ANXIETY by JRC

7-27-13

Anxiety can become difficult to handle. You may use coping skills such as mindfulness, meditation, or deep breathing but I have found that visualization has proven to be the most effective. Remember, your imagination is more powerful than your fears and anxiety. You can use your imagination to “imagine”  the uncomfortable feelings away. In my opinion, people need a little stress in their lives. Actually, people need a balance of pleasure and pain to maintain stability. It is possible to feel too excited or happy which is also mixed up with feeling elevated. Happiness is a great feeling, but feeling elevated can promote racing thoughts in people with mental health. In closing, I will say that if you learn the right way to relax, you will learn how to manage your anxiety. 

TIME VS. MONEY by JRC

7-26-13

There are two ways to be successful. One way is to put a lot of time and effort into something. The other way is to spend a lot of money. Which is better? Some believe that time is money, while others prefer time and effort, for the thought. I believe that either way it isn't easy. Even money has to be saved and lot of effort given to resist getting tempted to buy things. It’s all a matter of preference and opinion.

LISTENING by JRC

7-25-13

Listening is an important skill to learn. We learn to listen before we learn to talk. In my opinion, I think it’s more important to listen than to talk. If you are listening then you can comprehend what others are saying. When listening, it’s important to keep a “fly on the wall” attitude. Others are talking but you are just observing like a fly on the wall. It’s good  to keep this mindset and then be mindful of what they are saying. The phrase think before you speak comes to mind. This makes it easy to communicate with people and avoid sounding impolite.

WHAT'S IN YOUR SUITCASE? by JRC

7-23-12

If I were to plan a trip to maybe Australia, what would I bring? I would assume that I am camping and electronic devices serve no purpose as there is no outlet. The things in my suitcase would serve a meaningful  purpose. Most importantly, I would bring books. The books a person cherishes can tell a whole lot about that person. I like suspense, leisure and fun based books, mostly non-fiction books, that are usually pop interest. I like the Guinness book of records, I like the for dummies series, and I like joke books and books about magic and psychology. But this is just the tip of the ice berg. By now I have mentioned the word books many times. Your suitcase may be filled with something else. What’s in your suitcase?

RAIN by JRC

7-22-13

Rain is a beautiful thing. I like to use rainy days to relax and kick back as the plants around my house get nurtured. It’s calm and peaceful. At least until the thunder and lightning comes. Then, it starts to sound like a battle ground. Two similar but opposite natural phenomena. 

CBT AND DBT HELP

VISUALIZATION by JRC

7-21-13

Visualization, or imaginary relaxation is an excellent form of meditation. I used it recently and it proves to be very effective. First, you start with a scene, preferably a relaxing place that’s easy to describe. I use the beach. So I start by pretending that I am at the beach. I start to describe the scene. i ask myself what does the ocean look like? It looks like a thousand glimmering crystals with half of the sun sneaking below the horizon. And then I describe nearly every detail. My chair is blue and yellow striped. It is a reclining chair, where I am leaning back. The sand feels cool on my bare feet. A glowing crab inches sideways across my path. I look up at the navy blue sky and in this moment, I am happy. That’s how you relax.

NUMBER ONE FACTOR ABOUT STRESS

UPDATES JRC

I WILL NOW BE CONTINUING MY NEVER ENDING JOURNAL ON THIS BLOG, ONE POST AT A TIME. -JRC

NEVER ENDING JOURNAL ARCHIVE 6-3-13 to 7-20-13

6-30-13

My dad once told me, if you want to get somewhere in life you have to stick with one thing. Well, see my intension span had far too much variety for me to just pick one. I wanted to have talents and skills in every subject or field. This made me feel greedy . to this day I don’t excel in any one subject, I’m just mediocre at all of them. Satisfying enough, though.

7-1-13

Today, I went to get blood work done. I hate blood work. It’s not the needle prick that worries me. Instead, it’s the anticipation that any second, you’re going to get stabbed. I  try to look away but my attention betrays me as I suddenly glance over for a second hoping to not see any blood. Blood—easy recipe for faintness and dizziness. Also, this is part one of a two-day challenge of anxiety ridden days, so I’m glad it’s like half time now.

7-2-13

Part 2 of the challenge: anxiety is like walking on a poorly paved sidewalk—there’s cracks and bumps but you just have to keep hopping over them and move on to the next thing. When anxiety is good it’s a sunny day however if anxiety isn’t kind it might feel like a roller coaster or like walking on a tight rope. Overall, this challenge wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. And the words come across the screen like in Mortal Kombat: FINISH HIM!!, Anxiety zero; Me one.

7-6-13

I like to take photos of nature and some animals around my neighborhood. The thing about photography is: It’s like fishing; you have to wait for the right opportunity to get your best shot. Also, it is so hot outside, a heat wave, and I went to get water at 8 o clock in the evening and it was still 89 degrees. Talk about escaping the heat; I’m glad we have air conditioning.

7-10-13

I love to relax. I can just lay down, fold my hands and just breathe in and out very slowly. Relaxing is a great part of my day. It is important to relax because without it, your body may get worn out, but with it you can take breaks and live in the moment one step at a time. I love relaxation.

7-13-13

Life is full of opportunity! It comes in the form of challenges, obstacles, and decisions. We have the power to shape our futures. We are what we become and we become who we are. Furthermore, confidence is the battery that charges our destiny. Life is what we make of it—so get out there and do something productive.

7-15-13

Music is awesome! I like a whole variety of genres including: rock; metal; hardcore; alternative; dubstep; djent; rap; pop and contemporary Christian. I keep a large collection of music for the purpose of flexibility. If I am in a good mood then maybe Christian or soft rock, however, I may want to be pumped up so I would choose metal, hardcore or djent. Maybe, I’m exploring new dubstep or techno or maybe, some new alternative or an indie group—I’m always interested in something new because I keep an open mind. By the way, the term for someone like this is: audiophile.

7-16-13

There’s one part of life that I hate—waiting. Whether I’m in a waiting room or waiting for a video to load on the internet, It’s waiting and it’s boring. Some things I can do when I’m waiting are: read; listen to music; draw; or go on mobile Facebook (LOL). I wish waiting rooms all had timers on them telling each person when their wait is over and they can go back past reception. I would design them as the shape of a ticking grenade. That way the longer you wait, the more anticipation you will have to get through. “Oh no, my waiting grenade is smoking—is it defective or am I up next?”  (LOL).

7-17-13

Life is a sale! If you don’t sell yourself well enough, you run the risk of failure. We spend our lives selling and competing against each other to try and win the larger paycheck or more valuable career. However, contrary to this statement, wisdom is caused by countless cases of failure. Hence the saying: if you lose, you gain knowledge, if you win you gain satisfaction. Either way there’s something out there for you, go and find it.

7-20-13

I have learned over the years to always live in the moment. If you are dwelling on the past you will live in regret or if you are too vigilant of the future, you will live in constant worry. In my opinion, the best way to achieve relaxation is through mindfulness. Mindfulness means living in the present, taking one step at a time. This is what I believe and what has worked throughout my recovery.

BEGINNING by JRC

Hello, I am writing a blog about my recovery. I don’t know where to start but I will be posting one topic at a time relating to my recovery. My name is Jeff and I am in recovery. I hope you will enjoy my posts…