Getting Out of Overwhelm

 I was feeling overwhelmed.  Every day my time was stretched so thin that I was starting to hyperventilate inside.  I had no idea how I was going to accomplish everything that I had committed to and was expected of me.  I knew that something had to give, I just didn't know what.

Then the idea came.  It was so simple I almost didn't do it.  The idea was to write a declaration that said,  "I have time to do everything I want."   

The first time I looked in the mirror and said out loud, "I have time to do everything I want" I INSTANTLY felt a relief of tension.  I felt a little lighter, a little better, a little less stressed and overwhelmed.  I was quite surprised at how just saying it (regardless of whether it was true in the moment) affected me.  I guess I had nothing to lose, so I tried it again the next day, and the next, and the next.  The most astonishing thing started to happen.  I started feeling differently.  I didn't feel overwhelmed, and I actually was getting everything done that I needed to do....and more!  How was this possible?  Had my situation changed? No.  Did I have less stuff to do and be responsible for? No.  Yet, here I was in the exact same situation, but feeling completely different AND actually feeling good about what I was accomplishing.  It felt great! I felt on top of things!  What had actually changed?  Was it magic?  No, but it felt magical, lol!

Do you do declarations?  Some people call them mantras or affirmations.  It's all the same basic idea.  It's a positive statement that you repeat frequently to yourself.  I have done them before, but this experience was more instant, perhaps because of how desperate I was feeling.

Here's what happens:  Creating a mental image activates many of the same brain areas that actually experiencing these situations would.  Regular repetition of positive statements can encourage your brain to take these statements as fact.  When you truly believe you can do something, your actions often follow.  In other words, it's helpful to give your brain instructions.  Declarations give your brain instructions!

Think about it, did your brain automatically know how to tie a shoe when you were little?  No, you had to teach it.  It's the same idea with declarations.  We have to teach our brain what we want it to do....and then it does it!  The brain is pretty amazing.  

I encourage you to give it a try.  Pick one thing you want to be better or different in your life and make a positive statement as though it has already happened.  (Remember, it doesn't have to be true in the moment.)  Then say it out loud every day and see what happens!  

P.S.  I am getting ready to start a course on emotional management.  It could be a great fit for you!  Contact me at shireebest@yahoo.com if you want more information.

20/20 in 2020!

This short 20-minute training will help you focus on how to get greater clarity for 2020!  Take 20 minutes for 20/20 vision for 2020!  ♥  It's going to be a great year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N3EFu5Y0tU

The Blessing of Thanksgiving

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln instituted Thanksgiving as a national holiday?  Did you know that Thanksgiving was first observed as an official holiday in 1863, right in the middle of the Civil War?  It seems that while the country was in the midst of a horrible dividing conflict, a wise president had the insight to institute a holiday that encouraged people to remember all they had to be thankful for, something that may have been very hard at the time.

President Lincoln couldn't possibly have known what modern studies show, that feeling gratitude actually helps us feel better.  One particular study showed that writing daily gratitude in a journal made a difference in both emotional and physical well being, something that would have made a big difference in the middle of a national crisis.

I have found that while gratitude doesn't change anything, it actually changes everything.  Being grateful doesn't change your circumstances, but it changes how you feel in your circumstances.  It makes you more positive, happy and content.  This ultimately can help you change your circumstances.

At this time we are going through a somewhat different kind of national crisis than in Abraham Lincoln's time, a crisis that hurts my heart from all sides.  In addition, many people in our nation are suffering from personal hardships of their own.  A wise man once said that if you treat those you interact with as if they were in serious trouble, you will be right more than half the time.  Many go through unseen trials, invisible to the public eye.  Abraham Lincoln was onto something valuable when he proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving.

As with any gift, the amount of benefit you get depends entirely on you.  This Thanksgiving you may choose to enjoy the day off, and eat delicious foods prepared by you or others...... or you may take it a step further and add listing those things you are thankful for......... or you make take the opportunity to start a journal of daily things you are grateful for, considering the ways your life is blessed.  You may even choose to give thanks to your Higher Power for the good things in your life. 

Thanksgiving itself is a gift, an opportunity to think about and contemplate the good things in life.  May each of us use that gift to the extent we choose, and may we each see the many good things our life in this country contains.

Imprints

When you think about someone walking across a sandy beach barefooted, you can almost see the imprints of their feet left in the sand behind them.  You may have a sweet memory of making imprints of snow angels in the fresh snow, or of imprinting your fingers into soft play dough.  These are physical imprints.

There is another kind of imprint, the kind you can't see. These are the prints that are made on one's soul.  These can be positive or negative imprints, but they make a mark on us that stays with us.  If we could visualize our souls, we would see that all of our experiences leave imprints on us that affect us in some way. 

Many years ago when I had a house full of little children our washing machine broke down.  It wasn't fixable, and we had no money to replace it.  My generous neighbor across the street offered to let us use her laundry room one day a week......for as long as we needed.  Her laundry room was right inside her garage door, and she left her garage door up every Monday so that I could walk through her garage to do my laundry.  It was a real life saver.  I did this for months until we could afford a new one.  I have never forgotten that kindness.  It made a permanent imprint on my soul.  That experienced changed me. 

Another neighbor would use a blower every fall to blow all the leaves from our road, gutters and sidewalks onto our lawns.  She didn't just blow the leaves in front of her own house, but all of the houses around her as well.  She made it easy for us just mow up the leaves from our grass, and our street looked well manicured.  She performed this act of kindness for all of us for many years until she moved away.  The imprint this left on me has instilled a desire to be aware of the needs of those around me, and help in ways that I can.

Another imprint came when I came home at dinner-time after a hectic day of taking care of little ones, driving carpool, parent-teacher conferences and transporting children to far away dance classes that ended at dinnertime, then fighting traffic to get home.  I walked in the door exhausted with my hungry children and wondered what I could make for dinner.  There, sitting on my counter, almost to my disbelief, was a beautiful casserole and a basket of rolls.  I literally had to touch it to make sure I was not hallucinating.  Not only was I not hallucinating, but it was still hot!  I later found out it came from a neighbor a few streets over who had made double and thought of me.  Her timing was unbelievable.  That meal, on the busiest of days, left an imprint on my soul that will never be forgotten.

We all have the ability to leave positive as well as negative imprints on each others souls.  I pray that in our efforts to make the world a better place we seek to leave positive imprints on all those around us, and on our own families most of all.

How to Treat a UTI Without Antibiotics

Do you suffer from recurring UTI's, or know someone who does?  UTI (Urinary tract infection)  studies show that around 60% of women suffer from recurring bladder infections.  I have suffered from them practically my whole life.  I have five sisters.  Most of them struggle on a regular basis as well.  For years I have taken antibiotics every time I get an infection.  For me, these infections come on quickly, usually in less than an hour.  When this happens I drop everything and beeline it to the closest Instacare.  It is hugely disrupting, upsetting and painful.  I have even had to have doctors call  in prescriptions for me to take on vacations and camping trips in case an infections should crop up.

Besides the inconvenience of these emergencies, it is also not good for the body to take antibiotics so often.  Many antibiotics have unwanted side-effects, resistance can build up, and the killing of good bacteria or flora of the body as well as the bad, putting the body out of balance for prolonged periods of time.  I recently read an article from the Mayo clinic outlining the risks of taking antibiotics too frequently.

After years of taking antibiotics multiple times per year, one of my sisters told me she had discovered a way to treat UTIs without antibiotics.  I was instantly interested.  She gave me a recipe for an aloe vera drink to be taken for 1-2 days when symptoms start to manifest.  I went out and got a giant aloe vera plant immediately.  The first couple of times I tried this method it totally worked.  Then...... it stopped working.  It would hold the symptoms at bay, but it no longer cured the infections for me.  I still had to get an antibiotic, just not quite as urgently.  Nevertheless, this experience opened my mind to the possibility that a UTI could possibly be cured in ways other than antibiotics, and I spent the next several years searching for any such solutions.  The internet surprisingly was of very little help.

Eventually another of my sisters told me that taking Alka Seltzer cures her UTIs.  Crazy, right? I tried it.  Though it works for her, it only held mine at bay. But it worked well enough for me to put off getting an antibiotic until it was convenient within a short 24 hour period.

Eventually I was led to oils and holistic methods, which, being a nurse, I never thought I would turn to.  Surprisingly, I have actually had success with this method!  Since spring I have successfully cured 3 UTIs without antibiotics. I am so thrilled with this success that I want to share it with you! 

I have no idea why some methods work for some people but not for others, so here is a list of all the possible things that may work for you.  Try different things and find the combination that works for you. (listed from easiest things to try first to more involved methods)

1. Alka Seltzer: Take 1 Alka Seltzer dissolved in water when symptoms occur, and one right before bed so it can sit in your bladder all night.  Take one more as needed.  If this method is going to work, it will by this point.

2. Aloe Vera drink:
Three large aloe vera leaves (YouTube how to cut and gut if needed)
Two Tbsp lemon juice
Three Tbsp honey
Water/ice to make 6 cups total
Blend all in blender and drink this throughout the day.  May need to make a batch/day for 2-3 days.  Again, if this method is going to work, it will by this point.

3.  DoTerra oils: (DoTerra brand specifically because it has no additives/fillers and is more concentrated/pure than other brands)  *Independent studies about this available upon request.
In an empty gel capsule add 3 drops each of oregano, tea tree and lemon oils.  Take these oils 4-5 times per day.  You can put the oils directly on your tongue, but they are very unpleasant to take straight.  Gel capsules are very inexpensive and much more pleasant to use.  Do this method for 10-16 days or until you feel the infection is gone.

4.  Goldenseal/Silver spray combination.
Again, you will need gel capsules.

Drop 1 dropper-ful of this specific Goldenseal liquid into a gel capsule.  Take this 3-4 times per day. Also spray 10 sprays of this specific silver spray directly into your mouth 3-4 times per day.  (do not eat or drink for 5 minutes after spray) Use this combination for up to 6 weeks, or until you feel you no longer need them.  The amount of times per day can be decreased as time progresses.  If you are not sure, just do 6 weeks.

5.  Here is the most complicated method.  I have had to do this extreme combination only once, and I'm going to warn you now, it is pretty involved, and feels somewhat overwhelming and consuming at first until you adjust to the routine for the duration. 

*First, take 2 dissolved alka seltzer tablets.  May take AZO (pyridium over-the-counter for bladder pain.  Do not take pyridium on an empty stomach.  Believe me, I have done this and throwing up this bitter pill is one of the worst things I have ever done.  Also, it turns your urine bright orange.)

*Rub on your lower abdomen moring and night: a combination of DoTerra oregano, tea tree oil, lemon, lemongrass, onguard and thyme.  This is easiest if you combine them in a roller bottle.  You can add equal amounts of about 30 drops of each to the roller bottle for ongoing use.

*Apply to bottoms of feet morning and night:  1 drop of oregano oil to 10 drops of coconut oil or fractionated coconut oil and   (Oregano is a natural bacteriocide)

*Take a gel cap of 3 drops each of oregano, tea tree and lemon oils 3-5 times per day.

*Take the ACS 200 Extra Strength Colloidal silver spray (pictured above) 10 sprays in the mouth 4 times per day, not eating or drinking for 5 minutes after application. (easiest if you do it the same number of times as the last step, and at the same time)

*Take Natures Answer Goldenseal Extract drops (pictured above) 1 dropperful in capsule 3-4 times per day. (easiest if you do it the same number of times as the last step, and at the same time)

*Alter your diet to sugar free and dairy free for the duration of the infection.

*Drink half your body weight in ounces every day. 

*During bathing, wash peri-area with combination of liquid soap, 10 drops coconut oil, 2 drops oregano, 2 drops tea tree, 2 drops lemon, mixed in hand until lathers, then lathered in peri-area.

*You may also want to consider taking Prescript Assist specifically, a pro-biotic daily.

All of the products mentioned are available on Amazon.  DoTerra oils are cheaper directly on their website, DoTerra.com, especially if you pay the $35 membership fee  per year, or even better,  join a team to get even more perks from joining.  (I can give you more info on how to get the most out of your membership should you choose this route)

If all of these methods fail, you may have to break down and get an antibiotic.  I did have to do this once since I started using natural methods.  Some bacteria are nastier and harder to get rid of than others.

If you are someone who struggles with these unpleasant infections, may I suggest that you be proactive and procure the needed supplies ahead of time, so that when the crisis hits, you are prepared and ready for action!  Yes!

The Last Peach

Isn't it beautiful?  This is the last peach of the season from our peach tree.  I am always a little sad when I pick the last peach.  As I reach up into the branches and slowly pull down on the reddish pink fruit and feel that final "pop" as the tree lets go of the very last one, I always feel a little sad.  It signals that peach season is officially closing.  Of course, what follows at our house is the making of the last peach pie of the season, and then the time when I take the very last peach out of the fridge, peel it and eat it while letting the juices drip right into the sink.  Then that's it until the next year.  No more.  The end.  Sure, you can still get peaches at the store throughout the year.  But they taste NOTHING like a fresh peach from the tree.  NOTHING.  I've heard the same thing about bananas and mangoes, though I have never lived where those are locally grown fruits.

I think back to when I picked the first peach of the season, such an exciting time!  We LOVE peaches at our house.  It is our favorite fruit.  Every year we wait and wait and watch the peaches grow.  It seems like they will never get big enough or start to turn pink, but eventually they always do.  I usually go out and look at the peaches every day when school is about to start.  Finally one day toward the end of August I will go out and there they will be, a few peaches that finally look ripe!  The first peaches of the season.  There will only be a few at first.  I pick them when they look ripe but still feel hard.  Then we bring them in the house where I gently feel them each day until I know they are ripe.  Then I take that first peach, peel it and eat it while letting the juices drip right into the sink. There is nothing sweeter than eating that first peach of the season.  It's indescribably wonderful.  Invariably, within four to five weeks, the magic peach season ends, and I find myself standing at the sink eating the very last peach.  (Mom's rights.  I get the first and the last peach.)

I take comfort in the knowledge that peach season will come again.  I never eat that last peach thinking that I will never get to eat another peach from my tree, though that could happen if either the tree or I croaked.  I always look forward with hope to the next season.

Sometimes wonderful seasons of life end too.  Babies grow up, special vacations or family moments come and go, jobs come and go, friends move away.  Sad? yes.  Is it the end of the world?  No.  (But sometimes it feels like it.)  Just like with peach season, you have to have hope that another wonderful season will come.  In the meantime, enjoy and savor those special moments and people you do have.  Enjoy them to the very last drop.

Missed Opportunities

This year, for the first year since we planted our peach trees, I am working full-time.  This means less time at home to do things.  This year, for the first time  I could not get all the peaches picked from the tree when they needed it, and, combined with a couple of wind storms, I ended up with a LOT of peaches on the ground.  This happened twice!  The first time it happened I felt sick.  I counted 75 fallen peaches.  Then it happened again about a week and a half later.  All in all, I counted about 150 wasted peaches that hit the ground, bruising them instantly beyond use, or at least beyond what I was willing to use them for.  A hundred and fifty wasted peaches.  That is at least a full bushel.  So sad.  When I took this picture I photographed the side that had less peaches against the trunk.  The other side of the tree was even worse, but I felt so sick about it I couldn't even take a picture of how bad it was.  I was pretty devastated at having wasted so much fruit.  I didn't mean to, it just happened.  But the end result was the same.  Missed opportunity and regret.  I hate regret.  It felt like such a waste of food.  Yummy, delicious food that only comes once a year.  Food that I would like to have eaten and shared.

As I picked up the squishy wasted fruit from off the ground and threw it into our large garbage can I thought about how sometimes I experience other kinds of wasted opportunities as well.  Perfect moments when I didn't say what I wanted to, and didn't get a second chance.  Opportunities to do something for someone else that I didn't take and later regretted.  Times when I hesitated or waited to long and someone else jumped in and got the thing I was waiting for.  Do you know where I'm coming from?

Often I was just not paying attention, or I was nervous and hesitant instead of brave and assertive, but the end result was the same - regret.  I hate regret. 

I have regrets about not keeping up on my blog this year.  The other day a dear friend said she hadn't heard from me in a while, and missed reading my blog.  She reminded me that while I may not get a lot of comments, what I write means something.

The good thing about missed opportunities is the chance to LEARN SOMETHING, painful though it may be.  Next year when peach season rolls around you can better believe I will manage my time better, or delegate, or both.  I have learned something valuable this year.

The same is true in writing blogs, missed perfect moments, and all the other missed opportunities.  We ALL have missed opportunities that we regret.  We are all human.  It's unavoidable, and it's how we learn.  We make mistakes.  That's just how life is.  It's what you do with those mistakes that matters.

This is silly, but after I picked up all the fallen peaches and put them in the garbage can, I covered them over with grass clippings so I wouldn't see them and think about them any more.  It was time to put my mistakes behind me and move on.

Just like with my fallen peaches, when we have missed opportunities in life,it's wise to take the time to figure out what should have been done differently, and what to do differently the next time.  Leaving the garbage can lid open, so to speak, so you can constantly revisit what you missed may not be the best option to help you move forward.

Instead, considering going through the regret, figuring it out for the future, then covering your missed opportunity with figurative grass clippings, closing the lid and moving forward.  There will still be more peach seasons and life opportunities to come.