One Day At A Time

Last week I was feeling majorly stressed out. There was stuff going on with friends, family, work, self, and it was all piling up. I spent a nightmare-induced evening that led to a painful cold sore the next morning. I realized I have to start letting things go and start working on stress reduction. You do not really know either how dangerous or damaging stress is until it directly affects your health or you educate yourself on the risks of unmanaged stress. Who knew stress could lead to advanced aging and disease? Why are we stressed out? How can you both prevent and treat stress without a prescribed pill? These questions have me searching for answers. I watched a documentary on stress that showed how baboons that live a stressful life die earlier than those with less stress do. Research shows that humans affected by stress suffer from heart disease, hypertension, anxiety, digestive disorders, and the list goes on. As I learn more about stress and how to fight it naturally, I wan

Not many people know what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is. PTSD is a mental health problem that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. Assault (rape), a traumatic accident, combat, and other traumatic events can cause a person to experience nightmares about the event, lead a person to avoid situations or stimuli that remind them of the event, create a guard or watchful sense. It can also cause a person to experience a numb or detached feeling.If left undiagnosed or untreated PTSD can lead to depression, substance abuse, and suicide. Early treatment can make a big difference. Therapy and medication can help a PTSD sufferer cope with their symptoms and enjoy better mental health and a happier life. Those of us who deal with PTSD in our lives know that PTSD is not instantly cured or fixed. You learn what it is and adjust to life accordingly. June 27, 2012 is National PTSD Awareness Month. I urge everyone to visit http://www.ptsd.va.gov/ or http://www.ptsdinfo.org

Our family has moved quite a bit over the years. Military moves and around town moves. Moves to be with family. We are looking to move one last time. House hunting is a mixture of excitement and frustration. I have been told by my wonderful husband that I am by far too picky, but a house is more than a structure to store your things and provide shelter. A house becomes your home. It is the place where you feel safe and comforted. It is the place where family memories are made. My family and I looked at a sweet little house that has been through the mill. The carpets look like used napkins and the interior doors have been used for soccer practice. I stopped to think what if this little house is looking for a new owner. Someone to love it and care for it as it deserves. Someone to patch up its boo-boos and breath fresh life into it. This thought makes me a little sad. If a house could talk what would it say? My previous owners took me for granted. They did little to notice I was even

I will never forget when my doctor told me that I am considered obese. I knew I was overweight, but obese is such an ugly word. More Americans (adults, teens, and children) are overweight than ever before. I am often shocked to see pre-teens that are carrying more weight on their bodies than I am. I did not have problems with my weight until I became a teen. Around age 14-15, my weight seemed to explode overnight. School photos show a dramatic change in my face. I had chubby cheeks. My weight gain seemed to happen so quickly that no one said hey put that second serving down. Matter of fact my dad was my food friend. We ate together because it was enjoyable. My sister and mother were tiny, with petite frames, while I was 182, 5’6, and a size 16. I lost weight my junior year and joined the army at 17. Then I really lost weight. At my smallest, I was 128lbs and a size 8. That may not seem small to some, but after I met my husband and had our daughter, wow did the weight come back and