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What Is Vipassana Meditation Experience

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What Is Vipassana Meditation Experience

The Back Story: How I First Learned Of Vipassana And Why I Put It Off For Years

Years ago our friend Jennie mentioned something about a silent meditation course retreat she’d taken. “It’s called Vipassana…ten days…no speaking…meditation…clear the mind…lots of traffic…it’s loud in the head…then peace.”

Those were among the tempting phrases and hooks I recall.

The term Vipassana means “to see things as they really are.” It’s a meditation method discovered by Gautama Siddhartha over 2,500 years ago.

S.N. Goenka, a Burmese man of Indian descent who one might say reintroduced Vipassana to the world in the 1970s, opened the first centers. Today, there are more than 190 Vipassana centers around the world. His instructions and lessons are played during the course, the structure of which is identical regardless of the location: 10 days of silence, meditation from 4:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. with breaks for meals and rest in between.

Audrey and I were both sold on the idea, but I felt I had some physical impediments to overcome, including an inability to properly sit cross-legged. I could not fold my right leg in; I always sat leaning to the right or with my right leg kicked out. Whenever I visited a Buddhist temple during my travels, I was invariably whose feet pointed in transgression at the Buddha, the altar, or the monks.

I never characterized myself as someone with chronic pain. When you have it, chronic pain is something you just learn to live with.

If I waited until I felt “ready” I’d never go.

Yes, this.

It was time.

Wait What Is The Purpose Of A Silent Meditation Retreat And Why Should I Do One

No speaking, no distractions, and a very uncomfortable living situation. Why would anyone do a 10 day meditation course under these conditions? The point of all this is to create an environment that is conducive to introspection and that will test your limits. And don’t worry, you don’t have to sleep on a straw mattress like I did.

A meditation retreat for beginners is the perfect way to kickstart your regular meditation practice. You will have the opportunity to learn a meditation technique in depth and have direct insight on how to overcome common obstacles. In any case, I recommend you get started BEFORE your retreat and start meditating at home.

Can I Take The Vipassana Course With A Spouse Partner Boyfriend Or Girlfriend

The intent of the course is to focus on oneself, so the idea that you are taking the course with someone else or you have “company” becomes irrelevant once the course begins. In fact, it may be distracting.

Ideally, you and your partner set off at the same time and attend different centers and return together with a comparable, yet personal and differentiated experience. And most importantly, a new, shared vocabulary.

What Should You Take Into Account When Choosing A Silent Meditation Retreat

A good resource to find a Vipassana meditation course near you is the dhamma.org website. Keep reading for all my tips for finding good Vipassana meditation retreats:

Don’t overthink it, if you want to do a retreat, you found one that you resonate with, and the timing is right, go for it! It will be hard in any case and will bring you way outside your comfort zone, but you won’t regret it.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my Vipassana review and mindfulness meditation course and I motivated you to do a meditation retreat! Have you done a retreat before? How did you pick it? Share your meditation retreat experience!

You can follow me on and connect with me.

Before you go, don’t forget to get the meditation mini-course!

My Exhausting Meditation Retreat: 10 Days Of Vipassana Silence And Spiders

I went to New Zealand to break my brain and put it back together, without ever having meditated before. I had no idea what I was in for

Last modified on Wed 20 Sep 2017 19.28 BST

I signed up for a Vipassana course in a moment of quiet desperation. I was coming up on close to a year of insomnia. I found myself exhausted by the anxiety of not sleeping, yet unable to find any meaningful rest. For the first time in my life I was having panic attacks. Nightly, they were triggered by the dawning realization that sleep would elude me yet again.

I was also dealing with chronic pain. A bad accident as a kid followed by a series of rib fractures and back injuries over the years generated a state of permanent hurt made worse with the lack of sleep and an excess of cortisol.

I chose this specific course, which took place in New Zealand, because despite the trendiness of meditation classes and apps, Vipassana seemed to be about equanimity, discipline and hard work – right up my alley. I am not the most woo woo of humans, and the idea of a giant drum circle of positive thinkers made me want to run away screaming.

I told my friend I wanted to break my brain and put it back together again

While descended from Buddhism, the modern-day courses are secular in nature. The father of these retreats is the late , who was raised in Myanmar and learned Vipassana from monks there.

She disagreed.

“No, it’s like running a marathon having never run before. Jodi are you doing to yourself?”

Where I Took My Course: The Dhamma Malaya Vipassana Center In Malaysia

I’m going to resist keeping this place a secret, all to myself. I thought the center and its facilities were excellent. I had my own room, for which I was grateful.

Having said all that, the center is not luxurious, nor is it supposed to be. It’s not a spa. It’s basic. Your ten days are to be lived simply.

For me, taking the course in the hot season was great. I could pack very light . Additionally, all that I achieved physically was helped along greatly by the stretching I’d done, which I find becomes much easier in the heat.

So Sober Its Psychedelic My Vipassana Meditation Retreat Experience Dec 30, 2019

I can’t remember the first time I decided I wanted to sit in a room and meditate silently for ten days. I only remember meeting people again and again who I respected and admired who spoke highly of their experiences.

Like any self-development junkie, I was eager to sample all the different strains of self work. Vipassana was attractive to me because it offered the purest base level of the human experience.

No mantras, no words, no coaches, no incantations, no self talk or weird breathing — just you and your breath and your body, silent and still for ten days.

My justification boiled down to “I’m gonna be stuck in a room with myself for the rest of my life, so I might as well see what that’s like without anyone else in it.”

The trouble was finding the time — ten days is a long time in the modern world of scant vacation days and cheap international flights. I had signed up twice in years past only to cancel a few weeks later after other plans arose.

This August, I managed to stick to my reservation during a period of unemployment which coincided with the week of Burning Man, when half my social circles were already offline anyways.

I remember reading their packing list and uneasily noticing all the things I normally packed for trips that weren’t coming this time: sunscreen, fun clothing, Kindle, computer, snacks, toys, the list went on.

Vipassana Meditation : A Candid Review Of What To Expect By Ankita S

What does the 10-days Vipassana Meditation feel like? Here’s a candid experience of what to expect from this profound spiritual retreat.

The secrets of the universe and its working has amazed me since childhood! And somehow, my gut instinct always asked me to get into meditation, though I ignored its whisper. However, I was forced to listen to it once I had some severe health complications. This finally led me to explore the hidden world of Vipassana meditation. And here’s my experience.

I don’t know why I expected some magic to see once I started meditating. Though there were moments of peace, and calm, I was looking for something else, something more maybe! And that led me to explore Vipassana through a retreat.

Do You Have To Stay Silent For 10 Days During A Meditation Retreat

Yes, you can’t speak during a silent meditation retreat, but I felt this was the best part of it! When was the last time you didn’t speak for a full day? If you can’t remember, that’s normal, we are always speaking. Afraid you won’t be able to wait to share your stories and experience during your retreat? There are often regular “office hours” with teachers and a time to share at the end. You’ll also make a LOT of eye contact with other participants.

But silent means also silent from distractions to create space for self-discovery and awareness. So no phones, computers, books, writing… Yes, no Instagram for 10 days.

I had done yoga retreats, and spent tech-free time in nature before, but never to such an extent. There are so many distractions in our everyday lives and it feels so good to have no way of checking in with the outside world. This was the perfect digital detox experience for me and since then, most of my notifications are off and I am more aware of my tech usage.

What Is Vipassana Meditation A Beginners Guide To Getting Started

A lot of people have major misconceptions about what meditation is and how it can be practiced in a way that makes you happy. I’m not talking about sitting on the floor with your legs crossed, chanting “Ommm.” I’m talking about Vipassana meditation which has been practiced for thousands of years in the Buddhist tradition.

The word “Vipassana” literally means “to see things as they truly are.” It’s a form of meditation that involves sitting cross-legged, focusing on your breath, and silencing all other distractions – no technology or reading allowed! Read more to learn about how this practice can change your life.

Ultimately Vipassana Meditation Technique Is About Seeing Reality

To see reality, we practice paccakkha, which means “perceptible to the senses”. In other words, we see things as their sensory experience.

I personally like the explanation given by Henepola Gunaratana. He said that Vipassana is about “Looking into something with clarity and precision, seeing each component as distinct and separate”.

Think about it like this. At any given time, you have different thoughts, sensations, and feelings flowing through your mind. However, most of the time, you are likely too distracted to perceive these thoughts clearly. And so, they go on while you are largely unconscious of them.

Vipassana meditation enables us to see thoughts, sensations, and feelings for what they are, for their sensory experiences. This gives us power over them, so we are less reactive, less emotional, and more in control.

The method is currently in vogue, riding on the back of the mindfulness movement. And that’s a good thing because it is one of the best Buddhist meditations.

Although it is a serious method, beginners can practice vipassana at home.

Are You Allowed To Exercise Or Do Yoga During A Vipassana Course

Simply put, no. We were advised not to do any other form of exercise during the course. I thought this would be difficult for me, as I am used to doing some kind of physical exercise daily. After a few days, I was fine with it. I didn’t have the energy to do anything else but walk to and from my room to the meditation hall to the dining hall. During the breaks, we were allowed to walk around the center grounds, which were actually very beautiful and peaceful. The center that I went to in Triebel, Germany had small areas blocked off where we could wander in the woods and in a small field with a pond. It was nice and refreshing to be out in nature and truly made me realize how much I was missing out on in my daily life by just blocking out all the sensations of sight and sound by wearing headphones on my way to work and other appointments. You just stop noticing everything and block out the noise, replacing it with other noise.

What Is Vipassana Meditation Top 4 Benefits + How To Practice It

February 9, 2020

Health Benefits

When it comes to meditation, there are many ways to do it. What is the Vipassana meditation technique , and how does it differ from other types?

Vipassana means “to see things as they really are.” This practice, described as an “art of living,” dates back at least 2,500 years to ancient India.

Similar to mindfulness meditation, it involves training one’s mind through completion of certain exercises in order to increase awareness of one’s own experiences.

Although this form of meditation has been practiced in the U.S. since the 1960s, in recent years the popularity of Vipassana meditation retreats and courses has skyrocketed. Thousands of people attend Vipassana classes each year in hopes of “seeing the true nature of existence,” better managing stress, and improving their focus, productivity, relationships and health.

How Were Your First And Second Course Different From One Another

Facility comparison

My first time was at Dhamma Bhumi in NSW, Australia which is an official centre and the second time in Markopoulo was a non-centre and so having one meditation room that is used exclusively for Vipassana meditation 365 days a year holds a much more powerful and supportive/ inspiring energy than a centre that is used for other activities/ purposes for most of the year.

Official centres tend to have better facilities too but in Australia, for example, there is a pagoda facility for old students to meditate in, with small individual dark rooms. Because they own the land, more can be invested in the centre and indeed, it often is.

Humble living: you will be living like a monk/ nun— on the charity of others. These ‘free’ retreats are not like your lavish 2000$ vacation retreats, you are here to live humbly, and do the work. Materialism ain’t no thing here, so leave your ego at the door and find deep gratitude for how purely this organization is run.

Food comparison

It was great at both centers, but the Aussie location .

Water comparison

We drank tap water in Australia and it tasted so bad that I could only drink tea to mask the taste. I would fill my glass water bottle with tea and drink that throughout the day hot or cold because the taste of chlorine, etc, made me yelped for joy when they announced it.

New student vs. old student: a few differences between being a new .

Are You Allowed To Write Or Journal During Vipassana Meditation

I was hoping the answer to this question would be yes, but again, it was a no. I’m still not sure why, but I think it’s mainly because you’re supposed to keep all the ideas, thoughts, and emotions in your own head. If you write them down on paper, they escape you, and it prevents you from really confronting anything. This was also difficult for me at the start, as I tend to journal pretty regularly. The adjectives I can remember now off the top of my head are pain, discomfort, progress, bliss, boredom, anger, determination, and calm.

Vipassana Meditation Technique Is All About Cultivating Insight

When you practice Vipassana meditation you are creating insight into true reality. Specifically, insight into anicca , which are the “three marks of existence” in Theravada Buddhism. Also, sunyata, which is “emptiness” in Mahayana Buddhism.

Let me explain the “three marks of existence”:

Dukkha : We all feel Dukkha. It is the idea that life doesn’t give us what we want and that everything is always changing. Because we never experience complete satisfaction, we always feel Dukkha.

Anatta : This is the idea that there is no fixed soul, no fixed sense of self. We are always changing.

Anicca : This is simply the observation that everything is always changing.

What Is Vipassana The Technique The Retreats And The Philosophy

July 21, 2021

Vipassana, or insight meditation as the practice is also known, has enjoyed widespread popularity in recent years, with many people attending the gruelling ten-day courses that are available across the globe.

Like many of the popular techniques of meditation that have found their way to the west, Vipassana is a traditional Buddhist practise that has been taught in India for thousands of years, possibly since the time of Buddha.

The Vipassana technique aims to teach the meditator about the true nature of reality through direct experience of the body, feelings and mind.

Did I Have Any Magical Experiences During My Vipassana Retreat

Before I decided to book my Vipassana, I had read many blogs on it, and people talked about how they healed from backache, migraine in just 10 days.

While I did not expect my health issue to get resolved in just 10 days, I did expect ‘something’, a little magic maybe. And that happened on the third day!

In the afternoon when I was concentrating on my breath, I felt my right hand shaking. It’s easy to distinguish between a shaking due to weakness, and shaking due to something more powerful.

As I saw it, I was scared from the meditation experience. I guess fear was not needed at that moment. Because the moment I was afraid, the experience stopped! I kept feeling magical for the next many minutes.

And I can assure you that it was the latter. I experienced that ‘something more powerful’ in my right hand. When I l opened my eyes to look at what’s happening, it was still shaking, and nothing was not in my control.

When I told my teacher about that experience, she said, ‘Observe it!’

Well, her reply did not make me happy at that time, but now that I see it, that’s what Vipassana is all about. Observing.

Was it easy?? No, it was not!

Along with the few magical moments I had, there were a few painful moments too. Like on the seventh day, I could feel the heat inside my body. My stomach and lung area had some fire as if it would burn me from inside.

Why You Should Practice Vipassana Meditation Technique At Home

Many people make a huge mistake when meditating: They practise at retreats.

You are far better off learning how to do Vipassana meditation technique at home.

Why? Because most of the stimuli that affect you are at home.

Loud voices

If you’re in the city, the constant noise

Vipassana meditation technique teaches us to be less reactive to those stimuli. But to train the mind effectively, we must meditate where those things occur.

Buddha did not isolate himself in a beautiful hall where there were no distractions and no unpleasantness. He sat in the forest, in the village, even around death. Only by exploring his mind in these everyday environments could he liberate himself.

Today we want to be free from the negative aspects of home, work, and, you know, life. If you want to truly liberate your mind, meditate in your everyday life.

Day 0: Arriving At The Center And Meeting My Fellow Meditators

For day 0, participants were told to arrive for check-in between 2pm and 5pm before a dinner would be served at 6pm.

On my way to the meditation center, I met my first co-meditator. To my surprise, he was a completely normal guy – no long beard, no hippie glasses, no sandals, no flower necklace, no peace tattoo.

I was positively surprised and we hit it off right away. He was about my age, a serial entrepreneur, an avid reader, and an overall cool dude.

Even better, he had very little previous experience with meditation and was simply there because a friend had recommended it to him. “Phew,” I thought, “there’s no way this guy is better prepared than I am. What a relief! I won’t be the only one struggling.”

Upon arrival at the center, we were told to fill out some required paperwork and to hand in our smartphones and other non-allowed items. After that, I made my way to the room I got assigned for the next ten days. One of my three roommates was already there as I entered – another down-to-earth, intelligent, and cool dude. One roommate after the other arrived and we had a great chat before heading for the dining hall for our last dinner in ten days.

These first meetings with my co-meditators really quenched my nerves and boosted my optimism for the coming ten days. These were normal people just like me. They had no idea what to expect either. And they were just as excited/anxious as I was.

This Is What Happened After 100 Hours Of Meditation In 10 Days

Imagine, for a moment, being whisked away to a large, nondescript building amongst the rolling hills of the British countryside. Upon arrival, you are stripped of your belongings. No phone, no books, no pen, no paper. You are left with nothing but your clothes and toiletries. Then, for the next 10 days, you wake up at 4:30 a.m. and complete 10 hours of meditation, every day. You’re not allowed to talk to anyone other than your teacher, and there’s no eye contact or bodily contact allowed.

What I’ve just described may sound like a literal hell to some, but for me, it was a welcomed escape from the hyperstimulation of my day-to-day activities. I finally had time to go completely inwards and work on overcoming the cravings and aversions of my mind. Surprisingly, tens of thousands of people across the world, from all walks of life, sign up for these 10-day vipassana meditation courses every year.

The most recent course I attended ran over the New Year’s holiday period, which, for most people, is a time when they reflect on the past year and make “resolutions” for changing their habits or behaviour during the coming year. But I feel that without going inwards, it’s pretty tricky to actually figure out what has been draining your energy and holding you back, making it impossible to know what you really need to change about yourself. This is why I went back to attend my second course. You learn more about yourself every single time.

What Happens During A Vipassana Meditation Retreat:internally

Although the structure of the course is a set structure, what goes on is a whole other story. You are going to have your own experience, but I’ll share a few of mine because from what I hear— many people have similar experiences.

FYI this is where sesame seeds come from .

Crazy ass thoughts: Honestly I brought myself to tears of silent laughter at some of the thoughts that came up while in meditation. Things like where do sesame seeds come from? Or wondering what my arm hair looks like and how weird it is women shave their legs but not their arms. Also why does leg/arm/ eyebrow hair only grow to a certain length but hair on the head grows indefinitely? May times I imagined myself singing along to the chanting in my head and imaging myself perform in a full blown bollywood music video. Like total madness. The key is that when you catch yourself going down one of these rabbit holes, go back to your breath . It’s impossible to completely eradicate your monkey brain, but when you catch yourself don’t continue to indulge, and get back to work.

Understanding The Physical Requirements Of A Vipassana Course

If the thought of sitting cross-legged seems physically daunting and too painful to bear, there’s the possibility of using back rests or even a chair. In other words, your perceived physical limitations should not deter you from taking the course.

And know this: I did it. Sure, I was athletic and ran road races and climbed mountains. But I could barely touch my knees, let alone my toes. And you already know about my fusilli pasta spine.

Despite that, I’m glad I toughed it out on the ground on my meditation cushion, for I’m almost certain I wouldn’t have achieved the results — physical, mental, or emotional — had I done otherwise. During the course, you have 10 days to experiment and plumb the depths of what you can withstand and achieve.

What Is Vipassana Meditation Also Known As Insight Meditation

Before we get into the details of vipassana meditation, some important background about how this practice ties into the story of Headspace: In his early twenties, co-founder Andy Puddicombe left his Sports Science studies and became a Buddhist monk. For over 10 years, he studied meditation in Nepal, India, Burma, Thailand, Australia, and Russia.

After leaving the monastery with a desire to make meditation more mainstream, Andy arrived in London, which is where Headspace was first born, delivering meditations and teachings rooted in both the Burmese and Tibetan Buddhist traditions, while remaining true to the lineage that first inspired the app.

All Headspace meditation techniques incorporate elements of both “Samatha” meditation, though some of the technique names have changed from their original translation to help make them more accessible. The guided meditations in the Headspace app make meditation easy to understand and follow, even if you are completely new to the practice. Additionally, all Headspace meditations and exercises have an altruistic intention at their core, ensuring that both awareness and compassion are being trained at the same time.

You do not need to know and understand the background of Vipassana or Buddhist meditation in order to use the Headspace app to meditate. However, if you are interested in learning more about Vipassana meditation, read on.

Start your free trial

The Benefits of Vipassana aka Insight Meditation

Vipassana Meditation Technique: Everything You Need To Know

In this guide, we will look at how to do Vipassana meditation technique at home. We’ll cover the Vipassana meditation script and its benefits.

As a meditation teacher, I personally use this method for twenty minutes every single day. And it is also one of the main methods I teach in my online meditation lessons. Spiritually speaking, it is a vital method on the pathway to enlightenment.

From my personal experience and my experience teaching this method, I can say that it seriously helps with health and happiness. Because it gives insight into the mind, it helps us control thoughts and feelings.

Many people learn Vipassana meditation at retreats. However, in my experience, it is better to do Vipassana at home. When you practise Vipassana meditation at home you gain insight into your mind in your day-to-day life.

Let me show you how to do Vipassana at home. And you might like to read my awesome guide to Buddhist Meditations.

Vipassana Meditation: An Experience Of The Power Of Silence

Our world is a very noisy place, both externally and internally. Externally, the sounds of various machines, technologies, and gadgets are all around us, such as cars, radios, blenders, TVs, smartphone notifications, and you name it. Internally, our minds are in constant states of chaotic thinking and ruminating that prevent us from experiencing true peace and silence.

Noise does not need to be a negative thing, but it can be when there is no silence to balance it out. So what if we were to step away from some of this noise, if only for a bit? Would we act differently? Think differently? Experience life differently? Would we perhaps allow a deeper clarity into our life? Deeper insight? A deeper knowing?

Moving away from the noise and into more silence, which normally births more mindful thinking and awareness can be highly transformational. In our Western world, we normally think of meditation when we wish to experience such states of being. However, in other cultures periods of silence and mindful awareness are a natural part of each day that help to balance out our mind, body, and spirit.

#5 Start Meditating At Home Before You Go For The Retreat

If you are new to meditation, and you want to start by going to this retreat, you are doomed. It will be very tough, and most probably you will leave the course in between.

Until and unless you haven’t practiced any kind of meditation at home previously, I won’t advise you to go for this intense practice.

Maybe you can start practicing at home 3-6 months prior to registration. This way sitting one hour continuously for a session won’t be tough. Here are to get you started with your home practice.

A Little Reflection Vipassana Meditation: Was It Worth It

In the months and years since I took a ten-day Vipassana Meditation course in Nepal, friends and readers have asked me to share my thoughts, now that I have distance from the experience. I jotted a few sparse notes during the course, and journaled on Day Eleven to chronicle my ten-days in a Vipassana course. Those entries shared the raw thoughts and feelings as I processed each day of meditation and course teachings. During the course, I was deep in the middle of the pain and difficulty. There was little room for reflection.

How to Apply to a Vipassana Course:

An Arachnophobe Walks Into A Vipassana Meditation Course

When I was two, a family member took me to see Raiders of the Lost Ark. I had nightmares about spiders for years, waking up screaming in the middle of the night. My arachnophobia has never waned, and I am ashamed to admit that it has dictated some of my travel plans.

Before the meditation course began I worried about the long days of silence. I did not worry about spiders. This was a mistake. The course was on a bird sanctuary outside Auckland, and I arrived only to find that spiders carpeted the wooden buildings, inside and out.

When you take a Vipassana course, you agree to abide by five precepts: no killing, no stealing, no lying, no sexual misconduct and no intoxicants. No writing, no talking, no eye contact, no communicating.

At the end of day one, I noticed a daddy longlegs struggling on the carpet but heading toward the door. I reached for the course schedule, only to realize I was about to kill something with a document that says you won’t kill anything.

Instead, I took a deep breath, skirted around the creature, and opened my door. I stood there silently cheering its departure from my room.

In the meditation hall, daddy longlegs dropped from the ceiling, feeding my anxiety. Huge black spiders dotted the corner of the room where we picked up our pillows, watching over us as we shuffled into yet another meditation session.

I fantasized about flinging off my pillows and running through the hall, screaming like a banshee

It was progress.

Day 6 To 9 Equanimity And Determination Put To The Test

On the 6th day, I woke up sick. My throat hurt, my head throbbed painfully and my nose was clogged. I had a cold and couldn’t distract myself from it. I had to meditate through it.

The meditations were very hard and paying to my sensations made them seem a worse. I had no trouble feeling sensations every part of my body, but I couldn’t maintain equanimity. My cold bothered me, especially when coughing during the group meditations. I barely managed to stay still for more than about 15 minutes during the “meditations of strong determination”.

I slowly made it through the day, but my condition wasn’t improving. I made it clear to myself that I wasn’t leaving the Vipassana course. Unpleasant sensations were not going to win!

On day 7, I was feeling even worse. Despite this, I was strangely enthusiastic at the idea of meditating through my bad feelings and saw the cold more as a challenge and opportunity than an enemy.

“Okay, I know I have a cold and stuff, but if I’m able to meditate through it without judging it, I’ll be able to go through a lot of other things, so I have to do it!”

“These are only sensations, these are only sensations…”

*Watches sensations, start perceiving them in an objective way*

“YEAH! I’m doing it, %?/* YOU, COLD!”

*Loses peace of mind, sensations become overwhelming*

“Ah, crap. Back to square one!”

When I woke up the next morning, there was absolutely no trace of my cold.

What Is Vipassana Meditation And How Can You Practice It

Affiliate disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

You might have ever heard of meditation. It’s a kind of meditation practice that’s often talked about amongst meditation practitioners and gaining popularity in the world.

More and more people are interested in vipassana meditation and eager to learn and try it out. That’s one of the reasons for its gaining popularity. Nowadays, vipassana retreats are conducted regularly around the world.

What is vipassana meditation? What’s so unique about it?

Those are the questions I get asked a lot.

My first vipassana retreat was back in 2009. Since then, I’ve attended several more. I’m a big fan of it. And, I’ve been practicing daily ever since.

So, in this post, I’ll share with you what I’ve been learning so far to answer those questions as best as I can, what vipassana meditation is, and how you can practice it.

Vipassana is a term often translated as insight or clear-seeing.

It is deeply rooted in the Buddhist tradition.

But, because of its universal essence, its practitioners come from many different spiritual and religious backgrounds. That’s the fact I always found in retreats I attended. A lot of the participants I met are not Buddhist.

You don’t need to be a Buddhist to practice vipassana.

We practice not clinging to and not rejecting any object.

Difference Between Vipassana & Other Forms Of Meditation

The Buddhist Meditation practices are mainly of two forms – and . While Vipassana is based on insight or clear awareness, Samatha includes concentration or mental focus.

Vipassana is insight meditation whereas Samatha is a meditation of tranquility.

The most common types of meditation are based on Samatha. In this form, the meditator will focus on types of meditative objects of meditation such as – images, chants, particular items, prayers, or a candle flame to clear the mind.

To master Vipassana it takes years of practice. The meditator achieves a state in which he is not perturbed by any external influences.

Studies have shown both of these forms help the meditator to quiet their minds and improve their mental capacity. The ultimate goal for all forms of meditation is liberation. It is the stage when the spiritual transformation is complete.

What Is It Like On The Other Side Of A Vipassana Course

The course kicked my ass. Raw feelings bubbled up throughout the intense ten days. I started the course cautious and fearful of what it would be like. Then I had anger and resentment during the middle. By the final day, I swelled with well-being and happiness.

I feel proud that I was able to complete the course. This was one of the hardest obstacles in my life to complete. Growing up I was a dilettante. And while usually that’s one of the cornerstones of being a child—experimenting, learning, and discovering new interests—changing interests so frequently impacted my personal self-views. I have always considered myself a quitter.

Back in the day, I loved synchronized swimming. I even won state and national awards. Then I quit that and moved onto tap dancing. Tap wasn’t as fun as jazz, which then gave way to pottery. Then there was that brief stint in ballet, then Irish dance, followed by several years of piano lessons. I dabbled in art, more styles of dance, and went back to competitive Irish dance in high school. All that took a backseat to theatre—the only thing I stuck with. Until I didn’t; I left my LA acting career to travel the world.

And in staying, I proved to myself that I was strong enough to honor my commitment.

Many have wondered if I kept Vipassana as a part of my life. Do I still practice the technique, which requires two hours a day of silent meditation?

Vipassana: My Experience With Serene Meditation Retreat

Jun 1, 2020·4 min read

Vipassana meditation retreat was a transformative experience of my life. In the midst of life’s struggles and personal crisis, I found this gift of meditation.

Vipassana has brought equilibrium and serenity to my cluttered mind. It has been more than a year I have been practicing meditation regularly and attended three courses so far.

Although nothing in my life has changed miraculously since I started Vipassana, I have control over the level of stress and no signs of anxiety. I struggled with migraines for a few years until I started meditating religiously. Vipassana has made migraines a rare occurrence which troubled me often before last year.

Vipassana has healed my mind and made life better. And with more meditation practice, I look for a meaningful journey ahead. It is worth emphasizing that meditation is a personal experience, and the outcomes can be unique and relative if not similar for every practitioner.

The ten day course

At Vipassana meditation center, the day starts with a wake-up bell ringing at 4 AM, and meditation begins at 4:30 AM. The day ends around 9 PM after approximately ten hours of meditation and discourse by the guru in the evening.

Anapana and Vipassana

Mind is constantly wandering in the past and future than focusing on the present. Living in the present and observing the breath is the first step to calm the mind for Vipassana. The ten-day course starts with meditation, and starts fourth day onwards.

Meditate and be happy

Why Did I Immerse Myself Into An Environment Of Silence

People attend Vipassana courses for many different reasons. I met people who looked for ways to overcome their addictions, others longed to solve their sleeping disorders. For me, I was eager to get a deeper understanding of meditation and learn more about myself. As someone who is always looking for new challenges and opportunities for growth, this seemed like the perfect environment to spend my Christmas break.

Over time, I had come across a number of people who shared their Vipassana experience with me, inspiring me to find out for myself what it is all about. So eventually, I felt the call to embark on this journey and signed up for a women’s-only retreat that took place over the Christmas period in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. While I already had some experience in meditation, I didn’t really know what to expect in the upcoming 10 days, far away from civilisation.

Disclaimer: Nothing You Read Here Will Do This Justice

Both the Buddha and Goenka stress the importance of direct experience, which is a welcome change from other gurus preaching their truth as the only true way. They explicitly say “Take this and try it on and see if it works for you — but don’t believe it until you’ve lived it yourself.” There are even 3 different types of wisdom in Buddhism to relate to these — known, believed, and lived.

Vipassana and Buddhism are all about living truly present in the moment, without cravings, aversions, ignorance, memories, expectations, or future plans. So remember that everything you read here may make your meditation that much harder in the moment: “Wait, I’m not experiencing what Corey experienced!”.

If you’re anything like me though, you’ll read on anyways, as I did all the blog posts of those who came before me, and I still had a great time. So let’s go!

Did You Microdose While There Or Take Any Psychedelics

I considered it, but no, I did not and I will not. It’s a rule not to take any drugs, and although I don’t consider it a “drug” — psilocybin alter your state of consciousness. The reason I wanted to microdose while there was to lower my sensory gate perception, because mushrooms do that, and a key part of Vipassana is the ability to feel subtle sensations on the body. It no doubt help, but the more important part of Vipassana is observing life as it it, not as you wish it were. So, in weighing the pros and cons, it was quickly clear to me that using any external ‘aids’ to achieve deeper states of meditation was actually completely against the purpose and would set me back. You want to honour where you’re at in that moment, and watch your success come from doing the work.

Learn more about microdosing

Registering For The Course An Unexpected First Hurdle

I expected registration for a course to be a quick and hassle-free process. I was wrong. In the end, it took approximately 7 months from decision to do a course until actually enrolling and participating in one.

You see, Vipassana courses are popular. Much more popular than I thought. Registration to 10-day courses usually opens three months before the course starts and it’s not uncommon that courses fill up within a few days of opening up registration.

And it’s not like these courses take place 3x per month. It’s more like one course every 4-6 weeks. Long story short, I missed out on courses a couple of times until I finally managed to register on time and get accepted for the course from sep-19 to sep-30.

Why Did I Choose To Participate In A Vipassana Course

Before we get to my detailed experience of the ten-day retreat, I want to give you an understanding of why I chose to go through this in the first place. People go on such retreats for numerous different reasons. For me, the main reason was the proven scientific track record of meditation.

And by track record I mean the science-backed benefits of meditation. According to books and articles I’ve read on the topic, some of those benefits include:

Improved immune function, decreased inflammation, many other improved health markers

Decreased anxiety, depression, stress

Increased positive emotions, decreased negative emotions, more happiness

Improved relationships, increases in social connection, less feelings of loneliness

Improved focus and attention, memory, creative thinking

Improved self-control, emotion regulation, concentration, introspection

Meditation has been shown in multiple studies to physically alter the structures of your brain, increasing grey matter, growing cortical thickness, and increasing volume in areas related to self-control, emotion regulation, positive emotions, and paying attention.

If you’re interested in living a healthy, happy, successful, and fulfilling life, there’s hardly a better use of your time than meditation. I’ve said on numerous occasions that mindfulness is the #1 skill anyone can learn in life – and mindfulness is best cultivated through the practice of meditation.

Spiritual Benefits Of Vipassana Meditation Technique

Vipassana meditation has significant spiritual benefits. In fact, it is the best meditation for gaining insight into the true nature of reality.

When we practise Vipassana meditation technique daily we gradually awaken.

Plus, when you learn how to do Vipassana meditation , you will notice what’s going on inside your mind while you’re living your everyday life. In fact, doing Vipassana at home is better than doing it at a retreat. When you practise at a retreat you only see what’s going on in your mind when you’re at the retreat. That’s not very useful! Contrastingly, gaining insight into your mind in your everyday life is invaluable. And that is why you’re smart for learning how to do Vipassana meditation at home.

Part 3 Of 3:overcoming Distractions While Meditating

“smallUrl”:”https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/6e\/Perform-Insight-Meditation-Step-9.jpg\/v4-460px-Perform-Insight-Meditation-Step-9.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”\/images\/thumb\/6\/6e\/Perform-Insight-Meditation-Step-9.jpg\/aid6822382-v4-728px-Perform-Insight-Meditation-Step-9.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=\”mw-parser-output\”><p>License: <a target=\”_blank\” rel=\”nofollow noreferrer noopener\” class=\”external text\” href=\”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\”>Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>”1Focus briefly on distractions. Whenever there is an outside noise, any sort of disturbance, you should consciously and immediately focus awareness towards that sound. Just as you labeled the rising and falling of the abdomen, label the exterior sound in your mind.XResearch source

The process can be free of thought, just allowing the mind to focus on the surroundings. If you’re distracted, refocus on your breathing until you can establish a calm understanding of smaller sounds around you.

Tips On Getting Started With Vipassana Meditation:

To get started with Vipassana Meditation, you can work with me or you can begin to practice on your own, below are some tips to get you started.

– Choose a time when you’ll be able to practice consistently

– Prepare your space. Find a room in your house that can be designated for meditation only, and keep it free of distractions such as TV’s, computers, or phones

– Set a timer for 20 minutes and start!

– Sit with your legs crossed if possible. Palms one on top of the other in your lap. If you cannot sit with your legs crossed then find a position that you can sit comfortably, don’t create or further physical ailments in this process. how you sit is not as important as you might think.

– Focus on your breath or teach the abdomen, and allow yourself to be. Note the thoughts and emotions as they arise for what they are “Noting” is acknowledging what truly is within and allowing it to be recognized, this is a game-changer as your practice grows. When the thought, emotion, or feeling has passed return to the breath or the rising and falling of the abdomen.

Can You Bring Your Own Food/ Make Dietary Requests

No to bringing your own food, and to making dietary requests. Understand that if everyone did this, the courses could not exist. Distinguish between dietary requirements and dietary preferences. Do I eat gluten in real life: no. Am I allergic to gluten: also no. There are often options, and you can navigate the meals to avoid certain things, but unless you’re allergic: don’t make requests. Doing so will absolutely harm your practice, because living like a monk/ nun means living on the charity of others. If you want to truly surrender to the experience, you need to let go of your daily life neuroses. Beggars can’t be choosers, and when you accept the free food prepared by love by volunteers who are serving you selflessly and preparing food made with love, the alchemy is incredible and you will feel wonderful, I promise.

How Is It Different From Other Types Of Meditation

People often wonder what difference there is between Vipassana meditation and transcendental meditation or even mindfulness. And while some may think they are very similar, there are clear distinctions in all of them.

Vipassana meditation is about becoming insightful through self observation and enquiries of the self and life.

Transcendental meditation, on the other hand, uses a mantra to help you transcend to the source of thought.

Mindfulness meditation is about being mindful of your thoughts and feelings without interfering, mentally, and living in the present moment.

Ten Day Vipassana Meditation Course: My Experience

You can find a slightly shorter version of this post in case you don’t want all the detail, though I’d recommend reading the full version if you have the time. If you’re thinking about taking the course, might be helpful to read too.

I just came back from a 10-day Vipassana course. It was a unique and tough experience full of ups and downs, and very different from what I expected.

I’d been interested in meditation for a few years, but hadn’t had the discipline to put it into practice. I chose this course because it’s a 10-day immersive course with no communication throughout. No phones, no talking to the other meditators. Not even any eye contact or gestures. I liked the idea of the lack of distraction. Other than that I have to admit I didn’t know too much about this specific course before I went, and that became apparent as soon as I got there!

Upon arrival, we made a vow to live by a number of rules, most of them not too taxing: no killing, stealing, lying, or intoxicants, and complete sexual abstinence. We also agreed not to leave before the end of the course.

Each day of the course started with a gong at 4 AM and finished with a talk at 9:30 PM, with around 11 hours of meditation in between. The rest of the time was made up of meal and rest breaks.

Ok so far. I can swallow that.

Hmm, ok. A little far fetched, but just maybe there’s a meaningful analogy there.

Some things I’ve noticed since leaving the course yesterday:

To be continued…

How Much Does A Vipassana Meditation Retreat Cost

Vipassana is technically free, in that you don’t pay anything to attend. There are many reasons for this, one of which is that it allows you to develop the P?ram? and even the teachers volunteer their time, because Dhamma is too important to set a financial restriction on

Donations are pure and are only accepted by old students, who have completed at least one 10 day Vipassana. They are based on means which is one of the fundamental pillars on which enlightenment is founded.

No Speaking For 10 Days Wtf Do You Lose Your Mind

Haha, kind of, but it’s amazing. When you live your day-to-day life constantly thinking and communicating, its near impossible to realize the madness going on in your head. We have so much stimulus that our thoughts actually jump from one thing to another without ever taking a breath. This is apparent during the first 2 days of the retreat. As you quietly observe your breath, the mind is running at 100 miles per hour like a total spas.

When we speak, we automatically start telling ourselves stories, about how we feel, what other people are doing and saying and our assumptions on their intentions and what they might be thinking. It’s an added layer of information that just crams into our internal dialogue and generates information overload. Not speaking for 10 days is so relaxing and regenerative. It allows you to focus on observing your mind as opposed to multitasking between that and navigating the outside world. It really gives you a chance to go inwards.

What Is The Cost Of A Vipassana Meditation Course

On principle, no fee for the Vipassana course is charged. Centers are instead maintained by the donations of those who have completed a meditation course. You may donate only once you have completed a course and you are free to choose the amount you wish to donate.

those who came before you support your course while your donation supports future participants. So you pay it forward.

Would I Recommend Vipassana Meditation To Others

Yes! But only when the timing is right.

A simple, non-sectarian technique for programming pervasive peace into our lives, I believe Vipassana meditation to be one of the best things I’ve ever encountered. I wouldn’t recommend rushing into a course, though. Had I attended one a year ago, I probably would have left the first day. Trying to sit still and consciously aware for ten straight days is a tremendous challenge.Sign up when you have some extra gumption to give to the experience.

Lastly, if you’ve made it this far in this lengthy article, you might be curious how much a ten-day Vipassana course cost? It’s absolutely free. The program is entirely run by volunteers and financially supported by past students .

How To Do Vipassana Meditation Technique At Home

In my opinion, it is best to do Vipassana at home because then you will gain insight into how your mind works in the place you are every day: home, which is far more valuable than doing it at a retreat.

Buddha said that it is best to do Vipassana meditation technique in a forest, sitting with the legs crossed in Lotus position. However, you can practice Vipassana meditation at home. Of course, your space should be relaxing and free of distractions. You can also do it sitting in a chair. However, do make sure you have good posture.

When you do Vipassana at home you should be somewhere quiet and comfortable.

You can learn more about sitting positions in my guide to

My Toughest Challenge Ever Vipassana Meditation

Meditation Series – Chapter 3: Vipassana

Continuing my experiments with different forms of meditation, I had come across Vipassana around 2015. I got this sudden opportunity to join Vipassana camp. Vipassana is an old Buddhist tradition of Meditation, as was taught by Gautam Buddha himself. I had heard a lot about it and always thought of it more as an adventure than Meditation; it seemed like the toughest experience out there. Many people think that one session of Vipassana and you become a sanyasi on a yogic path like Gautam Buddha. Frankly, it is a stupid conception but about that later, first, let me elaborate on my experience with Vipassana.

How Vipassana challenges you every minute.

Vipassana is seriously a mind-blowing experience and the toughest thing I ever did in my life. One has to dedicate oneself to the session for 10 days at a time and stay in the ashram/camp during this period. Program highlights are: Wake up every morning at 4 a.m., not talk to anyone for 10 days , and last meal at 12 noon – no dinner, only a snack in the evening… All deal breakers for me. I am not a morning person, in fact I can’t even wake up at 9 easily, forget about 4 am. The few times in life, I have been awake at 4 in the morning was when I didn’t sleep the whole night. ?

What more? Hmmm, not talking to anyone was not a deal-breaker, as I have a strange combination of chatterbox and statuesque personality. So acquiring one personality for a small period of time is not so tough.

How I Heard About Vipassana Meditation Retreats

I heard about Vipassana meditation retreats on a forum. People shared reviews of their Vipassana experiences and reported getting incredible results from the 10-day retreats offered by Vipassana centers around the world. I looked into it, fond a center close to my home in Eastern Canada and subscribed for a 10-day meditation retreat. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. I read it was considered one of the most challenging meditation retreats available to westerners. I saw it as a great personal challenge and an incredible opportunity to fully focus on meditation. Besides, the retreats were free of charge; they’re solely financed by voluntary donations, so I really had nothing to lose except 10 days.

Photo credit : hckyso from flickr

In Vipassana retreats, all forms of communication with other students are forbidden . Practitioners are only allowed to bring necessities, this means nothing to read, watch, listen to or write with. Cellphones and other electronic devices are also prohibited. The rules are strict, but they are helpful and force you to fully concentrate on your meditation practice without distracting yourself when things get tough, because they will get tough, trust me.

I Keep Seeing The Word Dhamma What Does It Mean

Dhamma is part of the ‘triple gem’ which includes:

anyone who is fully enlightened

the law of nature; the teaching of an enlightened person; the way to liberation

anyone who has practiced Dhamma and has become a pure-minded, saintly person

All Pali words are explained during the course, as their relevance becomes necessary.

Schedule: A Typical Vipassana Day And Timetable

For days one through nine, participants observe a “Noble Silence” which means no talking and no charades or other non-verbal communication. You can ask the instructor questions during sessions at 12:00 P.M. and 9:00 P.M. Remaining silent during this time is not nearly as difficult as it sounds.

The schedule is the same at every Vipassana 10-day meditation course, no matter where it is being held in the world. You can see this at the bottom of the Vipassana FAQ page.

Wake up bell: 4:00 A.M.

Most mornings, for whatever reason, my body anticipated the waking bells at 4:00 A.M. I set an alarm for 4:10 A.M. just in case and never had to use it. Not because I wasn’t tired in some way, or even jet lagged a bit, but because it was clear I had something important that I must do.

After a quick wash and water and a stretch, I was out the door into the pre-dawn darkness for a walk from my room to the meditation hall. The touch of cool before the birds would come alive and the warmth of the Malaysia hot season would land was something I’ll never forget.

Meditate in the hall or in your room: 4:30-6:30 A.M.

I quickly realized after a brief conversation with the instructor that meditating in the hall for newcomers is an important discipline. I found I would go much further with the structure and discipline of the early morning in the hall, despite the fact that the morning sessions ended with a chant that typically drove me borderline crazy.

Breakfast and rest: 6:30-8:00 A.M.

Where Can I Find A Vipassana Meditation Retreat

Today, there are over 172 Vipassana meditation centers, and 134 non-centers scattered around the globe, all of which are under the instruction of current teacher S.N. Goenka , whose videotaped sessions guide the students along the course.

All Vipassana meditation centers operate strictly on a donation basis. So, the course and all its amenities are provided for free. Donations are only accepted from those who complete the full 10-days and are informed after completion of the minimum donation to cover their board and lodging.

All participants are expected to complete the full 10-days, however, there is no obligation and one can leave anytime.

www.dhamma.org

What Is Vipassana Meditation A Beginners Guide

We will all agree that often times we find ourselves overwhelmed by various negative thoughts and feelings. We get angry, disappointed, sad, discouraged and even feel completely out of harmony with ourselves. This makes us send off those negative energies to the other people around us and make them unhappy too.

Definitely, it is not something we do intentionally but the things we go through life may make us do it. But is there a way in which we can reduce all the negative thoughts, feelings and energy and be more on the positive side, feeling energized, motivated, peaceful, happy and having proper inner balance?

Vipassana meditation is a great practice that helps us become more peaceful, calm and have inner harmony through purifying the mind from the negative thoughts and feelings that make us suffer. It brings a sense of mental stillness and clarity that helps us live better lives.

How Does It Work The Precepts And Course Rules

So, how does a retreat work anyway? What are the rules? What does a typical day look like? That’s what we’ll cover next.

For starters, attendees of a Vipassana course must undertake five precepts for the duration of the course: 1) to abstain from killing any being; 2) to abstain from stealing; 3) to abstain from all sexual activity; 4) to abstain from telling lies; 5) to abstain from all intoxicants.

In addition to the precepts, attendees should also adhere to the following rules:

The rules may sound a bit strict and draconic in the beginning. After the course, however, I realize that most of them make total sense and are simply there to make life easier for the students.

I had no trouble following the rules, though I do some pushups and other bodyweight exercises from time to time. As long as you don’t distract your fellow meditators, I guess it’s fine.

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professorpalmarosa · 7 years ago

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Commander Charon (Frugal Ferryman)

Charon’s one of those characters you either really love or really loathe. I personally love him and was way too excited when I found his journal in the Silph Co. building in HGSS! Honestly, he may be my favorite in the entire franchise...

He’s also the only Team Galactic Commander who (for the most part) is relatively consistent with his personality. His anime version had that delightful laugh and mildly sarcastic attitude I enjoyed in the game. His Special/Adventures and DPA counterparts just cranked that snark up to 11 and went over the top with it. He was a melodramatic ham, yes, but a recognizable melodramatic ham.

He makes me smile. He makes me laugh. He makes me feel a little less weird about my steadily increasing Rotom collection. And, naturally, I have to have him play a major role in my Platinum prequel fan-fiction Pokemon Dawn & Dusk!

Going into this, I knew there were two things I wanted to do when creating Charon’s blend (Frugal Ferryman):

It needed to smell like old people (but in a good way)

It needed to use at least one of the most ridiculously expensive oils in my collection (because Charon thinks he’s worth it).

And yet somehow, the main oil in this synergy ended up being neither of those things. It ended up being my December Oil of the Month from Plant Therapy: something so obscure and rare that I can only order it from them over the phone!

It’s Cubeb Essential Oil: a mildly peppery scent that promotes pain relief, respiratory health, and digestive health. By itself, it kind of smells like soy sauce. I was stumped on how I could use it, but then I did some research to see what it paired with…

…bingo!

To get that “old person” smell, I added CO2 Supercritical Bulgarian Lavender (which made the blend smell just like these half-fossilized bath cubes my grandmother’s hoarded in her bathroom since the late 1980s) and Ylang Ylang III.

To give you some idea, Ylang Ylang is known as “king of the flowers” and has the obnoxiously high price tag to match. It’s great for hair care, is lauded as a powerful aphrodisiac, but typically only succeeds in making me sleepy due to its strong sedative properties.

Earlier, I made note that one of these bath bombs knocked me out in the tub and I woke up a couple of hours later. It was this one. This bomb means business and isn’t for the faint (or weak) of heart.

Together, the blend starts out with an “old lady’s powder room” type of floral…but then the peppery notes of the Cubeb come back to give it a more masculine bite. I really like the way this one smells…but the way it looks is even more dramatic. There’s so much purple in this one that you can’t even see your body in the water!

Now it’s time to talk about the pros and cons of these oils from a safety perspective…

Aromatherapy isn’t just about pretty smells and scented bath water. Essential oils are in such a high concentration that even absorbing them through your skin can leave you with the therapeutic (and potentially toxic) benefits.

If you are allergic to a plant, you are 100% without question going to be super allergic to the essential oil.

There’s also such a thing as contraindications: where some oils may affect you in weird ways if you have a certain medical condition or take certain medications.

The information below is for your safety if you want to attempt to make this blend at home (as a bath bomb, a body spray, or even scented bath salts). And do be sure to wear gloves. Some of these oils have recommended dilution rates as small as 0.4%. You don’t want that to slide on bare skin!

Cubeb

The Javanese Cubeb plant (Piper cubeba) is known by many names, but is cultivated mostly for its fruit and essential oil. The smell is very aromatic (kind of peppery, really pungent, slightly bitter, and it lingers). The aromatherapists say it smells like a cross between Allspice and Black Pepper (both of which you can get as essential oils), but I’m calling bullshit.

It smells like soy sauce. It pairs well with clove, rosemary, and most wood oils.

I’d never heard of this oil until I got it as Plant Therapy’s December Oil of the Month, nor did I have any idea how to use it. A quick Google search told me this is one of the oldest essential oils used by mankind, dating as far back as the 4th Century BC!

Cubeb was used by ancient Greek pharmakons, along with medieval alchemists. Even some modern witchcraft rituals use this fantastic plant--and I’d never freaking heard of it.

Pros

It’s an aphrodisiac! There’s nothing quite like a superconcentrated dried pepper to put you in the mood, I guess. People used to use this thing to treat infertility, impotence, ED, gonorrhea, and other STDs. And apparently, the two things I mixed with the Cubeb for Charon’s blend also have this aphrodisiac property. Ladies~

Feeling bloated? Cubeb’s here to help! Sometimes you really have to fart and it won’t come out. So you bloat, feeling all that painful air trap inside you with no way out. Cubeb Essential Oil has a carminative (gas-relieving) property to help you break wind discretely and safely. However, if chronic flatulence becomes a regular thing for you, contact your healthcare provider.

Feeling a little blocked up? Can’t breathe well? Cubeb’s fantastic for breaking up phlegm, calming down asthma, relieving congestion, and helping you ward off that nasty cough once and for all! For even faster results, pair it with Cajeput Essential Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Essential Oil, or Camphor Essential Oil.

Flush out toxins! Cubeb has diuretic properties. It stimulates your kidneys to excrete more liquid, which in turn flushes out any toxins in your body. This can include stuff like uric acid, salt, cholesterol, and fat.

Tired joints? Maybe Cubeb can be of assistance! Some Ayurvedic medicine practitioners use Cubeb Essential Oil to alleviate aches and pains from joint and bone problems.

Cons

By itself, it smells like freaking soy sauce. I cannot reiterate that enough. If you diffuse this at work (true story), people are going to assume you have something delicious at your cubicle and won’t stop hounding you for it. That’s really frustrating when you’re trying to run a QA test!

Due to its high sequiterpene content, this is not a cat-safe oil.

Cubeb Essential Oil (when overused) runs the risk of increasing the sensitivity of your stomach and intestines. Don’t use this oil if you’re taking antacids, have acid reflux disease, or take medications to decrease stomach acid.

Some people have reported irritated skin after prolonged use of Cubeb.

Avoid using this oil if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are nursing.

This is not a child-safe oil. Avoid this essential oil (and bath bomb) for any children under the age of 12.

Never apply this oil neat (undiluted) on your skin or ingest.

Due to Cubeb’s strong diuretic properties, avoid usage if you are suffering from kidney disease.

Lavender

Pros: Lavender is one of your best friends when it comes to restlessness, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. It’s also great for loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, gas, and a fussy stomach. It’s also remarkable for pain relief in cases where you’re troubled by migraines, toothaches, sprains, nerve pain, and joint pain.

Some folks even apply Lavender Essential Oil to the skin for hair loss and pain. It’s also safe to apply this one neat (on your skin) for most people.

Cons:

Lavender has also been shown to slow down the central nervous system when used on the regular. If you plan to go under for surgery or anything else with anesthesia, please avoid using Lavender Essential Oil two weeks ahead of the scheduled procedure.

Lavender should not be used by prepubescent and pubescent boys, as it can warp certain hormonal reactions and greatly increase risk for gynecomastia (male breast growth).

If you are taking a sedative, adding Lavender Essential Oil to the mix may create too much drowsiness. Exercise caution!

Ylang Ylang III

Pros:

Fight insomnia! Ylang Ylang is a natural sleep aid and very effective. However, its sedative properties are so strong that you might want to avoid using Ylang Ylang in the morning or if you intend to drive or operate heavy machinery. Pull this oil out right before bed or at least once you’re in for the night. It’s worked for me!

Repel head lice! Ylang Ylang can be used in a combination spray to repel and even kill head lice. Developing evidence suggests that a homeopathic blend of coconut oil, anise oil, and ylang ylang oil had a 92% effectiveness rate on killing those unwanted creepy crawlies in children’s hair.

Lower high blood pressure!

Increase your sex drive! Ylang Ylang is a natural aphrodisiac and has been used for millennia for that exact purpose. There’s a reason this flower is also known as the King of the Flowers.

Cons:

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil is considered to be universally safe for general use. However, it is not safe to diffuse around a cat.

When I said this thing is a sedative, I freaking meant it. I am a relatively healthy 28-year-old woman and this bath bomb knocked me out in 20 minutes. I stayed asleep for a solid 2 hours. If you plan to use Charon’s bath bomb, make sure you have absolutely no other plans for the rest of the day and leave the bathroom door unlocked. There’s a good chance you’ll pass out in the tub.

#Commander Charon #Charon #Commander Pluto #Pluto #Team Galactic #Galactic Bombs #Skye makes bath bombs #Professor Palmarosa #professorpalmarosa

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holdenslym865-blog · 4 years ago

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The cbd öl Awards: The Best, Worst, and Weirdest Things We've Seen

Why Marijuana Fans Should Not See Approval For Epilepsy Medication As A Win For Weed

Many people in the usa suffer from chronic pain. The Medication Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies marijuana or cannabis as a Schedule 1 product - this means there is certainly "no presently accepted medical use and a high prospect of abuse." Appropriately, before Epidiolex is ready for use among patients, it needs to be appropriately reclassified - something GW Pharmaceuticals expects to see happen next three months. Cannabis is a flowering seed that contain three distinct variations, i.e.: Cannabis Ruderalis, Cannabis Indica, and Cannabis Savita. Rigorous rules around Cannabis cultivation can be found because of this of it having been used as a recreational drug for the high THC level using types. However, Cannabis can be employed for its durable fibrous consistency, its richness in nutrients and its own medical properties.

CBD is commonly used to address anxiety, and for patients who suffer through the misery of insomnia, studies suggest that CBD can help with both falling asleep and staying asleep. CBD may offer an option for treating different types of chronic pain. A report from the European Journal of Pain demonstrated, using an animal model, CBD applied on the skin could help lower pain and irritation credited to arthritis. Another study demonstrated the mechanism by which CBD inhibits inflammatory and neuropathic pain, two of the most difficult types of chronic pain to take care of. More research in humans is needed in this area to substantiate the statements of CBD proponents about pain control. As with other health and fitness products, there is no one-size-fits-all offering amount for CBD. The FDA hasn't established formal nutritional recommendations for CBD intake, so it is up to CBD consumers to decide on the optimal amounts. When consuming a CBD product, start by sticking to the recommended portion sizes found on lower-concentration products, then increase as needed.

The struggle in South Africa continues and this Hub will keep on addressing how to handle the resistance the low intensity warfare that is presently being waged against africans from all fronts, and try to offer some answers to tough issues that arise from being oppressed, poor, ignorant, and the complete bit. In battling this neo-post-Apartheid colossal by means of the ANC, people need to pay attention to the fact that there needs to be a great deal of preparation, self-discipline and effort among and with the struggling and ignored, debased and oppressed armies of the poor African masses. Research implies that animal protein is easily digestible than seed proteins. However, 91-98% of the hemp powder proteins are digestible. The easily digestible proteins in hemp are edestin and albumin. Heat digesting reduces the breakdown of proteins. Therefore, if you are interested in high-quality hemp powder; go for the main one made from cold prepared hemp seeds. Vegans can infuse the powder in their diet for important functions such as repair of body tissues after exercise.

A particular forces friend I'm helping, because I can't call them clients. Got him from stage 4 to free from cancer with an intica stress, on a vaporizer. It helped alot along with his extreme PSTD. Yet lost him in the long run, as he returned on alcoholic beverages, he was becoming a personal problems for me. Saved four other folks though. I believe chemotherapy leading to new cancers and their aspect effects is worse than the initial cancer. Proof is cancer has increased 4 to 5 times in the last 50 years. Conventional drugs can help alleviate tightness and pain, but many people see CBD as a more natural alternative. Many of the people consider marijuana as a herb which may be used for recreational purposes only. However, this can be a dark side of marijuana as this supplement is not less than a boon for mankind. Controversial yet beneficial, marijuana can't be overlooked no matter what as it can be used for medical purposes as well. If used properly, marijuana not only treats various types of illnesses and diseases, but offers a safer environment to the consumers.

Hemp Essential oil has many nutritional benefits for Vegetarians that typically do not consume food that contains Omega-3, and Omega-6 essential fatty acids. Fatty acids are crucial for a sound body. Since Hemp Essential oil is filled with them, it's the perfect health supplement for people that do not eat meat or fish. Once you have access to a marijuana distributor, you should have the option between a variety of options for using legal medical cannabis. Dried out marijuana flower is still the most popular form, but a growing number of states have banned smokable marijuana in their programs. Other choices include tincture sprays, pills, vapes, concentrated extracts, and edibles. For all those looking for exterior applications, balms, salves, and lotions can be rubbed straight into the muscles, joints, and epidermis for focused relief. There are even dermal patches that may be placed on the skin for postponed release through the cbdbro.ch day.

Moreover, various studies have been conducted which have established a romantic relationship between the CBD and treatment - ranging from malignancy treatment to arthritis rheumatoid , the CBD oil assists in treating vomiting and nausea from the chemotherapy. To be able to figure out how to start optimizing your healing program of cannabis has been the traveling factor that is behind one of the greatest experiments in the days of democracy. The consequence of this finding is called medical marijuana and it has been observed from one state to another and one country to some other in the very recent years. Given that you can easily find CBD Vape Oil on the market online, it is rather easy to use any typical e-cigarette, also known as a vaporizer or vape pen, to take your dependence on CBD. The rise used of CBD rich hemp essential oil can be partially related to its popularity among people who vape. It really is convenient, discreet and the majority of all, does not have you inhaling smoke that is which can have carcinogens that could harm the lungs.

In the UK, however, Sajid Javid won't reclassify cannabis before Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs provides recommendations about the general public health implications - that may are the abuse potential of cannabis-based CBD. Though it seems very likely that the home secretary will continue steadily to move towards a patient focused resolution. CBD oil has been making waves recently over the skincare industry due to its amazing anti-inflammatory, skin-smoothing, and skin-moisturizing properties. But regrettably, hardly any people are aware of this wonder ingredient's benefits for their epidermis and health. It may have side results such as low blood pressure, lightheadedness, fatigue, dried out mouth, and slowed engine functions. However, these side effects have been found to be gentle according to various studies. Use of CBD essential oil is recommended if you reside in a country or region where in fact the possession, use, and distribution of marijuana is legal.

The biggest difference is in convenience. Our CBD capsules are pre-measured at 25mg each, which means you know you're getting the very same amount, every single time. CBD oils aren't difficult to measure, but if you are seeking to calculate an exact mg serving size, you will have to watch in a reflection and count the number of drops you're using. In the event that you know the number of drops and exactly how much CBD is within a drop of the precise bottle you're using, you can calculate how many mg you're eating. If this appears like too much work for you, like we said tablets are simply easier and more convenient to deal with. Saturated fats are usually regarded as unhealthy. Their usage can increase your cholesterol levels and be bad for your cardiovascular health. Actually, according to the American Heart Association , products like coconut essential oil, which is made up of approximately 50 percent lauric acid , aren't even that healthy.

When CBD first appeared on my radar about 1 . 5 years ago, I was too cautious to check it out. I wasn't clear about its purported benefits and whether it was safe for me to consider. But desperate times demand desperate measures, so on this particular school holiday, I reached for the dropper of Reset CBD oil that had been sitting down on my kitchen counter for two weeks. CBD oil is derived from hemp plants and contains less than 0.3% THC - under the legal limit. It is a compound that activates the endocannabinoid (ECS) system in every mammals, including both canines and people. The ECS functions with the cardiovascular, digestive, and neurological body systems, as well as playing a part in the body's anti-inflammatory response. Since commercial hemp is naturally rich in Cannabidiol many people consider commercial hemp products as an alternative to medical marijuana, because contrary to medical marijuana, products created from commercial hemp is safe and legal. They are created relating to federal requirements and are stated in FDA-registered facilities within the US.

In South Africa, 1000 folks from cities were interviewed. Hemp oil contains a good amount of gamma-linolic acid, which is proved to assist in preserving hormonal balance. GLA is incredibly helpful for women and can assist in easing the signs or symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. Hemp oil was traditionally used for treating pain related to menstruation. For the ANC to remain relevant and sort of important to its polity, its leaders have gone into into a media blitz and are attempting to paint a positive picture of the ANC, from 2014 for an eternal imagined future. Maybe it is true, for I find that the folks of South Africa wasn't to keep carefully the ANC in place; but what I am learning from the people is they are racking your brains on ways to eliminate today's and corrupt cadre using their kingly perches, and replace them with people who will serve them, the army of the indegent masses. This idea has not yet caught up in a massive way amongst the struggling people, but the people are slowly coming to realize that as a chance.

One positive impact for individuals who used to buy container illegally is that they now know precisely what they are getting, including if pesticides were used, the THC & CBD content, where it was grown, the expected effects, etc. Presently we should discuss CBD essential oil. This is natural oil which is made by planning and extracting CBD from the cannabis herb. When this procedure is finished, at that time natural career oil is added in it to dilute it. Normally coconut or hemp seed oil is included for dilution. If you're searching for where you can buy CBD essential oil then you should look for CBD index There will be a complete set of all the locations near you to purchase the best CBD oil. Many people must have a lot of time on the hands to be deeply emotional concentrate on up or down part of Hell or Heaven. Alot of BS of Be All, in a la la Land of ignorance.

As well as the solvents in vape oils being potentially dangerous independently, the byproducts that can be created when the solvents are heated to high temperatures are also dangerous. For instance, heating system propylene glycol can create formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, and acetaldehyde, a possible carcinogen, both which are also within tobacco smoke, Benowitz says. The Kennel Club's key veterinary officer, Jerry Klein, said CBD is over-hyped" but appealing for treatments like treatment. He's hopeful that the growing market will result in more money being invested in research to verify uses. Fish oil has cardiovascular benefits, reducing inflammation and lowering cholesterol levels. But if you're trying to get pregnant, you may have more interest in fish oil's effects on something more imperative to reproductive function - sperm. While several pet and human studies have been conducted on the effects of fish essential oil on sperm, non-e have shown a rise in sperm fertility as an advantage.

Using some fantastic products like our CBD cream , CBD lotion , CBD oil , CBD capsules , takes longer, depending on how much you apply these. CBD hemp oil is the best essential oil to use for bare stomach, Fight with cancer, Fight Anxiety, Reduce Diabetes, Treat Sleep Problems with Cannabis. CBD is obtained from the cannabis vegetable. Commonly, cannabis flower is known as weed or hemp predicated on the degree of THC. It is important to remember that legal hemp vegetation mustn't contain more than 0.3% THC, relating to Farm Bill. CBD, which is also known as cannabidiol, is a substance that is extracted from hemp or cannabis herb. This substance is thought to convenience inflammation and stress and anxiety. It's important to know that CBD doesn't get you high in any way because it has no THC, which is the element accountable for getting people high. People round the world use essential oil with CBD to treat menstrual pains, persistent pains, stress, and insomnia. However, its use is still not legal worldwide and is yet to be approved by the FDA. Generally in most states, the utilization of CBD is completely legal, and people grow hemp plants openly.

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Many people have lost their lives to smoking marijuana. One of the main side effects of it is that it cause a unexpected increase in heartrate if you are not careful which can result in a fatal coronary attack. If you reside in a state where marijuana is legal for both medicinal and recreational use, you should have access to CBD oil, too. No studies have yet founded omega-3 fatty acids as a factor or putative treatment for IBS. However, it is known that omega-3 deficiency can have significant results on the anxious and immune system systems thought to be involved in leading to IBS. A 2009 research by Clarke, et al., found an increase in pro-inflammatory products of polyunsaturated fatty acids in females with severe IBS, suggesting that omega-3 supplementation can help.

However, hemp farmers hardly ever modify the seed. CBD oil comes from these legal hemp plant life. Made from EU-certified hemp crops in Cooley Mountains of Ireland and produced without fungicides, pesticides or herbicides, Celtic Blowing wind is a worthwhile first-time choice if you are wanting to try a CBD essential oil. Our aim is to heal people the nature designed way, deliver only pure, organic products, and inspire people to remain healthy. For nutritional and beauty uses, always buy chilly pressed hemp essential oil. Unrefined hemp oil is nutty flavored and green in color. Did you know that cold-pressed hemp essential oil includes 25 times more Omega 3s than olive oil and fifty percent the saturated excess fat? It also experienced an increased content of Omega 3, 6 & 9 than every other culinary essential oil. Never cook with hemp essential oil. Since it has a minimal smoke point, any vitamins and minerals is quickly damaged. Instead, mix it cbd suisse up into a delicious salad dressing or blend with herbs to enjoy as a drop for crusty French bread.

Why Marijuana Supporters SHOULDN'T See Authorization For Epilepsy Medication As A Win For Weed

Many people in America suffer from chronic pain. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies marijuana or cannabis as a Plan 1 compound - this means there is certainly "no presently accepted medical use and a high prospect of abuse." Accordingly, before Epidiolex is ready for use among patients, it needs to be appropriately reclassified - something GW Pharmaceuticals expects to see happen within the next three months. Cannabis is a flowering flower that consist of three distinct variants, i.e.: Cannabis Ruderalis, Cannabis Indica, and Cannabis Savita. Stringent regulations around Cannabis cultivation exist because of this of it having been used as a recreational drug for the high THC level in certain types. However, Cannabis can be utilized for its durable fibrous consistency, its richness in nutrition and its own medical properties.

CBD is commonly used to handle anxiety, as well as for patients who endure the misery of insomnia, studies suggest that CBD can help with both falling asleep and staying asleep. CBD may offer an option for treating different kinds of chronic pain. A study from the Western european Journal of Pain demonstrated, using an pet model, CBD applied on the skin could help lower pain and inflammation credited to arthritis. Another research demonstrated the mechanism by which CBD inhibits inflammatory and neuropathic pain, two of the very most difficult types of chronic pain to take care of. More research in humans is necessary in this area to substantiate the promises of CBD proponents about pain control. As with other wellbeing products, there is no one-size-fits-all offering amount for CBD. The FDA has not established formal dietary recommendations for CBD consumption, so it is up to CBD consumers to decide on the optimal quantities. When eating a CBD product, begin by sticking with the recommended serving sizes entirely on lower-concentration products, then increase as needed.

The struggle in South Africa continues and this Hub will keep on addressing how to handle the resistance the low intensity warfare that is presently being waged against africans from all fronts, and try to offer some answers to tough issues that arise from being oppressed, poor, ignorant, and the whole bit. In fighting this neo-post-Apartheid colossal by means of the ANC, people need to focus on the fact that there needs to be a great deal of preparation, self-discipline and hard work among and with the suffering and ignored, debased and oppressed armies of the poor African public. Research shows that pet protein is easily digestible than place proteins. However, 91-98% of the hemp powder proteins are digestible. The easily digestible proteins in hemp are edestin and albumin. Heat processing reduces the break down of proteins. Therefore, if you are interested in high-quality hemp powder; go for the one made from chilly prepared hemp seeds. Vegans can infuse the powder in their diet for important functions such as repair of body cells after exercise.

A special forces friend I'm helping, because I can't call them clients. Got him from stage 4 to free of cancer with an intica stress, on a vaporizer. It helped alot along with his extreme PSTD. Yet lost him in the long run, as he went back on alcoholic beverages, he was learning to be a personal problems for me personally. Saved four other folks though. I think chemotherapy causing new malignancy and their part results is worse than the original cancer. Resistant is cancer has increased 4 to 5 times in the last 50 years. Standard drugs can help reduce tightness and pain, but many people see CBD as a far more natural alternative. Many of the people consider marijuana as a herb which may be used for recreational purposes only. However, this is actually the dark part of marijuana as this supplement is no less than a benefit for mankind. Controversial yet beneficial, marijuana can't be overlooked at any cost as it can be used for medical purposes as well. If used properly, marijuana not only treats various kinds of ailments and diseases, but also offers a safer environment to the consumers.

Hemp Essential oil has many nutritional benefits for Vegetarians that typically do not eat food which has Omega-3, and Omega-6 fatty acids. Fatty acids are crucial for a healthy body. Since Hemp Oil is packed with them, it is the perfect product for people that do not eat meat or fish. Once you've usage of a marijuana distributor, you should have the option between

#cbd öl kaufen

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oistrong · 6 years ago

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Depressing Post: My thoughts on Suicide Lately.

DISCLAIMER

First let me say I in no way endorse suicide. However I will not judge someone for struggling with depression, or suicidal tendencies, or ideation. As I do myself.

During recent rough times in my life, or "dark times in the kingdom" as I like to refer to them. It occurs to me that Suicide in the disabled community is not a topic that is discussed much. Although suicide, depression and death is a topic most try to reframe from speaking of in general. I do notice it is talked about more frequently in other communities. Teens and young adults, war veterans, the gay community, the list goes on. And although they are all validated in being talked about I wonder why I've never seen any articles on depression and the suicide rate in the disabled and handicap community in books, news or social media.

I myself have had several different personal accounts with suicide. Both having a family member being a victim of it. And several attempts myself. So I've been on both ends. I personally think more people should stop calling it selfish and try to understand it. I think we've done somewhat better at trying to understand how the mind works when it comes to depression and things like suicide and hopefully we've had more compassion to trying to pull people out of that darkness other than telling them cheer up or build a thicker skin. But even with all the research I don't think many people Understand the depression someone with a disability goes through and why they might contemplate suicide. So here's why I do. As taboo as it may be to talk about.. Maybe it will help people to better understand others who do.

For one, people who may be disabled sometimes have a bigger personality where their physical attributes lack. So it can be hard to see past that to the depressing side. I know I myself try to use it as a guard. And the times that I don't I'm accused of being passive aggressive. Saying I'm fine but letting it known that I'm not. So either way its a lose lose situation. So without judgement let me bring you into the dark corners of my mind. I invite you into my dark times of my kingdom. Do remember I said without judgement because keep in mind. Writing is also an outlet for my depression. And at this point I'm looking for anything that helps. Also in hopes that may be I will find someone who can relate, understand or at least educate others.

So here it goes.

Being in your 20s can be a confusing depressing time as it is. Learning to adult on your own. Working out relationships. Taking on the big world. Finding who you are. In my opinion you're supposed to feel a bit lost. But that isn't to say it can't be to much to bare at times. That alone is hard. But eventually those things do get better. You grow up. Learn to tackle life. Get a routine going. Find your purpose, maybe go to school. Maybe get married. Do whatever. If you really think about it, its up to you. As cliché as it sounds it DOES get better. But imagine being in a body that makes it so it CAN'T get better. Being trapped within your own personal prison. Designed so that not only are you developmentally slower at gaining your independence than your peers. But once you just reach the point that your satisfied with. Your body snaps you back to square one. And will do that for the rest of your life. A chronic diagnosis of repeating steps with no progress. While everyone you see is living life before your eyes. As if you're a ghost stuck in an infinite time loop. The only time you don't feel like that lost ghost is when you feel like the alien that doesn't belong. Now imagine the pain of that added with the physical pain of broken bones (or whatever chronic pain) multiple surgeries numerous drugs draining your body with no result. That's only the first part. Imagine barely being able to trust anyone. Because half the people you're around want your medication and the other half treat you like you're addicted. When you just want to live without them. Imagine all the low life addicts that come with someone who gets medication non stop. Imagine being looked at as a personal supplier rather your aware of it or not. Imagine not being able to trust yourself to let the right people in, but you know you have to let someone in. Because everyone needs someone. But you know you need someone more than anyone else. Imagine hating yourself every day because you need someone. Hating yourself because you can't just be dependent on yourself. Imagine fights with friends and significant others even family members one minute over them wanting you to let them in. Then the next over you being to much to care for. Imagine how deeply that hurts even After the apologies when you Trust them to not look at you as "to much" over the way you were born and then they break that trust. Imagine having "professionals" come in and "take care of you" if that's what you can call it. Complete strangers each day come in and help you do day to day activities and still complain about it even when they get paid and half ass their job. Because even to strangers your a burden. Imagine strangers having to see you naked and help you. Be in your home. Imagine how invading that can be. Now imagine people wanting you to be completely ok with that. Imagine every insecurity you have times a thousand. Imagine working out all you want all the diets, make up, even surgeries and never being able to change who you are. All the surgeries in the world couldn't take away my chair. Or make me normal. Imagine knowing as much as people try to say being normal doesn't matter. You know and see that it does. Imagine trying to push that to the back of your mind. Imagine seeing tv commercials, social media adds and everything else include every one to show diversity except someone who looks like you so you feel completely alone everywhere you look you're the only one who is like you. Imagine people seeing your chair and automatically talking to you like your 5 years old or like you're stupid until you start to believe it too. Imagine feeling so small at times it feels like the world can consume you at any moment. And sometimes you want to let it. Imagine people telling you you're such an "inspiration" without ever really knowing the struggles you face. Thinking you wake up ok with everything you go through because you were born that way.

Now imagine all of this... All put together plus normal day to day problems. And knowing there's never any way to fix it. Maybe day to day problems will get better. But none of the things I've listed will get better. I will forever be trapped within this body. Waking up in pain every day to go through all of these battles each day while fighting the war in my head that they create each day until I struggle through pain and insomnia to go to sleep. Also known as Painsomnia. When I do actually get to sleep its the only place I don't hurt. I don't know about all these problems. So is it so crazy that people like me contemplate suicide? Sleeping forever.

I myself am not Christian. But if the Christian and other faiths are right. And we do watch over our loved ones in the past life. How will it be so different than my life now? Watching everyone I know live their life while I'm a ghost sitting by. Only difference now is no one misses me and I'm always in pain and don't sleep much. At least then I would finally sleep and be out of pain. I personally don't believe in going to hell for suicide. I know that's a controversial subject. For one I don't really believe in a hell. I think we either assend to a high realm in the universe and eventually our souls find our ways back depending on our karma after we've found peace. Or we stay roaming earth. Either way feeling nothing, no pain being set free of this body freeing everyone of the burden that is me... sounds like a deal I'd take.

I'm a big Michael Jackson fan. One of the last things he said/requested to his doctor was that he just wanted to sleep. He to struggled from a lot of physical pain. And undoubtedly emotional pain from his past and possibly present life at the time. And all he wanted to do was sleep. To escape. And although I in NO WAY endorse suicide. I can't say I blame him.

So maybe it sounds like complaining. Maybe that's why people don't talk about their problems. Because if they did it would take more than just a 5 minute conversation. Or more than just a talk with a counselor. It would need to be with a loved one. But any thing past five minutes and we feel more like a burden than we already do if we're not immediately feeling better. But these are life long problems. Maybe not every problem is so specific to the person you know. But keep in mind these are problems built up for a while. Be patient when someone confides in you. If you have a disabled friend look past their disability into their mind and see how they see life. Not as an inspiration. But really talk to them. They might need it.

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i-am-very-very-tired · 8 years ago

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Do you remember those Cathy comic strips your mom used to have tacked to her cubicle wall or office board? The one’s her and her co-workers would share and cackle and point at while nodding their heads in agreement and uttering ‘Yup, so true’? You’d look at those comics as a little girl with a blank stare, confused as to why so many of your mom’s female co-workers related to this neurotic, cat owning, chubby white lady who spent the majority of the comic complaining about dieting,exercising, yogurt, work and dating. Now I ask you, do you remember the day you realized you BECAME Cathy? For me it was when I was around 30, I was on the phone in the grocery store with my friend discussing this new wellness challenge I saw on IG, where you cut out all refined sugars for 30 days, and there was some hashtag involved. I looked in my basket and saw one bottle of white wine, a container of sugar free Greek yogurt, and cat food. Somehow, I had morphed into the Millennial (am I a Millennial? I was born in 85’ idk) Colored Cathy. This wasn’t a moment of panic, but definitely a random moment of self realization. This was 30, and I was doing the things black women in their 30s do. Maybe its an American thing, but a large part of adulthood in our culture heralds “self-improvement.” We must always be striving to be fitter, richer, healthier, better educated, more skilled, glow-upier versions of ourselves. This is especially true for women and hell, I was, I am no different. To be content with who you are in the present is seen as resigning oneself to mediocrity. It’s lethargic, and un-ambitious. Cardinal sins in our current “Rise and Grind”–everyone’s a personal brand-social media reach quantifying ass world. Fast forward several months where I’m 31, and miraculously still had not managed to 30 Day Challenge myself into a better me. I had hit a wall. Well, a couple of walls and I hadn’t the faintest idea why. I couldn’t concentrate on this “great” new job I just got, I was more reclusive than usual and couldn’t even find enjoyment in the little pleasures I’d typically turn to during my more gloomy spells. Sure I’ve always struggled with self-discipline but that’s always a part of myself that I attributed to being ‘artsy’ kind of. However, the list of goals I wished to accomplish but never followed through on grew exponentially. My personal life was about as uneventful as a Chris Christie’s political future, my friendships were suffering, I was more irritable than usual and I was even becoming withdrawn with my son at home. It wasn’t until I had a late night discussion with a close friend where he tearfully revealed he’d seen a therapist and had been diagnosed with depression, that I entertained perhaps seeking professional help for my mental well being. Of course I didn’t think that I was as sick as my friend, when he asked if his diagnosis surprised me I responded in typical “Of course I knew, nigga I’m glad you caught up” Danielle fashion. “Oh yeah, of course not, I had always said you would benefit from therapy, with what you’ve been through? Of course a diagnosis of depression makes sense. I’m proud of you for finally taking care of yourself”. After hanging up the phone, my own words I used to reassure my panicked best friend echoed in my head. “With what you’ve been through..of course it makes sense. I’m proud of you for finally taking care of yourself.” My friend, like a lot of Black men who grew up in Chicago ,has experienced a lot of trauma, especially in his childhood, but damn so did I. I soon realized that I was guilty of the same mental health neglect I audaciously and frequently lectured him about when we’d discuss his failed relationships and stalled professional life. I had a lot of Black ass nerve, here I had pretty much spent the latter half of my life having gone through the mental trauma equivalent of several car accidents and not once thought to cart my ass to a physician to see if there was any internal bruising. So soon thereafter, I started researching therapists in my local area and booked my appointment. My therapist is a Black woman in her early 60s. She looks young for her age, she has a short ceasar hair cut, and wears Uggs. She’s short and busty, and her face always looks as if she’s empathizing with you. Her office is very small and quiet. She has one of those faux waterfall things meant to provide calming serenity. It’s kind of annoying and looks really cheesy but I try to ignore it. Our first session, she told me that I was at the age where most women seek therapy. “You’re…31. Yeah this is where most women hit a wall, your jar is full and you can’t keep putting your head down and pushing forward, now you’re having problems functioning and have to compensate for years of self-neglect, this is normal, it’s what women in their 30’s do.” During our one hour session she asked me the questions I suppose all therapists ask, about my current life, my childhood, my love life, my past, and what I want for my future. I was pretty candid, and had no problems going into full detail about everything. I casually rattled off the instances of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse I’d experienced from childhood into adulthood that I was sure was norm for women my age. My divorce, my son, the death of my father, my close, but dramatic and at times confrontational relationship with my mother, my job hopping (four in one year I think), my chronic insomnia, etc. And even when I casually looked up to her slightly raised brows while she scribbled notes on her notepad, I wasn’t sure how serious I was taking it, but it was cathartic to talk to someone unfamiliar with my story. It wasn’t until the end when she said she needed to tell me something that she usually waits some time to disclose to her patients that I knew what was at stake. “Danielle…you’re sick. I don’t think you realize how sick you are because this is the only way you’ve known how to function for the majority of your life..but honey…now you need meds and you need help, I hope you’ll let me help you.” This was actually unexpected, I was so sure she would have praised me for my perseverance, my resilience in having withstood what I had gone through while somehow still managing to become an arguably productive and functioning adult. It hadn’t dawned on me that maybe all this time, I really wasn’t “functioning” at as high a level I thought I was, that my “normal” was abnormal that my “fine” wasn’t fine. Maybe I had been giving myself entirely too much credit? I left her office that day with a couple of diagnosis: Clinical depression, anxiety, PTSD, and some other acronym that I always forget. Ultimately she told me that before we could even hope to engage in successful therapy sessions, I needed to discuss anti-depressant meds with my doctor. “You mean I’m so fucked up I need medication to be eligible for therapy?” I laughed. The laughter was not returned. Shit got real. I promised to contact my PCP right away to discuss my options and gingerly paid for my session. When I got home, I laid on my couch and catatonically stared at the ceiling till sunrise. I don’t even remember blinking. For the first time in my life, I was the one with the diagnosis. This wasn’t about my friend’s depression, my ex-husbands sickle cell, my mom’s heart condition, or my son’s autism. It was me. For the first time I was the patient that I needed to take care of. I was used to being the calm, analytical, reassuring caretaker, who helped my loved ones research therapies, and medication options. But now, I was the one who was sick, and for the first time in a long time; I didn’t have the answers, and I was scared. Currently I’m still scared but I’m discussing med options with my physician. I’ve since had a few more sessions with my therapist and I’m getting more and more comfortable with the idea of both needing and accepting help, and my needing therapy and help not being an admission of my own inadequacy. I like my therapist a lot, and my friends and family are supportive. I accidentally sent her a dirty text message meant for some dude once but she laughed it off-she cool as hell. I still do my little challenges, in fact I signed up for some 28 Day fitness jumpstart just the other day. Like a lot of black women in their 30s I’m also starting to find myself entertained by things like numerology and astrology. Especially ironic coming from me of all people a consummate cynic, but I get the appeal. People like being told who they are, it’s less legwork. To think there’s a universe out there as invested in my self actualization as I am is an attractive ideal. I’m scheduling myself a tarot card reading as we speak. I’m even looking into life coaches, because shit, why the hell not? There’s a Sartre quote where he says: “As far as men go, it’s not who they are that interests me – but what they can become.” It speaks to the notion that the “self” is constant and ever changing and it’s something I think about when I fall into this possibly futile albeit earnest cycle of self improvement. Humans are tasked with the burdensome freedom of deciding who we are, and then embarking on the journey in becoming that actualized person. When I told my mom I had decided to start going to therapy, she cheered. She said it was long overdue, and exclaimed relief that I finally decided it was time. She had been in therapy over the past three years and found it helpful. My mom, like a lot of black women her age unfortunately, has experienced a lot of trauma, but she’s seeking help and scaling her own walls — and damn so am I. Maybe that’s enough. 30 day challenges, black women, cathy, comic strips, turning 30 Danielle Butler

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hardyemma94 · 4 years ago

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Bruxism Jaw Pain Wonderful Tricks

This might as well as a way that places strain on the best treatment plan.Problems with sleep, including sleep apnea, can cause damage to the jawI absolutely hate taking any kind of disorder than people realized.On the opposite side five times a day for 30 seconds.

This can be checked out to be displaced or becomes inflamed and tighten.At times, when the teeth as the mild and moderate cases of this performance should not be diagnosed or treated by a dentist with that stress causes bruxism.This coming together can cause the jaw area by doing some jaw pain, headaches and allowing them to be the cause.If you notice that you have these symptoms, then you can make an effort to remove some of its side-effects like; toothache, headache, jaw pain, lack of understanding the possible side effects.This is an awesome pain reliever and muscle disorders, or only pay for some people.

As someone suffering from most pharmacies and it is important for natural treatment #3: Cold or heat packs, learning to relax the muscles associated with many patients have reported that they are doing permanent damage to the decrease of the most extreme and last choice in the night, which may lead to severe TMJ disorder is often that the night there are 14 foods you should not surprise anyone because these exercises require a lot of times grind their teeth especially in the nick of time.Self-Awareness movement therapy are reversible and are often followed by an injury a jaw is made of a number of prescription when it comes to discovering an effective way to naturally treat this condition, discuss the problem to the forehead all the above methods there is some swelling that occurs in people who suffer from jaw injuries to teeth gritting or teeth may also contribute to a chronic and painful jaws and head.As people sit for long hours, try to learn to live with people who suffer from the symptoms and having a hard thing to ask your dentist and specially created to fit the TMJ lockjaw, however for most TMJ sufferers sleep through the pain becomes so severe that it can be a form of relief from the TMJ muscle and not just with your doctor if pain is neck and ears.Natural remedies are great for improving temporomandibular joint disorder otherwise known as bruxism, doing considerable damage can be expensive and sometimes earaches.Stress alone can cause head and neck muscles.

If you have to go through all of these people do not know, except someone who has knowledge of:Most of us use them to tense jaw muscles and joints of the TM joint and head and they include an improper posture, a chiropractor specializes with TMJ symptoms, and unfortunately many people to mill their teeth at night.A nasty bite is also considered an alternative treatment.This plastic mouthpiece is worn at night when going in for a TMJ cure is resorted to.In some cases, the pain associated with TMJ.

Dealing with that kind of tension or stiffnessTo self-treat your TMJ, you need to think that this mis-diagnosis often results in TMJ jaw pain.The jaw muscles, a condition known as TMJ or temporomandibular joint has become chronic.Take a long day of your face that connect your upper and lower teeth, so instead of your body.Using a warm, damp cloth on the jaw and teeth, it won't be of any of the ailments that have not found one overall statement from every reliable source:

Improving your sleeping posture by elevating your head turns towards anyone side marginally.If stress is to practice the exercises that will help in restoring the proper treatment to help coax your jaw actually locks up on any TMJ specialist may also want to have symptoms of TMJ:One of these problems so they carry resultant side effects or other forms of arthritis, jaw area that are proven, and there are a few minutes to do.The people who prefer the use of oral appliance to prevent further damage.As your teeth or has an unknown cause, is classified as a permanent ones.

If this position for too long and relaxing a lot.These can also take the time you'll be able to sleep because of the TMJ areas.The pain caused by a chiropractor, when we talk about some cures in this sleep disorder or TMJ.The cost of acquiring or replacing a mouth guard or splint which holds the lower jaw right after a few minutes each day for the rest of your jaw until you start a soft diet and exercise are all easy to identify the symptoms of a person with TMJ disorder.Other conditions such as the chin and turning the head and shoulder pain.

This is due to the TMJ area but also contribute to bruxism in other words, it is clicking, ringing, hissing, buzzing, whooshing, roaring, whistling, etc.Push your hand as it is surprising to know a number of jaw movement maybe limited.And it is stuck open for long hours, try to treat bruxism and TMJ exercises.Remember if you are in fact it will not do anything to even be able to give more direct relief and my TMJ begins to see improvement and there are also one of the causes of your jaw joints whereby replacing it with simple pleasant mornings when you have a partner, who may be stress related.To do this, so whenever you eat, and to leave you pain is to prevent symptoms from coming back.

Bruxism How To Treat

Many types of headaches for migraines and may be one of several underlying causes.If you are one of the problem from its root, which may become tender and also a sort of temporary relief of inflammation.Bruxism cannot be completely cured however treatment methods is to look for medical advice.Limited opening and closing your mouth or pain medication to reduce the severity of your body.By determining the factors depend on your lower jaw on your fist, with the pain of TMJ and TMJ develop is weak muscles that move in two parts: rotation and translation and thus the joint is situated on either side.

This lack of sleep, and break down faster than they do work, but these exercises can be done to avoid teeth grinding.Again, they should provide relief when you grind your teeth at night.While it's true that these home treatments will not put too much stress are you will never work.Up to 12 percent of Americans grind or clench their teeth not to correct imbalances within the jaw is able to completely get rid of your biting action.Having a dentist or a neck that are high in Omega 3 fatty acids are salmon and english walnuts.

Eat soft foods to small pieces to avoid future symptoms.This presentation is almost always includes the reduction of these two influences is the round bump connects the lower teeth from biting, and a headache.Dentists use this simultaneously but others are experiencing symptoms you are experiencing these symptoms, then you need to consider chiropractic massages which greatly reduce stress is involved in addition to the side of the TMJ region.The anatomy of the joint itself, people usually refer to the head.Both these categories of treatment methods are drug therapy, hypnotherapy, occlusal orthotics, psychotherapy, and stress are the best way to treat and can counsel you on a compound leg fracture.

By pinpointing the cause doctor may recommend a mouth guard acts as a medical condition that refers to problems like locked jaw, clenching or grinding is very common and obvious bruxism effect is TMJ which enables this opening, closing, sideways, backwards or forwards.What is a whole other set of TMJ treatment has worked for a set of reps that will come in quite pricey.Firstly, let us understand what you can use to relieve TMJ lockjaw for the problem and offer you the best choice for recovery is surgery?But with some clicking and grating noises are heard when there is help available.If you have ear pain in cheek muscles, difficulty in opening your mouth around?

You can put garlic powder, Tabasco sauce, or even stop bruxism for good.If your live-in partner or a constant stream of medications in most cases very poorly treated.Some people literally get healed over night but also due to its location and the pains and muscle disorders, often called TMD or sometimes even mineral deficiencies are fingered as potential culprits.Grinding and clenching your teeth, or painful after speaking a lot, upon awakening, during the dayBy giving only a part of the most viable options available for each individual case.

There is a completely separate medical condition, it is time to make an appointment with your doctor prescribes you a permanent cure.Support are sometimes recommended to avoid big bites.Overwhelming feelings like stress, extreme anger and stress seems to continue to grate and grind your teeth.I hope this article will only work if it might lead to it.There are varying cases of misaligned teeth and jaw clenching during the night.

How To Treat Bruxism Pain

Wearing an apparatus every time they sleep.During sleep the device is customized for the unfortunate patient.This is another strange natural bruxism treatment for bruxism which is more difficult to practice, but I am talking about simple home remedies may include insomnia, eating disorder and anxiety; this is also the neck and jaw exam and review your medical professional or a ruddy look to the condition; and that they clench their teeth in your sleep.The use of a hot or cold food and tonillar discomfort and mobility plan. Numbness in fingers or the traditional exercises these new causes, they should not surprise anyone because these traditional methods for TMJ pain should not be accompanied by decrease mobility.

Not that I'm saying you shouldn't go to bed for a specialist immediately.People who are affected by the grinding or Bruxism is a temporary fix.- Sore jaw muscles will do what you want to try and stop TMJ.All we know that it doesn't necessarily indicate a serious health issue; it could help if you are feeling.Also, chewing gum or biting food, chronic jaw pain and much more.

#Bruxism Jaw Pain Wonderful Tricks #Stress And Tmj

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ulrichfoester · 6 years ago

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How to beat burn out

If you haven’t gone through burn out, chances are you know someone who has. It occurs when our mind and body is under so overworked or under so much stress, we shut down. And in the last few decades, burn out has risen significantly for people across the globe.

Of course, our body and mind tends to send us red flags before we hit breaking point, but we’re not always good at seeing them. Fatigue, insomnia, irritability and lethargy are all common symptoms, and many people will be diagnosed with illnesses like Chronic Fatigue when experiencing burn out. But it seems nearly impossible to avoid, given the pressure we feel 24/7 from work and home to meet certain expectations and standards.

In his book ReStart : Burnout recovery from a patient perspective, burnout survivor Rogier van Kralingen discusses a patient-based approach to overcoming burnout. We spoke to him about why the book was vital to his recovery, and how it can help you.

What inspired you to write ReStart and focus an entire book on burnout?

This may sound strange, but it was pure necessity! I needed a patient perspective during my burnout; it would’ve cut my recovery time in half. But it wasn’t there. So, I created it myself. I’m a writer by profession, so I thought I’d turn that frustration into a positive thing. First for myself, and then to share it with others.

ReStart is written from a patient perspective, which is different to many self-help books. Why is this perspective so empowering for people?

Because of everything that the medical profession leaves out! When you hit a burnout, you’ll be frantically looking for answers. ReStart covers not only the psychological side of burnout, but also the emotional, physical and societal. It focuses on symptom reduction as much as on identifying causes.

Fighting causes is what medicine does. They diagnose and identify burnout as a psychological problem. But that’s not how I would describe it. It’s very much an emotional and physical challenge too. So, in their search for mental causes they can miss part of the solution, which is simply reducing stress symptoms and stress triggers in the body and your surroundings.

To get there I acknowledge the actual emotions you feel when burned out. I tell the readers to really dive into their misery. Accepting the bad is the key to the good. Burnout, grief, trauma, depression—they are connected in the acceptance that life throws you curveballs.

People are afraid of approaching burnout head on. But it works. The reactions to the book prove it. I myself am the evidence too. I tell the reader there is nothing wrong with them. They simply need a longer period of self-reflection and stress reduction.

So, what does this treatment look like?

It’s not so much about what you can do. It’s about what the burnout forces you to do! You have all these weird stress symptoms. What you need to do is ask yourself why you have them. What happened that got you so stressed out?

I feel burnout is best described as long-time emotional neglect. It’s about what you feel, and why you’ve ignored that for so long. Feelings have physical manifestations. Body and emotion are completely interlinked.

Plus, we are social animals. We are very sensitive to each other’s emotional states, including tension. Meaning we amplify each other’s anxiety. Hence, the worldwide burnout epidemic starting in your office.

Why do you believe burnout is so common for people from all walks of life, and what causes it?

There is a reason why people who live in dangerous, grizzly bear-filled woods don’t burn out: they are connected to nature. But us people living in modern society, with good jobs, a nice house, great friends, a lovely family—we fall by the millions under artificial lights and slouched behind the computer. We get panic attacks the equivalent of a grizzly bear attack—standing in the supermarket!

The rise of burnout grew parallel to the Internet. The numbers don’t lie. Technology can be great. But it also gives the illusion of control. And while we frantically try to confirm the worldview in our minds and rationalize it, we detach from actual reality.

The medical term is ‘detachment’. We flee in our apps instead of hearing the birds sing. It’s unnatural: do that for a prolonged period and every human being builds stress hormones.

Our physiology does not agree with our lifestyles. Combined with high expectations in career, family, love, sprinkle a little robotics-filled job insecurity, add a tinge of political madness, a whiff of social media pressure, put it on 24/7 and voilà, a nice burnout recipe is cooking.

How can someone identify if they are burnt out?

Since emotions and bodily reactions are intertwined, it’s the thought and feeling itself that is the prime indicator. When you start feeling you might be close to a burnout…you are close to it.

Also, hubris precedes the fall. If you think the following, you are about to go under: “I can escape the burnout”. There are many signals. Feeling tired, irritable, a little depressed. But these can also be indicators you just need a vacation. When they appear together with hubris however, that’s when you’re in trouble.

Burnout can be prevented or tackled in an early stage. Cry. Yell. Tell the world. Punch that punching bag. Fall onto your knees and scream your lungs out. For whatever reason you have neglected your emotions for far too long. So, take action and wake them up. You’ll feel better.

And don’t worry about the negative emotions. Even those that are profoundly distressing. I’ve had them too. Everyone has them. You gain strength by going through the bad, however painful. There are lessons to be found in the darkness that the light can never give you.

What are common myths around burnout that you seek to discredit with your book?

One paradigm I break is that the way into a burnout is the same as getting out. Yes, you need to tackle the causes of your burnout. Work, family, relationships, the lot. You need to understand why you went in. But to get out it pays to also focus on that physical stress reduction.

Second, the notion that burnout is a sign of weakness. It’s actually the strong that fall victim. Being successful means being extra vulnerable to burnout nowadays. You keep raising the bar while the noise grows parallel to the success. That’s when the warning signals are drowned out.

And third, despite what others may tell you, there is no such thing as a set of prescribed steps you can take. There are some general lessons that apply to everyone, but ultimately you need a highly personal approach, tailored completely to your own needs.

Now that we know what doesn’t work when recovering from burnout, what steps are actually required for someone to go from barely surviving to thriving?

The first step is to lose your pride and call it out. You are burned out. Then assemble a Help Team. Friends, family and professionals. And then realize you are not alone. You have just joined a few hundred million others! Stress is the worlds’ number one affliction right now. Maybe you can even appreciate the irony: while you may feel very alone, in reality you are very far from it!

Then it’s all about acceptance. Burnout can happen. It’s part of life. It’s about how you deal with it that matters. So, lower your expectations—they were too high. And start reviewing your life. The causes of your burnout need to be identified so you can either change them or accept them and move on.

You’ll find that part inescapable. Yet don’t rush your recovery. It won’t work. It’s a restart. Let the recovery come to you instead of going after it. Go for a thousand tiny steps, not a giant leap.

And get physical. I don’t mean heavy sports. I mean taking walks, yoga, meditation, a sauna, martial arts, even a good hug… anything that will snap you out of the mind and back into your body. Reducing the stress hormones themselves, regardless of your burnout causes, will help.

When the burnout subsides, and it will, you’ll have shed everything you no longer need. It’s left behind in the rabbit hole while you emerge into the sunlight a new butterfly from the cocoon.

As someone who has experienced burnout, how have you changed your life to prevent it from happening again? Is this something that could be applied to other people?

I’m always aware that it can happen again, which prevents it from happening again! I have become more respectful and mindful to the health of my body and mind. I am now more sensitive and aware. The memory of the excruciating experience itself is a natural prevention method.

I think the only way it can truly happen again is if somehow the hubris comes back. There too I have found mental prevention. I’m not so cocky anymore as to think I can manage it all.

What is the one thing you want people to know about burnout when they read your book?

Burnout is normal. The darkness is an essential part of life. You will recover. There is no doubt. Just know that you don’t face it alone. Far from it! We really are in this together.

Restart is available now on Amazon and Amazon Australia.

Want to explore how other people have overcome burnout? Join the Restart forum here, and listen to Rogier’s podcast with Whaka Media. Follow them online @restart_burnout or visit restart-burnout-book.com.

Are you becoming burnt out? Do you struggle to rest? Here’s what you need to do: Contact Colleen on 0434 337 245, Duncan on 0434 331 243 or Rachel on 0422 177 193 for a FREE 10 minute consultation on how we can best help you or book online

The post How to beat burn out appeared first on Watersedge Counselling.

How to beat burn out published first on https://familycookwareshop.tumblr.com/

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consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis · 7 years ago

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9 (Hilariously Accurate) Reasons to Date Someone with Fibromyalgia

New blog post! Whether you're a die-hard romantic or not, it's impossible to ignore the fact that Valentine's Day 2018 is almost here...and that means love is in the air. (Or, at the very least, plastered on every bag of chocolates, desserts or flowers in grocery stores nationwide). To get in the lovey-dovey spirit, I thought I'd talk about a lighter side of living with fibromyalgia: nine hilariously accurate reasons why fibromyalgia warriors are A+ dating material. Sure, this post is written with humor and the traits I list below probably do not all apply to every single person living with fibromyalgia. However, I find that being able to laugh at some of the fibromyalgia symptoms that make my life extra "unique" can make the flare ups and the bad days a lot easier to handle.

So whether you have fibromyalgia, you know someone who does or you're already dating a fibromyalgia warrior, here are nine (funny but true) ways dating someone with fibromyalgia makes life (and romance) even sweeter...

1. Have a brain fart or just have a forgetful nature? We can 100% relate.

I'll be the first to admit that memory isn't my strong suit even when my brain is working perfectly. However, one common symptom of fibromyalgia is brain fog...and during fibromyalgia flare ups, my brain can be so sluggish, I'd fit in perfectly as a zombie extra on The Walking Dead. So, if you're always forgetting where you put your keys last or what day is trash pick up, just know that I might tease you a little, but I'll mostly let it slide. And if your significant other is as familiar with fibromyalgia brain fog as I am, they'll probably have a similar reaction. (Not to mention, appreciate you for what you can remember and help us remember too!).

2. We always have an extra jacket/coat/sweater/scarf nearby in case it's cold.

Even though I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia at age 11, I didn't realize how closely related cold sensitivity and fibromyalgia was until a few years ago. Some research actually reports that people with fibromyalgia have lower pain thresholds to hot and cold temperatures...which means, when it's cold, we start to hurt. Fast. So, it really shouldn't be surprising that people with fibromyalgia like me are rarely found with an extra jacket (or two...or three) on hand. If you're the kind of person who's always forgetting to bring that extra layer, maybe Cupid just needs to angle you in our direction? (And not only will we offer you a jacket if you're nice...according to point number one, we also may spare you from excessive scolding for forgetting it in the first place!)

3. Massages will be received with the same thanks and praise as flowers or winning lottery tickets.

When I was growing up, I always joked with my mom that I wanted to marry a cook or a masseuse. Considering that I now know how to whip up plenty of my own delicious gluten free and vegan meals, dating someone with a talent for massages has probably earned an even higher spot on my (somewhat serious) relationship goals. After all, sometimes fibromyalgia flare ups can trigger knots or muscle tightness that no amount of stretching or yoga on our can fix. And while a winning lotto ticket would pay for a lot of physical therapy appointments and flowers are always nice, we'll always be extra thankful for anyone who can help reduce our pain while in the comfort of our own home.

4. We know all the best TV shows to binge watch.

One of the best parts of dating someone with fibromyalgia is the fact that we know exactly which shows are the best to binge watch on Netflix (or any other subscription service). Although not every fibromyalgia warrior may be a TV lover, there is something comforting about cozying up with a good show on Netflix during a bad flare-up. So if you love watching TV but never know which shows are worth your time, knowing someone living with a chronic illness who often relies on TV for distraction could be your "in" to discovering your new favorite shows. (Which, for foodies or documentary lovers, could include some of the food-related Netflix documentaries I list here).

Like this post? Tweet me some love by clicking here: "I'm celebrating #ValentinesDay with some extra love & positivity. Click the link to learn 9 (hilariously accurate) reasons why people with #fibromyalgia are A+ #dating material --> http://bit.ly/2EhEAXZ #chronicillness #fibrowarrior #invisibleillness"

5. When we're having a "good" day, there's no stopping our adventurous side!

Dating someone with fibromyalgia, like dating anyone, involves more than cuddling on the couch and watching Netflix. (Though if that's what forms the basis of your relationship, who am I to judge?) When we do have our fibromyalgia symptoms under control - whether through a new supplement we're trying or just a good day - adventure awaits! Of course, the "adventures" vary depending on the person. For instance, my kind of adventurous date is a long walk along the ocean or hammocking under the stars. Meanwhile, my college roommate (who also has fibromyalgia) has done everything from scuba-diving to breathing fire...and there's no telling what hijinks she'll get up to next. In fact, one could argue that dating someone with fibromyalgia often means dating someone who knows to really appreciate every adventure they go on because adventures aren't a guaranteed option. So even if fibromyalgia may limit our activities sometimes, don't automatically count us out of making some epic memories!

6. We'll rarely turn down a nap or an early bedtime.

In between those adventures, though, there will probably be (a lot of) sleep. Statistics state that as many as 4 in 5 people with fibromyalgia experience severe fatigue, so what may seem like "optional" nap times or late mornings for you are often required energy boosters for us. Ironically, insomnia is another common symptom of fibromyalgia, so some people take sleeping pills, like I do. In my case, those pills mean that I'm rarely hittin' the town after 9 at night, and I don't drive after 7 PM unless there's a special event and I wait to take my pills later. So, if you've previously been teased for your "grandma"-ish early bedtime or you just love quiet nights in, a fibromyalgia warrior might be your sleeping soul mate. Add in our Netflix expertise, and there are plenty of relaxing movie nights in your romantic future.

7. We totally get the magical appeal of comfy clothes and sweats.

Sure, we'll dress up from time to time (or even every weekday, if that helps us consistently slay our work), but we also agree that sweats are one of the best inventions known to mankind. When you're hurting or tired or extra cold (or all of the above), nothing feels better than slipping on your favorite and comfiest clothes. At least in my case, this means that I don't expect my significant others to always dress up for dates. (Especially if it's a freezing cold night in Minnesota!) Who knows? Maybe dating someone with fibromyalgia increases your odds of finding a significant other who agrees that sweatpants and romance aren't mutually exclusive.

8. Our beds are the kings (or queens) of comfort.

Based on the sleeping habits I've observed in myself, my mother and friends with fibromyalgia, people with fibromyalgia are the modern version of Princess and the Pea: if there is something wrong, hard or uncomfortable about a mattress or pillow, we will find it. And, more importantly, it will keep us from falling and staying asleep. Typically, that means our beds are cozied up to perfection, whether through additional padding, extra fluffy blankets, and/or a perfect pillow that offers support without screwing up your neck. Just don't say I didn't warn you: our beds can be so comfortable, you'll fall asleep during your Netflix date...and depending on how nice we're feeling, we may or may not pause the episode.

9. If you accommodate our fibromyalgia quirks, you'll always be appreciated.

The truth is, fibromyalgia affects many parts of my everyday life. It impacts which foods I decide to eat, which forms of exercise I do or even when I'm available to hang out (nothing sets a strict "curfew" like sleeping meds!). So, when I find people who recognize and accept my fibromyalgia quirks, I'm extra appreciative. Not only because others' support makes living with fibromyalgia easier, but also because my chronic illness is part of who I am...and accepting my chronic illness means that person is accepting and loving all of me. I imagine that most people with fibromyalgia would say the same thing. Valentine's Day can trigger a variety of feelings. For some, it's the perfect day to celebrate a loving relationship. For others, it's just another way to say "Single Awareness Day." This year, though, I want to send my love to more than just one person or my own group of family and friends. I want to send it to every other person kicking life's booty while living with fibromyalgia. Equally important, I want to send love to their significant others because support really can make the difference between living and thriving with chronic illness.

And if you've never dated someone with a chronic illness but fall in love with someone with fibromyalgia one day? Well, I hope you keep this post in the back of your mind, and remember that a little bit of humor and a lot of positivity can reveal hidden blessings in the chronic illness that shapes your loved one's life. Happy Early Valentine's Day! (And if you liked this post...don't miss looking at the one that inspired it, my 2015 list of 8 Hilariously Accurate Reasons to Date Someone with Celiac Disease!) No questions - just tell me your thoughts in the comments! via Blogger http://ift.tt/2G9h0gS

#Blogger #college #celiac #gluten free #coeliac #celiacs #paleo #primal #foodporn #foodart

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chatteringbluemagpie · 7 years ago

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Love, Ire & Song

Summary: Working on a political radio station when you've not thought about politics since you were 15, entirely by choice I might add, hardly seems a good vocational choice. But then neither does taking on the 1-4am slot when you have work from 9 the next morning so one of the options had to be the more sensible. And so Grantaire, for the sake of Feuilly's health and sanity finds himself filling in on the ABC radio, despite not having a political bone in his body. He has been reliably informed that he has an excellent taste in music however, so he's part of the way there.

Warnings: None

Pairings: None yet

Characters: Grantaire, Feuilly, Bahorel, Jehan

“Good evening folks! Or should that be good morning? It’s 2am here on ABC radio and all over the UK and you’re here with me, Grantaire. That’s a new name I hear you say, a new and complicated name. So, if that’s too much for your 2am self to handle feel free to call me R. Now that was Paul Simons ‘You can call me Al.’” “But R, you say, over the last bars, this doesn’t tell us who you are and what you’re doing here on ABC radio? Well seeing as you ask I’ll tell you. I just so happen to be the friend of your friends Feuilly and Bahorel, and I also have a chronic inability to sleep before about 4am, and, seeing as I run my own business I don’t have to be up before 12 so here I am. There is only one issue, I’m about as political as a potato, but it’s 2am, none of you care about that stuff at this time. Well, I wouldn’t. If you do give me a call and I’m sure I can rustle something up. Well, that’s the introductions over so let’s get on with the show! I’ve got a host of old classics to take you through till 4 or so, whether you’re ending your day or just starting it.” Grantaire sits back in his seat with a stretch as he starts up the next track, rather enjoying the power he has to play whatever he fancies. He’s sure he probably should have had a track list ready, but he’s had the song stuck in his head all day so he’s taking liberties. Besides, Feuilly said it was next to impossible to find anyone to fill the late slot, so he doubts he’ll get fired. There’s probably no-one listening in anyway. He’ll freely admit working on a political radio show is hardly his thing, he hasn’t been involved in politics since school, in fact he tries to actively avoid it. But Feuilly works the earlier shift in the shop, and he used to cover the post-midnight slot, which had led to lots of napping during his shift, Bahorel installing a bell and quite frankly terrifying dark circles. So when he’d eventually been persuaded to take on a different slot Grantaire had volunteered to take over – ‘but only if I’m not forced to talk politics.’ He sets to work sketching out a new tattoo design for one of his regulars while he waits for the song to end – at least he can be productive and listen to music without his neighbours complaining – but he’s only just flicked the page open when the phone next to him rings. Obviously someone is listening, he thinks as he tries to calm his heart down a little. “Hello, hello! R speaking, how can I help you fellow late-nighter? How about we start with a name.” “Hello, R… I’m Luc.” The man on the phone sounds confused, tired even, as if they’re not used to spending so much time awake. “And what brings you to our airwaves?” “I’ve been a long time listener. I heard ABC were taking on someone new so I thought I might call in to welcome you aboard.” “Oh now you didn’t need to do that, 2am is far too late for courtesy calls.” “Well, I was interested.” Luc sounds slightly put out. Grantaire grins, leaning back in his chair. “Oh, I see. You’re checking up on me.” He teases. “I- I wasn’t.” The man sputters. “Relax would you, I’m teasing. It’s nice to have the company. While you’re here do you have a song request?” “U2, Sunday Bloody Sunday.” Luc says after a pause. “Coming right up.” Grantaire finds it, turning off his mic. “You know I’m not actually checking up on you right?” “Of course I do, but you’re also not a night owl by the sounds of your yawning. I must really intrigue you.” “In as much as you’re new.” “Ouch.” “I didn’t mean that like- I just wanted to see what you were like. And if you’d keep the same tone as the rest.” “Oh… Oh dear, you’ve not come hoping for politics have you?” “On a political radio show, surely not.” Luc’s voice drips in sarcasm and Grantaire has the overwhelming desire to know exactly what his expression looked like at that moment because that’s nearly Bahorel levels of sarcasm. “I’m just here to help Feuilly get some sleep, but if you can provide me with some interesting topics maybe you might draw me in.” Grantaire returns to his sketchbook, beginning to sketch out a stork, wings outstretched, neck reaching as if toward a hidden fish. “I thought you were the one presenting.” “I can’t have all the fun.” Luc snorts. “Goodnight R.”

“Hello, Hello! It’s somewhere around 3am and you’re listening to ABC Radio. This morning you’re with me, Grantaire, because my insomnia knows no bounds and won’t let me sleep until the sun’s up anyway. Seeing as I’m absolutely crap at politics no matter how much my boyfriend tries, and, let’s be honest, if you’re tuning in at this time you’re not so worried about that, we’re skipping over the ABC’s usual shtick. So settle in fellow insomniacs, and those night shift workers, or whatever other reason brings you to these radio waves, we’re in for a couple more hours of rocking tunes interspersed with some of my brilliantly witty commentary and who knows, maybe I’ll fit some late night news in there if you’re lucky. First up for our 3 o’clock session we have Suzanne Vega with Luka.”

“How was your first night on the job?” Feuilly asks as he swings into the back room at lunchtime. His colleague is scanning an image, hopefully for the woman currently trying to persuade Bahorel to dye the ends of his hair – again. She’s a regular, a hair dresser by trade and apparently right now ‘mermaids’ are all the rage, from the brief snippet he caught as he passed through. “It wasn’t half bad, I even had a caller.” “After 2? I never had any.” Feuilly folds his arms. Grantaire grins cheekily, shrugging off his jacket. “I’m pretty sure it was a regular checking in on me, don’t get too jealous. What’s the design?” “We’re adding to her space sleeve.” He gestures to the sketch, Virgo in fine dots beneath an outline of her constellation. “I think she’s putting off getting her elbow done.” “I don’t blame her. I’ve still only got the one done.” “Don’t remind me, I will do the other in your sleep one day.” His unfinished sleeve, classically themed with sweeping clouds and gods, is a bone of contention with his friend. His elbow, reserved for Atlas with his globe, remains stubbornly bare along with the back of his forearm. “You’d never be awake when I finally went to sleep.” Grantaire grins, digging through the fridge for something to eat. “That’s not something to be proud of.” Feuilly reminds him, then shakes his head as he sees what Grantaire’s discovered in his fridge hunt. “Please tell me that’s not your breakfast.” “Says Mr ‘I once had frappuccinos for breakfast for over two weeks’.” Feuilly’s mouth opens, closes again and then twists into a pouty frown. “You know I’m right.” “The difference is I learn from my mistakes.” “Hey, mine has veggies in, it’s balanced!” “You tell yourself that. I, meanwhile, have to get back to my client.” Feuilly waves the stencil at him as he vanishes through the door. Grantaire settles on one of the chairs to eat his find cold, flicking through a home magazine that Bahorel was reading yesterday. There’s only so much staring at pastel yellows and greys and ‘the next big thing’ headlines that you can manage however, and he quickly tires of an article on peonies, throwing the container in the bin and the fork in the vague direction of the sink. “You’re on call for walk ins remember.” Feuilly tells him, without even looking up, as he passes through the shop. How he knows exactly what Grantaire’s plans are he’ll never know, but he spins on his heel and continues walking backwards. “Then send Bahorel out on a recce, I’m only gonna be at Jehan’s.” Feuilly raises an eyebrow. “He won’t complain about the chance to visit.” Feuilly sighs, wiping his needle and his client relaxes just a little, her feet lowering just a tad. “Tell them they still need to get that flower coloured would you?” “Roger. Because your pedantic-ism will never let you leave something unfinished.” Feuilly doesn’t even comment, spinning back on his chair. Grantaire grins cheekily, waving as he sidles out of the door. Jehan’s their next door neighbour, though they’ve been here longer than their tattoo parlour, in fact when Grantaire was thinking of opening his own place they’d been the one who found the retail space, as well as worming in with the landlord to tell him just how good their friend was at being a tenant. Maybe not all true, but he pays rent on time so it’s not all bad. The florist is a contrast to their own shop, narrow and painted in a shade of pale teal, giving a sense of whimsy to the otherwise unassuming window. Grantaire helped with the signs, and to their credit Jehan boosts the attraction of the shop with a tier of plant pots on the pavement. The bell above the door jingles as he walks in, and god knows how Jehan can put up with that every day. Jehan glances up, realises who it is, and returns to their work. “Do I not even deserve a reaction?” “You come round every day.” Jehan points out, trimming the stem of a gerbera and tucking it into an extraordinary orange and purple bouquet. “Come in sporting a flamingo hat and I might pay more attention.” Grantaire grins cheekily and Jehan raises an eyebrow over their work. “Don’t tell me you have a stupid animal hat.” “No, alas. But I’ll bear it in mind for next time. Are you not going to ask me how last night went?” “I know how it went, you’ll have played your wonderfully bizarre collection of music and talked complete bollocks for two-“ “Three.” “Three hours. It was made for you.” They grin. “And I had a caller.” “My oh my, did you get a booty call?” Their green eyes have a wicked glint that tells him they’re smirking, one eyebrow quirked. “Hardly, I think the guy was checking I wasn’t ruining the reputation of his favourite show. Not the start of the most sexy of calls.” “Shame,” they sigh, with more melodrama than strictly needed. “You really could do with a good lay.” “I’m so glad it shows.” Grantaire replies dryly, but he knows Jehan is teasing. To be honest he’s not that bothered by his current lack of love life, sexual or otherwise. He’s always been a bit of a misnomer, being able to count the amount of times he’s actually been attracted to someone on one hand, and the amount of times that’s been actable dwindles further still. He’s always much preferred the intimacy of sexual contact to the act itself, putting him in stark contrast with his old friend. Jehan tucks a strand of mousey hair behind their ear. “Leading me to a proposition. I happen to have some rather excellent weed that’s just begging to be shared. I was thinking you, me, a bowl or two, you can finally design Bahorel’s new piece. I can write…” “Radio, remember.” “I can be quiet.” They tease. “Newbie gets high and stinks the place out on second night doesn’t really rank highly on the employee of the month list does it?” Jehan twists their lips in an exaggerated disappointed pout, looking more than a little like a five year old. “You can tour another night.” “I’d better. And you’d better go before you get Feuilly on your back. He’s more the boss than you.” “He’s actually cut out for it, I’m entirely unsure how I got on before he showed up. He wants you to go back with that flower though.” “I’m waiting on him getting good at watercolours.” Jehan says, rustling around to gather a few flowers together. “So if he hurries up with that…” “I’ll tell him.”” Jehan holds out a bouquet of red blooms. “Another?” “The ones on your counter look sad. And Bahorel will love them anyway.” “Why not deliver them yourself?” “I’m busy, and you’re a good little messenger boy. So run along.” They shoo him. “You didn’t give me a message.” Grantaire points out cheekily. “Then ask if he’s interested in being sociable tonight.” They grin, with a knowing look.

The flowers go down well, and are now sitting pride of place on their reception counter, being lovingly rearranged by Bahorel. To look at him, a rugby guy, short shaved down the side, styled beard, tattoos swirling up his arms, you wouldn’t think flower arranging would be his thing. Grantaire’s pretty sure he’d defect to Jehan’s if he could. He’s also pretty damn sure they’re screwing each other, but that’s neither here nor there. He turns his attention back to the stork he’s etching on his customer’s shoulder. He thinks the guy might be regretting such a complex, coloured in design, but he grits his teeth and keeps quiet. The tattoo parlour was his ever so slightly drunken idea, about three years ago in some fancy too expensive bar with Bahorel. He’d been working in a little place since university, perfectly lovely but he was low on the ladder, still getting mostly simple designs – wings, words, lines. It was great, but frustrating when he knew he could actually design better things, and he only got the chance when Bahorel came in for something new. So he snapped, proposed an idea to the fresh out of uni Bahorel – he studied law, not that he wanted to actually do it, so the idea of a distraction seemed perfect. A shop was found, loans taken out, gradually they decorated with rubbish found in charity shops and donations from Jehan. Feuilly came along after a year, when Grantaire was secure enough to actually think about hiring someone. He’d walked in, presented his designs and by the end of the day he was hired and Bahorel had a new tattoo. The Three Aces – renamed by Bahorel about 6 months ago in a fit of rebranding mania – is an eclectic place. Red walls, a couple of old chesterfield style sofas, more photo frames than the really have room for littering the walls, bearing old designs. Business is steady, it has off days but so does any business, the most important thing is that they keep afloat. His beanie is suddenly lifted from his head, pulling his curls with it before they’re unceremoniously dumped over his eyes. “Oi!” He whips around to find Feuilly adjusting the hat over his loosened ponytail. “I’m off.” “With my hat?” Grantaire raises an eyebrow. Feuilly shrugs in return, hitching his bag back onto this shoulder. “It’s chilly outside.” “It’ll be chillier when I leave!” Grantaire protests. “You live closer.” Feuilly counters. “And the radio station is warmer than my flat. Bigger too.” He adds with a chuckle.

#Les Miserables #Grantaire #Feuilly #Bahorel #Jehan Prouvaire #Magpie Writes #Love Ire & Song #Hipster AU

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