Musings for the New Year.....perhaps meaningless.........

[Guest guest]

For what it's worth.........ne's talk about us being " mental " brought

some thoughts to mind.............thoughts that many will consider corny, I

know.............

I have always been very interested in the powers of the mind........and this

is something I believe in more than any other form of therapy......(not

including out and out pure life-saving medication)...science rules.........in

my book.

This is the decade of the brain, and I understand that we have not even begun

to tap the powers of this wonderful internal computer that we all possess.

I personally, do not believe that concentration or

boredom...stress......whatever.....are actions that either benefit or detract

from RLS alone. We can't consider ourselves emotionally " challenged " because

we depend on these crutches. I see these things as effecting EVERYTHING we

do.....EVERY problem we have........EVERY disorder......

We don't ALL ....ALWAYS have the power to utilize this strength that we

possess. Sometimes it ebbs and flows within us.......sometimes we need

special education. I have seen the miracles that biofeedback can

perform.......not just hooking yourself up to electrodes, a panacea many will

try to sell you to line their own pockets.......but true biofeedback with a

trained, competent instructor, working over a long period of time. We can

learn to regulate our heartbeat, our blood pressure, and even change the

temperature in our hands. My cousin had the most horrific, disabling tension

headaches that were finally brought under control with this process. Learning

to meditate is truly a worthwhile endeavor.

I will attempt to get to the point of all of this without writing a book and

losing you in the process.

What I plan to do and recommend to all.....is to sit down on a day when you

feel reasonably decent, and plan for the bad times. List all of the things

that interest you... intrigue you... satisfy you.... soothe you...frustrate

you.......drive you batty!!!..........And when the chips are down......just go

from one thing to the other.

Play your computer games......surf the net........listen to music........read

a book........groom your houseplants.......look outside your window....nature

is the best tranquilizer... ..shoot some pool.......build a

model..........work a puzzle.........do some craft work..........clean out a

drawer.......whip up a batch of pasta, cookies, veggies......bake some

bread....(yes, YOU!).....plan your garden.......start some

seeds.........exercise......paint a room.......play the piano........do some

laundry........drop a note to someone less fortunate...............and yes,

Jill......suck on a lollipop............

This is nothing new, and I am not pretending to have invented distraction or

occupational therapy. I am just reminding us all......myself

included.......to put it into use. It can be kind of like that Jello, left

sitting on the shelf..........you've got to MAKE it to enjoy it! When we are

feeling sorry for ourselves, we need to sit down and count our

Blessings..............to adopt the Serenity Prayer.........to accept the

things we cannot change...........have the courage to change the things we

can...............and of course, have the wisdom to know the difference.

I'm coming out of a really bad cold and many sleepless nights. I need some

inspiration. And I need it to be planned and ready for me to do, because if I

wait until I need it, I may not have the strength to even think of it.

So........as they said in that old song........ " You've got to accentuate the

positive.................eliminate the negative.........................latch

on to the affirmative........................and don't mess with Mr. In-

Between...... "

God Bless us All..........

Connie