How to Cope with, and Minimize, Inner Pain

B'SD

20 Cheshvan, 5778

One glance at the morning headlines left me with a need to shut off the input. So much crime and heartache. 

Having experienced both, I understand the agony in the hearts of many people. Someone in the midst of suffering that seems overwhelming, to the point of not being able to envision a sweeter future, is feeling pure agony.

I offer some insights that you might find inspirational and soothing from a speaker whose remarks and books I enjoy:

 "Emotions are a call to action."  

"The journey is the destination."

And to paraphrase a long lecture from this man, I'll add 

"A woman twisting

 in the throes of birth pains 

does not suffer. 

Yes she is in pain, 

but knowing that the pain 

is directed at producing a life, 

giving birth to another soul, 

fills her with pleasure. 

She is partnering with GOD

in the creation of life."

– Rabbi David Aaron

My thoughts on the matter: 

"All of us mortals 

who experience 
searing emotional pain

over some issue or event

are giving birth 

to the development 
of our souls.

Our inner strengths are galvanizing 

as our insights grow.

Yes we weep, 

but we come away

from such experiences

with greater emotional 

and spiritual power."

Do what you can to restore your weary spirits when you feel worn out and clueless. Reach out to trusted confidantes, and indulge in activities which soothe you.

Do not drown your pain in mindless, harmful activities. Let the pain alert you to the nobleness of your very self, of your integrity. 

Let it guide you to greater achievements.

   

Read the "Polishing Silver" story in 

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

Fill your heart with happiness, on purpose.

Condolences and Prayers for the Victims of More Violence

B'SD

12 Cheshvan, 5778

My plans to post other material are on hold as I join people mourning the victims of yesterday's violence. I had been celebrating ANZAC's Battle for Beersheva Centennial in southern Israel, unaware of the horror in the USA.

My condolences to the survivors of the attack in Manhattan, my prayers for a complete end to terrorism.

http://www.nydailynews.com/…/people-reportedly-shot-dead-do…

Gunman opens fire from Home Depot truck, plows bike riders

A number of people were shot near Stuyvesant High School Tuesday afternoon, police said, and one person was taken into custody.

NYDAILYNEWS.COM

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

Fill your time with productive behavior, your heart with peace. 

Soothing Hearts and Minds after Horror

B'SD

28 Iyar, 5777

I've weighed how to respond to the terrorism in Manchester, England. 

Though I write for a mental health site, and socialize with mental health professionals, I needed time to recover from my own sense of shock and sadness before I could attempt comforting anyone else.

I offer this  simple, sensible, 
somewhat soothing presentation:

Talking with Our Children 
after the Attack at Ariana Grande Concert

SKY NEWS has another version entitled How Do YOu Explain Terrorism to a Child?

The ideas in the articles can soothe adults, too.

I've been busy this past month, planning a community picnic with lots of fun activities. I'm grateful for the task, as I can return to focusing on life, sweetness and joy.

Let's all do what we can to promote and to share wholesome happiness. 

Read the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. It's helpful for emotional and mental health issues, too.

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

Fill your time and actions with focus on the positive.

Cherishing Life Despite Hardships, a How-to.

B'SD

8/9 Shvat, 5776

It's after nightfall here in Israel, a new day. I've spent much of the daylight hours crying, sighing and praying due to the recent terrorist murder of an ideal Israeli.

My composure is somewhat recovered, my energies directed toward preparing for my synagogue's Tu B'Shvat celebration this coming Sunday night. I'm in charge of the program.

This Hebrew-language video explains to children that we cherish the life deep inside plants, the potential for goodness, though superficial appearances deceive us into seeing what appears to be lifelessness.

Israelis spend the holiday praising the special foods grown in the Holy Land, and planting trees.

Perhaps you'd like to spend some time praying for the safety of innocents and celebrating the sweetness of life with me. 

I plan to blog again after I've cooked up some holiday foods for the forthcoming party.

The best response to sorrow is to dig deep inside yourself, decide on a noble response, a life-embracing perspective, then to live up to your principles.

Caving in to sorrow as a lifestyle is a recipe for disaster, personal and otherwise.

Empower yourself to make wholesome progress.





Want to get your grin back despite the physical, medical, and/or emotional suffering before 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 life with simple goodness.

Finding the Light in Life's Challenges

B'SD

25 Kislev, 5776

Today is the first day of Hanuka (the first candle was lit last night). It's sometimes spelled Chanuka, Chanukah or in other ways. But the source of the word is the same: Dedication. 

In brief, Chanuka is about being dedicated to the moral ideals given to humanity by The One Above. We Jews have been repeatedly forced out of Israel by many groups of people, or allowed to remain in our country but pressured to  abandon our way of life. That's a morally troubling problem on many levels.

At one point in history, a small group of Jewish men called Maccabees rededicated the holy Jewish Temple that had been defiled by yet another entity struggling to separate Jews from their moral imperatives. Those Maccabean efforts led to the holiday of Hanuka.

Click the colorful pictures below 

to learn a bit more about this 
Festival of Lights, 
and how Jews have responded 
to terrorism 
throughout our history.

Perhaps you'll find the information 
soothing in today's nerve-jangled times.

And if the children in your life need a bit of help to sort out the appalling headlines in newspapers, television and online media sites, share Dr Manny's thoughts, How to Explain Terrorism to a Child. 

Mental health is a gift good any time of the year. Help little ones, and older kids, to develop socially upbeat points of view.

Want to cheer up someone ailing with a physical or mental health issue? Click the link to make a holiday gift of 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, and others, with wholesome happiness.

Heavenly Blessings

B'SD

8 Heshvan, 5776

Readers I apologize for my blogging silence, to a limited extent. I live in Israel, which has been under siege for weeks. I am doing my best to avoid being murdered, and to help people struggling to cope with the dangerous situation around us.

I am heartened that the man referenced in the Seeking the Public's Help post is thriving. 

I am happy that a friend fresh out of surgery to save her hips from the effects of Necrotizing Fasciitis is doing well. 

And I am grateful for all the blessings in my life.

I'm keeping busy with my day job, friendships and daily tasks.

Please pray for the end of terrorism, which is affecting the wider world these days. It is not good for spiritual, mental or physical health.

Let's earn heavenly blessings with compassionate behavior. Build the world, don't destroy it.

 


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

Fill all of life with sweetness.

You Can Save Someone's Life - Here's How!

B'SD

30 Tishrei, 5776

Yakov Horowitz ‏@yakovhorowitz  4h4 hours ago

Yakov Horowitz Retweeted Mayor Nir Barkat

That's what happens when children are raised to hate.

Yakov Horowitz added,

Mayor Nir Barkat @NirBarkat

To our shock & horror, there is no limit to the cruelty of the murderers who attack innocent young children on their way home from school.

0 retweets0 favorites

I can't adequately summarize the horror of what has been happening throughout Israel these past few weeks: Defenseless people shot to death, stabbed, beaten, bombed and so on, while going about their benign business.

We risk our own safety with a mere trip to the grocery store.

The Muqata

17 mins · Edited · 

8:06pm Channel 2: The 2 terrorists in today's Pisgat Zeev Stabbing Attack
The 2 terrorists in today's Pisgat Zeev Stabbing Attack are brothers, aged 13 and 15 from the Eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina. Yes, you read that correctly. AGES THIRTEEN AND FIFTEEN.

The two terrorists stabbed and critically wounded 2 Jews -- one aged 13, and one aged 21. The 13 year old, is in critical condition, and the 21 year old is in serious but stable condition.

Israelis, especially young children, are being traumatized by the country-wide tide of violence against Jews. Please donate generously to do what you can to restore mental health to agonized survivors.

You can save someone's life by enabling them to recover from trauma.

This has been an extremely difficult week here in Israel.  We are all reeling from the horrors that have terrified us. We are concerned that things will get worse.  Connections & Linksneeds funding to help deal with the traumas of last summer, this fall and whatever comes next. Connections & Links NEEDS YOU to spread the word In this day and age, social media is the best way to reach the largest number of people.  We are announcing the launch of our first ever crowdfunding campaign and we need you to share it as many times as you can.  Please post the link to your facebook, twitter, instagram and email accounts.  The more people we reach the more we can help children in Israel deal with the traumas they experience.  It's that simple. WE HAVE AN ANONYMOUS DONOR MATCHING FUNDS for this campaign.   ALL DONATIONS WILL BE DOUBLED! CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN

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

Fill your mind with factual information, your heart with compassion.

The Meaning of Life is More than You Imagined

B'SD

21/22 Tevet 5775

I found myself struggling to enjoy this past Shabbat, wondering all the while how shoppers in France's Hyper Cacher were faring. 

I could not and would not access media until after sundown Saturday night. A lack of updated information was hard to endure.

I prayed for the world's well being, 

and an immediate end to terrorism.

I pondered how some of the survivors of past terrorist attacks are able to thrive despite agonizing memories and perhaps injuries.

Westerners tend to believe mass media's message that life is for happiness. That elusive (and imaginary) goal tends to shepherd people into therapy.

Let's clear up some misperceptions, and focus on the fact that...

There's More to Life Than Being Happy.

Here's proof of that: American Hero. 

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.

Find meaning that builds the world and your self respect.