Silence

Society today is built to allow for communication with others or from others.  We have phones (cell and land lines), e-mail  not to mention television, radios, and voice mail.  The only communication that society doesn't allow or even sometimes encourage is communicating with yourself.  To do that you need, not all those electronic gadgets, but the antiquated idea of silence.

Silence is how we hear ourselves think.  As creative beings, we need silence.   We begin to see our lives, and the world around us in silence.  To some it is the only way to communicate with the Spirit. 

For many years I lived in a dormitory as the hall director (what many might think of as a Dorm Mom).  Outside my front door was usually a lobby with a TV and dozens of college students at any time of the day or night.  I realize now, being away from that atmosphere, that I kept my stereo and TV on more as a sound wall than for any enjoyment or even company.  As long as I had something on in the apartment, I couldn't hear what was going on in the lobby (and there were times I didn't want to hear what was going on in the lobby J. 

Now the TV is rarely on.  I don't have to fall asleep with either music or something creating 'white noise'.  When I do listen to music, I am able to enjoy and relax to it. And to my great enjoyment I can hear the little birds at my feeder, the breeze through the trees and a thunderstorm.  But mostly I can hear my own thoughts.  

I don't have to set aside time very late at night to create an atmosphere of quiet (usually with ear plugs).  Silence isn't that far away.  Without all the noise, my stress level is down, decisions are made easier and my creative ideas just flow.

Now this might not be possible with a house full of family.  You might also have to create some time late at night with ear plugs, as I did.  If you need to, do so.  Without silence, your life and your creativity will reflect the chaos of the noise around you. 

Catch bits of silence whenever you can.  If you are consciously looking for the quiet, try not to use the phone - even let voice mail pick up.  Don't have the TV or stereo on.  While driving, turn the radio off.  Silence can be found quite nicely in the newly insulated cars on the market these days.  And even in the mist of traffic, with the radio off, you will be able to hear yourself (pay attention to the road though, OK?)  Take a nap in the afternoon when you can so you can stay awake after the rest of the household is off with the Sandman.

You don't have to do anything during these times of silence (unless you are driving the car).  Just sit.  Maybe start out by breathing deeply.  And relax - the blood can't get to the brain with those tight shoulders and neck muscles.  As you spend more time in silence, your mind will take over.   Just follow it to see where it leads.

Even with tiny bits of silence here and there, your stress level will decrease (noise of any kind raises the blood pressure), your concentration will increase and your creativity will blossom.  It may take a while but you will see a difference in your life.

Silence is golden.  Shhhhh.

© 2017, 2023– Cheryl Fillion

 

Reading is Good for You…. and Your Creativity

 

I come from a long line of readers. My favorite memories as a child are getting books for birthday or Christmas and going to the library.  In fact right now an image popped in my head of me standing at the New Books section of the Green Bay, Wisconsin library as a teenager while at the library with my mother. 

I spend much of last summer reading.  I did so much reading, that I began to wonder if something was wrong with me.  So I got on the internet and found that actually the opposite was true.  Reading is good for you.

Studies have shown, for children, reading not only increases their vocabulary but also increases their grades in school.  The more a child reads the higher their grades will be.  I have a set of books my mother bought me when I was a child called the “Best in Children’s Books”.  Each book contained an abridged novel such as Black Beauty or Alice in Wonderland.  There were usually a number of poems or short stories, some activity of some sort, a little bit of science or nature, a short biography and my favorite “Let’s visit” where some area of the world was highlighted. It included a map, local vegetation and animals, and activities of the people who lived there. I think that is where my love of other cultures came from. 

For adults, research shows that reading helps delay memory decline and those who keep their mind active are less likely to suffer from dementia.  It also helps reduce stress.  When you are reading whether it is fiction or nonfiction, you are not thinking about the stresses of the day.  Your reading is taking you away, at least mentally, to a place far from where your body actually is.  If you are not thinking about stressful events, your body is not reacting to stressful events.

I also read that reading before bedtime helps relax you enough that you sleep better.  Now I recommend (and this is not based on any research) that you don’t read a very violently graphic book before bed. The violence might seep into your dreams.  But then that could just be me.

What I noticed last summer with all my reading was that I came up with more ideas for quilts and punchneedle and embroidery.  I was reading books, mostly mysteries, which took place in different areas of the country from where I lived and involved characters that had different interests than mine.  One series of mysteries took place in a tea shop.  I am not a drinker of tea but I began an interest in different teas, and teapots and tea cups and those images became part of what I created.

And whether it was the reduced stress or better sleeping that came from reading, I seemed to have more energy to create even with so much time spent on reading.  The reading also pulled me to the library again (I hadn’t been to my local library in a couple of years) and there I found all kinds of activities going on like yoga and meditation, quilt classes, coloring for adults and book clubs.  And this doesn’t even include what they have for children which would keep an child active.  Libraries these days are more than a place to check out books. 

Much of the research I read was done on fiction reading but I would think nonfiction would have the same affect (of lessening stress and dementia).  I love biographies and books about other people also pull me into another time and place.

So get yourself a book and start reading. Or go to the library and see what adventures they have for you in the pages of the books or the activities they sponsor (either for you or your kids or grandkids).  It will help with your stress, your mind, and can help with your creativity.   So go read.

 

©2017, 2023 Cheryl Fillion

 

 

Nature

 In honor of Earth Day, I am reposting an early blog about creativity and nature. 

One way to encourage your creativity is to spend time in nature.  It doesn't matter where you go or what you do, just make sure you are away from concrete and asphalt.

Talk a walk in the park.  Work in your garden.  Go on a nature hike in nearby woods.  My favorite place is the local zoo.  I love to walk the trails and watch the animals.  Its design helps me feel isolated and I forget I am in the middle of a city.  No street sounds, no city smells.  Just the animals and trees.  Just nature. 

Nature heals.  There is a psychological theory that the more we move inside to buildings with central heat and air with windows which don't open and surround ourselves with all the modern conveniences and technology, the more mental illness we will suffer.

   Nature keeps us grounded. It slows us down, focuses us.  It moves and blooms and grows in its time, not ours. If we want to watch a butterfly, we have to do it now not when our cell phone call is over.  Nature fuels our core of energy, our creativity.

 Nature inspires.  I bet there isn't an artist now or in history who hasn't painted, written, danced or sung nature.  Nature shows that there are endless possibilities to everything.  In nature there isn't one bird, flower, or tree but a multitude.  There isn't one color green or purple but infinite shades of each.  One never lacks if one is in nature.

If your creativity is slow in starting or has stalled altogether, spend some time in nature this week. I know it helps me; I have a feeling it will help you. 

 

© 2016, 2023 – Cheryl Fillion

Laughter

 Someone once said “Laughter is the best medicine.” And they were right.  Laughter might not cure anything but it makes you feel better.  And this is needed during these recent days.

How can laughter make you feel better?  Well to start with when you are laughing you are smiling. And that is always a good thing.

Studies show that laughter lowers blood pressure and releases a chemical which reduces stress hormones which can then in turn boost your immune system.

The actually act of laughing can reduce the tension your muscles hold when you are stresed.  When I was in graduate school, I strained my back.  It hurt to move and aspirin wasn’t helping.  I went to the campus theater to see Shakespeare A Midsummers Night’s Dream, one of his funnier plays, when I left my back felt much better.  I had laughed so long and so hard that it actually released the tension in my back.

Having a good laugh also helps with depressed feelings.  If you can look at a situation from a different angle, it helps relieve depression.  Things can’t be so bad if you can find some humor in it. Studies show if you use humor you feel less lonely and more positive about yourself.

Now laughter doesn’t have to come from watching a Shakespeare comedy, it can come from being with funny people or watching the antics of a family pet.  If you live alone, check out the videos on Facebook, there are always clips of silly kids and animals.

Make sure you watch a comedy show every day, maybe numerous times a day (Blooper clips on Facebook or Youtube are the best).  Read a funny book. Listen to a comedian on TV or your Iphone.

Think of something you did as a child.  Go outside and dance in the rain or run through a sprinkler.  Finger paint.  Draw with crayons.  Make something silly.  How about a paper hat?  A necklace of daisies or dandelions?  Play in the mud.

Sit on the front porch and watch the animals.  Squirrels are hilarious sometimes. 

Do whatever you can to bring a smile to your face and laughter to your voice.   This will make you happier and which will improve your health and extend your life.  And when you are happy, think of how creative you can be.

©2021 Cheryl Fillion

Naptime

It has been cold and snowy all week where I live.  Cold weather always tempts me to do one of two things:  crawl under a quilt and read or crawl under a quilt and nap.

 

Napping is becoming more and more essential in today's world of tablets and smart phones and overbooked schedules.  Books are being written on how to nap, the benefits of naps, and the enjoyment of naps.  Businesses are encouraging naps as a way to increase productivity.  Clinics are being created to study sleep deprivation and its effect on our health.

 

While daily naps have not been accepted in America, medical research is finding that lack of sleep is actually a danger to our health.  Sleep deprivation increases our stress which can lead to high blood pressure.  According to the National Sleep Association, 100,000 highway accidents a year leading to 1,500 deaths are due to fatigue. Not getting enough sleep can stop your immune system from functioning properly which leads to more frequent and longer lasting illnesses.

 

Now a nap here and there is certainly not going to take care of all the sleep deprivation that America suffers from.  But it can't hurt either.  Naps tend to refresh us.  They allow our minds and bodies to relax.  This increases our ability to accomplish things and to make fewer mistakes.  We are more likely to be sociable when we are rested. Our anxiety and depression will lessen.  It is even thought that if you think of a problem before you go to sleep, the solution will come while you're sleeping.

 

Naps are good for our creativity.  They counterbalance the busyness of our lives that doesn't leave any room, energy or ideas left for our art.  It gives us that extra boost our souls need to do something fulfilling for us.  How many of you want to do anything but be a couch potato when we are tired.

 

How long a nap last varies from person to person.  Some people feel refreshed after 15 minutes; some need an hour or more to feel any rest.  Some need dark and quiet while others doze just as well in a crowded room.  (I had an uncle who slept through every family gathering for as long as I remember and we had pictures to prove it.)

 

So if you find yourself overwhelmed this week, frustrated that you can't accomplish what you want and not wanting to be around anyone, take a nap.  It will do you and the world, a universe of good.  Nighty-night.

 

© 2018, 2021 – Cheryl Fillion

 

Silence

I was reminded of this blog this week and I thought it might be good to report it.

 

Society today is built to allow for communication with others or from others.  We have phones (cell and land lines), e-mail, pagers, not to mention television, radios, and answering machines.  The only communication that society doesn't allow or even sometimes encourage is communicating with yourself.  To do that you need, not all those electronic gadgets, but the antiquated idea of silence.

 

Silence is how we hear ourselves think.  As creative beings, we need silence.   We begin to see our lives, and the world around us in silence.  To some it is the only way to communicate with the Spirit.

For many years I lived in a dormitory as the hall director (what many might think of as a Dorm Mom).  Outside my front door was usually a lobby with a TV and dozens of college students at any time of the day or night.  I realize now, being away from that atmosphere, that I kept my stereo and TV on more as a sound wall than for any enjoyment or even company.  As long as I had something on in the apartment, I couldn't hear what was going on in the lobby (and there were times I didn't want to hear what was going on in the lobby J.

 

Now the TV is rarely on.  I don't have to fall asleep with either music or something creating 'white noise'.  When I do listen to music, I am able to enjoy and relax to it. And to my great enjoyment I can hear the little birds at my feeder, the breeze through the trees and a thunderstorm.  But mostly I can hear my own thoughts. 

 

I don't have to set aside time very late at night to create an atmosphere of quiet (usually with ear plugs).  Silence isn't that far away.  Without all the noise, my stress level is down, decisions are made easier and my creative ideas just flow.

 

Now this might not be possible with a house full of family.  You might also have to create some time late at night with ear plugs, as I did.  If you need to, do so.  Without silence, your life and your creativity will reflect the chaos of the noise around you. 

 

Catch bits of silence whenever you can.  If you are consciously looking for the quiet, try not to use the phone - even let the answering machine or voice mail pick up.  Don't have the TV or stereo on.  While driving, turn the radio off.  Silence can be found quite nicely in the newly insulated cars on the market these days.  And even in the mists of traffic, with the radio off, you will be able to hear yourself (pay attention to the road though, OK?)  Take a nap in the afternoon when you can so you can stay awake after the rest of the household is off with the Sandman.

 

You don't have to do anything during these times of silence (unless you are driving the car).  Just sit.  Maybe start out by breathing deeply.  And relax - the blood can't get to the brain with those tight shoulders and neck muscles.  As you spend more time in silence, your mind will take over.   Just follow it to see where it leads.

 

Even with tiny bits of silence here and there, your stress level will decrease (noise of any kind raises the blood pressure), your concentration will increase and your creativity will blossom.  It may take a while but you will see a difference in your life.

 

Silence is golden.  Shhhhh.

© 2017 – Cheryl Fillion

 

Gratitude for your Health

Since all this social distancing has started I have been trying to find ways to keep me healthy physically and mostly emotionally.  One way to keep your spirits up and keep thinking happy positive thoughts is to look for the things in which you are grateful.

I have mentioned before in this blog that I teach at a local college.  For many years I gave an assignment called the Gratitude Inventory (I still use it occasionally when someone needs some extra credit).  The assignment was to “Make a list of 20 things for which you are grateful.  Think about your family, friends, and talents as topics of gratitude.  Look at your life.  Respond to something in the news that you are grateful happened or didn’t happen to you.  Gratitude does not have to be something dramatic and life changing.  You might just be grateful that it is Friday”.

 

Good idea, right?  But how does this help your health?  For one thing studies show that if you are consistently grateful for the things in your life, you see your life as something to take care of and so you develop habits which provide good health.  Studies also show that feeling thankful helps us cope with stress better.  All the positive feelings that gratitude brings boosts our immune system so we are less likely to get sick.

 

In situations like Covid 19 or any other tragedy, expressing gratitude develops a sense of community and belonging and that also helps when experiencing stress. Gratitude also gives a sense of empathy toward others.  You know what other people are going through so you are more likely to connect with other people.  This lessons your loneliness.

 

It is also hard to be unhappy when thinking of positive thoughts.  Positivity and optimism has also been shown to enhance your health.  People who express positive thoughts about a surgery for example tend to have a speedier recovery than those expressing negative thoughts or no thought at all about the surgery.

And have you ever noticed how when you are happy time seems to fly by.  That is definitely needed now when we face days or maybe weeks of social distancing. 

 

What is great about expressing gratitude is you don’t need any special time or tool to do it.  You can express gratitude in your mind or sharing it with others.  I post a daily gratitude list of 5 things each day on my personal Facebook page.   It makes me look for the good that happened that day and I am told it helps my Facebook Friends be reminded of what they are grateful for.

 

So if you haven’t already, start thinking of the things that you are thankful is happening to you or just in your life.   And especially do it when you begin to feel sad or that the situation feels hopeless.  It won’t fix everything but it will help you feel better.

 

(PS- Just so you know I wrote this as much a reminder to me to keep doing my gratitude lists as to tell you about gratitude.)

©2020 Cheryl Fillion

 

 

 

 

 

Listen to Music

I went to the symphony last weekend.  It was wonderful.  The music was beautiful and our local orchestra plays perfectly.  I love music.  I usually have it on in the house and I am often times singing to myself.  As I drove home still hearing the guest pianist in my head, I realized I felt very relaxed.  And that made me wonder how music affects our health. 

I quote studies to my psychology students that music is great for stress management.  It helps calm nerves and release tension from muscles.  Music even affects babies in the womb.  Play rock music and a baby will get agitated (I personally think they are trying to dance); play classical music to a baby doing a lot of kicking and they will calm down.  Music is even used now in hospitals before people go into surgery and during the surgery.  It helps calm patients before a surgery and has been found to speed up healing afterward.

Music helps with increasing your mood.  How many of you are really sad when you listen to Christmas music?  That is why you hear it in the stores.  If it puts you in a good holiday mood so maybe you will buy more gifts or decorations.  I worked with a guy who said he always played hard rock when cleaning his apartment.  It put him in the mood to be aggressive with his dust and clutter.

It helps with exercise.  You see lots of people in gyms or out running with earbuds on while exercising.  They are probably not listening to the news.  I remember watching a parade where a young friend was performing on a drill team.  We followed her along the way for a couple of miles but it didn’t feel that distance since we were walking with the beat of the bands.

If music does all these things, you can assume that it helps with creativity.  You are more creative when you are not stressed or when you are in a good mood.  Music that makes you smile is likely to help you quilt, knit, paint or write. 

But the most important thing is to find music that works for you.  I probably would not clean my house very well with classical music (truth be told, it relaxes me enough that I often fall asleep – even in the big auditorium with a live orchestra).  For me I would need some jazz or maybe a favorite performer so I could sing along and not really think that I was cleaning.   I listen to music when I am grading papers but it can’t be anything with lyrics or I can’t concentrate on what my students have written.

So do what you can to bring more music into your life.  You can find music everywhere even on your phones and computers.  Find that type of music that releases your stress and makes you smile and you might find it makes you more creative as well.  But if you are trying to be creative with music, just don’t listen to lullabies or you might just fall asleep.

©2020  Cheryl Fillion 

Take Care of Yourself

Recently I learned something about my health and my art.  I had been feeling very tired lately, had a lot of muscle and joint pain, was depressed and had trouble concentrating. The worst part was I had no interest or desire about doing any needlework.

Then I had a doctor’s appointment just for a regular check up.  I decided to tell her about what I had been experiencing.  And she suggested that I had some blood work done which showed that I had hypothyroidism.  All that I had been experiencing are symptoms of hypothyroidism and even more that I hadn’t mentioned here or with my doctor like sensitivity to cold and weight gain. 

Now this condition is pretty common and once I started taking the medicine I began to feel better.  But the thing that surprised me the most was that my desire to do my needlework returned.  I learned that if you aren’t feeling good physically or emotionally, then the things you enjoy doing are difficult.  So you need to take care of yourself, your health. to take care of your art or your passion.  This was an important lesson for me.  I have to take care of myself to be able to do the things I enjoy.  And it was so important to me, I wanted to share it with all of you.

I understand when you have a cold or the flu or something that keeps you in bed, how you just don’t feel up to creating everything.  But chronic conditions that come upon you little by little have the same effect in the long run. So it is important to pay attention to how you are feeling and take care of yourself every day.

I know you have heard this before but eat right, get enough exercise and also get enough sleep.  If you take care of yourself, you are then able to take care of your art.  And also make sure to tell your doctor everything you are feeling or experiencing even if you think it is unrelated (I never put my sensitivity to cold with feeling tired or gaining weight but they were all related).  It will help them determine what is going on with you and what treatment to prescribe.

So for you to take care of your art, remember to take care of you. 

©2019 – Cheryl Fillion

Reading for My Health

I have spent the last couple of weeks mostly reading.  I have hardly done any needle work.  And it has been the best thing for me. 

It has helped me rest from a very busy summer.  It has distracted me from all the negative news.  And it has given me some wonderful ideas for new quilts and embroidery.

Research has shown that reading is great for your health.  It lowers your stress level by distraction in the form of an engaging story.  If you read before bed, you tend to sleep better (as long as the book isn’t gory or too scary.  But that could just be me.)  It also helps reduce depression and dementia. 

I find that it exposes me to different people (in the character) and different settings I normally wouldn’t have a chance to meet or go.  I particularly like mysteries.  And two mystery series I enjoy have recipes at the end of each book.  One of the series refers to different herbs and the author includes little facts and suggests on how those herbs are to be used.

The way some authors describe the settings of their stories make you feel like you are actually there.  So in my mind, it is like going on vacation.  And it gives me great ideas for a quilt or an embroidery piece.  One series of mysteries the main setting is a tea shop.  I am not much of a tea drinker but I learn so much on how to brew tea, what different types of teas that are out there.   So now tea cups and tea pots are showing up in my designs.  Last year I did a pin cushion exchange in our quilt guild and I needle felted a tea cup to be used as a pin cushion.  I am sure the idea came from those mysteries. 

Some other research on reading shows that reading increases our empathy and gives us another view of the world through the eyes of the characters.  That can be helpful with persona or professional relationships.  Occasionally I read fantasy or science fiction and that does give you another view of your world when comparing it to an alien world.

What I really like is the distraction it gives when things are stressful (if you are involved with a book, you can’t think about what is stressing you).  You just escape for a while.  And with that distraction, it will help lower your blood pressure.  Although I did find out yesterday, that if you have a really engrossing book, it can make you late for an appointment, because you don’t want to put the book down.  Fortunately I got through the discovery of the murderer before I had to leave for class.  I don’t think I would have been able to concentrate wondering Who Dun It?

So the next time you need a break or want to get away but can’t, read a book.  It doesn’t have to be a mystery or even fiction but make sure it is something you want to read, not something you have to read.  It can improve your concentration, your vocabulary and lower your stress.

 

©2019  Cheryl Fillion

 

The Healing Power of No

The word no is probably the first word any child learns.  With that word they learn choice.  No, they don't want that toy. No, they don't want that spinach.  No, they don't want to go to bed.   The parent uses that word to keep the child safe.  No, you can't run into traffic.  No, you can’t play with matches.  No, you can't run with scissors.  As much as a person relished saying the word no as a child, they may find it difficult to say no as an adult.

When we say no, we run the risk of disappointing or hurting others.  They then in turn may reject us or be angry with us.  So to avoid hurting others and being rejected ourselves, we say yes - even to those things we don't want to do.  What actually happens is we give up our choices, and a little bit of our self-esteem diminishes. 

Being able to say no is a choice and actually saying no improves our health.  If we continue to say yes to habits that affect our health (saying yes to a smoke or a drink) or to roles that no longer fit us (a parent who continues to take care of adult children), it distracts us from our own life and from our creativity.   Saying no allows us to take a stand for what is important in our life

There will always be someone to whom saying no is considered an insult.  They will feel that in some way you have rejected them. You have in fact disappointed them. Remember that when doing what you need for yourself, it will require disappointing others.  But by saying no to them, you have shown them that in fact they also have the choice of yes and no and that they can follow their own path to a healthy life.

You can help yourself and others by making a list of what is important in your life, how you want to spend your time.  If you know where yes is needed in your life, it is easier to say no to others. 

Saying no is powerful.  It allows us a choice in our lives; we are able to take a stand for what we truly need.  And it keeps us safe, just as when we were children, from doing something that is harmful to our minds, bodies or spirits.

© 2019 – Cheryl Fillion

 

Filling the Well - Part 2

Last week I talked about filling the well of your creativity with ideas.  To be able to create the life you want, you have to make time for those activities that are important to you.  This involves a little self-care, self-nurturing.   You must be able to express your needs and indicate your preferences. You must set up boundaries.

We need to be able to dwell in our own private sphere to create.  We need to feel separate from everyone else and narrow our focus to what we want in our lives.  Now sometimes that may mean we need to do things that have nothing to do with our art, our creativity.  This is part of filling the well.  And to do this we have to put up boundaries.  We have to be able to say, "I want or need to do this at this time."

This can cause problems especially if you have been available to everyone in the past.  Making your needs known may cause confrontations, misunderstanding and hurt feelings. It will appear to others that you don't care about them, their needs, and their happiness.  We want to care about others and take care of those people in our lives, but it is impossible for us to do that all the time.

Often times the people who hear of our boundaries feel rejected. We are pushing them aside for some 'thing', be it an activity, person, planned event or just to be by yourself. That is not at all what we are doing.  We are in fact practicing self-care.  When we take care of our needs first, we can then be available to others.   It is like traveling on a plane. You are instructed by the flight attendants that if the cabin pressure drops, you are to put your oxygen mask on first before helping the child traveling with you.  You do this because you can't help anyone if you lack oxygen.  If we give all the time to what others need without caring for our needs, we are giving away our oxygen.

It is the same with your creativity.  If you first attend to that part of you that is important, you can be there for those people in your life.  You have been oxygenated, your well is full.  As opposite as it seems, the greatest gift you can give someone in your life is taking care of you. 

If this is hard for you to do, start out small.  Pick an activity that will take 15 minutes, a walk around the block.   Then build up from there.  Take a bath. Go somewhere quiet to read a book instead of watching a TV program with the family. Work in a secluded corner of the yard while everyone else is in the house. Say no thank you to an invitation from a friend. The more you practice this type of self-care, the easier it gets.  You are probably saying that is hard to do.  Yup it is.  I am still learning.

But the more the people in your life will see how happier you are, the more they will understand why you take care of you first.  It makes you a better spouse, parent, child, friend.  It might even prompt them to take better care of themselves and form boundaries of their own. Think of how nicer the world would be then.

© 2018 – Cheryl Fillion

Be Grateful For…

November is when here in the States we celebrate Thanksgiving.  It is a day developed to be thankful for the harvest and the good growing season.  It has become a day of wonderful food, family and friends, parades and football.  November also has become a month where people put on their social media the items in their life they are grateful for.

I have mentioned before in this blog that I teach at a local college.  For many years I gave an assignment called the Gratitude Inventory (I still use it occasionally when someone needs some extra credit).  The assignment was to “Make a list of 20 things for which you are grateful.  Think about your family, friends, and talents as topics of gratitude.  Look at your life.  Respond to something in the news or the course content that you are grateful happened or didn’t happen to you.  Gratitude does not have to be something dramatic and life changing.  You might just be grateful that it is Friday.”

It was a great assignment and often the students would comment that they would continue   doing Gratitude Inventories because it reminded them of the good they had in their lives.  What would you put on the list if you had this assignment?

I decided today to give me this assignment.  So here is my Gratitude Inventory:

1- My health

2- My brothers

3- My parents

4- My home

5- A heater when it is cold

6- Air Conditioning when it is hot

7- My friends

8- My fish

9- My fingers

10- My eyesight

11- My hearing

12- My tastebuds

13- My job

14- Clean water

15- My embroidery ability

16- My needle felting

17- My spool knitting

18- My Etsy shop Heartfully Cheryl

19- My blog Heartfully Cheryl

20- That it is Friday.

© 2018 Cheryl Fillion

 

Naptime

It has been cold and snowy all week where I live.  Cold weather always tempts me to do one of two things:  crawl under a quilt and read or crawl under a quilt and nap.

Napping is becoming more and more essential in today's world of tablets and smart phones and overbooked schedules.  Books are being written on how to nap, the benefits of naps, and the enjoyment of naps.  Businesses are encouraging naps as a way to increase productivity.  Clinics are being created to study sleep deprivation and its effect on our health.

While daily naps have not been accepted in America, medical research is finding that lack of sleep is actually a danger to our health.  Sleep deprivation increases our stress which can lead to high blood pressure.  According to the National Sleep Association, 100,000 highway accidents a year leading to 1,500 deaths are due to fatigue. Not getting enough sleep can stop your immune system from functioning properly which leads to more frequent and longer lasting illnesses.

Now a nap here and there is certainly not going to take care of all the sleep deprivation that America suffers from.  But it can't hurt either.  Naps tend to refresh us.  They allow our minds and bodies to relax.  This increases our ability to accomplish things and to make fewer mistakes.  We are more likely to be sociable when we are rested. Our anxiety and depression will lessen.  It is even thought that if you think of a problem before you go to sleep, the solution will come while you're sleeping.

Naps are good for our creativity.  They counterbalance the busyness of our lives that doesn't leave any room, energy or ideas left for our art.  It gives us that extra boost our souls need to do something fulfilling for us.  How many of you want to do anything but be a couch potato when we are tired.

How long a nap last varies from person to person.  Some people feel refreshed after 15 minutes; some need an hour or more to feel any rest.  Some need dark and quiet while others doze just as well in a crowded room.  (I had an uncle who slept through every family gathering for as long as I remember and we had pictures to prove it.)

So if you find yourself overwhelmed this week, frustrated that you can't accomplish what you want and not wanting to be around anyone, take a nap.  It will do you and the world, a universe of good.  Nighty-night.

 

© 2018 – Cheryl Fillion

 

What I Learned

Today’s blog might be a little off topic from my usual crafty, artsy blog but I wanted to share this.  This has been a difficult month both physically and emotionally for me. I was recently diagnosed with diabetes and along with that I had difficulties with a new doctor (who is no longer my doctor).. But here is what I have learned through it all:

1- Stick up for yourself because no one else will.

2- Don’t let anyone judge you because they do not know what you have been through in your life.

3- You have more friends than you realize.

4- When someone asks for your opinion, be honest even if it seems mean because the other person involved may have a lesson to learn; even if that other person is a doctor.

5- If you don’t get the answer you want, keep asking.

6- Be careful what you say because you may have to act on it (I always said I would give up my beloved coca-cola if I had to for my health and I had to.  No I haven’t tried the zero coke yet.  I might at some point).

7- Learn everything you can about what you need even if some the reading is conflicting information.

8- Don’t be afraid to tell others what you are going through.  You never know who will have helpful information or wonderful hugs.

9- God has a plan for you but sometimes it takes a while for the plan to start. (and sometimes you are the plan for others – see the above item 4).

10- Sometimes what seems like the worst thing to happen can often be the best thing to have happen.

And from me to you:  Stay Healthy, Everyone.

 

©2017 Cheryl Fillion