Two months ago, I was diagnosed positive for COVID-19. At first, the ER was sending me home with medication. On the third trip, I could hardly breathe and so the nightmare began.
After an hour or so in the emergency room of my local hospital, the doctor decided it was time to transfer me to a larger hospital. Transported by ambulance, the real challenges began upon arrival.
In this article, I will not go into detail that is forthcoming in a new book. However, I do want to touch on something I believe to be crucial information.
Now that I am out of the hospital and free of COVID-19. The residual from the disease is a lot to deal with. For example, breathing is a challenge—foggy times when I try to talk, type, or work. Lose my place in my head.
The few times that I have gone out in public, I am amazed at how many people do not wear a mask or social distance. Let me be obvious I don’t want to wear a mask either. However, if by the smallest measure it does help prevent someone from getting the disease, what is the big deal?
I can’t tell you with any real measure of accuracy that a mask does anything to help. What I can tell you is that not being able to breathe without laboring to do so is much worse than wearing a mask.
COVID-19 is nothing to play with. Even when the rules seem cumbersome to follow, the alternative is much worse. I am damn lucky to be home and was not expected to survive. So many people have not been able to return home to family. Don’t become a statistic.
None of us want to contract the disease. You may or may not get it. Just do all you can to prevent contracting the disease. It’s truly not asking to much!
Wear a mask where necessary, social distance and wash your hands frequently.
You can wear this mask or do what you can to prevent getting sick:
“No matter what has happened to you in the past or what is going on in your life right now, it has no power to keep you from having an amazingly good future if you will walk by faith in God. God loves you! He wants you to live with victory over sin so you can possess His promises for your life today!”–Joyce Meyer
Bringing our change full-circle requires us to get outside ourselves. I can hear you screaming. I am trying to change me! Ask yourself a question. If you’re in a relationship and everything is always about you how long will that last?
Well, short answer not too long. Also, how fair would that be? Not fair at all.
I like our quote says no matter what we’ve done, where we are God loves us. If we want to bring this full circle, the changes we’re making to bring happiness. We have to learn to give something of ourselves. You cannot always be me, me, me!
Here are some ideas to quickly get outside yourself:
Give a smile. A genuine smile to someone today. It’s free.
If you’re standing in line at a coffee shop, buy the person behind you a coffee. Make a new friend.
Grocery store, leave $5 or $10 with the cashier towards the person behind you to help pay the next person in line part of their grocery bill.
If you know someone is having a hard time financially give them a gift card from a grocery store. Put some gas in their car. Let them know it’s not about the money, it’s that you want to help. Someday, they may help you back.
If you know someone that is heading out for a job interview, pay for a new haircut, offer to take a woman to the nail salon, take interview clothes to dry cleaners and pay, give them a ride, pay the bus fare, see you can find tons of ways to show someone you care.
Volunteer. Church, hospital, Goodwill, Community Center.
Visit someone in a nursing facility. Plenty of retirees who sit lonely in nursing homes with no visitors.
Go to the hospital, visit the chapel, and pray for the patients and family. If there is power in prayer, you can give that! If possible, pray with someone in the chapel.
Pick up a pound of trash. Trust me, you can find a pound of waste. One garbage bag of trash off the street, may not seem like much. A step is always a step, size does not matter. A pound of waste!
Plant a tree. Check with your community to see where you can plant a tree. My thought, if you can plant a fruit tree where you know folks can benefit. Maybe a piece of fruit of a tree you planted kept someone from going hungry that day.
You can always pray to God to help you. Continue to work on you to change for the better. Before you can break through, you will have to learn to look back not to view your past but to grab the hand of someone that needs help.
With all the political venom, with nothing but negative news filling our social media feeds, our news programs. It’s not a wonder we may struggle with depression or just WTF!
Life Research Project is my movement to find reasons to be a blessing on this earth. Many ways we can give back even in small ways that require no financial investment when family budgets are stretched beyond limits.
Becoming a blessing to those around us, to the environment has immeasurable grace. Giving in the face of adversity will change your state-of-mind. We all want to feel better, have fun, make a difference. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Pick up a pound of trash. We can all find a pound of litter to police up.
Plant a tree. Preferably a fruit tree that folks could freely pick fruit from. Perhaps in an area where homeless people could get a piece of fruit.
Start a Garden in an area where homeless folks are nearby. Allow anyone to pick from the garden.
Visit a nursing home. Be company to someone lonely.
Go to a hospital and merely pray in the Chapel for healing. Perhaps even pray with someone that is begging for a loved one.
Volunteer, food pantry, Goodwill, Hospital, Nursing home, Boy’s & Girls Club, Animal Rescue Shelter, community center, as you can see plenty to choose.
Offer a bottle of water to a soul that is panhandling. Keep some bottled water in your vehicle. Instead of money offer a bottle of water. Say a prayer for God to protect the person you gave water.
Part of living life needs to be living outside our own needs. Even when you’re screaming, “what about me,” make it about helping someone. Stop! Listen to these words, being a blessing to others in the face of adversity.
When we can give even when we feel we have nothing to offer. Believe me when I say if you do this with an open heart. Sewing this seed can only bring a harvest beyond anything you imagined.
Feeling good helping others allows us to realize more can be achieved when we work together. If you planted a fruit tree that feeds hungry souls that may be hurting. How would you feel knowing that people did not go hungry at the moment they picked a piece of fruit from a tree you planted.
Doing good things, sewing seeds of peace, hope, love, and prosperity. You can’t help but feel love for yourself. Sometimes seeing more than just ourselves will actually heal our soul.
Pick one thing you can do this week to be a blessing to the world. I showed seven possible ways, you may have something else in mind. Do not do this and say to God okay; it’s your turn. Look beyond you!!!
Learn to be selfless, and in doing so, life will open up for you in ways never dreamt.
Does your life seem shattered like a piece of glass? So many broken pieces it just seems hopeless to even try and clean it up.
Good news is that our shattered lives can be cleaned up just like a shattered piece of glass. Once you begin to clean up the glass (your life) keep in mind that glass is hard to clean up. Sometimes you will step on a sliver that was left behind.
You pick up the sliver and throw it away. It may have cut your foot, felt like a setback. It too is temporary. The good news is the clean up is complete. It may have taken time to clean up the mess, but finally, it gets done.
So what can help with the clean up:
Acceptance that the glass is broken and YOU are going to be okay!
Let God know you’re ready to see what he has in store for you going forward.
Organize your day to allow for meditation, positive thought.
Begin to fill your mind with positive thoughts, read good books, watch real videos.
Yoga is a fantastic way to connect with yourself. Find a fun Yoga class. If you cannot afford a Yoga class, many hospitals, YWCA or community centers offer free or low fee classes.
Keep active. Walk, workout, visit the park, take your pets out, keep busy as much as possible. Activity keeps your mind somewhere else besides in the past. Dwelling on the broken glass just prolongs positive progress.
If you need to seek professional help, then don’t walk run towards the help you need.
Local MHMR
Local Hospital
Pastoral Counseling Centers
Crisis Hotlines 1-800-273-8255
Online Counseling
Help is available no matter what your ability to pay.
It’s within grasp, a bright new life, NO more broken glass!
If you feel hopeless, life has shattered like glass just know. The glass can be cleaned up, and the New glass is better, more transparent, and beautiful to look through. So shall your life be it just takes you to make the first step?
I have walked in your shoes and continue to walk the path towards a new life. It’s within reach even when you don’t see a way out. Just over the hill is the life you dream of, hope, happy, fun, and the loving relationships we all deserve.
It’s your time, it’s our time, let’s get our new lives started. What do you say?
“Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books – especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.”—John Wooden
A sad truth about our mental health system does not only do people fear it as a stigma; most folks cannot afford it. Insurance pays some, but I think we all can agree on coverage in most instances falls way short of what someone needs regarding mental health.
The good news is with the information you can find affordable mental health care even if you don’t have medical insurance. A great many mental health clinics work on a sliding scale, many non-profits and MHMR facilities also provide affordable mental health care.
Many Churches and faith-based organizations offer Pastoral Care. For those that are thinking this is a religiously based session, you’re wrong. Although supported by religious organizations, this is about mental health. You can undoubtedly ask for prayer and other spiritual support, but you don’t have to, to receive services.
Local internet searches in your hometown will also yield you great information and resources local to you.
Check with your county hospital; ordinarily, social workers will have a list of local mental health resources that you can utilize.
Internet searches can give you many articles, videos, and like information that you can begin to use to start the process (keep in mind nothing replaces a professional doctor or mental health professional).
Affordable care is out there; you just have to search for it a bit.
Second Part of this article is more in line with finding ways to just feel a bit better. For example, meditation, yoga, and exercise.
Meditation has been a great source of comfort and indeed focuses my mind. Doing anywhere that you can find privacy is comfortable. It works best for me with headphones and good meditation music. You can find tons of great information and music on YouTube for free.
Just find a time that you can be uninterrupted and alone. My bedroom laying on my be is where I find the best peace. Focus on your breathing, get relaxed, and vision in your mind’s eye that which you want. Peace, happiness, and joy! See yourself in the right place. Over time you will learn how to block out the negative energy and find a beautiful home in your mind.
Yoga is a beautiful way to get Intune with your body. Bikram Yoga, for me, is terrific. The room is hot, and you sweat. The warmth really helps relieve tension by relaxing your muscles. It’s a beautiful release, I always feel better after Yoga.
Breathe, yes it sounds too simple but just breathes. Take a couple of minutes per day to just breathe. Take a few deep cleansing breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. Then focus for about a minute to slowly relax and breathe. Focus your attention on your breathing.
No matter how bad things are in your life, the preceding is easy to do, and it’s two of them are free. Yoga, you may find free Yoga classes at a local community center, many Yoga studios’ offer a free class every now and again.
When you can get outside of yourself for a short time, you will be amazed at how solutions will come to you. When you’re freaking out that all is lost that is the energy you pull in. Stop it by doing these few simple things. They won’t solve your problems, but any step forward is one step closer to happiness.
Hope is out here. No matter how desperate your situation may be, hope is here. Help is not that hard to find; sometimes, it just takes a bit of searching.
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