Emotional meltdowns suck!
Find some happiness
Hi, everyone. I’m sharing a personal story with hopes of helping someone else having a difficult time. Last Tuesday night, as the deadline to upload the latest edition of Desert Messenger loomed closer and closer, I experienced an emotional meltdown.
I realized I was going to be late, which meant the printer couldn’t print when they planned, which meant the papers were not going to arrive at the regular time, which meant my Wednesday deliver-day routine would not be the same, which meant more stress, which meant more stress…. and the emotional dominoes began to fall. It wasn’t pretty, but I survived. I guess I just want you to know I’m not superhuman either.
Emotional meltdowns are a common experience for stroke survivors. Most occur early in the recovery and usually gets better with time.
But for some of us, we still have “THOSE DAYS!”
Stroke survivors often fall into acquired neurodiversity category, which refers to changes in a person’s brain functioning following an injury, disease, or health condition.
Neurodivergence is often used to describe lifelong conditions like Autism, ADHD, and learning differences, but that doesn’t reflect the full picture. Acquired neurodivergence means that someone has developed changes to their cognition and behavior within their lifetime, such as a stroke, TBI, PTSD, Long Covid, etc.
I usually know what triggers me. I have gained a lot of “tools” over the years to manage my stress, but sometimes it’s just bad timing, or my “tools” got all mixed up in my brain, kinda like a messy toolbox.
If you ever have “one of those days,” you’re not alone!
One of the emotions that nearly all stroke survivors have to deal with is frustration and Tuesday I had more than my fair share. I’ve always had a high expectation of integrity. Like, if a cashier gives you too much change and they don’t realize, you let them know so they can correct the mistake. Everyone deals with frustration in their own way. There a reason my family calls me Rain-in-the-face. Tears were my release.
And it was absolutely fantastic that Starr took one of the items off my to-do-list and made dinner. Oh, and she also gently reminded me to breathe… LOTS of deep breathing… and reminded me I’m okay. That’s a simple thing folks can do to help.
Support doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be thoughtful.
For many stroke survivors, stress is the main culprit. And after my stroke, folks not taking responsibility for their words or actions is a big trigger and stressor. And there was a bunch of that last weekend. But sheesh, the number of lies and propaganda being spread around daily sure doesn’t help anyone create a calmer environment.
Yes, we are all dealing with a tremendous amount of stress. Taking care of yourself is so important these days. Go take a walk in nature, even spending 15 minutes outside can help the body deal with those stressors. Again… Self-care is a must!
Humans are not at our best when we are constantly angry towards others. And there seems to be a lot of that going around, too. Some folks believe being big, bad and strong leads to peace. But I, along with many peacekeepers would disagree.
After all, my favorite saying is Peace, Love, Joy!
Martin High Bear, a Lakota Elder and Medicine Man taught about the Seven Sacred Values of Life.
#4 of Martin High Bear’s Seven Sacred Lakota Values:
#4 Wi'yuskin - the People shall live with Happiness
The people shall live with happiness. Happiness is a very important element of life. When there was joy and happiness in our tribal villages, such as the celebration of the birth of a new baby, that day everyone was happy. And if there was a loss of life, everybody grieved. Happiness is so relative to laughter. The art of making people laugh is very good gift.
I still treasure the crinkly old, typed list given to me during a ceremony at the Pine Ridge Reservation in the early 1990s. Those were days of some hard but much needed lessons for me.
The elders had become eager to share their wisdom with others. Remember it wasn’t until 1978 that The American Indian Religious Freedom Act was passed. Prior to the act, many aspects of Native American religions and sacred ceremonies had been prohibited by law. The law was enacted to return basic civil liberties to American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians, and to allow them to practice, protect and preserve their inherent right of freedom to believe, express, and exercise their traditional religious rites, spiritual and cultural practices.
Learn more about this amazing human being, who was instructed by the Spirit World to share his teachings with everyone - all the colors of mankind with whom he met during his travels: The Seven Commandments of the-Sacred Buffalo Calf Woman: The Biography of Martin HIgh Bear (1919-1995) Lakota Medicine Man and Spirtual Leader: High Bear, Rose: 9781634244602: Amazon.com: Books
Having a good laugh is not only good for your soul, but it turns out, it could lead to a longer life and a better career.
Jennifer Aaker, a behavioral psychologist, and Naomi Bagdonas, a business consultant, are two women who know a thing or two about funny. In fact, they're so knowledgeable they even teach a class on humor at work at Stanford Business School. And now, the duo is sharing their knowledge in the new book "Humor, Seriously."
They found plenty of evidence showing that having a healthy sense of humor can help in both business and life as well. In the book, they point to one study out of Norway that followed more than 50,000 people for 15 years. The study found that those with a sense of humor lived an average of eight years longer than those who without.
So yes! Peace, Love, Joy!
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
“Our deepest nature is peace, not hatred; happiness, not greed; love, not resentment or shame; and wisdom, not confusion.” ~ Rick Hanson Ph.D.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend and find some gratitude today!
Thank you for your support! Remember to Breathe…. ~Rain