Mind Over Medicine - More a Recommendation than a Review

From My Pinterest Inspiration Art

Anyone who’s read my blog for any length of time will know that I have, in the past struggled with depression.  Struggled with admitting to it’s existence, understanding what it is and with the long and arduous journey out of the depths.  If you know me, at all, you will also know that I am a recovering Self Help Addict. Today’s post is evidence that it’s all a one day at a time journey.  And that helping yourself is a more natural reponse than you might think.

‘Mind over Medicine’ by Dr Lissa Rankin is a book that brings into perspective the shortcomings of the medical professionals and our own responsibility in our recovery and wellbeing.  And whilst I am not affiliated with Dr Rankin or Amazon in any way I highly recommend you get yourself a copy.

Strangely enough, I started reading this not so much on a Self Help kick but as I found myself questioning more and more the authenticity and validity of the medical professionals I was coming into contact with on a daily basis, regarding the treatment of a family member.

Dr Rankin validated my belief that these professionals were not treating the patient, but individual symptoms.  Hence we went through over a year of endless poking and prodding at various hospitals, each time seeing no light at the end of an endless dark tunnel.   Every so often there would be a little glimmer of light from someone who ‘understood how we felt’ , only for it to extinguish as they were blinkered to the Big Picture. But I digress...

Do you know how ingenious your body is?  Do you know what it does best?  It has “the ability to heal itself”.  The ‘Relaxation Response’, a natural function of our body, activates self repair mechanisms, releasing endorphins and other healing chemicals.  And this healing process is very much a by product of what is going on in our minds. Hence the title of ‘Mind Over Medicine.

Whilst there is still a need for Doctors, they are highly qualified and experts in their fields, the need to treat the patient as a whole person is key to the holistic approach and the achievement of the finest healing process.

This book is a breath of fresh air.  It asks the patient ‘what does your body need in order to heal’’, recognises there is courage in taking responsibility for your own healing, “healing yourself is not for the faint of heart” and that we are all entitled to the best level of care.  And that you are a key member ot your care team, there is no ranking, but perhaps for the fact that you have been with your body the longest and thus know it best.

Do what you can to encourage that Relaxation Response to do it’s thing, it’s alter ego the ‘Stress Response’ has the key to the toxic cabinet so don’t let it go there.

Happy reading.

Namaste

Catherine x

Look What I Made – A Commitment to Craft

If you read my post on Wednesday you would have seen me make my commitment to completing 3 books by September .

This is part of an all encompassing plan for my Freestyle Life. The resources available via the World Wide Web (apparently the typing of  www dot is no longer necessary) are pretty amazing.  I’ve realised that you don’t have to spend a fortune setting up a web site, nor do you need to be an expert in the craft in order to produce a good looking site and have it do some snazzy extras.  Just some extra reading , or watching a You Tube video.  I recommend this one by Tyler Moore I used a different Responsive Theme but all in all it made the whole journey a lot less daunting.

I have, until now, resisted the urge to create a “list” (an email list for marketing/promotional  purposes) mainly due to the niggly feeling of the whole “hard sell” vibe to them.   Which I think goes along with my muddled feelings about money.  Perhaps it also goes with my afore felt self doubt. Not imagining that a “list” of people would be interested in my creative journey.  Who am I to expect people to want hear what I have to say?  Slowly, I have come to know the truth of Marianne Williamson’s often mentioned quote “....As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”  Always worth Tweeting.

 Whilst I have admired many lifestyle coaches over the years I have found myself turning away from them as they seem to enjoy more commercial success.  I’ve seen it as a kind of selling out.  Lissa Rankin highlighted a talk on facebook this week by Sera Beak which in a way went along with my feelings on the subject.  However as I have moved along my own creative and sharing path I have found a new point of focus.  In order to maintain this creative and enriching life it is necessary to create an income.  Surely the ideal way to create this income would encompass the sharing of this creative knowledge.  Back to Marianne “And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” In order to shine times are a changing and it may be necessary to go ‘a little’ commercial.

And so I am creating a list in order to share the light and share my journey along this creative path, the first stage being the 3 books.  You can add your name to my list, firstly I’m planning on sending out a more detailed update of the writing process that will only be available here.

For Me Made May ’14 this week I wore a piece of my Ribbon Jewellery each day.  It’s bringing up lots of ideas for new pieces and helping me find what works and does not, in a way this is bringing in the market research I never really done first time round. 

May 5-10 Me-Made-May'14

Looking at what others have been doing (great Pinterest pics here) I am feeling the urge to make an outfit before the end of May.    Off to check blogisphere for other creative magic making this week over at Handmade Harbour and Jamie Ridler’s Studio.

Namaste

Catherine

A Professional Mindset

Day 5 - Still Clarifying the Mindset

TODAY’s challenge:

1. Write a response blog post to this question:

What’s does your perfect day look like?

My Perfect Day looks like:

 Autumn Sunshine.

Did you want more?

Usually I'm all about the visual.   I listened to a webinair recently that had no visual aids and it was great.  The presenter, Samantha Bennett, explained that as her audience comprised of creative folks that she felt that the best pictures came from our own imagination.  This had at least 2 great results.  1. I got to appreciate my creative imagination. and 2. My answers were not coloured by someone else's ideas.  That really is the way to get the creative juices flowing.

I chose 'Autumn Sunshine' because of the way it makes me feel and the wonderful memories and pictures those feelings evoke.  Cosy days complete with sunshine and layers, filled with creativity and happy thoughts.  I wish I could show you a picture, but then, maybe I already did.

They say a picture can make 1000 words, sometimes a couple of words can create 1000 pictures. (as Marie Would say it's a tweetable)

Day 6 - Time to prioritise

TODAY’s challenge:

1. Write a response blog post to this question:

What are my three priorities for the next 30 days that will move me closer towards living life on my own terms?

Three priorities :
1.  Monetise my free range life
2.  Learn about Aspergers
3.  Be Creative


Day 7 - 

TODAY’s challenge:
1. Write a response blog post to this question:

Which key tools will you turn to regularly to maintain your mindset and how will you use them effectively?

In the spirit of using what I've got, the tools I intend to use to maintain my mindset are:
Meditation - I intend to meditate daily, I'll use the creative sources I've already tried i.e. Jamie Ridler's Creative Visual Meditation and Lissa Rankin's Self Healing Meditation.
Reminding myself daily that the professional mindset gels fully with my authenticity.

Day 8 - 

TODAY’s challenge: is to take a break

Failing this one miserably - as taking a break is not really an option as I'm cramming 30 days worth of challenges into 9.

Namaste

Catherine

xxx

In Just 9 days?

Usual BS Again

Working toward potential

Image from Warrior Poet Wisdom

An organised, yet unproductive week has gone by.  For the first time in forever I had my posts scheduled for the week and my hoot schedule down so there was so much room for work on other projects.  The foundation was there, the mood was good and yet I hate to admit that I really feel like I done nothing this week.

Sure, Monday I popped over to Handmade Harbour to check out all those lovely Handmade Monday participants, showing off my new logo.  Tuesday was a mini piece on follow through, featuring Gavin McGraw, and whilst 'follow through' is a key value of mine this has not been the week for it.   Wednesday was my least looked at piece yet the one that gels best this week with my authenticity as 'happiness is' my main goal - to have and to hold on to.  Thursday highlighted one of my favourite Feedly finds, i.e. Bits of Truth - I love how short, sweet and very much to the point their pieces are.  Friday I highlighted the joy of writing for yourself showing a short piece from Life Without Pants Matt Cheauvront.  I'm not so sure that it's more of a writing 'of' yourself than 'for' yourself, putting yourself into your writing and making it real.  And Saturday I highlighted some of my favourite things, keeping things light and fresh for the weekend.  A pretty full week all in all, I did get the majority of my branding out there, still a little to do in the Etsy shop and running about a bit like a headless chicken on the book front - it's at that really messy stage of throwing all the 'stuff' at the wall and seeing what sticks.

I think it's been a bit of a tumultuous week in lots of ways.  One of the best pieces of news this week was young Toby being on the mend, Toby is Yvonne of Coke Floats and Chemo's son.  He has had a really bad week but hopefully has now turned the corner.  When your child's health becomes the major focus everything else kind of reverts back to it's proper place.  I say kind of because this piece by Samantha Bennett highlighted to me how I have really let the 'Helena Handbasket Days' take over this past year, if not forever.  And so the key learning point of this week has been how important it is I live to my full potential.  Were I living to my full potential I would have more freedom and there would be no danger of my priorities being out of sync.  This is really turning into a whole other post so I'm going to save this tangent for Wednesday when I'll be writing my review of Lissa Rankin's Mind Over Medicine.

So, what lies in the week ahead.  I have two whole weeks away from any 'day job' commitments and nothing really planned, something of a blank canvas.   The canvas may be blank but there is a whole lot of noise going on in the background.  I so want to use this time to get things here in order and ready for lift off.  There may be no plan on paper but there is so much mulling around in my head, taking in both home and business.  I want to get organised, whilst I have been a bit of a rebel against routine I am growing to realise that some routine can make life easier.  And routine can actually provide some of that consistency that is so needed in my home life.  Don't get me wrong my life has not been 'chaotic' up to now, at least not to me but when you look at things from a literal perspective it's not exactly been predictable or harmonious.  It's strange but relabeling 'routine' as 'harmony' makes me wonder why I would rebel.  A whole load of lost energy gone by the wayside.  Now I know better, I can do better.

As we move into a new month this coming week I plan on taking the lead from one of my favourite blogs Going Home to Roost and joining in the August Break .  This way I can have August organised and focus on reaching my potential.  I really loved the quote from Will McAvoy last night, I was watching this week's The Newsroom. Will  (Jeff Daniels) said he was "Just a middle aged man who never lived up to his potential" with the glorious follow through of "you don't want to be on the wrong side if I ever do".

Here's to a week

of staying on the 'right side'

Namaste

Catherine

xxx

Time For More BS

So, that was the week that was;

Checked in at Handmade Harbour on Monday and contemplated the concept of Christmas in July - the hottest July Ever.

I'm loving the Creative Mornings vibe and would so love to be involved in something like it at a local level - a theme that's kind of stuck, more later.

Wednesday I posted a piece about choices and my choosing not to be a Domestic Goddess.  My gut told me not to post the piece.  But I failed to listen and, at a time when the traffic to my blog is building up, this piece had the lowest hits ever.  Lesson learnt: Trust The Gut.  I had already said I'd only write 2 long pieces per week - that way I can focus on quality - and I can easily fill the other 4 days with Feedly and Pinterest finds, like the posts for Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week.

And, as always, Sunday is for the BS, round off one week and set up the next.

Branding was the key task for this week and I think I now have that sussed, I just have lots to do to put it all together, so watch out for the changes ringing through this week.  You may have noticed already that I've changed the name here.  Keeping it simple really, using the label I was born with Catherine McAtier.

Almost got the label sussed - just need to add the Paisley Touch

Whilst on the surface I'll be re branding everything in the background I'll be working on my first mini project.  I'm taking the advice of Marianne Cantwell being Free Range and jumping right in, giving myself 6 weeks to get the project off the ground.  I could say more but I'm still ironing out the creases.

Suffice it to say I'm still reading Lissa Rankin's Mind Over Medicine, and I'm thinking if my mind can help heal my body can it help heal my town too?  I wanted nothing more, when I finished college, than to move out of Paisley.  I so wanted to move to London - the grass is always greener etc.  I'm finally coming to love the beauty, history and possibilities held by Paisley.  There are a lot of positive Paisley vibes out there, it takes a little digging to find them.  But I've started digging and my first project will involve a lot more.  I believe it's time to be grateful for the history, be hopeful for the future and live and enjoy the now.

Namaste from a True Paisley Buddy

Casting wonderful wishes for the week ahead...

Catherine

xxx

I'm Not Done - and that's a beautiful thing...

Getting Some Zen - my next needlework project

I’ve been thinking about a can of worms I opened last week.  It is true that we get more of what we focus on.  And for quite some time now I have focused on depression and stress and the innate lack of understanding of the effect of these illnesses on our overall well being. I have rallied to have them recognised as disabilities.  In so doing can it be that I have lost sight of the big picture?   Can it be that I have done nothing but feed the beast?

I’ve been reading Lissa Rankin’s Mind Over Medicine and having my belief reinforced that ‘what and how we think has a powerful effect on our physical well being’, positive or negative.  Then, today I happened upon Lisa Esile and her ‘7 Secrets Your Mind Does Not Want You toKnow.’  And it struck me that I’ve really been giving my mind too much space.  And working my way through ‘Mind Over Medicine’ I have come to see the big picture and finally found the ‘a-ha’.  It’s about everything working together – taking the whole person into account.

There is no compartmentalising, life is a whole package thing.  And we have to look after the whole package.  That’s why it’s so important we look after our mind, body and spirit.  Each relies on the other and if one is out of sync they all are.  And that is why I need to step up and live my life fully.

In living my life fully I am leading by example.  What I have been doing up to now has served its purpose but now I know better and serendipity sent me this on my Pinterest front page.

Because it's meant to be

Hope you all have a complete week.

Namaste

Catherine

xxx

Wishcasting on

WHENsday

Today I'm working on my branding so I'm casting wishes out there to gather the creativity, intuition and insight to bring together the wonderful idea that I know is just there...

Originally found via Lissa Rankin

Just under the surface and out of reach, but I just know that one extra burst of wishcasting wisdom will bring it to light.

Who knows, tomorrow this place could look completely different.

May the wishes that you all wish for yourselves

come to light in the best way possible.

Namaste

Catherine

xxx

Tuning into the Invisible Stuff - working through the research

One of my first 'Inspirational Quote' Pins

While at least 1 in 4 suffer from some kind of mental health condition and the number of children included in the statistics increases annually what can we do, not necessarily to reduce the statistics, to deal with this modern epidemic.

Whilst looking for information on pseudo seizures I came across a video of Dr Andrew Weil of Big Think Mentor and serendipity brought it back to me again today through Finer Minds, so I thought I should share with you all. 

Dr Andrew Weil

This film is only 4 minutes long and in such a short time raises so many questions - is depression a product of the 21st century? and are we really using our children as guinea pigs?  If we don't know what effects anti depressant drugs have on developing minds - are we doing more harm than good?  

I strongly believe that anti depressants have a place in the whole recovery/coping process.  There have been times where functioning on a day to day basis would not have happened without them. But I believe even more strongly that there has to be a change in the way we manage our mental health.  With a major emphasis on managing and taking responsibility.  

I read a great post by Beth Beulow recently it builds on the premise that we should "view and hold others as whole, capable and responsible."   Because that is what we all are. 

When you suffer from a mental illness like depression it's like a loss of control, a loss of reality and it can scare the bejeesus out of you.  The old 'fight or flight principle' jumps in and we rush for cover and welcome the protection and support of those around us.  You lose faith in yourself and rely on the wisdom of others.  Unfortunately that protection, support and wisdom can so easily take over, our inner light switches off and we are now following someone else's light.  Now this may all seem a bit airy fairy and out there but bear with me.

I believe that depression, stress, anxiety are our body's way of telling us that  something is out of sinc.  Life is not the way we want it to be.  Duh, there never seems to be enough hours in the day, money in the bank - life is what it is, that's life - is it ever the way we want it to be?  I'm talking more about   that something inside that tells you, sometimes just once, but mainly over and over that you are not living "your life".

Does depression breed depression?  As the first episode highlights an imbalance with our values bringing with it the dependence on others, the reliance on their take on values and situations.  This dependence pretty soon dulls the line between our authentic values and theirs and in many ways can enhance our challenges, distancing us even further from our path.  Others decide that we should not be stressed, that we don't need responsibility, no added hassle when in reality those may be the very things that we need.  We need to feel challenged, to feel responsibility - and yes, stress can be a good thing.

It is key that whilst acknowledging help is good and we do not have to cope alone we can take responsibility for and manage our daily coping processes.  For if that management and responsibility are taken away for too long our skills and confidence may be eroded completely.  It's like we've embarked on a vicious cycle and I for one am ready to jump off.

I want to manage my life, I want to have responsibility - I am not broken, in fact, having been there and back and forth again, I could be an invaluable asset.

 I make no secret of my ongoing battle with depression and a very quick skim over the statistics would suggest that in doing so I'm shooting myself in the foot, apparently only 4 in 10 employers would employ someone with a mental health condition in comparison to the 62% that would employ someone with a physical disability.  This could go a long way to explaining why so many of us move toward self employment.

But is that only feeding the problem further?  Perhaps our job should be to educate, actually to show that mental health issues are not only the norm but an awareness of what could be.

If there is a reason for everything I'm hoping the time has come to embrace the reason and make a difference.

It's taken a while but I have found my reason and my difference and I hope that I can help in some way to help others find theirs.  I'm ready to be what I am.

Using what I've got:  Pins I've already collected and skills I forgot I had.

To find the positives I recommend you have a look at: Kind Over Matter; Roots of She; Lissa Rankin - there are so many responsibilitarians out there.

Are you ready to join?
Have a responsible week.
Namaste

Catherine
xxx

Usual Sunday BS – Checking In / Moving On

It may be Monday but it's still the weekend - yay for Bank Holidays - so I'm putting my Sunday BS together a little late and not starting this week till tomorrow - having a kind of limbo day.

The week just gone

The week started with my son visiting A&E and a frustrating day spent with the NHS.  If one more person tells me they can "understand my frustration" I swear I will scream.  Yet by the end of the week I am feeling calm, rested and present.

I've spent the best (or worst) part of a year checked out - as an onlooker, watching life go on around me and not even touching the sides.  So, what's changed in 7 days?

The lovely ladies in my Storytelling for Change group just understood that this was 'not a good week' and so there was a break from any added responsibility.  In my day job I have become more connected, I feel like I've at last started turning up again, like an invisible line has been drawn under things past and now it just is what it is - no underlying agendas.

And with regard to my son's (and my) health I guess the change has been in attitude.  We've been so busy looking for a label, believing that there could be no 'cure' before that was found.  Why would I find that more frustrating than most?  Because I don't really go for labels, I believe in taking in the whole picture.   I have spent so much time dismantling the pigeon holes in my life that the mere action of creating another box was just so 'wrong'.  So, to move ahead boxes, labels and shoulds have all been thrown out the window.  The focus is on being present - living the way we want to live now.  Sometimes the answer is right in front of you, all around you - sometimes, if not always, the first thing to do is look at what we have.

And in keeping with using what I have - I think I've done enough research to move on as Seth Godin put it "All the information in the world isn't helping you make more stuff.  You have enough.  You should stop."

The whole 'using what you've got' thing is part and parcel of the message behind the birth of this blog and The MacsX - so time to get back to the message and go with it.  And what's going to make this time different to all the other stop starts that have gone in the past.  Belief.  Belief that it just 'is'.

The week’s discoveries/rediscoveries:

Lissa Rankin's Ted Talk

My first 'Ted Talk ' - and there are so many more to see.

Seth Godin's Creative Morning Talk

My Storytelling Video

Here’s to another good week

And to using up lots of stuff

Catherine

xxx