FIRE! (in case of an emergency push play) Or how to deal with a crisis moment Vlog #17

Vlog #15 Choices

Vlog #16 Pride Goeth Before...

Discerning Vlog #15

Asking For Help vlog #14

How Do I Know? Vlog #13

Listening Vlog #12

No Sticks Just Stones

Here then is your ZEN image for the day, just focus on the lovely calming image of a the Amazon creek near where I live (and a picture I took of it) and practice breathing in deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth thinking or saying a peaceful word or phrase.
Trust me you'll feel better. :D

Confrontation 101 Vlog #10

Multiple Personalities and the House Metaphore Vlog #9

http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhee

Vlog #8 MPD

I've F**ked up, now what? Vlog #7

A Month of Letters! (a goal and a challenge)

A Month of Letters

I have always loved getting letters. I am also old enough to remember the days of paper letters sent “Snail Mail”. I wrote to my friends in other parts of the globe and received in return a tangible hand written missive. Those days seem long ago. With modern technology like emailing, text and instant messaging the art of the paper letter seems to have all but disappeared from most of our lives.
Which is why I'm doing this. I want to reconnect with the people I care about in a real and genuine way. How often have I dashed off a quick note in email or FaceBook message, something brief and riddled with net speak like “LOL” poor English like “gunna” and “ya know?” I'm sure the notes were appreciated, but how much more would a real letter be?
So this is me trying to single-handedly re-ignite the letter writing fire by this my challenge!

The Challenge:
To write (and SEND) at least one real honest to goodness letter every day for 30 days. I had thought to insist they all be paper letters sent snail mail but lets be honest who has that kind of time? There's reason why back in the day I WROTE a lot of letters but very few actually made it through the laborious process of finding its way into an envelope that was properly addressed AND stamped and then mailed. So email is fine, heck even text messaging or Instant messaging I suppose so long as it starts out with the persons name or even “Dear so and so” and ends with “Sincerely” or some other nice way of closing it and your name. I will also say it should be at LEAST two paragraphs and no

“Dear so and so,

I wanted to write you a letter, so I am.

Did you know I really like waffles?

Sincerely,
Me”

Does NOT count, a paragraph by my definitions is at least a handful of complete sentences strung together. :D

That's it, write letters to people you know well or not so well, family and friends, and even friends of friends. Can't think of anyone to write? You could write a solider http://www.soldiersangels.org/ or ask for recommendations from people you DO know so you could find yourself a new pen-pal! Be creative, the point is to connect with others through the power of letter writing.

Feel free to send me letters you're especially proud of, and I may post some or parts from some of the ones I write. Also I know its not the 1st of the month which would probably make this easier but heck, if I put this off I may not do it. So I'll start now, on the 21st of September my Month of Letters!

Deb

The Good in YOU Vlog #5

so I found some video capture software and now can once again record whi hoo! This is a short vlog, but an important one on finding and celebrating the good in ourselves, viddler didn't want to cooperate, so because its short I actually put this one up on youtube.

VLOG Hiatus!

So my laptop power cord and battery are DEAD, so no more recording vlogs for a while. :-(
I'll be sure to post another article at least soon. (If you wanted to contribute via my donate button, feel free to so I can get back to work sooner... lol)

4th Vlog "Coping with Depression"

So here is the fourth installment in my Self Help Vlog series. I actually had this requested by a dear friend (Anne this is for you). I have long history of depression and these are the techniques I have and still use to cope with and ultimately overcome depression. I hope the people listening find this helpful.

Dealing With Fear

So here it is, the third in this series (I have no idea how many it will be). I also would be willing to use this time and place to answer any questions you have. Write me, or inquire in a comment. I do not claim to be an 'expert' but will happily do all I can to share what experience, wisdom and compassion I have.
Also, this is all free, but if you WANTED to help me have time for this rather than being forced to go get a minimum wage slave job you can donate on my other site, http://www.widescreenstorm.blogspot.com!

Communication Between the Sexes (self help vlog #2)

Here's the second in my self help series of vlogs with some tips and advice for improving your communication with those of the opposite sex. I hope you find it useful and informative!
Self Help Vlog #2

First Advice Vlog

I have been giving out advice to people I care about fully 20 years at least now, and have of late had the opportunity to give a LOT of people advice. I've become a member of a community of people online and we've gotten very close (as close as you can with people you've never been in same room with). Several of them have suggested an advice column and or radio/talk show. I may do a Skype based call in show type pod cast some time but for now I will write here and record a series of video blogs (Vlogs) on subjects I get a lot of questions about.
Again I emphasize that I am NOT a mental health care professional, I don't claim to be any sort of expert really. I am just a woman, with wide and varied experiences, a lot of compassion, a decent head on her shoulders and a great affection and respect for humanity as a whole. I hope I can offer a few words of hard fought for wisdom.
This first vlog is about making genuine connections with people something we all crave.

Broken Bone Analogy

When a person breaks a bone, often times the bone doesn't break cleanly, it breaks in an uneven way or completely separates and lies wrong with in the muscles and tendons that encase it. When that happens, if you're lucky (and have health insurance unlike myself) a professional will see the injury for what it is (with the help of experience and tools like an x ray machine) the medical professional will recogonize that the break was not clean, or not laying right and will then 'set' the bone. Place it back where it belongs so the healing process can begin. If you're not lucky the break is ethier not 'set' or worse yet not even recognized as a break or cared for properly.
The human body is an amazing thing though, it WILL try and heal it self in whatever way it can. That injury can be set wrong, or off, or whatever, and the body will STILL lay down new bone material, it will attempt to mend the break and heal the injury.
If however it wasn't set it can heal wrong. Bone will grow, but it will not be where it is truly needed and the resulting regrowth will be weak and prone to pain, re-injury and even infection.
The human spirit is also an amazing thing. It WILL try and heal itself no matter what, but if what is ailing you is not of a physical nature but a spiritual or emotional problem the 'bad breaks' can be a LOT harder to spot. There is no x-ray of the soul, and a lot fewer experts in healing broken hearts and wounded spirits.
God's laws are eternal laws, unbreakable and omnipresent. Just like our bodies, our spirits have amazing recuperative powers, but like our bodies if injuries and problems are not caught and seen to when they occur they can cause us a world of hurt later on.
Like our broken bones there are times when an old wound must be reexamined and often opened up so it can heal properly. That broken bone I spoke of? That break that didn't heal right? Well just about the only way to heal it after it has regrown incorrectly, is to break the bone again, break it again and then 'set' it right so it can finally heal the correct way, wholly and fully and as it was intended.
Our hearts and spirits are no different. There are times when we have to 'break' the bond that is not right so that it can be 'set' right and allowed to heal.
It hurts, a lot. It hurts at least as much as re-breaking a badly healed bone so it can heal again. No one likes to open old wounds that seem nice and neatly hidden. Much like that bone is hidden away from view. If we cannot see the bad break and do not pay attention to the signs that the injury is serious we can(and do) ignore it and pretend nothing is wrong.
Something is wrong however and must be mended if we want to be whole.
Our Spirits cry out for happiness and whollness, like our bodies cry out for health and fitness. Also like Doctors of the body, our spirits can need 'professional' help. Someone in tune with our hearts and souls that can tell us there's something not right. A person whether it be a 'Doctor' or church leader or qualified friend or family member. A person who can look into our hearts and see those 'bad breaks' and can teach us how to re-break and 'set' the wrong right so we can finally heal.
The laws that govern or bodies are no different than the laws that govern our spirits. His laws are the same yesterday today and tomorrow. Just because we don't yet understand the sub-atomic particles that make up the human spirit doesn't mean the don't exist and that they are not governed by the same changeless laws molecules, atoms and the rest of creation are.
That is my great lesson of eternity I recently put into words. If something is broken, fix it. If it has been broken for a long time and healed 'wrong' re-examine it and if necessary re-break so you can 'set' it right and you can finally heal fully and wholly.
I believe this to be true with all of my heart and wanted to share it with you.
Do not 'choose not to choose'. Don't. Be brave enough to take a long hard look at what is paining you and do what it takes to to heal yourself. He is there and can heal what you cannot, you just have to be willing to be humble enough to not only ask for help but be willing to receive it.
I hope this helps someone out there some where. Two very dear friends have already told me this helped them immensely. It's why I came up with it, because someone I loved was in pain and I wanted to help her understand that the choice she made, although very painful had been the best and most generous thing she could have done.
Be well and 'physicial heal thyself'!