Vlog: Life Happens

"Life is simple,  Everything happens for you, not to you.  Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late."  Byron Katie

I'm not sure I'd say life is simple because it can be quite difficult at times, but Katie's saying that everything happens for a reason, I do believe.  It' may not be appreciated at the time, it may not be comfortable to go through, but it is not to be resisted.  Resisting just makes things worse.  Remaining in the present and dealing with what happens moment to moment helps resolve issues faster and easier than fighting them or pretending they aren't happening at all.

"Life doesn't happen to you, it happens for you." Tony Robbins

Rather than freezing in fear and getting discouraged, use life experiences--good and bad--as a learning experience.  To grow and shine.  To live meaningfully.  To live the life you are meant to live.  To be the person you are meant to be.

For example, when I was born with spina bifida, I wasn't supposed to live past the age of six.  I'm not 56.  While, yes, I have had difficult times over the years, I also made a point to learn as much as I could about my chronic condition and how to care for myself.  I even, a three years of age, explained how to do a cut down, which is when a needle has to be sugically inserted into the vein.  I also learned to care for my foot ulcers at home until I could get to a doctor at a young age.  All sorts of things.  Also, I learned how to "find the funny" as I called it in whatever I was going through healthwise.  Not to make light of a serious situation, but to cope healthily with it.  And, take what I've been through, use spina bifida as a catalyst for empathy and caring for others.  

There is so much division in the world, but there is also lots of love.  You only have to look around you and on the news during this pandemic to find stories of total strangers reaching out to help each other.  Bad times can be sad, frightening, challenging, overwhelming, but they also can help us exhibit the best in ourselves, observe the best in others, find a new appreciation of our fellow human beings, learn, grow, and even totally transform our lives in ways we never imagined.

How have your life experiences affected you?  What have your learned about yourself and others so far during this pandemic?  What will you do with what you have learned?  

Stay safe.  Stay home.  Be well.

Vlog: What I'm Doing To Stay Calm, Distracted, and Productive

Hi all!  I hope you are well.

I started out really nervous, frozen with fear over the coronavirus, then cleaning all the time and watching the news all the time.  That wasn't healthy.  I said, "Enough."

The game changer for me was a course I found on Udemy by Joeel and Natalie Rivera on dealing with stress and being more productive during this pandemic.  Perfect!  I have taken several of their  other courses and loved them.  This one was no different.  My mindset did a 180 degree turn.

I am still cautious.  I still watch local and national news for an hour a day, which is all I can handle.  And special bulletins whenever they come up.  But, I am not glued to the coverage.  That was driving me crazy.

I made a schedule, a routine that includes fun, work, and keeping informed about the latest on the virus.  It has made a big difference in my ability to cope with the uncertainty.

Some things I am doing:

• Coloring
• Reading
• Working on a new project regarding coaching
• Exercising
• Getting fresh air--gardening
• Watching Christmas movies 
• Watching favorite funny shows
• Good news videos online
• Doing breath work
• Taking courses on how to relieve stress
• Playing and cudfling with our cats
• Talking with friends
• Talking with my coaches
• Cleaning--reasonably
• Washing my hands often
• Getting good sleep
• Communicating with my husband--fears, concerns, other feelings and thoughts.
• Journaling

What are you doing to reduce stress in this uncertain time? 

I'm available for 30-minute free Instagram chats.  DM me @acnlifecoach.  No strings attached.  No sales pitch.  Just a chance to chat about your worries or simply chat about your interests and hobbies to get your mind off coronavirus for a bit.  I, of course, am also available for 45-minute discovery sessions to see if we would like to work together.  Comment here or email me at amy@acnlifecoach.com, or visit my website acnlifecoach.com, for more info.

Be well.

Vlog: Chronic Illness and Food and Unwelcomed Advice: Have The Confidence To Do What's Right For You

Do you have chronic health issues?

Do people give you a hard time or joke about how you eat?

Or, do they give you advice about what you should be eating instead?

I've had people comment  on cranberry juice.  I mix a medication with it.  They say, Oh, but all that sugar!  I get the 100% cranberry juice and mix it with water to get about 33% juice so it's not so strong.  It has no added sugar and about 9 grams of sugar total, compared to other brands that have much higher amounts of added sugar.  So, I'm promoting urinary system health and drinking a healthier version of cranberry juice in order to do so.  Some people choose to take cranberry supplements, but I just haven't taken to them.  

Green tea is another drink I get advice on.  It's so good for you!  I have been advised by my doctor, though, to limit green tea for health reasons (high blood pressure and osteoporosis, if my memory serves me correctly.  It's been awhile since I was told.  I'm not crazy about green tea--or any tea, really--anyway, so I just filed it in the "do not consume" column in my brain and that was that).  

Protein, too.  When I was working with trainers at the gym years ago, they showed some concern over the fact that I'm supposed to eat a low protein diet to help maintain kidney health.  They were respectful of it, but let me know that, without boosting my protein, I wouldn't be growing too much muscle.  They could work with what I had to firm things up, but not much was going to be built beyond that without extra protein.  I still eat fish, chicken and some pork, as well as other sources of protein without really measuring how much I take in. But, I don't take protein supplements. My test results are consistently within acceptable range using this method, so I must be doing something right.  

Get educated about your health issues, your body, and do what is right for you.

There is so much information available online and off.  If you have any questions about what you should and should not be eating, consult reliable sources for answers:  your doctor--or a team of doctors, registered dietician, respected, peer-reviewed medical journal articles, scientific studies, and others.   Choose wisely and make sure to back it up.

Have the confidence to eat what you need to and go without what you have to in order to take care of yourself.  Please don't feel guilty or weird for not taking others' advice when it could compromise your health.  It doesn't matter what Joe down the street does.  It doesn't matter what Molly from work eats.  We each have our unique nutritional needs.  

Briefly explaining it to the person who is giving advice or ribbing you about your food choices might help to educate them help them to better understand where you are coming from and get them off your back.  That is completely up to you.  It's your body.  It's your life.  It's your decision what to share and what not to share with others no matter the nature of your relationship.

If you have any questions or comments for me, leave them in the comments below or email me at amy@acnlifecoach.com.  Please note, though, that I am not a physician or registered dietician, so I cannot give medical advice.  See you back here next Sunday.  Have a great week!

I'm Back!: An Introduction

Hi everyone!  I'm back!  I'm so excited to start blogging again!  

First of all, thank you to my followers who stuck with me during the break even though I didn't post anything new.

And, thank you and welcome to those of you who recently started following my blog.  I'm glad you're here and hope you find my posts valuable.

I plan to write on a variety of topics related to confidence building, and also how the arts can serve as valuable tools to help bring about meaningful change in our lives.

Feel free to join in on the conversation, ask questions, and suggest topics for future posts.  I'd love to hear from you!

Okay, that's it for this time.  I hope you're having an amazing weekend.  I'll be posting again in the next couple of days.  Take care!