Trying to suppress a giggle, I went on reading this article.  Yes another article from DOYOUYOGA.com; this time on 8 yoga tips for a Type A personality

Am I REALLY a Type A?  It takes a concentrated effort to relax, yes- I have anxiety, [In the article it states that many people with Type A personalities are predisposed to stress and anxiety]

1) We don’t know when to stop. We have an abundance of (nervous) energy and misdirect it towards constant activity, of both the body and the mind. 2) We like things to be done right (ahem, our way). In other words, we like to micromanage every aspect of our lives (and sometimes other peoples too).

Sounds exactly like the article is talking about me personally.

Thinking back to my college days, I liked to credit myself with not caring.  Not caring so much to the point of being 3 o’ clock AM and having to call my parents while having a major anxiety attack (I know, kinda oxymoran-ish, but that’s me).  I may hold it all together during the day, and then totally freak out at nighttime thinking about how much that still needs to be done.  I get work accomplished during  the day,  I just chose to enjoy my college experience also, that meant participating in a bunch of extracurricular activities, going out to Macado’s with friends, or hanging in other parts of campus/Walmart with friends and being social.  My close friends would take my blow-off ish attitude as ‘whatever,’ because I’d say that a lot, and be happy-go-lucky, or appear to be.  When my college friends were at my bridal shower, they said how ‘Whatever’ ‘my approach to whatever [my wedding planning] would be and how I would just go with the flow,’ and I was appalled to a point where I asked if that was REALLY what they thought of me?  I could not believe everyone thought that I would just go along with the plans, when this was the biggest event that I have had to make decisions on, and it totally consumed me.  As my wedding date inched closer, I realized the more that I had procrastinated on doing everything….

But that was then, this is now, so I need to remember to BREATHE, just like my husband told me today before he left for work.  This morning, I woke at 6 ‘o clock

how I feel

how I feel

in the morning, having a bad dream/feeling in my subconscious that the clothes washing machine is broken and Matt keeps using it,  so I held all my anxieties in for 15 minutes, and woke Matt up cussing about that stupid washing machine …so ya, I still freak out.

[MY CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE IS CURRENTLY BROKEN]

Have I changed that much from college?  No, I couldn’t have, at the nursing home I’m  happy and carefree also, and in social situations, with my friends or at the pool and I can relax and be goofy and carefree when I’m with Matt…its just when it comes to serious important things that I get to be a mess.

In this yoga article, it lists off 8 tips for yogis to mindfully practice: [but this can also apply to L-I-F-E]

  1. Slow Down  …in life, we need to remember to just breathe
  2. It’s ok to skip a practice   …if your body says to slow down and take a nap, its time to do just that
  3. Let go of goals & outcomes   …this is a hard one, maybe just take life as it comes, but still have a flexible plan
  4. Be present   …ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS stay in the moment!  This will reduce stress immensely
  5. Release the need to micro manage…let it come to you   …we all know that its not good to always try to be in control- try to “roll with the punches”
  6. Try a yin or restorative class   …are there other ways of relaxation?  just lay there and think about the traits that hold your happiness
  7. Meditate
  8. Practice guided relaxation techniques…music is a major stress reliever for me, or puppiesvisual stimulation (looking at pictures of cute puppies, or relaxing vacation scenes

tropical

Life is easier to handle no matter the personality type

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Danielle! | Leave a comment

Poker face

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Danielle!

poker

Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing those cards you hold well.
Women’s Fitness  @Women-Fit

Life is not about existing in a crappy life, but it’s what you do with the crap life’s given you.
A person can either say “Oh, poor me, look what’s happened” and basically do nothing.  They sit around, give up hope and ambition to just exist; collect unemployment and live with their mother (even while being a mother or father of grown adult children).  Ok- I don’t claim to know the pre-existing circumstances of everyone, and the Bible teaches us not to judge, but in this case I believe that its all about the present state of mind.  If you believe that you can accomplish something, most of the time you will.  When I just woke up out of my coma, I always said to my parents, ‘oh I can’t do it because I have a BRAIN INJURY…’  After hearing this half a dozen times, my Mom told me repeatedly that I couldn’t keep using that as a crutch, an excuse as to why I can’t do this or that.  It finally sunk in, that this is what happened and I can do nothing in my power to change it; I must accept this.  Then Christmas break happened, my good friend oriented me into the real world of my personal high school drama, igniting a flare inside of me that just wanted to hurry up and get better!  When this was discovered all this was real and not going away, I wanted not only to prove everyone wrong, but I wanted to exceed all expectations.  In this sense, recovery can be attributed to mind over matter.

gift

Life’s a gift, that’s why it’s called the present.  Rejoice in the day that is currently here, and all that is in our favor.  Enjoy the moment now, for now is all that’s guaranteed.  Don’t ever just give up and accept that this is the best that is possible.  Just because you’re done with school doesn’t mean you’re done with learning, we need to figure out other ways to approach the task at hand.  What can you do now?  Look at the resources available. When I returned to high school, I found it very difficult completing Algebra II, so I got a tutor.  In college, I had an hard time concentrating, so I selected to have a single room.  When there was too much going on in my room [TV, cleaning…] and I had an exam to study for, I packed up my bags and headed to the library.  The work in the nursing home was exhausting, so I worked 4 out of the 5 days a regular work week.  We can always improve our lives, and forever need a goal, or something to strive towards.  Even in the darkest situations, don’t give up- whatever you do.  As long as you can dream it, there is hope.

Posted in dreams, Traumatic Brain Injury | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

In this paperback that I am most usually found reading while lounging poolside, the characters are talking, “you’ve got no control over anything, so why not just sit back and take life as it comes?”

summer rental

As if.

Such a simple concept, live in the moment, take life as it comes; this is very relaxing a concept- but very difficult for most of us to do.  There are two types of people in this life, the ones that can take whatever as they roll with it; then there’s the other type of personality the micro-managers that can’t do anything without planning their exact life completely out.  The same thing goes for surprise parties, some live in the moment, roll with whatever comes up and just enjoys the moment.  It’s not to say that the other type of personality doesn’t enjoy the moment, they are just more for sticking to the plan, having a certain idea in their head, and plans to do just that.  The rollers vs. the planners.  For instance, the wife of one of my friends planned a surprise party for her husband, and when he arrives home from work, about 40 people are in his living room/kitchen; SURPRISE!  The husband says, “I guess we’re not going to Sports Center for dinner…”
I never figured out if he was quite joking or not.

In my personal life, I try to keep the “roller” mindset, take the situations as they come, live each day in the present…the main yogic mindset that is more relaxing that the alternative.  Whenever my mind races away from me, I try to pull it back to the moment and adapt the roll with it, who cares? attitude.

trainIn the end, what can you really do?  Stupid crap is always going to happen, whether we plan on it or not.  [Mostly, I know we NEVER plan on it, life happens.]  The train falls off the track eventually. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen TOO often, but tragedies occur all the time.

Engine engine number nine… on the NY transit line; if my train falls of the track

I wonder, if every one took advantage of the moment, are appreciative of what we have at the present, if the world would not be a better place.  Ya I know, better place, blah blah… but seriously, think about all that we truly have in this moment.  We do have the ability to think, to walk, to laugh and to love and that is something that can be lost in a moment.  In a second, one decision could dramatically change a life.  It  could be something as simple as deciding to go out to a party one night resulting in getting grounded because of missing a curfew; or the decision to turn left or right resulting in a life altering car accident that erases the dream of a big family.  As people, we don’t realize all the advantages that we do have.

life-JL

  NO MORE TAKING ADVANTAGE

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Danielle! | Leave a comment

Continuity of life

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Danielle!

I never knew how much joy could be derived simply from seeing a baby bird grow up, and then mommy return to the same nest to lay even more eggs.  I was devastated when I had to go to work on the day when the first baby bird learned to fly.  By the time I had returned from work, I arrived to an empty nest.

I watched the beginnings of the bird- from mom building the nest, to eggs (I’m assuming- I couldn’t actually see) to a baby beak (or beaks) sticking out…I still can’t determine how many there are.  I’m thinking two, I see beaks up there.

2 baby birds??

2 baby birds?

mom+baby

bird

 But now, with the second batch of birds, I’ve seen the momma bird sleep in the nest with the babies- I thought the 2nd batch had two, but can you imagine my delight when they’re getting bigger and I see three?  Wow, I am thrilled! Now they’re flapping their wings, and getting all big and ready to fly! (I have neglected to get a picture of all 3 baby birds up there)

I can just imagine how parents feel when they see their babies grow to toddlers, to teenagers, then adulthood.

Again, Life Goes On.  (As the famous ’80s TV show states so bluntly.)

ANOTHER YEAR GOES BY…

Now it is 2015.  And of course the robins return to make a nest.  Only this year, they make the nest, and a big ugly disgusting black bird (can you tell I’m a bit mad at this black bird??) comes in and swoops down and looks inside it.  Once the black bird’s scent is noticed on the nest, the robins abandon the nest.  Of course; so Matt and I take the nest down, and the robins decide to build another one, only on another post under the deck…AND THE BLACK BIRD COMES AGAIN.  This time, I think the eggs were laid, the robin had been sitting on the nest for along while.  The momma bird goes off for some food, and the black bird swoops in.  My heart is broken.

heart-broken-icon

I come downstairs to see the momma robin returns once again to sit on top of the nest, guarding it with her life, only the poor eggs are gone.  I can just imagine how much that momma bird hurts.  I hated doing this, but the robins were just going to return to the same area, so my husband and I had to put coffee cans over the places the nests were previously to prevent the bird from building.

My family says it’s the way nature works…survival of the fittest, the circle of life–blah blah blah.

The robin and the crow create a metaphor to be applied in life.  Having perseverance and persistence is all a person can do, life goes on, it must go on.  Sure, everyone has a tragedy now and then, the factor that shapes a life is what the person does with the results of that tragedy.  When I was faced with the misfortune of my car accident, I could have given up, thrown up my hands in the air and use my brain injury as an excuse for why I couldn’t do anything at all.  My mom told me early on soon after I awoke from my coma, that I can’t keep using this injury as a crutch [I was saying, ‘Oh, I can’t do this or that because I have a brain injury.’].  She told me that I am still the same person, with the same capabilities as everyone else, that my car accident is just something that happened to me.  Sure, my traumatic brain injury makes it a little more challenging in school and creates many physical obstacles for me, but it’s nothing that I can’t overcome by a little more work and determination.  My husband and I had to put that coffee can in place on the posts of my deck just as a reminder to the birds.  That crow may come back and get the little eggs again, but this time natural selection is not going to happen on my deck.

Posted in nature, Traumatic Brain Injury | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Body and soul

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Danielle!
You’re just laying there.  Everything is dark, and you are laying on a mat in a cold dark spacious room.  And then there are monks being played on a music system doing a OM chanting meditation.
That is not what I am down with.  There are many people who may find this relaxing, I am not one of then.
To each her own.
I have tried savasana and different forms of meditation when in my yoga classes, and other times just for stress management.  I don’t think I have learned to relax into a meditation type form.  A therapist that I have previously seen gave me a worksheet on these different techniques.  I get hung up in the technique of the exercise, rather than the relaxation.  Breathe in 3 counts, breathe out 4 counts, 5 counts, whatever.   I concentrate on holding my breath tirelessly and then expelling out every last bit of oxygen.  And that is just not relaxing for me.
I’ve told my Mom that I don’t think I can meditate; its just not relaxing for me.  What I can do is lay on mat after yoga practice and just breathe regularly.  Not counting, not concentrating on a word as my ‘mantra,’ just laying there and trying to rest by clearing of the mind.  Just letting the thoughts drift.
This is an article that I found on My Yoga online, a Gaiam TV production:
A woman in corpse pose or 'savasana'

A woman in corpse pose or ‘savasana’

I find the visualizations helpful, to let go of the worries of current, past and future troubles.  Visualizations give us something concrete on which to focus our energy.  In a way, it drifts your mind from your trials to a world in which you are the blue sky, watching the clouds (which are your thoughts) drift away into nothingness, until you feel the calm and happiness of a clear blue sky.

My former yoga teacher had also introduced me to the use of aromatherapy as having a calming benefit.  Being a Recreation therapist, I have knowledge of how certain aromas bring about pleasant reactions in  others, I had just never thought of the frequent use to allow myself to relax. Upon recommendation of my ‘yogi’ I have a spray bottle of water diffused with the scent of lavender to help relax and for soothing purposes.  So this also assists in helping my yoga practice in a more relaxed environment.

Yoga practice is just a physical medium that allows your self to focus and be in the right state of mind currently.

 

 

Posted in inner reflection, yoga | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Breathing is so simple, so obvious that we take it for granted; ignoring the power it has to affect body, mind and spirit.
~Silvia Mordini

Like many people that have TBI’s, [Traumatic Brain Injuries] anxiety is a problem that we so frequently encounter.  When I had severe anxiety at work, I went to counseling to learn tactics in which I could control my anxiety, a big tactic was breathing.

Alchemy-of-Breath

Breathing of course is so automatic to all that we often forget that we are doing it.  I found that by taking a deep breath is an easy way help adjust to the here and now, to collect your feelings, then stopping the negative self-talk, and by remembering to journal.  Journaling is kinda like talking yourself down from a ledge.  It’s only you that’s talking, but you are getting the whole story down on paper, sifting through what is really bothering you, how you feel about it, and writing with a clear head how to form a positive outcome.  Sometimes even seeing your worries written out you actually start laughing at how silly and trivial your worries can really be.  Journaling always helps me feel better, along with the conscious breath flow, and positive self talk, I have become very good at talking myself down from ledges of all kinds.

Some techniques include paying attention to the breath, staying and living in the present moment, are also some of the yoga, meditative beliefs.  Most yoga instructors remind the cclass to take long deep breaths, to fill your whole body with oxygen.  Control of the breath is almost as important in yoga as the asanas (positions held in yoga) and key for relaxation, it brightens up the whole mood and state of mind.

Yoga targets your whole being, and ultimately your whole outlook on life. ~Kaisa Kapanen

To me, yoga is more of a physical action, that allows you to concentrate on the contortions that we’re trying to put our bodies in and forget all of the problems of the world, if only for a few hours.  Filling your lungs with air and breathing deeply actually improves your mood, when you remember to do it. Remembering is the hard part.

Today is Thankful Thursday, and I can say with a positive mindset that I am thankful for the ability to practice yoga, both physically and mentally.

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Danielle! | 1 Comment

Billy-Currington

Billy Currington
Seasons come and go, but the good times just roll on;  Summer Forever

“Summer Forever”

(To listen to the music, just click above, on the name of the song)

Ain’t ready for the leaves to change
Don’t wanna get off this swing
No I ain’t jealous
When the sun’s kissing on youBaby, it’s that southern wind
Baby, it’s your perfect skin
That’s killing me
Through the holes
In your silver bootsBaby, what’s up
This is more than a crush
Already dressed like that
Heat rises it’s a factBaby, three months
Just ain’t long enough
We can turn the clock back
Flip over the hour glassSummer forever
Ain’t nothin’ better than
Love makin’ weather
Summer forever
Hotter than winter
On that Silverado leather
The days are getting longer
Kisses getting stronger
It’s the kinda song
That makes you wanna sing along
Summer forever
Oh, ohI’m talking fireworks
I’m talking on fire
Barefoot walking
Chasing whiskey
With a flat tireDon’t matter where we go
Let’s ride an open road
And a sunroof open
Making up as we rolling likeSummer forever
Ain’t nothin’ better than
Love makin’ weather
Summer forever
Hotter than winter
On that Silverado leather
The days are getting longer
Kisses getting stronger
It’s the kinda song
That makes you wanna sing along
Summer forever
Yeah, yeah, woo

It don’t matter where we go
Let’s ride an open road
And a sunroof open
Making up and say we rolling like

It don’t matter where we go
Let’s ride an open road
And a sunroof open
Making up and say we rolling like

Summer forever
Ain’t nothin’ better than
Love makin’ weather
Summer forever
Hotter than winter
On that Silverado leather
The days are getting longer
Kisses getting stronger
It’s the kinda song
That makes you wanna sing along
Summer forever
Woah, woah

That’s right
You and me
The sunshine
The water
It’s summertime
Forever

*** And that’s how I feel about summer.  Well, just the part about it lasting forever.  This summer anyway, I wish it would never go away, I could lounge at the pool reading light-hearted romance novels, forever gossiping to the lifeguards about how college used to be, and comparing it to now… Paying attention to my dog, Chazz and writing my heart out, all while making a beautiful house and cooking dinner every night together…

 

 

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Danielle! | Leave a comment

partners in life!

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Danielle!

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY, and today I need to give credit to where it is due, to my husband.  He is an amazing partner in life, partner in everything, and allows me to enjoy life’s little pleasures.  Right now I know I have been neglecting my blog, but I have actually been CONCENTRATING ON WRITING MY MEMOIR!!

WritLit_Memoir

…and listening to #theBachelorette snarky podcasts!

Posted in Thankful Thursdays | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

More Coffee….More tea….More Caffeine……

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Danielle!

gentlekindness's avatarGentleKindness

more caffeine

View original post

Posted in inner reflection | Leave a comment

330px-Matcha_tea

…so Match green tea is “all the rave” in L.A. Cali, and a Matcha shot is the “IT” drink of the moment in NYC. The TODAY show tried it, so of course I had to. First, I went into my new fave coffee hangout, Peet’s coffee and tea in Burke, VA.

I got their version of a cold icy drink, a javiva, wpid-wp-1435243004500.jpgwhich is one scoop of the matcha, some milk lots of ice and some secret javiva mix (just a thickening agent).  My favorite tattooed barista chick told me how to make a matcha latte, add some milk, sweetener and matcha, put it in the blender and serve over ice.

wpid-20150624_110644.jpgI tried it this morning from home, DELICIOUS! 2 teaspoons of matcha, sweetener of choice and the rest of the drink milk in the blender- and serve over ice! Pretty simple!

But wait, WHAT IS MATCHA?
It’s a highly potent form of green tea, shade grown and cultivated specially causing it to be more expensive than normal teas.  The whole tea leaf is used and ground finely into a green powder. I ordered this little tin of MATCHA (green tea powder) for $25!  The special production, including the extra labor of grounding up the tea leaves into a fine powder means a more expensive product.

WHY IS IT THE MIRACLE CAFFEINE STIMULANT? It is the green tea highest in caffeine content,  3 times more than a regular cup of tea and equal to a cup of coffee.  It keeps you alert but has a calming effect, which coffee does not.  Many dedicated coffee drinkers have abandoned their cup o’ java  for a cup o’ matcha due to the non-jittery, more zen-like effect that this liquid produces helping those with anxiety disorders.

Matcha green tea has many health benefits, like lowering blood pressure, helps reduce heart attacks and cancer, and is rich in antioxidants.  Personally, I like matcha in it’s latte form.  Lots of added milk and some sugar.  If I could, I would drink this all day, especially for the alert relaxation without drowsiness, product of the l-theanine.  Although it is only recommended to limit the consumption of this beverage to one cup a day because of the high levels of lead.  With matcha, the whole tea leaf is consumed, and therefore a lot of lead, about 30 times more than in a cup of regular steeped green tea.

The information for this article was taken from Time magazine, picture Wikipedia.

***I am very THANKFUL for this green tea leaf powder, and for the barista at Peet’s coffee and tea in Burke, VA for giving me a recipe to prepare this special drink at home!  Much love Meg!***

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Danielle! | Leave a comment