Sensible Health

12/13/2024

Maybe it's because I've spent so much time stuck in a rigid, perfectionistic mindset, but I've grown to love uncertainty.

I love to seek out that middle spot of "not knowing", and just hang out there for awhile.

Neither this, nor that.

Just sitting within the shifting confusion and letting it be exactly what it is.

I find it calming.

When I'm confronted with a problem I can't figure out, or a situation that gives rise to a lot of different feelings, instead of trying to iron it down and define it, I've learned to sit within the discomfort and let it be.

As we approach the end of the year, with a new year dawning in front of us, take a moment to sit in the darkness and grow still.

Sit amidst the confusion of what has passed and the uncertainty of what lies before you, and remember what you love.

For in a chaotic and uncertain world, what you choose to love is all that truly matters. That is where you find your purpose.

If you seek meaning, that is where it lies.

12/01/2024

“Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you.”
– Gabor Maté

I used to think of trauma as some kind of big, chaotic, devastating event.

It had to be something disastrous and irreversible, like a sudden death, or a murder, r**e or su***de, leaving its victim absolutely shattered and broken.

It took a long time for me to understand how mundane trauma can look. At least, from the outside.

Depending on the circumstances, trauma could look like:

- falling off your bike
- over-hearing gossip about yourself
- coming home to an empty house
- failing to win an award

This is because trauma is not determined by the severity of the event, *but by how you interpret it*, and also *by how easily you are able to assimilate the resulting feelings into your life*.

Another important point:

How you choose to interpret an event very much depends on who is with you.

If you are comforted, assured, and shown empathy by someone who cares about you, a traumatic event can be endured with little emotional scarring. But if you are left alone, the event has a much greater chance of becoming an unhealed wound.

That's the fascinating part. It takes so little to prevent trauma. All it needs is your care. All it takes is empathy.

We just need to know we're cared about, and we're not alone.

In any potentially traumatic moment, a person can either become stronger and more resilient, or traumatized and internally broken. The event itself does not particularly matter. What does matter is that one critical ingredient: connection with a compassionate other.

Knowing this, go into the world today with gentleness. Your voice, your understanding, the simple touch of your hand, can turn a potential trauma into a moment of connection instead.

You can be a superhero today. You can prevent trauma from happening.

All you need to do is be kind.

Image: Jancits25, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

10/12/2024

If I could go back in time, these are the 7 things I wish I knew about narcissists.

(It would have saved me a lot of emotional pain and wasted effort.)

1. Victim Mentality:
I spent years feeling sorry for people who had a sad story to tell.

Until I realized that it was just a way for them to avoid responsibility while also garnering attention for themselves.

2. Passive-Aggressive Behaviour:
I was often confused by back-handed compliments that caught me off guard, felt dirty after negative gossip sessions, and was bemused by their use of the silent treatment.

Until I realized it was their way of discharging anger, envy, and low self-confidence, while still attempting to appear superior.

3. Hyper-sensitivity:
I spent so much time navigating other people's hurts, trying to avoid sensitive topics, and step lightly around explosive outbursts.

Until the sense of my own feelings and trust in my inner navigation became lost.

4. Chronic Envy And Resentment:
I don't think there was ever a time when someone wasn't envious and disagreeable about something someone else had that they wanted. This was often money, but could also be respect or admiration.

Until I eventually became exhausted trying to put things into perspective for them.

5. Lack Of Empathy:
I spent years among "sensitive, caring individuals" who regularly took delight in bashing the less fortunate, believing their fate was deserved.

Until I eventually realized that the only feelings they ever took into account were their own.

6. Emotional Manipulation:
In short, the truth was always distorted in order to manipulate me.

Eventually, I noticed that their actions seldom matched their words.

7. Inconsistent Behaviour:
I never knew what the prevailing mood would be. Sometimes it would be happy, sometimes angry. I would usually chalk it up to someone having a bad day.

Until I realized that their mood depended on how much attention they were getting. For example, they were always moody when it was someone else's birthday.

If only I had been aware of these narcissistic traits 30 years ago! So much pain and stress could have been avoided.

(Photo from Wikipedia Commons by Jessie Eastland)

05/11/2024

ARE YOU A WOOD PERSON? What that Means and Why You Should Know.

The world is regenerating itself before our very eyes. Tender, green leaves are sprouting from branches, birds are singing, and cherry blossoms are showering us with their beauty.

A revitalizing force is springing up from the ground, spreading in all directions, and gaining energy.

Spring is the time when potential, possibility and transformation become more accessible. Not just to the trees, grasses and flowers, but to ourselves as well. We are part of this world, and the invigorating nature of spring affects us the same way.

Nevertheless, there are some people who more naturally exude the energy of spring during all seasons of the year. In Chinese medicine, these people are considered “Wood” people, and this nature corresponds most closely with the health of the liver.

Read this week's blog post here to learn more:

https://www.primehealthproducts.ca/Blog/?p=6966

04/12/2024

I can think of few things more beautiful than compassion.

Compassion heals us when we suffer and hurt. It is the balm that steadies us when we are lonely. It soothes us when we are angry.

Compassion is the remedy we need in these unstable and uncertain times.

So, how can we encourage ourselves to generate more of it? It might help to remember these 3 key benefits.

Spread the loveI can think of few things more beautiful than compassion. Compassion heals us when we suffer and hurt. […]

04/03/2024

Life sure is good at throwing you curve balls!

Cami Walker surely must have thought so when, just one month after marrying the love of her life, she was diagnosed with MS. She went from feeling on top of the world, to wondering “what the hell happened”?

Suddenly, she became a frequent visitor of the emergency room as she struggled with pain, numbness, and paralysis. Her new marriage experienced financial and emotional strain as she and her husband struggled to pay hospital bills and manage her condition. She wondered if it would be possible for her to ever walk again, or to find gainful employment.

It was during this time of upheaval that her friend and neighbour, an African healer named Mbali Creazzo, suggested that she try the 29 Day Giving Challenge.

Book of the Month – 29 Gifts by Cami Walker April 3, 2024 rebecca Leave a comment Life sure is good at throwing you curve balls! Cami Walker surely must have thought so when, just one month after marrying the love of her life, she was diagnosed with MS. She went from feeling on top of the world, t...

03/28/2024

I rounded the corner of the games area, just looking for somewhere to sit. My right hip was bothering me and I wanted to do some quick stretches to open it up and relieve some tension.

The cafeteria offered many empty chairs but was also noisy and crowded, so as I wound myself through the full tables, brimming with customers, I was looking for a place of relative quiet. A place where I could take my ease, yet also watch people as they were coming and going.

And as I looked ahead of me, towards the reserved area where we were to have our party later, I saw my father.

He was looking right at me.

A Rare Bird March 28, 2024 rebecca Leave a comment My family, circa 1976 I rounded the corner of the games area, just looking for somewhere to sit. My right hip was bothering me and I wanted to do some quick stretches to open it up and relieve some tension. The cafeteria offered many empty chairs bu...

03/20/2024

I’ve long been fascinated by lonely, empty, forgotten spaces.

Like the dark, little cubbyhole underneath the stairs, the mysterious attic, or the quiet hush of the bedroom that hasn’t been entered in years.

I think it’s the stillness. The natural pause you find in such places.

I suspect this is because I’m an introvert. Crowds overwhelm me, but give me a quiet place, with nothing but the sound of faint birdsong and the wind in the trees, and I’m immediately at home. I can actually feel my nervous system down-regulating.

How to Navigate the Space Between March 20, 2024 rebecca Leave a comment I’ve long been fascinated by lonely, empty, forgotten spaces. Like the dark, little cubbyhole underneath the stairs, the mysterious attic, or the quiet hush of the bedroom that hasn’t been entered in years. I think it’s t...

03/12/2024

The man in front of me stiffened, squinted, and drew himself closer to the ticket machine. He pressed a button, but nothing happened.

Confused, he turned to look at us, the half dozen people waiting behind him. Our faces were probably blank, bored, or irritated, and offered no help.

Saying nothing, he turned back to the machine and rubbed his forehead with the fingers of one hand in a gesture of frustration.

“Oh, no,” I thought to myself, “Something’s wrong”. And that was when my heart dropped into my stomach. A sense of dread began to build within me. I really didn’t need this right now. I could feel that hot, searing pain in my right leg start to build, and I shifted my weight away from it. It didn’t help.

Free Parking and a Piriformis Injury March 12, 2024 rebecca Leave a comment The man in front of me stiffened, squinted, and drew himself closer to the ticket machine. He pressed a button, but nothing happened. Confused, he turned to look at us, the half dozen people waiting behind him. Our faces wer...

03/05/2024

Back in high school, one of my favourite classes was “Anatomy and Physiology”. I think this was partly because our teacher clearly loved his subject. At every class, he would present the day’s material with energy and enthusiasm. He even loved the questions we asked, always finding a way to infuse them with wonder.

It must have been in this class that I first learned about neurotransmitters. In case you have forgotten, these are the chemical messengers within our brains that transmit information between neurons, or from neurons to muscles. They include substances like serotonin, dopamine, and acetylcholine, and they help regulate our appetite, sleep-wake cycle, and moods, among other things.

This system, as it was taught to us, was very brain focused.

Book of the Month March 5, 2024 rebecca Leave a comment Back in high school, one of my favourite classes was “Anatomy and Physiology”. I think this was partly because our teacher clearly loved his subject. At every class, he would present the day’s material with energy and enthusiasm. He even ...

02/27/2024

After days and days of greyness, the sun finally came out this week, glinting over everything, revealing the deep, perfect blue of the sky. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through my back yard, causing the branches of the old, hickory tree outside my window to wave up and down, back and forth. It seemed as if the tree was waving at me, and smiling.

Unexpectedly moved, I began to cry.

This is not the first time I’ve cried on my yoga mat. But the sudden surge of tears still took me by surprise. What was that all about?

The Core Wound February 27, 2024 rebecca Leave a comment After days and days of greyness, the sun finally came out this week, glinting over everything, revealing the deep, perfect blue of the sky. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through my back yard, causing the branches of the old, hickory tree outsi...

02/17/2024

Have you ever taken a good look at the gallbladder meridian? Like, really closely? It’s crazy!

It’s the third longest meridian in the human body, with 44 different acupuncture points. Only the stomach meridian and urinary bladder meridian are longer, with 45 and 67 points, respectively . But the stomach and urinary bladder meridians, though longer, are easier to learn because their points mostly line up. The gallbladder meridian zigs and zags all over the place. As TCM students back in the day, it made us all sigh in frustration.

Where Is Your Pain? February 17, 2024 rebecca Leave a comment TCM Gallbladder Meridian Have you ever taken a good look at the gallbladder meridian? Like, really closely? It’s crazy! It’s the third longest meridian in the human body, with 44 different acupuncture points. Only the stomach meridian...