bemuzin

For today’s prompt, tell us three things that you believe in your heart to be true. Tell us three things you believe in your heart to be false.

I believe “Act as if” has helped me cope with situations that are difficult. I’m an introvert, and being in public or social situations often requires a lot of emotional energy and effort. Sometimes those activities are downright scary. If I have advance notice, I will try to role play the coming engagement – even something as seemingly simple as walking into a restaurant and talking to the host. I will “act as if” I am an outgoing, personable individual who is happy to be talking to another person. I will think about making eye contact and what I can say to let the other person know I want to be there. I don’t mean by this that I behave superficially; I mean that I am able to enjoy social interaction if I have the opportunity to prepare myself ahead of time.

I believe “This, too, shall pass” helps me endure uncomfortable,difficult, often unbearable things that happen to each of us in our lives. We experience illness, stress, death of loved ones, divorce, termination from jobs, conflicts with family and friends. The list is endless. Although sometimes unrealistic in our darkest moments, the key to making it through these times is remembering they will not last forever. The visual I use is:

The unbearable experience:    x

My life’s total moments: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Being able to keep in perspective how relative a moment is to all the moments of one’s life gives me reassurance that I CAN make it through the current trauma.

I believe “You are what you eat”. We spend so much time learning about nutrition, reading labels in grocery stores, experimenting with various diets – all in a quest to lose or maintain weight, wear a desired size of clothing, or feel our best. The basic truth – one I am teaching my grandchildren – is to understand that how you feel is directly related to what you eat. If you evaluate how you feel an hour, 4 hours, and 24 hours after eating, eventually you will see that your energy levels, your elimination regularity (or lack thereof), your sleep patterns and your overall feeling of well being (or not) are directly correlated to what food and drink you have consumed. Each of us reacts differently to different food groups, therefore, it is incumbent on you to learn how different foods affect you. You then have the ability to understand your tradeoffs – eat what you want, but know you will reap a reward or pay a price for doing so.

What I DON’T believe:

I don’t believe  every child should receive a trophy for participation. Isn’t it important to teach children that showing up and participating are their basic obligations for any commitment? If you have to give them something for living up to their commitment, give them a “certificate of participation.” Save the trophy for competitions where excellence, winning, and being the best mean exactly that.

I don’t believe the federal government is, or will ever, make better health care decisions for me than I could make for myself. Period.

I don’t believe we will ever be sure whether it was Colonel Mustard in the study with a pistol or Miss Scarlett in the library with a candlestick.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/03/16/daily-prompt-I-believe