Self-Care, Passion and Purpose

Practicing self-care helps calm chaotic thoughts, whether it be  "sitting" in meditation, mindful tasks or being in nature.

Continued meditation or "being still"  helps open the heart. Listening to the heart allows one to  recognize the passion held within.

Sharing your passion with others and experiencing the joy this topic brings, often helps define your purpose.

We are all in a different place on this continuum.  Passion and purpose are also fluid and may change at various times.  Practice self-care, listen to your heart, recognize your passion and share it with others.

This is my favorite heart rock that I found on a beach in Maine.  Being alone in nature is one of the best times for me to listen to my heart.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

MBSR

I am writing this blog to give you information about things that have helped me and that you may find useful.  I want to share ideas, programs and information that have supported my growth along the way. Take what resonates and fly with it. 

I started my own self-care journey out of complete necessity of self-preservation. I was at an all time low and I needed help. I have great friends and family who supported me but I needed to do something for myself, on my own. I needed to take control and stop blaming my fate on others or situations.

I took a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) class to start.  “Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally,” says Kabat-Zinn. I should have done this years before I did! I wish I had known about it earlier. This class was the catalyst that helped me pursue self-care, positive change and spiritual growth. I highly recommend this program for all. There are programs for all ages starting at the age of 8. You can look for programs where you live, or take a class online. 
 MBSR online class

Attached is a research article about meditation and the brain.
 Stanford Studies Monks' Meditation, Compassion

Changes in my life occurred very slowly. It is a process that cannot be rushed. I’ve taken pieces of what I learned and infused them into my life slowly. As I grow spiritually, I return to lessons learned and re-evaluate. I try something new or add another modality that I find helpful.

The sky is the limit!

Abdominal/Belly Breathing Video

This is a lesson on how to bring your attention to the breath. This type of breath may be referred to as diaphragmatic, abdominal or belly breathing. This technique uses your entire lung capacity which sends more oxygen to the bloodstream. This type of breathing comes natural to infants. Watch an infant breathe and you will see how their belly rises when they take a deep breath.

I teach students how to do this when they are anxious. I've personally used this, with great success, when I have difficulty sleeping. Four or five of these breaths and I am asleep again. I highly recommend this tool for any parent who has a teenage driver in the house!

I created the following video a few years ago for advisory in school. I also used it as a class assignment for the Holistic Stress Management class I took. Making this video and posting it on YouTube was scary for me since I had never put myself out to the virtual world before. Now look at me-I'm blogging!!!!

I encourage you all to embrace something that makes you a little uncomfortable but will also bring positive change into your life.

Pure Bliss

A few years back I was blessed to visit Sedona with a dear friend. It was there that I experienced pure joy.  Mi Amo is a hotel/spa that is surrounded by red rock.  I was able to spend the most blissful 24 hours of my life in this powerful place. While walking along the grounds I had a sudden feeling come over me that I could not put a name to.  I felt like my chest was ready to explode with utter compassion and joy.  It was something I had never experienced before.  I wanted to be a sponge and soak up everything I was feeling.  Yet I was overwhelmed.  I’ve never felt this before and I wasn’t really sure what to do.  I walked along the path in tears.  They were tears of happiness; utter happiness that I’ve only felt a few times in my life as in the birth of my children. 

Have you ever been on a walk and notice something along the way that catches your eye?  Do you stop to look more closely to see what you’ve been drawn to? This is the perfect time to stop and be in the moment.  When this happens, stop, ponder and feel whatever it is that made you take a second look.  What does it look like to you?  Look at it from different angles.  Does this object trigger some thoughts or memories?  Or did it just bring you a smile?  Be observant as you go about your day.  If something catches your attention, stop and take a second look. 

Being Mindful

Walking through the woods with my dog Meeka can be calming as well as  inspirational.  Inspiration is a funny thing- you never know when it will show up or what it will look like. On this day it was triggered by a walk in the woods.  Meeka was having a ball, sniffing all the smells you would find in the woods.  For her, squirrel hunting is her favorite pastime.  There is nothing like a good squirrel chase to satisfy her.  As I watched her, I felt a sense of calm come over me.  I started really paying attention to the sounds of the woods.  I could hear children playing in a yard a short distance away.  The birds were exceptionally vocal at this time.  I stopped to take it all in when I heard another noise.  At first, I thought it had started to rain, but that wasn’t it.  It sounded like hair being rubbed between two fingers.  When I listened more closely, it sounded like something very small was eating. 

It was spring and there was a devastating worm destroying our trees.  This worm eats the new leaves of the trees, leaving only the skeleton of  leaves clinging to the branch. On one hand, the sound was eerie because I knew the devastation that was happening.  On the other hand, it was fascinating.  Fascinating that  I was able to bring my attention to this minute microcosm in the woods. I was quiet enough to hear the faint sound of tiny insects at work.

I also love to listen to the snowfall in the winter when it is completely calm.  I enjoy watching the snowflakes drift down from the sky in complete abandonment.  There is no sound of wind, only silence.  But how can I HEAR the snowfall if it is silent? 

Fear

I’m starting this blog because of the encouragement from friends who said it is important to get the information and thoughts I have out to the world.  My retort was that I am trying to get away from technology, not get more involved with it.   Relying on a computer is scary for me.  I’ve fought it for months, saying that I just can’t tweet, blog, instagram etc.  I always mess it up.  The computers freeze or I can’t work the technology given to me.   Even the person who helps me with my presentations or apps has commented how weird things happen to my phone or computer.  “It just doesn’t make sense”  she would say.

I was walking my dog in the woods one day and a flood of thought came to me.  It was a misty, cloudy day.  The rays of sun I usually see poking through the leaves were absent.  But I felt compelled to get my thoughts down on paper (or should I say in “word”).  I started thinking about blogging, how I was feeling and what I was experiencing.  I also started to question all my excuses for not embracing some of this technology to share my thoughts.  You know what word came to me?  FEAR!  Fear of putting myself out to the universe where I may be judged.  What if people think my thoughts are stupid or lame?  What if the reader doesn’t like me?  This is a huge thing to admit to myself.  What’s really interesting is that I finally realize how lame my fear is.  Who cares what people think?  As long as I like myself, that is all that is important.  Maybe someone will resonate with some of my words and thoughts.  If I can get a few people to start questioning their lives so that they can make positive changes, then I am happy.  Even if someone realizes that they are not alone in their thoughts, that they too, can make changes in their lives.

Some have said that failure can lead to a new beginning.  You know that saying,  “When one door closes another one opens”.  It is precisely this kind of challenge that helps move us forward.  The difficult part of the process is recognizing it and doing something with the knowledge and experience.  I am here to tell you that this is not easy.  It can be a long and uncomfortable process.  Baby steps is all you need.  Keep moving forward.  Embracing self care is one way to start.

SELF CARE-This is the time to start taking care of yourself like you take care of others! Is there something you can do on a regular basis that is just for YOU? Start small and easy. Jot down a measurable goal that is realistic for you and give it a try. Maybe it is spending 15 minutes in nature, 3-5 times a week. Try it for a few weeks and then reflect about what happened. Don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work like you wanted it to. Talk to yourself like you would your best friend.
I found this very difficult when I first started practicing self care. I always came up with an excuse for not taking care of myself. One thing that worked for me was going somewhere for 15 minutes before I headed home from work. I live in a coastal town so I drove to the beach and sat quietly for 15 minutes. This helped me reboot for whatever was happening at home.
I would love to hear about the things you do to practice self care.

Getting to Know Me

As promised, I would like to introduce you to my dog pal-Meeka.  We got her 4 years ago on my birthday.  My family adopted her from the local shelter and she has made us very happy.  We had a yellow lab prior to her and I promised myself, when she was gone, I would not get another dog!  I love dogs but they can tie you down sometimes.  My children are grown and I had visions of traveling.  Well, that lasted one year....Our home was too quiet and we missed having an animal in the house.  Meeka's personality is completely different than our last dog.  She is a hunter who patrols our back yard as if it is her duty.  You will be seeing her in future posts.  It is on our walks in nature that I tend to discover new things and ideas.
I am pleased to introduce to you---MEEKA!

About Me

My name is Cyndi and I am a registered nurse who is certified as a school nurse through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. I have a Master's Degree in Education and I have been practicing as a school nurse for the last 20 years. As a board certified holistic nurse I understand the interconnectedness of mind, body, emotion and spirit and use nursing theory, expertise and intuition to help guide individuals in self-care to holistic wellness.

I am also trained as a holistic stress management educator. I use my expertise to teach evidence based stress management, taking into consideration the holistic model of health.

My specialty is bringing a Holistic Wellness Model into the school nurse office. My goal is to weave this model into the classroom. My passion is teaching self care and stress management in and out of schools. My purpose in life is to help others create balance in their lives which will lead to finding their passion. This in turn will lead to living a purposeful life.

I love living in an ocean town and only a few hours drive to the mountains.  I am blessed to have the best of both worlds.  I get to smell the wonderful salt air and feel the sand between my toes while listening to the waves crash on the shore. I can drive a few hours to the mountains where I can hike, snow shoe or sit along river beds as rapid streams create smooth river rocks.  Each place has their own special qualities.

I have a dog named Meeka who brings great joy and exercise to my life!  You will see her in various posts.

I love photography and gardening.  I have a long history growing vegetables and I learn more every year about cultivating flowers.

Getting Started

Getting Started-I don’t like New Year’s resolutions but I do like deadlines. I work better “under the gun” and with deadlines. I’ve been contemplating a blog, and I must admit, it is a little intimidating. My deadline was 2016! This is calling it close!

I am a board certified holistic nurse and I work in a school, grades 6-12. Being a holistic nurse means I embrace the Mind-Body-Emotion-Spirit of care. I address the whole person and I act as a facilitator in the healing process.

For me, becoming a Holistic Nurse was transformational. One requirement is that the nurse practices self-care, spirituality and reflection in their lives. This is a huge undertaking since care-givers are all about taking care of others, even at their own expense. Thinking about myself and taking care of myself has been very difficult. I found myself repeating the mantra-“Self care is never selfish.”

Why is this important, you ask? Well, I’ve been a nurse for a long time and it took me a long time to discover what is really important. I’ve found my passion and purpose and I want to share it with everyone. I work really well, one-to-one with clients. Now it is time for me to share my thoughts and ideas with as many people as I can. This blog won’t be for everyone-I know that. Those who are meant to find it, will.

I will write about self care and holistic health. I will speak about passion and purpose. I encourage discussion and sharing of ideas.

Join me in welcoming healthy change in the year 2017!