it gets much better for you!
My dentist appointment yesterday went better than expected, but it was frustrating. It never fails because even when you have a scheduled appointment, there is always a LONG wait! I waited one hour before being called back to see the dentist, and then I had to sit in the chair waiting for the staff to get their thoughts together and be on the same page. By the time everything was planned, if I wanted the dental work done the same day, I would have had to wait longer, and I had already lost my patience and did not want to wait any longer. I have an appointment tomorrow for a cleaning and will go back on Monday for the rest of the work to be taken care of. I want everything done and out of the way, and I will return tomorrow and hope there is not another LONG wait again!
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I shared, and you found the quote inspiring! Often, it is the smallest of things that can make a bigger difference, but I did love the quote. I thought it said a lot about Wednesdays, but your opinion on it matters to me as well. I always want the chance to read your thoughts on what I share and will do my best to respond to your comments as quickly as possible. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love❤️, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes🌈!
Happy Tuesday! I hope you are having a good week so far, and your week will get even better each day. I have mentioned before that I dread going to a dentist, and I know it is an irrational fear, but I have felt the same even for minor visits. I typically avoid going to the dentist until I do not have a choice, and today, unfortunately, I must go to the dentist. While simply brushing my teeth on Sunday, one of my teeth on the bottom broke. Thankfully, I am not in pain, or maybe I have a higher-than-normal tolerance for pain, but at this point, the only problem is the tooth broke, and there is an annoying sharp point on my tooth. I hope the dentist can do something simple to fix the issue, and once I am employed again, I can do a crown or whatever else she thinks should be done. I know I am being irrational because I do not enjoy going to get a typical cleaning, but these people always find something else they think I should do. If they were paying for everything they think should be done, I may feel differently. In my defense, the problems with my teeth are not because of anything I did, but because of the massive amounts of steroids I had to take due to a relapse.
I received an intriguing phone call yesterday from our veterinarian, which caught me off guard. They know how hard I took it when we lost Sundance, and I was unsure when or if we would get another cat because I did not want to go through that terrible loss again. I might have mentioned when I went there to donate the food we purchased for Sundance’s special diet because our cats had no interest in the food and something about wanting a bunny and maybe someday a kitten. Okay, that is not true because I know I did😊! Anyway, one of the kind ladies at the front desk called me to let me know someone had dropped off a kitten to them they had found and wanted to be sure the poor baby had a good home, and she wanted to see if I would be interested. Honestly, I might be more inclined to say yes if it was a boy because we already have two girls, and I do not think they would appreciate another female, and I do not think I could convince my husband to get the kitten. In a way, I think it was a compliment because she knows me and that I would provide this kitten a good home, but at the same time, I am not even sure I am ready for another kitten right now because it might be too soon.
I am excited that my class will begin in less than two weeks. I have been looking forward to this since I enrolled in the class, and the wait has felt like a year. I have purchased my books, and everything needed, which would have been much more challenging if it were not for the help of my mother and her husband. They graciously helped pay for the expensive books and will be forever thankful. All I must do now is pass the class and the state exam. Considering I understand the basics of the class and not working, I do not think I will have any issues accomplishing this, but I know I will still be extra hard on myself. One of my biggest problems is that I never think I am smart or good enough, so hopefully, after passing everything I need to pass, I will be more confident.
How do you find ways to stay inspired when you have always been your worst critic and many things have gone wrong? It can be challenging, but the only thing we have control over is how we react to issues in life. Often, we must inspire ourselves to keep pushing forward and refuse to give up. Before we can be inspiring, we must learn to believe in who we are and our many strengths. We do not have to lead anyone else, but many will follow our lead if we display strength, courage, determination, and resilience. I will admit that believing in my abilities is something I struggle with and continue to learn, but I can promise I will never give up and know someday, things will go the right way. The moment we give up and surrender is the moment we fail ourselves. We should always strive to be better than we were yesterday and realize the strength it has taken us to get to where we are today because we have all gone through hard times.
Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you are doing well and feeling the best you can. What do you think about the kitten idea? My husband did not say “NO” right away, so maybe he is considering the idea. There is no telling because he was starting work about fifteen minutes before I mentioned it to him, and he might come to his senses. The unfortunate thing is, I love animals and would take more in if I was given the green light🚦 to do so! I have several weaknesses, but my love for animals is not too bad, is it? I look forward to your comments and will respond as quickly as possible. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love❤️, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes🌈!
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.
Today is the halfway point through the week, which might not sound great, but it could be worse, and at least it is not Monday! How is your week going so far? The week has not been too terrible because my doctor’s appointment went well, but I was not concerned about it. I forgot to mention yesterday, while I was at the pain management office, I asked the Nurse Practitioner for her opinion regarding a medication my specialist suggested. The medication strongly recommended had a lot to do with how low my white blood count was, which showed my immune system was weak. She had wanted me to take something that “might” prevent shingles, and I was highly against it. The specialist should understand Gilenya weakens my immune system, but it also keeps Multiple Sclerosis at bay, and I know I need to be cautious. I had decided against the medication suggested, and the nurse practitioner on Monday said she thought I made a good decision. Most people I know have had COVID, but I never got it, so I would say whatever I am doing to stay safe is working without any other medications.
Life will throw curve balls, and we must try to dodge them, or we might face additional bad situations. No matter how many balls are thrown at us and how many of them hit us, we can choose happiness. Not everything we perceive as negative will result in additional negative consequences because they might lead us down a better path in life. When I lost my job last November, I did not know how I would overcome it and find something new, but I believe I have. This experience forced me to consider a new career path, and I am thankful for what I will pursue. I have learned more about myself during the last few months, and besides losing Sundance, I am happier with my life. Please do not get me wrong because there are some people I have missed at my last job, but I cannot say I have missed the job itself or some people I encountered. It is true that some people come into our lives by accident and remain in our lives, while some come into our lives to teach us something we must know.
As we move into another day, there is something we should try embracing more than anything else, which is what makes us happiest. No one has ever said you can force being happy because that is fake happiness and will never last. When we deal with sadness in life, no one expects we will be a ray of sunshine immediately. It takes time to overcome an upsetting situation, and as long as we do not dwell on it for too long, we will get past whatever we experienced. I learned yesterday that someone I know but have never met had lost a dog she had for 14 years. Although I have only spoken to this person once and never met her dog, my heart broke for her loss. I am sure this brought up painful memories of what I went through in February, or it was because I am a highly emotional person. Anyway, even though she lost her dog and is sad currently, she will never forget her dog and be happy for the years she spent with her dog. I hope everything I said made sense because I might have said more than necessary.
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you are having a good week, and it continues to get better. I am sure I have said this before, but if you have pets, please remember to treat them with lots of love because unfortunately, animals do not live forever☹. I hope you found the quote I shared positive, and that it helps you get through the halfway point of the week more easily. The first half of this week is over, and the last half is going to go faster, we might even discover some great opportunities! Please let me know what you think about this post, and I will respond to all comments as quickly as possible. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
Happy Tuesday😊! Monday is history now, but I hope your week began in the best way. I had a follow-up appointment with the pain doctor yesterday afternoon, and just as I expected, everything went as it always does. The Nurse Practitioner was running close to an hour behind schedule, and traffic was a mess, but I had my notebook and was writing while waiting. I was still a little frustrated but did expect to have to wait. I do not understand why doctors have patients scheduled appointments because they rarely follow the schedule and typically have people waiting for far too long. I guess it is what it is, and we must deal with how things are because there is not much we can do to change it. The last time I saw this Nurse Practitioner, I had told her about Sundance’s struggles, so yesterday, I informed her that he passed away on February 10th. She is a sweet lady and loves animals, so she understood how painful it was to lose him. The piece I was working on writing while waiting to be seen was about Sundance, and I read her the first line, which brought tears to her eyes because it was sad and heartfelt.
Thankfully, we survived Monday and are now to embark on Tuesday. The good news is we only have four days left until the weekend returns. That does not sound too terrible, right? Four days to attempt to accomplish something great, which I know we can do because we are powerful and have fierce strength. Life might get challenging, and we might suffer hardships occasionally, but we will overcome anything we encounter. There might be days we feel like we cannot do anything, but no matter what happens, we must remember everything we have already handled and overcome with much more strength and courage! When you think there is no hope, remember that you have overcome so much already, and you continue standing strong. Many of us suffer from illnesses that do not have a cure, which is not easy to accept, and this would have STOPPED some in their tracks, but this did not stop us from continuing our journey.
I thought about entering another writing competition but have not made a final decision. I still have time to enter but should decide sooner rather than later. A small part of me wants to enter the competition, but a large part of me does not think it is the best idea. My reasons for thinking about entering are it will help me grow as a writer and provide me with more experience. There might be more reasons I should not try this again. If I do enter, I think I would write about the painful loss of Sundance, but this would be difficult and emotional. If I do not write about Sundance, I have a few other ideas that might be a good essay and not as emotional. Does anyone reading have any advice? I would appreciate any advice you could offer because I value your opinion.
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoyed what I shared. It is hard to believe tomorrow is May 1st, and I do not understand where time goes because it seems to fly by so fast! Before we know it, 2024 will be over, and welcoming 2025. Yes, I know that might be extreme, but the days are going quickly, and it is hard to keep up. I hope to have the chance to read your comments because I enjoy the opportunity to know what your thoughts are. I will respond to all comments as quickly as possible. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
Another weekend has ended, but I hope you enjoyed every minute. Hopefully, you created found and lasting memories. At the beginning of a new week, you must decide to embrace and tackle your goals. Each week offers a fresh start to try again without dwelling on anything not accomplished. Goals from last week do not matter because that was then, and this is now. Think only about what you want to achieve this week and focus solely on those goals. I am still searching for a job, but my focus is on my class starting in three weeks. Once I complete the class and become certified, finding a job will be much easier, and things will work out for the best. This afternoon, I will be going to a follow-up appointment with my pain doctor. These appointments always go the same way. Nothing has changed in the past three months and will not change, so I get the excitement of a miserable drive on the most obnoxious interstate with way too much road construction. Some enjoy driving, but I am sure even those who do would despise this road. For someone like me who hates driving, it is the worst way to spend three hours total driving to the appointment and back home.
Last week, I decided to involve myself with positive affirmations because we must strive for more positivity and less negativity throughout life. We can try doing this daily, which might seem like a lot to do, or once a week, whatever works best for you. Today, I will share five positive affirmations I will focus on this week and why they are critical to me. I am doing this because the affirmations I choose will help me become more positive and motivated for success. Trying to adapt to not having a full-time job and relying on others is challenging because I am a very independent person, and finding ways to be positive during a relatively negative time is crucial for my mental health. I am sharing my five affirmations separately so I can explain the importance of each. Please note, that these are not in order of importance because I feel they are all important😊!
I accept my imperfections. I think imperfections create who we are without filters. When we can acknowledge and accept our imperfections, they can provide us with more strength, courage, and resilience. Many try pretending their life is perfect and without any imperfections, but this behavior is a facade and only displays weakness. Of course, my many imperfections do not define me, but they are a part of what makes me who I am.
I heal and strengthen daily. Life has knocked me down many times, and some of those knockdowns were more vicious than others. No matter how vicious and challenging getting knocked down was, I will never surrender and always get back standing straight. Challenges, disappointments, and times of suffering can either make or break you. We can choose which to go with, and I decide that they will make me because I know I get stronger every time.
I trust my inner wisdom will guide me. We should listen to our inner voice because it will lead us in the right direction. Throughout our lives, we are constantly learning lessons, and they will remain in our thoughts so we can make better decisions. I have learned that my initial thoughts about any given situation are the correct way because the more I overthink something, the higher the chances are my decision will be the wrong way to go.
I can forgive myself. During life, we will make bad decisions, and something goes wrong. We might cause another person emotional pain, or we do something that causes us long-term issues, but we are only human, and mistakes will be made. We must learn from these experiences and not be hard on ourselves and beat ourselves up about a mistake made. If we cannot forgive ourselves, why would we expect anyone else to be forgiving?
I am not pushed by my problems, but I am encouraged by my goals. This is something important to me because I let the negative aspects of my life control what my future looked like. I experienced several losses over the past few months, and it was painfully challenging. I could not see a clear and bright way forward. Although it took me several months, I can finally see a bright and encouraging future ahead, it just takes determination, patience, and resilience.
I would also like to share a quote with you that I found motivating and hope you will too. We should fill our thoughts (cup) with positive and motivating thoughts daily instead of thinking things are going wrong. Yes, we will face challenges and everything we want will not go according to plan, but in time everything will work out for the best. We might not have control over every aspect of our lives, but we can control our thoughts and how we want to deal with life in general. We can decide to be happy and positive, or we can decide to be miserable and negative. Seems like an easy decision.
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed my five positive affirmations and the quote I shared. I am not going to pressure anyone, but I would love to know if you can think of any positive affirmations for yourself. If you do not want to share, that is okay, and you are entitled to your privacy. I hope you had a wonderful weekend and have an amazing week. Please never forget I am always sending you LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes.
Grief can be haunting and inescapable because the memories of those who we lost are unstoppable. It has been two and a half months since losing Sundance and four years and two months since we lost Chloe. No matter how long it has been, I can remember the final moments of the lives of these two sweet and lovable cats. Of course, losing a loved one causes so much heartache, but many do not understand the level of pain losing a pet that you love dearly causes. If I could have traded places with either of these cats, I would have without questioning my decision. I wanted so desperately to donate one of or at least part of one of my lungs to Sundance, but the veterinarian shot me down because they said it was impossible. Even though I realized my lung was too large for Sundance, I did not understand why cutting mine to fit into his little body was impossible. Most days, I wake up hoping these losses were a nightmare and I would wake up to find them alive, but every morning, I am disappointed when I come to terms with the fact that it was not a nightmare but a reality. Unfortunately, reality cuts like a knife and leaves so much unknown.
Life imposes so many questions, but with limited to no answers. Often, I wonder why innocent animals must come down with illnesses that in the end, take their lives away. They did nothing to deserve such a grim fate and do not understand what is happening to them. How do you explain to a sick animal what they are enduring? How do you explain to any pets you still have where their friend went and why they are not coming home? Why are there so many innocent children who are living in unfair and dangerous situations? Why are there many kind and loving people who die of a painful and tragic death? People like my late grandfather did not deserve what he endured at the end of his life because he was a kind man and deserved more than he received. Why are there so many cruel people full of hate left in this world to torment others and never face the consequences for their cruel behaviors? It appears many have forgotten what the term justice means and accept the way things are going about in the world.
I try avoiding getting political or religious because everyone has their beliefs, and there is nothing wrong with anyone’s views. I wonder if one who believes in a higher power and that God loves all of us, why would he take those away from us that are pure love? How can anyone decide when anyone has fulfilled their purpose here on earth when so much was left undone? My late grandfather had strong religious beliefs, and I hope those beliefs gave him peace and that he is comfortable now, without any pain or torment. Our cats did not follow or have any beliefs because they only knew love, so why was their life cut short? Many of the reasons that I cannot get past the loss of our cats is because I was left wondering if there was something else, I could have and should have done for them. I blame myself for both losing their lives, and it will always haunt me.
With all the questions we face in our lives, how do you accept facts that there are no answers? Are we supposed to tolerate this and carry on with a questionable existence? For all the why, how, what, and where questions, can we make assumptions about them and deal with them? It has been a while, and I have gotten older; I have many questions and typically ignore them because I understand the things I cannot control and do not want to waste time, but many questions weigh on my mind. There are too many incurable illnesses in the world, and those affected must find a way to deal with their fate. It is complicated and can feel impossible, but everyone finds ways to see the positive in their lives. Many young and innocent children are dealing with this grim fate, but how can they understand this when they are too young and naïve to the world?
With the number of unanswered questions we may have, the best thing to do to survive life is to focus on the positive things we have in our lives. Losing those we love is inevitable and destined to happen. Instead of thinking about this, we must value and appreciate those we care about and ensure they never doubt how much they are loved and treasured because if we fail to do this, and leaves us with regrets. Families can be complicated, but the bonds we share with others go deeper than simply blood. I have never believed that the blood we share with family members is as important as the trust, respect, consideration, and loyalty shared with another human or our pets.
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you are having a lovely and relaxing weekend. I know parts of this post were not positive and uplifting, but they are some thoughts I struggle with. Some people say they love another, but do they understand what it means to love with their entire heart and soul? Love is a word that I never use loosely and will only use when it comes from my heart, and I mean it. Too many people tell others they love them, but at the end of the day, it is just another word to them without meaning. When I say I love our cats more than words can say, I mean it and without question. This is the one thing in life I do not question, my love for those I care about and our cats. I hope the last part of your weekend is amazing and you do something special for yourself. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
Fightmsdaily 