Highlights Of Our Life

Have you ever sat down and listed the highlights of your life? If you have not done this, it may be an exercise that you wish to do. In many ways, doing this helps you really see things that you might easily forget or minimize. Especially if you are going through a difficult time in your life, this can help even up the balance scale.

You don't have to make the exercise elaborate. Just find a quiet place and begin listing on a piece of paper, the highlights of your life. While there may be some very negative moments, try to focus on the positive outcome of those times. Give yourself something to show that you really gained and learned from the experience.

When you get done, look back over your list and notice what you have recorded? Does it show much more than you thought it would? Is it different than what you often see your current life? Was this exercise difficult or were there very few things you could write down? Be honest with yourself in answering these questions and allow this exercise to help expand the awareness of your life.

If you want to see what I wrote, I'll share my life on here. I did this on the day of my birthday to mark that day in my life. Please note that I have included some links to various resources that help to mark each of these moments. The highlighted link on each specific word should be visible in the list.

1. Played the piano
2. Raised animals with love
3. Tried to be honest in everything I do
4. Been there for others
5. Created relaxing music from the heart
6. Painted mindful paintings
7. Faced the odds in life
8. Learned so much
9. Evolved in awareness
10. Came back from paralysis
11. Enjoyed the sunsets
12. Taken chances & risks
13. Came back from nothing
14. Writing for a blog
15. Writing for a newsletter
16. Learned to cook creatively
17. Changed and adapted
18. Learned new computer skills
19. Learned massage & became licensed
20. Awakened to my true calling
21. Appreciated nature
22. Learned to love someone
23. Learned to accept myself
24. Dealing with anger
25. Rid the daily headaches, migraines
26. No more nervous stomachs
27. Found my memory again
28. Went through anxiety
29. Went through depression
30. Survived suicide
31. I am a highly sensitive person
32. Connecting with angels
33. Church no longer rules me
34. Conquered many fears
35. Loved some cats
36. Held my life out as a light for others
37. Came back from losing it all
38. Sponsored two children (Children Intl)
39. Made some wonderful friends
40. See more possibility than despair
41. Recognize my short comings
42. Allow myself to make mistakes
43. Recognizing my strengths
44. Faced my courage inside
45. Trusted my instincts
46. Lived in a big city
47. Allowed myself to love who I want
48. Learned I can do more than I realize
49. Changed so much in life
50. I can make it without family
51. I’m compassionate
52. I see through the lies
53. I’ve learned to love life
54. Learned to enjoy life
55. Writing a book
56. Pulse rate dropped from 99
57. Healed from itching

As you can see from my list, there are many different aspects of my life. Many of these things were difficult to go through when they took place, but looking back now, I get to see an entirely different perspective. Sometimes we do need to focus on the negative in our lives because that is where we are at. Sometimes we need to kick and scream and yell because that is the power that moves us forward. It is in these times, that we truly find ourselves. With these allowing ourselves to kick and scream, we would miss an important part of our healing.

May you discover something new about yourself as you list the highlights of your own life. If this exercise gives you one glimpse of something you have not seen, than it was worth the time and effort. Let it be a window into your soul and a door to your future!

*Read other articles on Mind Body Thoughts Blog

Migraine Headaches

For most of my life, I suffered through daily headaches, including migraine headaches. As a kid in school, there was hardly ever a day missed where I didn't suffer from a headache in the afternoon. While Tylenol, aspirin and other over the counter things were tried, they gave me very little relief. Usually, it meant just living with them and at some point (normally by the next morning) they would go away.

As I got older, the migraines started in. I had witnessed my parents suffer through migraines and so I just assumed that popular medical science was correct in stating that migraine headaches were hereditary. I figured, I would live with these the rest of my life just as my parents did.

When my mom died, the frequency, intensity, and duration of the migraine headaches increased. It wasn't long before I was missing days of work, taking trips to the emergency room and taking prescription Imitrex to function in life. I still remember sitting on the bathroom floor at massage school puking my guts out and just wishing I would die as the migraine headache continued to intensify. I could not even drive myself home that night let alone it was almost impossible to walk out of the building to get in my friend's car.

As I continued to talk to people who suffered from migraine headaches, one thing became achingly clear to me. These people were struggling to find relief from anything that worked. Prescription medications as well as injections would work initially but then after some time, these things offered little or no relief. I still remember my horror and shock at hearing these things because I could not imagine going through them with out something that took the pain away. So my quest began to find ways to not have to suffer from these headaches and migraines. I was not at a point where I thought they would ever go away but if I was able to slow them down and decrease the intensity of them, I would consider that a great joy in life.

In the following article posted on CNN, Headache Prevention - Headache Awareness, they list many good things to consider in the treatment and prevention of headaches.

Common Triggers

• Stress
• Drinking alcohol/red wine
  
• Sensory overload — exposure to bright lights, loud sounds, strong smells
  
• Not drinking enough water
• Too much sleep or not enough sleep
• Exercising too rigorously
• Hormonal changes
• Not eating frequently enough
• Smoking
• Straining your eyes reading or sitting at a computer
• A difference in your caffeine intake
  
• Food additives or naturally-occurring substances, including nitrates in processed meats, MSG in fast food and Chinese food, tyramine found in certain aged cheeses and soy-based foods, and the artificial sweetener aspartame

Headache Prevention

• Good posture
• Move around during the day
• Use the right pillows at night when you sleep
• Stay consistent in your life with your
  
• Get an appropriate amount of sleep
• Stick to an exercise routine
• Healthy diet
• Drink plenty of water
• Stay away from caffeine, soft drinks, tea
• Manage stress

These common triggers and prevention techniques are all good but unless you find a way to get to the underlying cause of the headaches, they will continue. Stress, in addition to diet and exercise is a very good place to start. Even if you are unsure of how to get relief from your headaches, begin today to do something. For when you begin that process and if you allow yourself to learn and go from one step to the next, you'll most likely be as surprised as I have when you no longer suffer from these.

For me, I gave up on the medications because I could quickly see that they were not going to solve the problem. I began to see a chiropractor, Dr. Canali in South Miami and while I did not initially go because of the migraines, it helped me greatly. I'm not saying that I don't ever get severe headaches but I don't get them on a daily basis nor do they get as intense as they were getting. I've learned as well, how to deal with the stress in my life as well as the underlying causes. Life is so much better since these have gone away. Most importantly, I found out that migraine headaches are not a life sentence and they don't have to haunt you each and every day of your life. In addition, I don't have to rely on medications to take care of them either.

If you are suffering from headaches, don't just accept the fact that some "cause" is the end all to them and there is nothing you can do. Don't accept that for a moment! Know that in many cases, there is so much more you can do than you might be aware of and allow yourself to hunt for the right solution in your own life. Just don't settle for the status quo and for medication as a long term fix. Like I shared in this, I thought it was a life sentance but have since found out that it is not. That just makes me want to get up and dance the happy dance!

Can Anger Make You Vomit?

Can Anger Make You Vomit? I’m not sure I know the definite answer to this one. My suspicions are that it can because I know that stress can cause tight muscles, worry can cause ulcers and digestive problems, lack of making decisions can affect feet and leg issues, sexual abuse can affect hip and pelvic region problems and the list could go on and on. Of course, it is probably important to note, that one thing may not necessarily affect the other but these do have the potential of doing these things. So why would vomiting not be caused by anger? That I cannot answer either way.

All I know is that when I get stressed out, I tend to get headaches along with the tight muscles but headaches are usually the more preferred route it seems for me. Lately, I’ve been feeling stressed about several things (personal of nature) and somewhat depressed and just seem like the harder I try to move forward in life, the more I tap into the fears I have. These fears include a lack of self confidence, thinking others really don’t like/love me and are only appearing as they do, and just being afraid (almost paralyzed) to go out in public and get things moving. On top of this, it triggers the release of this anger pit hidden deeply within me and makes me want to go hide in a cave. I’ve struggled for years to regain these things but for some reason it seems like they still appear in gigantic form to me.

The stress though has been building and the headaches have been picking up in frequency. Even with trying to do things to help myself release the stress, it just seemed like nothing was working. The anger kept rising; the stress was steady with no end in sight. I just wanted to be alone and in many ways I didn’t want to be with myself either. Unfortunately, I am not able to escape myself as much as I would like to.

Last night was the culmination of the stress I believe and this time it was not going to let me get away. Of course, I know I have some food sensitivities and so there is a possibility that it could have been something I ate. However, I’ve not been able to narrow that down but I know that my cravings and diet has really been messed up lately. Food hasn’t tasted right and until recently when there was chocolate in the house, I just could not say no to it. It so easily becomes like an addiction to me and the only way around it is to not have it in the house. It doesn’t mean I don’t get the cravings for it. It just means it is harder to eat.

Last night, the headache intensified which is never a good sign when you’ve suffered from headaches and migraines most of your life. The bloating started in which in the past (like around Christmas or other times), has meant that I ate something which I’m sensitive to. I know that garlic and onions in a minute amount will not treat me well. The pressure build up in my abdomen became unbearable and I felt like I had a balloon inside of me that kept being filled with air. The only temporary relief I’ve found from this is an ice pack applied to my abdomen.

As things progressed, I began to vomit violently and it didn’t seem like it would end for some time. My stomach hurt so badly from this and by the time it was over, I was so weak I could barely stand up, let alone walk. Once I knew things had settled down, even though I could feel every digestive organ inside of me moving around, I went and collapsed in bed. I was exhausted but still somewhat hurting and uncomfortable that it was hard to let myself go to sleep.

And today, even though my stomach muscles still hurt from being sick and I feel a little weak yet, I don’t feel sick. By sick, I mean that I am running a temperature or something. It is like either it is a bad reaction to something I ate which right now I am not sure what that is, or it is one big release for the anger that seems to build within me deeply. I wish I knew the answer. I wish it would all make sense. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen a connection of these events to either a combination of an emotional time along with eating garlic or onion by mistake. Of course, this time, as far as I know, I did not eat any onion or garlic.

So I’m left wondering what is going on with me. I hate it when I don’t know the answers but yet I feel it is important to write down what is going on in my mind. Maybe the connection between things will yield some answers at some point and maybe I’m already on to something here. I just would hate to make an argument out of the facts I presented because I know I couldn’t prove that getting sick is the result of anger.

On the other hand, I can remember times of getting sick in the past that had nothing to do with a flu bug or virus. I can remember going through some of the healing bodywork I’ve done and feeling like I’ve had to “throw up” something deep inside of me. I remember a session one time where I felt as if there was this big black ball of thick goo inside of me and by the time the session was over, it was gone. I also know that I have tended to stuff my feelings and emotions deep within me. It was my place of refuge and it was my hiding place.

For now, I only have questions. I hope the answers will begin to present themselves so that this all makes sense. For I feel as if it robs me of so much in life – whoever “it” is.

A Life Changing Moment

Shortly after I graduated from massage school, I had the opportunity to do chair massage for the faculty and staff at Southwood Middle School. A tragedy had hit the school when a student killed one of his classmates and friends during school hours. I was there with others as part of a day of healing for the teachers. One of the speakers was Dr. Paul Canali talking about how trauma affects us and how to watch out for the effects that we may see in others especially the children. As I listened to Dr. Canali speak that day, I was captivated because what he was sharing with others, was things that resonated deeply within me.

After his talk was over, I so badly wanted to connect with him but when it was my turn to speak to him, I could barely say anything. About the only thing I could think to do was hand him my business card because my voice was silent. Time went on and I didn’t really think about Dr. Canali again until I went to a local FSMTA (Florida State Massage Therapy Association) meeting. He was the speaker and that night I was sitting up front. As Dr. Canali talked, he kept putting his hands on my shoulder and using me as an example of what he was saying. Normally with strangers, I would have been crawling out of my skin and running out the door. I, however, knew that Dr. Canali’s touch was safe. Somehow I knew that and I was not afraid.

Fast forward to a workshop he held in July 2004, that I wanted to attend. Before signing up for the workshop, Dr. Canali and I talked by phone where I shared with him some of my past. When I got to the workshop, it was part lecture and part hands on training. Dr. Canali asked for volunteers and without hesitation, I said I would like to volunteer. Up until this point, I had not experienced his work like many of the others had, and I had no clue what I was about to experience. The moment on the table which seemed like only a few minutes was in fact over a couple hours and when I got off that table, I felt like my life was different than when I started. It was a powerful life changing moment and at the time I had no clue just how far this would go.

I began to see Dr. Canali for regular sessions because I knew deep down, there was much stored within my body that needed to be dealt with. You didn’t need to explain to me just how everyday life, every day stress, trauma and experiences find homes within our bodies. My body knew that first hand because I was paralyzed in 1991. Physically I had recovered from it but there were many hidden scars within me that had never been allowed to heal. I had plenty of current problems as well from depression, anxiety, frequent migraine headaches, a stomach ulcer, allergies and the list could go on. I never dreamed that a few years after this, my life would have changed in dramatic ways physically, emotionally and spiritually. I’m not the same person I was and this isn’t some surface changes in me. It is deep emotional long lasting changes.

While I still know I have a ways to go and I still have my demons I battle within me, I’m on my way to connecting to something that will carry me forward. I’m not even 100% sure I understand what that is today and that’s fine, but I see more of my path ahead with each day. Dr. Canali has helped me to understand myself more and see the power that I hold to make choices and changes in my life. He has helped me to become more aware of myself so that I can begin to experience life in an entirely new way. If you would have told me all of this was possible a few years ago, I would have probably laughed. Of course now, you don’t have to convince me because I’ve lived it and the truth of it resides with myself and my new found freedom and awareness.

With all of this said, Dr. Canali just launched his new website and it is filled with a lot of information. Some of the information is deep and may sail over your head when you first read it, but it can be a catalyst in your life. I urge you to go and check out the website and read it and learn all you can. Your life won’t be the same after this point.

The website is
Evolutionary Healing Institute http://evolutionaryhealinginstitute.com/