Month: January 2017

Everyday Creations

As a pharmacist, I don’t think much about myself as an artist.  I spend most of my days on the left side of my brain – analyzing, calculating, and supporting my decisions and actions.  I do enjoy art and appreciate the beauty and feelings it can invoke, but I do not feel like a very creative person.

I have a feeling that a lot of us would describe ourselves like I have.  “I’m not creative” is something I seem to hear all of the time.

But, what if we started to think of all of us as artists?  I was challenged by this question several years ago, and from then on I try to look at every human being as an artist.  After all, aren’t we all creating something during our days?

It all comes down to how you define art.  Obviously, this view casts a wide net, but every day I am creating something – currently, I am creating a food source for my son, I am creating a home life for my family, and I am creating value to my pharmacy team by working on projects and assignments.  This list doesn’t include everything, but I think I’ve illustrated what I mean.

So, what are you creating today?  What are creating in your life overall?  What is your art?  I hope these questions help you to look at your life as a canvas and you as the painter.

Love It, Hate It

Ah, exercise.  One of the things I love to hate.   Honestly, I don’t enjoy carving out the time for some daily exercise, especially now with a little one in the house.  Also, typically I get up early to exercise, and I am not a morning person.  Some mornings it takes a ton of resolve to get out of bed, but most of the time I make it happen (with some exceptions, like sick days), because the benefits always seem to outweigh me staying in bed.

Most of us know that exercise has many overall benefits – it can help with mood and concentration, improve physical health, and reduce stress, among others.  And, while I reap those benefits too, some of the biggest benefits for me are the things I tell myself after I exercise.  The biggest one, and why I exercise in the morning a lot, is that all day long I can feel good about getting it done.  Yay for me – I made a healthy decision and took the time to get it done before I made any excuses not to do so.  I also tell myself that I am setting a good example for those in my life.  Of course, no one is watching me exercise that early in the morning, but I can share what I am doing and that can be a positive influence on them.

So, I make exercise a priority in my day.  It’s not always easy, but most things that are worth doing involve some effort.  And this is a love/hate relationship that I am willing to continue.

Focusing on the Individual

As someone with a pharmacy background and a love for learning, I spend a lot of time reading, watching or listening to videos or webinars, and generally trying to soak up as much information as I can.  A lot of that information is related to health and wellness, and, like just about any subject, there is a lot of information out there.  Not only is there a huge volume but it can also conflict.  How do I know what is right?  What data should I go by?  What information will help me?  What information will help you?

The simple answer: it depends.  So frustrating to hear, but so true.  Because a general theme that seems to apply to health and wellness is that there is no one size fits all.  Everyone is different – even at this moment, the chemical make up in your body, including any food, medicine, hormones, minerals, vitamins, etc. is different from anyone else.  Of course, there are some principles that seem to apply well to everyone – an example is that eating a variety of vegetables seems to be a good recommendation.  But excluding those exceptions, any kind of interventions or treatments should be individualized, and I think a lot of people understand and desire that.  What works for you may not work for me.

While individualized intervention can sound appealing, it can be frustrating too.  I can think of diets or medications that are meant to be used on a wide population, but it won’t work for everyone.  Sometimes individualized plans can come with a lot of trial and error, and that can be hard when you are trying to feel better, lose weight, etc.  As with most things in life, there are pros and cons to a lot of what we do.  In the end, however, I think in our journeys of health and wellness we need to encourage an individualized approach.  This is a path that we continue to see, and I hope it results in more wellness for all.

It’s Not All in Your Head

Sometimes I feel like I have nothing new to contribute to the subject of mental illness.  In this era of highly publicized shootings, it seems to pop up quite a bit of the time, but what do people really know about mental health?

I could throw in facts and figures, but in general, mental health issues affect all of us in some way.  A lot of mental health problems can be found in our prisons and in those with substance abuse disorders.  A lot of homeless people struggle as well.  Unfortunately, the stigma of mental illness is still alive and well today even though there seems to be more conversation around it.

I feel like I have to add to the discussion on mental health for a couple of reasons.  First, the more we talk about it the more people (hopefully) learn, and that can help to ease the stigma.  I personally feel that a lot of the stigma comes from a fear of not knowing.  My additional hope is that people begin to think of mental illness like a physical illness, treating it like something similar to cancer or another chronic physical condition.  Mental illness is not “all in your head”, it is a real disease with potentially life or death consequences.

I also can add personal stories.  I have lost two cousins and my dad to suicide.  Depression and/or substance abuse contributed to these losses.  I share this not because I want sympathy.  I share it because I want people to know that it can happen to you or someone you love or care about.  The story that I share unfortunately happens every day, and we need to work together to stop its spread and progression.

So, how about you?  How are you affected by mental illness?  Can you learn more about it?  Can you share your knowledge and story with others?  I hope you will join me in the conversation to end the stigma of mental illness and work towards better treatment and prevention for all.

When the Going Gets Tough

As I write this, the 2016 presidential election is over.  I’m not much into politics, but even I’ll admit that at the end I was sucked into some of the drama.  What a frenzy.

This is not meant to be a political blog, but I will say that I am in the half of the country that is disappointed with the result.  I could go on and on about the implications and how I feel, but I think the bigger point I want to make is how to process the results and move on.

Again, for half of the country, this is not what we expected.  This was a shock and a loss.  So, I encourage us to respectfully acknowledge our feelings and do the grieving and processing that is necessary.  This will be different for everyone and may take some time.  This also includes being respectful of those in the other half who see this as a victory.  Give them the space to process their feelings as well.  I think the first step is to reflect and find the meaning that will help you move forward.  By the time I post this blog, this is a step that might already be finished for you.  If not, be sure to give yourself the grace to pause and reflect.

Then, move forward.  Did this make you sad?  Angry?  If so, what are you going to do about it?  No matter how you feel, how can you put that energy into positive action?  How can you be more involved in your local, state, or national communities to fight for the changes that are important to you?  Don’t get me wrong, I am still grieving – I think this is going to take awhile for me to wrap my head around what happened.  But, I am already thinking about ways I can help better the world.  The election of a president you strongly dislike does not mean the end of anything – it means the beginning of having to fight harder to counter balance any of the initiatives you don’t agree with.  We can do it.  We can go on and still make the world a better place.  I find a lot of comfort in the fact that progress is still always possible.

An Easy Way to Community Involvement

I am writing this on the day before the 2016 presidential election, but I am not sure when I will actually publish this blog entry.  Regardless, elections, primaries, caucuses, etc. come around more often than every 4 years, so this can apply at many different times.

In short, if you are an eligible voter, you should exercise your right to do so.  This is pretty obvious advice, but a lot of people don’t seem to follow it.  You need to vote to share your voice.  You need to vote to exercise a right that many in the world don’t have.  You need to vote because it is an easy way to be involved in both the local and larger communities in which you live.  Don’t take this right or your power for granted.

My view is that if you can vote and you don’t, you then give up your right to complain about what is going on in government.  I’ve said this to my husband many times, but he takes it a step further.  He is a voter, but he said it’s not simply enough to vote.  You also have to be an informed voter.  I think he makes a great point.  So, vote, yes, but also be informed about who is running, what issues are on the ballot, etc.  I’m not much into politics, but I do feel that informed voting is an essential and easy way to take part in our communities.

The Mystery of Acupuncture

Laying on a comfy table with needles inserted into various parts of my skin – definitely something you would not expect from someone with a past fear of needles.  It’s one thing to have lab work done, but to actively seek wellness with needles?  What leads people like me to such a therapy?

As my posts continue on, I think you will notice a trend – there was life before my dad’s last illness and death, and there is life after.  Watching my dad suffer and navigate the current healthcare system was painful, and yet there I was (and still am) a part of that system.  But that experience has challenged me in so many ways to look at the world differently.  Is our traditional Western medicine the answer to everything?  Absolutely not.  Could there be some merit to things such as massage, acupuncture, meditation, etc.?  I think so.

I didn’t actively seek acupuncture out, but rather it found me when a licensed acupuncturist came to my workplace to talk about what she does.  I was fascinated and decided I needed to give it a try.  My first appointment was a few days before my wedding, in which I had some type of “relaxation” treatment.  And, what a ride it was.  I felt amazing afterwards, and decided that I should go again.  From then on I have been going at least monthly.

I can’t speak about any scientific evidence that supports acupuncture, but I am guessing there is some out there.  However, from personal experience, I am a fan.  Some examples – after my wedding, I had acupuncture treatments to prepare me for a pregnancy.  There was no rush to get pregnant, but it happened literally about the second all birth control was stopped.  Also, I have a long history of sinus and allergy problems – after an acupuncture session focusing on those issues I tend to be less congested and feel better.  Of course, I am sure you might believe it has all been wishful thinking on my part.  I guess I can’t absolutely prove it, but I feel like I have only seen benefits from acupuncture.  And, if it seems to help, why not?

Regardless of your initial feelings on acupuncture, I encourage you to give it a try.  If you have a fear of needles, you should understand that the needles are very small and barely puncture the skin – it doesn’t really hurt.  You also need to make sure you go to someone who is qualified and legit, because training and experience is important.  Acupuncture can help with both active health issues and for wellness, and may just be a therapy that can better your life.

Looking Beyond

As I sit in the silence of the morning, before my son and husband are up, my mind is open to jumble of random thoughts and ideas.  One thought persists right now, however, and that is about what happens after we die.  Can we still see or interact with our loved ones here on Earth?  Do we forget about them?

Seems a little early in the day to be thinking about such a big matter, I know.

Ever since my dad died over four years ago, however, these questions (among others) have taken on a whole new meaning.  Although I have lost others along the way, and those deaths hit me hard, nothing has been as painful and raw as the loss of my dad.  Although our relationship wasn’t perfect, it was pretty good, and I miss him all of the time.  I wished he would have physically been here with us when I got married and when my son was born.  I also wish he could be here for all of the little moments in between the big ones.

Of course, he can’t be here physically, but, can he be here spiritually or in some other way?

I’ll admit, before my dad’s illnesses and death, I was pretty skeptical about anything that you couldn’t see or prove – science and math were my life, and some of that hasn’t changed.  However, ever since his death I have had this longing to communicate with him – to somehow know that he is ok and that we can still have a relationship.  Does this sound weird to some of you?  I’m sure.  But, this longing has lead me into a world I would have never thought about five years ago.

That world is psychics, mediums, or whatever you want to call it.  I have had one reading, been to a couple of medium “shows” and read books on the subject.  All interesting to me, but all with no real evidence.  It’s hard for me to believe, but I have started to think that there is something after death that we can actually interact with on some level.  My reading was insightful, and I have also had dreams and experiences that make me believe that my dad is around watching over me.  I also will see my son looking up or around and smiling and almost seeming to have a conversation with someone who is not there.  These days, I assume that is either my dad or another loved one that has passed coming to say hello to my little boy.

Is it weird for a pharmacist to be thinking this way?  Maybe.  Can I prove that something beyond exists or doesn’t exist?  Nope.  Ah, the struggle of my still rigid thinking.  But, in thinking of the beyond, I have definitely opened up to the possibility of interacting with loved ones that have died.  So what if it can’t be proven?  So what if it is subjective?  My thought is, if you can find comfort and peace from it, I think working with a medium or exploring the beyond is worth it.  I encourage everyone to be open to the possibilities and to not be afraid of exploring this if you feel you might find some benefit.

How to Help Yourself

Most of the time it really is all about perspective.  I can be sitting at home thinking that the world sucks, yet while I do that I am surrounded by a multitude of blessings and fortunes.  I am safe, I am breathing, I am in a temperature controlled environment – that’s a pretty good start, right?  I am already ahead of so many right there, and I’m barely getting started.

What is a way I can help cultivate this mindset of gratitude instead of a perceived feeling of lack?

One big answer to that for me is volunteering.  Now, I am not going to list everything that I have done as a volunteer, because this post is not meant as a brag on how I’ve helped the world.  In general, I’ve donated money and ran in 5Ks.  I’ve coordinated events and sent emails.  A little bit of this or that, but it has all lead to helping a cause greater than myself.

In all, I think that volunteering has many benefits, and there is something for everyone.  No matter what your passion, you can find a way to help, and I don’t think there is anything wrong in volunteering because it makes you feel good.  Volunteering helps us see the bigger picture, and in turn we realize how well off most of us are.  Of course, hopefully this doesn’t create a feeling of “I’m better than you” or “I’m above this”, because that is not what I’m talking about.  I am saying that by helping others you help yourself.

So, I encourage you to get out there and find a way to be of service – this could be new to you, or it might be time to change or add to what you already do.  Either way, be proud of your efforts to help and see if it gives you a greater sense of gratitude – I know it works for me.