Do you live with anxiety? If so...what is your breathing like? Have you ever caught yourself holding your breath? What about hyperventilating? Do you ever feel lightheaded? Dizzy? Confused? You're not alone. It's not always easy to remember to breathe when the feelings of anxiety come. 

Yesterday, while at the hospital, I came across some information that I'd like to share with you here today. This information comes from the Centre for Clinical Interventions and is retyped exactly as they've prepared (without pictures). If you have any questions about what you read here, please speak to your doctor and/or treatment team. 

Anxiety and all the feelings that come with it, are very uncomfortable and sometimes we forget to breathe or we tend overbreathe. I hope that by practicing this exercise, you can change that for yourself moving forward. 

Now that I'm living a hurting life...there are days when I feel weak and there are days when I feel fatigued. I used to think they were the same thing...but they're not!

Have you ever felt weak or fatigued? Do you know why you feel that way? When you're feeling it...what do you do for you? How do you cope? Have you talked to your family/friends about how you're feeling? What about your doctor? Nosy and personal questions I know...but I hope you'll give it some thought. 

Living a hurting life will often leave us feeling worn out and lacking the energy for even some of the simplest of chores and it can also prevent us from being able to be with those we love the way we want to. 

Have you ever said "no" to your friends when they've invited you out because you don't have the energy? 
Do you ever have difficulty moving your body the way you want? 
Do you find your "tired" is always tired?
Are you sleeping too much? too little? 
Is your sleep restful?

Today I'd like to share some information about weakness and fatigue and how they are actually two very different things. This information is not shared to replace the conversation with your doctor...it's shared to encourage you to start one. 

take good care of you okay? 

In an effort to find ways to help people learn about and even how to manage their pain, change their behaviours and just generally take control of their lives again...I'm always on the look out for things that might help, and I think this therapy is something to share with you. 

When you give thought to your patterns of thought...would you say they're negative? 
Have you ever thought of suicide? 
Have you ever hurt yourself because you're feeling so overwhelmed by life and/or your pain? 
Do you ever struggle to cope with your emotions? 
Are your behaviours unhealthy for you and your life? 
Would you like something different in your life moving forward? 

If you said yes to any of the above questions, I hope you'll give this a read and then go talk to your doctor and/or treatment team and ask them about DBT. Might this help you? Are you willing to put the work into changing your life moving forward? 

Now please keep in mind that this entry is not meant to take the place of direct and qualified medial care. It is being shared for your entertainment and personal information only. If you have any questions about what you read here...please go talk to your doctor. 

When life is a hurting one...we aren't as active as we'd like to be and we may even have a love-hate relationship with food causing us to experience weight problems...is that true for you too? Are you carrying more weight than you should be? Personal question I know but only you know the truth...and if you're saying yes...what can you do about it now moving forward? 

I'd like to share an article with you regarding obesity but I would argue that it's more deadly for men than women. Obesity in and of it's self is a dangerous thing for anyone...regardless of the sex or age. And yes...even some of our children are obese and struggling. 

There are some real health concerns if you're carrying extra weight with you and there are some real health benefits to losing some too. Do you need to lose weight? Are you as active as you'd like to be? These are just two questions I hope you will talk to your doctor about at your next appointment. 

Please keep in mind that this article is shared for your personal entertainment and is not meant to take the place of direct medical care. If you have any questions about what you read here...please talk to your doctor and/or treatment team.

Have you ever tried Tea Tree or Lavender Oils? Have you ever used them for your children? I have. I've used Tea Tree Shampoo and so has my daughter, but I don't like the smell of Lavender so I've not used that.

There are many "essential oils" that are used in our households and they "are popular ingredients in personal care and household products" too..."many aimed at children". Do you use any? 

I came across this article today and thought it something to share. As our children can also experience chronic pain and as alternative options become a bigger part of our days...are they safe for our kids? 

This information is shared for your personal entertainment and is not meant to take the place of direct medical care from a qualified physician. If you have any questions about what you read here please talk to your doctor and/or treatment team. 

The fight against opioid use and addiction continues to rage on and the patients are caught in the middle. Are you one of them? 

I'd like to share some information today regarding the use and abuse of synthetic fentanyl. This information is shared for your personal entertainment only and is NOT meant to take the place of direct medical care from a qualified professional. If you have any questions about what you read here...please talk to your doctor. DO NOT make any medical decisions based on the information shared here.

( the following is just my opinion) .....

One of my concerns with the dramatic switch that is currently happening with medications, availability and the government control, is that many people are now looking for and even getting their medications from the "streets", and/or other means such as on-line pharmacies or even "black market" sites. When this happens...the concern that you are actually getting what you need, that it's safe and un-cut...rises. 

There are some people who are looking to make money from our pain and they bank on our desperate need to be pain free. They don't care that what they're selling can or may kill you. They don't care that what they're selling is laced with something else that might hurt you. They don't care! They are unaware of your special medical needs and they don't know how their medication will affect you and once again? they don't care! they just want your money. 

Please...if you choose to buy your medications from alternative places...be safe! Use a regulated pharmacy and speak to your doctor about alternative medications that you can try. We do have choices but it's up to us to make the best ones for us, our needs and our lives moving forward. 

There have been some comments left on the Facebook page from friends living with migraines...so I thought I'd go see if I could find some home remedies that may help when the medications don't. 

Please keep in mind that this information is shared for your personal entertainment is not meant to replace direct care from a qualified physician. If you have questions about what you read here please talk to your doctor and/or treatment team.

Are you sitting up straight? Are your shoulders back? Chest out? Could you carry a stack of books on your head? Could you? How good is your posture? 

Sit up straight...was something I heard growing up...did you hear it too? How straight do you sit today? 

My back causes me some posture problems some days and sitting up straight is often painful...but... posture is important!

How good is your posture? Could it use some improving? 

Here are some tips to help you if you need. Now these are shared for your personal entertainment only and I would highly encourage you to talk to your doctor too! Sometimes a bad posture could be signs of other things you need to pay attention to.

​So if your posture needs some help...talk to your doctor about these 9 tips.

The emotional aspect of chronic pain is all too real for some of us...and for some? It can be what breaks us. To experience pain throughout our lives is normal...but it's also normal that the pain goes away..ie a tooth ache, a sprained arm, a minor burn etc. Then there is another kind of pain that doesn't go away. It's the kind you wake up with, go to bed with, and try to survive your days with...it's a chronic kind of pain and there is no end in sight.

That's the kind of pain most of us are living with here...the chronic kind...and when pain becomes chronic? well...our emotions get involved. And sometimes? it's a roller-coaster ride we can't control let alone enjoy. Have you ever experienced the emotional ride to your pain? How do you handle that? or do you? What do you do to help yourself through it? How do you support your emotions? Do you understand them? Do you take them out on others? Deep and personal questions I know...but please do give them some thought. And one other thing I want to mention...we are not the only ones living with our pain or the emotions that come with it. Our friends and our families are too...and they're living with it through us...through our actions, our words, the things we do and don't do...they live it too. 

The following article is geared towards low back pain, but it's true for any kind. Our pain can bring emotions we're not used to or may even know how to manage. And that can cause us to struggle even more and to also adapt negative and hurtful self-harming coping skills. BUT...we can relearn, we can teach ourselves a new way...a more healing and loving way to be with and for ourselves. 

The following article is shared for your personal entertainment only but please do think about it. If you have questions about what you read here...talk to your doctor. And if you're struggling with your emotions? There is help! but you have to love yourself enough to ask for it. YOU are worth it! (just in case you forgot) so I hope you'll ask for it. We can't change what we don't acknowledge and sometimes getting to know our emotions can be scary too...but...we can! YES! we can! 

take good care of you and your emotions too 
Tammy 

Do you experience chronic fatigue? Do you know what causes it? What helps you?

I came across this article the other day and thought it something to share with you. There is a lot of research going on trying to find the causes and cures for chronic fatigue...could it possibly be in our guts? Hmm. 

This article is shared for your personal entertainment only is NOT meant to take the place of direct medical care from a qualified medical professional. If you have questions about what you read here.... please go talk to your doctor.