Category: Just ‘Cause

The Power of Positive Thinking

Throw away those negative thoughts, they are blocking the positive things that are to come!

When most people think of positive thinking, they imagine something flowery and nonrealistic. It’s true that our moods are greatly affected by the way we see things, but positivity isn’t just about sitting around thinking happy thoughts and skipping through fields of flowers on sunshiny days. Positive thinking is about embracing the reality of our situations and deciding to make the best of them instead of making excuses or dwelling on past failures. I had a conversation about this topic with my other half as he tells me often that I am so optimistic in situations.

Last night I challenged him to look at things in a more positive light instead of instantly thinking negatively. It is my belief that positive thinking is the root of a positive lifestyle. And many people don’t realize that the negative thought patterns that they create will multiply the more they think about them. I know he doesn’t wholeheartedly agree but just the simple fact that he will give it a try makes me love him even more.

In an effort to prove my opinion that our mind creates our reality; think about a time when someone spoke to you about a car that they wanted that you weren’t really familiar with or a TV show that was recommended to you. After the conversation about the car or the tv show, I can almost guarantee that you began to see that car or that TV show often and almost everywhere.

Why do you think this is so? I believe that this happens because your mind has just become aware of that car or tv show. So just think, if your mind becomes aware of prosperity, living a good life and abundance due to your positive thoughts then that is what you will begin to see in your reality.

Simply put, the mind is like a computer. The information that you put into it, it will be output in your reality. And it will continue to be output as long and you continue to input said information, ie. positivity.

Positive thinking won’t solve every problem that you have in your life, but it will help you deal with the things that you can’t avoid and reduce stress in your daily life so that you are more likely to be productive even when the ‘going gets tough’. Believe me, it took me a while to adopt this mind set and to believe it myself. I was one of those people who thought that I truly got the short end of the stick in life. While I never truly experienced lack, I always had nagging thoughts that bad things were just always occurring in my life. Once I began to meditate, I shifted my thoughts to more positive things to release those negative thoughts that would arise. And then my life seem to change course. Now that’s not to say that I don’t have bad days, or that I don’t experience setbacks from time to time but it just goes to show that I have the ability to choose what my mind processes to produce positivity in everyday life to be able to more easily handle those bad days and focus on the positive aspects of any seemingly negative situation.

Stay positive!!!

Friendly Reminder…

Be positive on purpose. 2022 just started. For me 2021 was 2020’s bitch, so 2022 has no choice but to be full of abundance, joy and peace. I’m speaking it each day I wake and each night before I sleep.

Join me…anytime you have an ounce of self doubt, feel negative, unproductive or less than, just repeat to yourself…

This too shall pass…

A lot of people

My Long-Term Chronic Condition

“Endometriosis is a progressive long-term chronic condition that can significantly impact a woman’s physical and emotional health as well as her daily routine. Often mistaken for just menstrual symptoms, this pain can stop a woman from doing normal activities.”

— Women, Living with Endometriosis

I don’t think many people are aware of Endometriosis and the chaos that it can bring to a woman’s life. There’s the countless physician office appointments, sometimes emergency room visits, multitude of tests, procedures, misdiagnoses, and then after you’re completely exhausted and emotionally scarred, there is surgery to confirm its existence.

I’ve been playing tag with Endometriosis since I was a teen. The exact cause of this silent condition/disease is unknown. So I will share my unfortunate experience and knowledge of Endometriosis.

Please note this is all just my opinions and provided to me over the years. Should you need medical attention or advice please consult your physician.

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a silent and invisible condition. Often mistaken as just run of the mill PMS symptoms, it is internally extremely painful. Imagine giving birth naturally for about 2-3 weeks out of each month. It is just that bad but no one would know but physically there is nothing to indicate that this condition exits to the human eye. Medically defined: Endometriosis occurs when tissue that appears and functions like the lining of the uterus (where babies are baked) grow outside the uterus (where the rest of our vital organs reside). Often times, this tissue will grow on the:

  • bladder
  • fallopian tubes
  • ligaments that support the uterus
  • ovaries
  • surface of the uterus

What are the signs & symptoms?

One huge and most common sign of Endometriosis is stupid painful menstrual cramps. The reason why it is more painful than a normal period is because the growths that have formed outside of the uterus swell and bleed along with the menstrual cycle. Unlike in your uterus, this growths blood has nowhere to go and it gets trapped wherever it is residing. This causes irritation of the surrounding areas, which in turn causes the extreme pain. But it doesn’t just stop there. Over time this irritation turns into scarring. There are a bunch more symptoms of endometriosis and if you are experiencing any, take charge of your health and demand your doctor find the answer. Endometriosis is life altering. Other symptoms include:

  • bowel issues (pain or bleeding with bowel movements, constipation and diarrhea)
  • extreme pelvic and/or back pain
  • heavy periods
  • infertility
  • large clots
  • pain with urination and sex

How is Endometriosis Diagnosed and Treated?

Receiving a diagnosis of the condition can sometimes be extremely hard. Many doctors will see you, ask repetitive questions, complete a pelvic exam, order ultrasounds and sometimes even an MRI scan.

The first thing a doctor does when you begin to complain about the pain and the fact that this is much different than just normal period pain is to prescribe a pain reliever such as Naproxen or Ibuprofen and sometimes hormonal birth control. The hormones in the birth control decreases bleeding and is thought to ease the pain. This is true for some women. For me, it was not. As a hormone sensitive woman, I experienced every side effect birth control had to offer. Talk about a nightmare walking.

When symptoms do not improve and the pain persists with the treatment put in place by the doctor, this may be the time that laparoscopic surgery is recommended. Laparoscopy is thought to be one of the most effective ways to treat endometriosis because during the surgery, the growths that are causing the pain can be removed. After surgery most women, experience substantially less pain. But do note that surgery is not a CURE. I was one of the women that after almost a year and a half of doctor visits, ER trips and pain, I agreed to the surgery. The surgery seemed to have solved my infertility problem, it also stopped the pain and heavy bleeding. And now at 16 years post surgery, the pain is back and worse than it was before. In between the time that I had the surgery, I also used hormonal birth control after pregnancy to help control any pain and prevent the endometriosis from getting worse. Since having my Implanon removed from my arm, birthing a second child and experiencing all the wonderfully terrible side effects that hormonal birth control has to offer, I switched to a non hormonal method – Paragard IUD. For the last 2 years, it has been great. Until this year. The pain came out of nowhere. Hit me like a deer on a speed train tracks. It took a couple of doctor visits and then one ER visit and a consult to have confirmation that my endometriosis is back.

The Pain!!! What Can I Do?

To help relieve the pain (which I dare not refer to as period pain, as this pain can occur before you menstrual cycle begins as well as after it ends) I live by these items:

  • Heat
  • Exercise
  • Massage
  • Sleep
  • Balanced Diet
  • Increased Water Consumption
  • Meditation/Yoga

What Now?

It is extremely hard to describe to those close to you what your condition is, the severity of it and how it truly impacts your life. It is very hard for anyone to gauge your pain or even understand physically and emotionally what you endure. Just know that you’re not alone. And if you feel like no one else cares just know this crazy blog lady does…💛