• About: REFLECTIONS OF A MINDFUL HEART AND SOUL. (Update).
  • Google Post Picture 1 : The Old Have Valuable Gifts To Give.
  • Take Time To Enjoy Nature.
  • Trust Is Important In Relationships.

REFLECTIONS OF A MINDFUL HEART AND SOUL

~ Articles, Quotations, Poetry, Humor, and Resources to Feed the Hungry Soul..

REFLECTIONS OF A MINDFUL HEART  AND SOUL

Monthly Archives: November 2014

Different Kinds Of Therapy That Nourish The Soul:#2

30 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by Yu/stan/kema in Article., Psychology, spirituality

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

boundaries, goals, God, psychotherapy, responsibilities, support, therapeutic relationship

Psychotherapy

You have decided to take a leap of faith and go on a journey filled with excitement but also uncertainty with a person you have not met nor do you know anything about this professional. You will come to trust her over time and you will expect her to look out for your own best interests.

It is scary to learn to trust someone you barely know in the therapeutic relationship. It is hard to take a good look at the issues that bring you to a place where you can learn to communicate in a more productive way and learn to share your feelings, your thoughts, and sometimes your spiritual struggles. But in the right place and with the right therapist, you learn that it’s OK to be human and make mistakes, that crying can be a source of strength and not weakness, that sometimes everything is not your fault,and there are times when you need to accept responsibility for actions that hurt others and yourself.

You learn to have compassion for yourself and for others, and you learn to set boundaries in order to protect yourself and the people you come in contact with. In such a place as this, she will respect any boundary you set about discussing spiritual matters, but if you want to express your doubts, fears, and even anger, she will be accepting of where you are in your relationship with God.

If it is a good therapeutic relationship, she will laugh with you, share tears  when you are struggling with losses, gently steer you in the right direction during times of confusion and denial, and comfort you in times of sadness. She will help you set goals for your life and action plans to meet those goals. Therapy can be a fearful process to engage in, but the rewards are many and you will grow in your relationship with yourself, other people, and God.

Yu/stan/kema

 

Different Kinds of Therapy That Nourish the soul: #1

30 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by Yu/stan/kema in Article., Psychology, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

courage, psychotherapy, soul, stress reduction, therapy

Kinds of Therapy

When people feel the stress of everyday problems, the body seeks the release of tension for a while so it can rest. If cortisol levels remain high in the body, for months or years, it can lead to serious medical problems like strokes, heart attacks, immune related disorders, depression, and anxiety disorders. Relationship problems, substance abuse disorders, child abuse, and divorces are also  connected to high levels of unresolved stress. When we reach a critical point in our stress levels, we use a variety of methods to try to reduce strain and tension.

Each of us is unique in choosing our preferred method of therapy.  Some  people like to workout, run, or walk to release the level of cortisol in their bodies. Others may prefer to go to a massage therapist to remove tension in the body. Women may prefer to go to a salon or spa to reduce stress levels. Several other kinds of therapy include sports, drawing, painting, writing creatively, dancing, cooking, gardening, bird watching, reading for fun, and spending time with pets. Still others just like to immerse themselves in the great outdoors to reduce tension.

 While these kinds of therapy reduce stress levels temporarily, the underlying causes of the stress may not get addressed. We are sometimes blind to our own weaknesses and maladaptive ways of dealing with our feelings or our relationships with other people. Some times good mentally healthy relatives can help us problem solve or we have friends that will some times let us unload on them and ask for advice. Understanding and supportive spouses can also help us with resources and support. When these are not available, sometimes we need to be wise enough to ask when we need help. Some issues need an unbiased professional to step in and help us sort out the tangled up thoughts and emotions that drag us down.

This does not mean that people who need therapy are weak. Rather, it means they are intelligent people who listen to their innermost selves and act immediately when problems needs to be resolved. It takes courage to talk to someone about the good part of yourself as well as the not so good part. We all have things we hide from one another because of pride or other emotions residing inside of us. It takes strength and bravery to undergo therapy.

Yu/stan/kema

MEMORIES KEEP THE HEART AND SOUL ALIVE.

29 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by Yu/stan/kema in Article., Photos, quote

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

child, fried chicken, God, memories, picture quote

                                                Memories

One of the most important gifts I have received from God has been the gift of memory. The gift comes with both good and bad memories. Over time, I have learned that I can train myself to become more mindful of the good, and for a time, put the bad ones in a corner somewhere in my mind until I have the time and resources to deal properly with them. The secret lies in focusing on what can be dealt with today, and putting the others off to a future time when the chances of dealing with them are greater. God gives us the ability to remember, but the catch is both the good and the bad memories occur.  Sometimes, I think it is because He knew we learn valuable lessons from the bad memories which can help us grow emotionally and spiritually as human beings.

The world would be a lonely place without the gift of memory. Certain smells can bring up memories of fried chicken and how good it tasted to a child who was hungry. She couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into it. The memory of black diamond watermelon on a hot summer day, ice-cold lemonade sliding down a parched throat, and chocolate chip cookies baking on a cookie sheet make my mouth water even today.

My fondest memories are of my son as a little boy,sleeping peacefully in his bed at night with a ragged doll clutched in his tiny hand as his small mouth curved around a pacifier; standing with his feet apart with the most  mischievous smile on his face as he held one hand on his hip and the other hand pointing his second finger up, communicating to me no-no at the age of four; and hearing him  run out to the garden to see what new blossoms had come in the night for him to see in the morning light. Memories, both good and bad, and yet I am better off having them because of the joy they bring to my life and the lessons I have learned.

Yu/stan/kema

THANKFULNESS

29 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by Yu/stan/kema in Article., Photos

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

blessings, Extended family, friends, God, Google, illness, work

Swift Current Falls-2 ;Glacier National Park. by Christian  Rogers. Found on Google + on 11-26-14.

Swift Current Falls-2 ;Glacier National Park. by Christian Rogers. Found on Google + on 11-26-14.

Things I Am Thankful FOR

1. I am thankful for God who has been with me always, for as long as I can remember. My life has had good as well as difficult times. I have been able to learn from the difficult times, even when dragging my heels and screaming. God is a source of comfort and  seems  to send me what I need to get through the hard times.

2. I am thankful for my freedom and the every day perks  I experience as an American.

3. I am thankful for my family, and my extended family, especially my son and his partner and family.

4. I am thankful for friends, especially the one who has been my best friend for thirty years. She has seen me through some difficult times and we are still friends.

5. I am thankful for the dogs I have had over the years who are members of my family. They give me moments of laughter, joy, and unconditional love.

6. I am thankful for the therapist who has helped me deal with losses, especially the loss of good health. She has given me support, resources, caring, and has helped me grow in ways I never thought possible. I am most grateful.

7. I am thankful for the many photographers  and other artists I have had the privilege of seeing and sharing their wonderful works on Google + this past year. They have inspired me, given me hope, and have filled my heart and soul with wonder and beauty in difficult times. I am most grateful for the gifts  they give with their skill and talents. The quotations I have found have been extremely helpful and heart touching.

8. I am thankful I was able to work and help many people over the last thirty years. I had a job I loved. I am also thankful for this new opportunity I’ve been given to share my skills and knowledge in a different way and am thankful for those who are helping me and encouraging me in this new endeavor.

9. I am thankful for the professionals at the infusion center for treating me with respect and kindness and the other doctors involved in my care.

                                    Yu/stan/kema

REFLECTIONS ON LIFE’S PURPOSE

26 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by Yu/stan/kema in Photos, Poetry, quote, spirituality, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

hurt, lifes purpose, picture quote, poety, sadness, wounded

Sad-lonely-quotes-for-boys-13; 11-22-2014. http:/www. treakupic.com

11-22-2014.  http:/www. treakupic.com

God Works Through You

God’s love flows like a river
Down the avenues of time.
It touches every one of us
With tenderness sublime.
It seeks out hearts grown weary,
And heads bowed low in shame.
It reaches out to sinners
Afraid to say His name.
Love comforts those with sorrow,
And those with deep despair.
Love kneels before the lonely,
And seeks to give them care.
God’s love resides inside you.
He looks out through your eyes.
Your voice calms the fearful.
Your words make them wise.
God’s reason for you coming
Is to spend your time with us.
You came to heal the wounded,
And show God’s blessedness.

Yu/stan/kema

 

 

 

 

REFLECTIONS ON EMOTIONAL PAIN.

25 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by Yu/stan/kema in Photos, Poetry, Psychology, quote, spirituality, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

emotional pain, God, hurt, need, poetry, undesirable

 

Found on www.hotwallpapers.blogspot.com. Muhammed Nouman Alisheroz Awai...11/2014.

Found on http://www.hotwallpapers.blogspot.com. Muhammed Nouman Alisheroz Awai…11/2014.

More Than Words

God, I hurt!
I ache with things
I cannot comprehend,
Let alone describe.

“Undesirable” is
Such a word.
It cannot be contained.
It’s just pain.

” I need” is more
Than words.
It cannot be seen.
It’s just a scream.

Yu/stan/kema

GRATITUDE FEEDS THE HEART AND SOUL. #2

24 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by Yu/stan/kema in Article., quote, spirituality, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

gifts, God, gratitude, heart, humbleness

Gratitude Lives Within The Heart

Gratitude is a virtue and it is  seldom seen in society at this time in history. Every type of media infiltrates the human mind with images, words and sounds of violence, hatred, discrimination, and disrespect. The human mind is told it is entitled to everything it sees, touches,or wants, even at the cost of trampling someone else’s needs or rights. Lies are told about others with a straight face. Instead of lifting people up who are struggling, there appears to be a deliberate effort to tear them down. What happened to acceptance of other people who may be different in some way from others in terms of race, creed, color, sexual orientation, and social class? Where can we find  compassion for the poor, the homeless, the unemployed, the disabled, and vets returning from the battlefields scarred in body, mind, and soul? Whatever happened to charity and kindness for the lonely, the poor in spirit, minds broken from abuse, families shattered from divorce, and men and women struggling with emotional problems who are trying to keep themselves alive one day at a time?

There but by the grace of God, it could be me without money, no job in sight, no home to shelter me from the hot sun or freezing rains. It could be me broken in spirit, filled with emotional pain, and without family to support me in a time of need.

Who is willing to step up to the plate and speak for them, fight for them, and give to them?  Society refuses to accept the fact that we are all in this together and we are all struggling to survive. All of us were born naked and helpless into this world and we will all die when our time comes. Whether we survive with the help of others or die alone depends on each one of us. We are bound by the human condition, We are all searching for a way back to God so we can be reunited and become one with the Great Spirit, Elohim, Allah, whatever name  we choose to call what we are yearning to return to. We are the ones who choose to either help or ignore those less fortunate than we are. Whether we want to accept it or not, we are bound by something greater than ourselves.

The meaning of Gratitude is the acknowledgement of receiving a gift from someone and letting that person know what it means to you that time was spent on you. Robert Emmons wrote: ” there are two key components that make up gratitude: one is an affirmation that there are good things in this world; the other, a recognition that the source of this goodness lies outside of yourself. You acknowledge that other people or even a higher power gave you gifts in order to help you enjoy the goodness in your life.” He also said,” Gratitude requires you to see how you’ve been supported and affirmed by other people and it encourages you, not only to appreciate the gifts, but to pay them forward.” We, out of joy, are motivated to give back to others with no expectations being present. We  develop humbleness because we come to recognize we are not entitled to anything. We cannot take other people for granted. We should develop a sense of wonder and a sense of appreciation when these gifts come our way. This does not negate us, this humbleness. Instead it teaches us our proper place in the universe and that God is behind every good and perfect thing.

Yu/stan/kema

GRATITUDE FEEDS THE HEART AND SOUL. #1

24 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by Yu/stan/kema in Photos, Quotes, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

gifts, God, gratitude, John F. Kennedy

Thankfulness. www.lorigrimmett.com. Found on Google.com

Thankfulness. http://www.lorigrimmett.com.
Found on Google.com.

“Gratitude refer’s to the heart remembering the good that has been done or given to us by God and others and us taking the time to thank them for it. It has a quality of humbleness attached to it. Rather than seeing it as things we deserve or things we are entitled to, we instead admit to God, others, and ourselves we have been given a gift and we recognize the spirit in which the Gift was given. When we give thanks, we should do so with a sincere heart. It matters not how much we say it. It only matters that we keep our hearts open and receptive to seeing the good that is all around us and we do not take it for granted, nor do we dismiss the person that has given it to us. The greatest gifts that we can give to one another are honesty, self-sacrifice, time, focused attention, forgiveness, and love. Below, are two more quotes on Gratitude.”                                                             Yu/stan/kema

” We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”                                             John F. Kennedy

” Gratitude takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God.” Thomas Morton                                                                                                                                                                                                   HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERY ONE!

RELATIONSHIPS GIVE US COMFORT AND HELP US GROW

23 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by Yu/stan/kema in Article., Quotes, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

comfort, family, God, growth, relationships, trust

fe92c8300b39a74f21d45b712f087103

imjust-a-girl- tumblr.com. Found on Pinterest: quote.

 

Relationships

Relationships are the very center of our existence. We learn as infants to depend on certain people to hold us when we cry and to give us food when we are hungry. We find safety in those who care for us and we develop trust  that these important people will not harm us.

The family system teaches us throughout our lives what to expect from others and how to act  towards those we come in contact with. We are taught either to trust people, to avoid people, or to detach from them, depending upon the experiences we had growing up. We learn what sounds indicate safety and which instill fear. We study gestures, read facial cues to decide if there is acceptance or rejection waiting for us. Every sound and movement is ingrained in all the senses of our being. These remnants from the past vine themselves tightly around our emotional selves, and our thoughts. Because our  emotional and physical survival depends on how well we pick up cues, we may over react if we sense danger is near or for some reason, we convince ourselves the threat is real. Every person we meet and interact with feeds the growing body of evidence whether people can be trusted. We also learn how to defend our fragile psyches and our bodies against unbearable pain.

We may choose isolation from others in order to prevent any one from ever getting close enough to hurt us again. We may defend ourselves by cutting off our own needs, and become focused on pleasing those in our environment in order to become valuable enough so that we can protect ourselves to some degree, but in doing so, we sacrifice our own right to be ourselves and we neglect our needs in always putting others first. We may even decide to defend ourselves first, and so we become aggressive, abusive or manipulative, and we vow to ourselves to destroy others before they get the chance to destroy us. So much of what we learned in the early years can influence our level of happiness in life or how miserable we become.

The good news is, we can educate ourselves or get therapeutic help so we can learn what defenses we are using and why, and be able to come up with strategies to change the outcomes in our relationships. We will need to look at the roles we play in family dynamics, to look at our own motives for doing things, and be honest with ourselves whether or not what we do and say is harming the person we are in relationship with or is it beneficial?

We all want warm, fuzzy relationships, those which make us laugh, and those that inspire us to climb to greater heights than we believed possible. Those relationships that tear down our self-esteem or rob us of our need for self-expression, or take away our personal power so essential to growth, must be examined and winnowed out when necessary.

Most of us yearn to feel love and to be given to, but a part of us also yearns to grow in relationship with others. There exists inside of each of us the need to be something more, not only in another person’s eyes, but in our own eyes as well. That will require from us honest self-examination, self-sacrifice, the willingness to communicate feelings, thoughts, values, and beliefs as well as the ability to negotiate needs. When these types of relationships become a part of our lives, they bring joy, hope for tomorrow, and at times. we are even able to touch the heart and mind of God.

Yu/stan/kema

Struggling To Find Peace Within The Soul.

22 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by Yu/stan/kema in Photos, Psychology, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Google, heart, photo, Ray Bilcliff, struggle, water cascades

rocks-6- Ray Bilcliff. Found on Google +

rocks-6 by Ray Bilcliff. Found on Google +.

This picture is beautiful. The storm clouds roll in, the waves increase, and the water cascades over the rocks. What was once tranquil, struggles to move further inland. The water swirls in many, different directions at the same time.

My mind has days like this such as I’m traveling down the pathway of life and I hit a rough patch. Problems occur or I have to deal with unexpected change. There is a part of me that knows I may have to do things I don’t  like in order to survive. I may have to accept feelings in myself I’m not proud of and  change current  assumptions I’ve based on past experiences. I may become exhausted trying to deal with internal conflicts of interest and feeling battered by my own perception of reality. I know life goes on and I must move forward. Some day,  I will work through this and get to  a more tranquil place. I will find peace.

Yu/stan/kema

 

 

 

 

 

 

← Older posts

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • September 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014

Categories

  • About
  • Article.
  • Blog Dedication :
  • Blogs I like:
  • Books
  • Disclaimer
  • Home:
  • Humor
  • Parent Category
  • photo
  • Photos
  • Poetry
  • Psychology
  • quote
  • Quotes
  • spirituality
  • Stories
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • REFLECTIONS OF A MINDFUL HEART AND SOUL
    • Join 642 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • REFLECTIONS OF A MINDFUL HEART AND SOUL
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...