Power Up Your Positive Emotions. Here's How!

B'SD

29 Shvat, 5778

A positive mindset is critical for anyone's health.

I completely appreciate the frustration, pain and efforts that anyone must invest in developing that attitude as life hits us with an onslaught of problems and unexpected complications. 

No, I'm not in some ivory tower. I have felt problems and unexpected complications, even heartache, too. I made firm, repeated decisions to overcome them. According to the people around me, that focus seems to have paid off.

If you need a reminder of how to promote a sense of optimism No Matter What, please read the thought-provoking, inspirational, and sometimes Laugh Out Loud content in doctor-recommended

Need some instant inspiration? This might help.

Ponder those thoughts awhile. They're powerful, with a potential for endless healing.

Need something else to motivate your emotional strength progress? Seek it out.




Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your soul with happiness. Work on the project as necessary.

Lower Your Fear (and chances!) of Catching a Cold 1-2-3!

B'SD

20 Tevet, 6778

WOW: Hospitals worldwide run out of flu treatment options here, here, and here! It's a global phenom!

Winter weather makes life inconvenient as it is, but catching a cold or flu seems to leave you feeling worse inside and out.

Read How to Prevent the Common Cold.  The information can minimize your chances of catching a flu, too. I hope that you'll follow the instructions and feel better long after.

Er, I recommend the use of cotton handkerchiefs to prevent chapped lips and noses. Paper tissues tend to be rough. They're made from wood fiber, after ll.

Need to know the differences between 
viruses and bacteria? 

Click here.

For what it's worth, the doctors who cared for me during that December shingles attack (pure misery) predicted that I would need until late February to recover vigor. I beat their timing by two months. 

I've  been back to my usual physical activities and exercise regimen since the start of January. I highly recommend that you go organic and support your health from the cellular level outward. My organic diet and intentional optimism beat medical predictions again and again.

And yes, I wash my hands often, using soap and water. That "anti-bacterial" goo doesn't seem to work much.

 

Buy the E-book or print edition of  

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your plate and soul with true nourishment.

When New Year's Resolutions aren't Enough...

B'SD

15 Tevet, 5778

2017 came and went, 2018 arrived and some of us are thinking "So (blankety-bank) what?!"

At this time of year, when people are mourning and regretting their lives and choices so far, it can be quite invigorating to meet up with an energizing idea.

I hope that you'll enjoy this one:  5 Rules for Life.

And this one, too: HOW to be Happy.  

Buy the E-book or print edition of 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your time and effort, including your thoughts, with an exciting sense of purpose.

Empowering Yourself to Respond to Rude People

B'SD

3 Av, 5777

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From time to time, I am asked questions along the lines of  "Has anyone ever said something rude or unsympathetic to you about having a brain tumor? Like you deserve it or make sarcastic, even insulting comments about your intelligence or personality due to having the brain tumor? Or even told you that you have no right to cry or be scared because GOD only gives us what we can handle?"

My answer?

"Yes, and I responded with what became the title of a book, It's MY Crisis, and I'll Cry if I Need to!"

Here's an excerpt about the insulting comment:

Human beings mint coins and they're all alike. But when the Creator mints people, each of us is unique even though we come from the same mold. Our different personalities, skills and longings necessitate different paths to achieving a state of calm after we've been startled or terrified. There are no "One size fits all" methods of calming down or gaining perspective. Yet we need to reach the state of composed thought and behavior in order to live as productively and as happily as possible under challenging circumstances. Sound reasoning enables us to choose the coping mechanisms that work for us.

Challenging? Oh yes. But the alternative to coping is worse. Life's not democratic or fair. It's a workout. Make your choice: Coping aka self-restraint or the continuing, possibly worsening problem before you.

After I revealed my diagnosis to friends and family, we cried together. Then we progressed to choosing coping skills and keeping me strong so I could have a chance to continue living. My choice to focus on sound psychological principles complemented my Orthodox Jewish religious convictions. Many of those sound psychological principles, as well as classical Jewish philosophy and laws are presented in this text. A blend of both appears in the next paragraph.

One of the worst reactions people had to my news was saying with a sense of fatalism and religious superiority over me, "You shouldn't cry. GOD only gives people the challenges they can face." I disagree. Many a good person has experienced a psychological or medical problem, and suffered terribly or not survived it. Some medical and emotional challenges destroy no matter how valiantly we fight to survive them. Other crises can be survived. It isn't fair to lump them all in one "You can do it!" category. It blames the patient, who is suffering already. No one on this planet is authorized to pass judgment on another person's trials and tribulations. That's GOD's job.

Are you afraid that religious people or even not so religious people will blame you for your very legitimate tears and fears, because GOD knows what He's doing? Are they doing it already? These types of pithy remarks get high scores for being truthful and meaningful. But they get big fat ZEROES for actually helping someone to conquer their misery. It's as useless as telling someone dripping blood or holding onto broken limbs in an emergency room that "I FEEL YOUR PAIN." It's no help at all.

A medical diagnosis that presents a crisis is something to legitimately cry about. It is a lack of stability and a lack of reliable givens that we need so much. One of the Gates of Prayer that remains open despite the lack of a Beit HaMikdash (ancient Jewish Temple) is the Gate of Tears. Crying is a form of prayer. It says, "I'm scared, I'm sad, I'm angry, I don't know what to do about my problem. I need your help HaShem (GOD)," and more.

We learn from the Talmud in Bava Metzia 59a "Even though the Gates of Prayer are closed (after the destruction of the grand Jewish Temple called Bait HaMikdash), the Gates of Tears are never closed."

The catharsis of getting my story on paper was a soothing experience. I wrote the book to shut up my misinformed critics as much as I wrote it to empower other people facing medical and/or mental health issues. You can buy the book directly from the publisher for fast delivery. Click here to do so. 

Be sure to read the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. It clues you in on how to respond to rude relatives, medical personnel and anyone else who decides to mind your business without just cause.





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your mouth with polite, self-supporting comments.

Well no wonder you have that headache! (Here's how to STOP it!)

B'SD

21 Sivan, 5777

I enjoyed a long, educational conversation across a few continents last night as I conferenced with some medical and mental health professionals. The conversation came about due to a most unusual observation that I'd made, then asked those professionals about the phenomenon.

Their collective jaws dropped as each conversationalist paused to consider what I'd said.

I have quite an informative article/blogpost regarding EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) coming up. It's a method for ending Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (an astonishing blessing in its own right).

Stand by for updates!

Meanwhile, no wonder you have that headache!

 What Happens to Your Body When Anxiety Attacks?

Want to prevent new headaches and anxiety attacks? READ EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your thoughts with focused optimism. Work at it.

It was a Report not a Sentence.

B'SD

14 Sivan, 5777

The video I'd posted yesterday has been viewed at other sites, too. As you know, the speaker brought his live audience to their feet!

There's more to his story, and I happen to know it, being from Michigan. He was not a shining star in school. He'd been rejected by a few colleges due to his low grade point average.

He persevered. And rose above the problems.

What's the difference between a person who rises above their circumstances, and someone who doesn't?

Perspective.

Add the vocabulary you desire to answer my above question: Courage, insight, tenacity, the refusal to sit out on life, etc.

It all comes down to one thing: Refusal to be a victim.

Judge Bernstein interpreted his reality as a report, not as a sentence.

All of us can do the same thing.

Make it a new mantra when thinking about your situation: "It was a report not a sentence."

Live life to the fullest.

WITH your circumstances, not despite them.

Get it?

Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your mind with awareness and opportunities to rise to your challenge.

What the Audience Heard

B'SD

5 Sivan, 5777

I look forward to the Shavuot holiday which begins this evening. I'll be offline for the next 36 hours or so once it begins.

Meanwhile, some of you have been curious about the presentation remarks I made yesterday.

Here's an excerpt from the start of an interesting dialogue with the audience:

Fostering Medical Miracles

... Let’s gloss over the emergency brain surgery that saved my life but left me weak and blind in 2005. Regular doctors had no idea how to help me to see again, nor how to become strong and healthy. I tended to the problem by consulting only with alternative healing professionals. They and GOD helped me to become strong and sighted as I became an organic, raw foods eater who progressed to organic veganism as I became stronger, and then to organic vegan macrobiotics due to its focus on alkalinity. The prescription on my glasses keeps dropping. Hold that thought. We’ll resume that subject soon... 

... A friend observed that “HaShem (GOD) is telling you that He will provide your needs... And you see that you heal in shocking ways. Your life is a spiritual example for others. I happen to believe that your mission in life is to inspire people. You do it all the time, without trying. Look back at all the miracles you’ve witnessed or helped to happen, the people you’ve helped, and the people who love you.”

He’s a wonder, that man. He gets me to address ideas that otherwise never pass through my mind. I’m not keen on opening myself up to the public. I work hard to publicize my book on Facebook and my blog as I resist a tendency to remain quiet. Only my closest friends know my inner thoughts. Social media users don’t.

My friend and I launched into a discussion that I’m going to summarize in one sentence for you: The universe is full of miracles and the supply of them keeps growing. I’d been a reluctant student of that life lesson. I’ll spare you the details of how and why. Let’s skip to the Life Lesson and share the wealth: Happiness is an option and so are astounding healing plus coping opportunities. The miraculous is the default setting on the universe. Use it. But don’t try to control it. Invite miracles into your life, then allow them to happen.

Still not getting my point? I understand. Let’s travel through time from that January conversation, to this past Purim. You’ll get the point pretty soon.

A patient representative of the hospital following my post-surgical progress called me in the middle of Purim day. We discussed the findings of the hospital’s extensive testing of my sight, optic nerves, ocular muscles and more from November through February. The purpose of the tests was to assess my suitability for corrective surgery to end my constant double vision. I’ve had so many other vision problems caused by the benign brain tumor and the life-saving surgery to remove it that they filled two pages without margins in 2009. The margins have grown since then, I’m relieved to say. Now we only need one page to describe my ability to see.

OK, back to the hospital representative who’d called me in the middle of Purim. I was trying to speak medicalese in an impartial way, dressed head-to-toe in purple and fake jewelry as I swallowed the goodies that had been in my mouth before I answered the phone. I fake calm and sophistication very well, sometimes.

The hospital’s representative was about to let me know the conclusions, the findings of my large medical team. Had they approved the desperately needed surgery to end my double vision? Would I be permitted to drive a car, have a normal life? His astonishing statement stunned me. I’ll summarize it for you:

“Instability. Her vision changes rapidly. By the time Yocheved is fitted with new lenses, her vision needs have changed since the prescription was made 10 days to two weeks earlier. The patient sees ever-better without therapeutic treatment, not that the team knows how to heal many aspects of Yocheved’s distorted sight. Scar tissue which precluded previous plans for corrective surgery six years ago has simply disappeared. No evidence of it is on scans or other tests. This is the reason that surgery has been considered again. However, surgery is not recommended at this time. It might cause a setback for the patient who heals spontaneously. The doctors fear that they will damage Yocheved by trying to repair her double vision.”

HOWEVER, the decision was not final. One member of the medical team believes that it is possible to end my double vision without harming me. He was abroad when the other examining doctors met to make a conclusion regarding possible surgery. He had been unable to participate in the conclusion-making process. The patient representative who called me Purim day informed me that I will be updated after that researcher returns to Israel.

Meanwhile, I was left to conclude that “Instability” is a beautiful word. The Rofeh Holim (GOD the Healer) heals me without doctors. My “instability” is an astonishing blessing. If I could figure out what I've done to deserve that, I'd do it more often.

My eagerness for the corrective surgery has abated. Perhaps I do not need it because GOD will end the double vision.

I still needed new glasses after hearing the above remarks, though. The world had become quite blurry in the past few months. The medical team had advised me to wait until after surgery to know the best prescription to make for my "Maybe she won't need them" lenses. My private eye doctor, who helped me to see better with innovative exercises over the years, prescribed those new lenses in March. She is convinced that my organic foods, macrobiotic discipline, and refusal to use synthetic fabrics in my clothing or bedding have nothing to do with my recovered health and sight. She is convinced, as are the other doctors, that my will power alone, and GOD’s blessings, heal me. As I teach in the EMPOWER Yourself book, “Keep the door to GOD’s blessings open. Don’t slam it on GOD or the future. That prevents sweet possibilities from becoming part of your life.”

Stand by. Life remains miraculous. I’m living proof of that. I refused to give up. Failure was not my option. I coach ill people, helping them to identify their priorities and to develop plans for meeting their goals. People come to me after learning of my healing adventure, or after finding out that I have a tendency to calm down distraught people with a wealth of healing information and a sense of humor. 

Certified in Counseling Skills and in Spiritual Chaplaincy (end of life issues) plus as a Rescuer by Pikud HaOref, I write about mental health at the E-Counseling website (http://www.e-counseling.com/). I write about physical health elsewhere. The employers sought me out after reading some of my other writing. I earned my counseling and Health Information Management credentials while I was regaining vision and physical strength. I took on goals even as I limped to the finish lines. Goals motivated me to achieve, to thrive. It’s much more fun to be active than inactive, part of life rather than a recluse. I’ve made a choice not to be bitter about my background, but better for it.

Mimic me. Dare the universe to help you to heal. Invite miracles. Use the natural healing strategies that are known to work. Take chances on newer ones. Bless yourself by fostering medical miracles. Open the door to GOD, to the universe, and to a healthier you.

Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your time and actions with productivity. Relax as necessary, then resume your responsibilities.

Shine Light into YOUR Life!

B'SD

22 Cheshvan, 5777

My hectic schedule has me posting updates at night. I just returned from a heartwarming "Hootjam" with friends.  Some of us sing, some play instruments, and all of us have fun each Tuesday night.

But gosh, we've never done anything THIS powerful!

I received this link today.  It’s a song of hope and joy written by a man who today is in an advanced stage of ALS.  I hope it shines some light in your day. 

Go ahead. Shine some light into YOUR life!




Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your life with enthusiasm.

Gaining Perspective with an Illness

B'SD

I explain the title of It’s MY Crisis and I’ll Cry if I Need to: EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge in the preface: 

"One of the worst reactions people had to my news was saying with a sense of fatalism and religious superiority over me, "You shouldn't cry. GOD only gives people the challenges they can face."  I disagree. Many a good person has experienced a psychological or medical problem, and suffered terribly or not survived it. Some medical and emotional challenges destroy no matter how valiantly we fight to survive them. Other crises can be survived. It isn't fair to lump them all in one "You can do it!" category. It blames the patient, who is suffering already. No one on this planet is authorized to pass judgment on another person's trials and tribulations. That's GOD's job."

Other selections in the book deal with the senses of trauma, of powerlessness. of emasculation, and more, which hit many normal people who are ill.

When I coach people facing their illnesses, struggling to construct a plan for coping with the package, I long to find other models of how to gain healthy perspective about difficult situations.

This paragraph from an online essay captures what I want perfectly: 

"I can’t believe I get to do this work. It keeps me focused not on how low and lonely a person can be when things seem dark and stormy, but how high you can soar if you let God lift you up. I have no shame that I doubted God’s plan, and I no longer wonder if feeling angry and questioning God meant I didn’t really trust Him. I know now that in reality, my personal dialogue with God removed the distance and the interruptions I experienced in our relationship. Dislodging those thoughts brought me closer to Him."


Read the whole story at

God, Stay Where I Can See You

Shattered and made whole. Learning to trust God with everything.

Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Learn of coping strategies to help you past rude people (including relatives!), financial problems, travel issues and much more.





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your thoughts with focus and constructive perspective.

Fixing Your Focus, One Tile at a Time

B'SD

12 Av, 5776

As I listened to this video, I heard the voices of many people I've coached through illness or some other pressing matter. And I heard the life lesson that has been taught in so many ways, by so many famous heroes and heroines, but not articulated this succinctly.

Need to learn more lessons about how to minimize your stress or someone else's, during illness?

Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your thoughts with happiness. On purpose.

How to Know that You've Grown

B'SD

6 Tevet, 5776

I do 1:1 coaching with ill people, sometimes with perfectly healthy people. And they tend to come up with the same questions: "How will I know when I'm making progress?" and "How can I have a relationship with GOD, Who let this happen to me?"

My answer is to trust your heart.

​

Spirituality, and a relationship, are multifaceted experiences. Both are about transcending your limitations and becoming a better you.

You know you're on the right track when you feel joy, a sense of satisfaction and the certainty of emotional growth, all at different times but sometimes all at once.

Friends, family and colleagues might even give you some delightful feedback about the positive changes they notice in you.

​

Keep a journal (as suggested in the EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge book). Note the times that you feel pain, agonized, uncertain, and when you feel the positive emotions.

Talk to GOD out loud.  Even a sigh will do.

Life is a matter of balance. Do what you can to keep yours, and cherish the pleasant parts of life. They can keep us going past indescribable pain. Be sure to focus on what's going right, and especially on when it seems that GOD gave you a hug of some sort.

Go on. Buy a notebook or use one sitting around somewhere in your home. 

Record your accomplishments. 

And enjoy them.





Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 





Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your mind and heart with optimism. On purpose.