Testing.. Testing.. Practice Writing Ahead!

As discussed earlier, this j-o-b thing ain’t happenin. No biggie. Ish. We still have these pesky motivating things in the form of bills to pay, so it might be time to fall back on some dusty, rusty skills with words. And YOU fine people, get to suffer through the cleaning process with me! Isn’t that grand? hehehe

This session is inspired by, and dedicated to my incredible husband. This man makes life incredible in so many ways. Today, the focus is on the difference between physical therapy, physiotherapy, and massage.

Physical Therapy:

In layman’s terms, not medical speak or dictionary speak, physical therapy is when you go to a clinic after an injury or surgery, meet with a therapist/sadist at the clinic, and work through a prescribed set of exercises that are designed to restore you to full range of movement, strength, and can return to your normal daily activities. Yes, there are times it hurts. Tremendously. But, it IS a necessary evil on the road to recovery. These therapists are a dedicated group, determined to help you do your best and achieve the highest level of recovery, from an incredibly wide range of injuries. Not just bone and muscles are addressed, but they have to dig deep and involve nerves at times too.

Massage

We have all seen the ads for spas, showing blissful looking folks, laying on a table, while a massuse in white gently works on their back. Which is great. Massage is fantastic. SPA massage will help you relax, might work out kinks and knots, provides you with pampering, and leaves you feeling relaxed and happy. I’m all for it. Taking care of ourselves these days is critical, as many of us push too hard for too long, and have nothing left in the tank. We frequently hear about the benefits of self-care, and massage is a GREAT option for that. Bonus- you won’t have anyone cackling in your ear, telling you to take the pain. Huge win there.

Physiotherapy

Again, in layman’s terms, not medical speak, physiotherapy is where its at. Hands down, no contest, THE SOLID WINNER. Physiotherapy combines the benefits of PT, without the sadist (mostly), and massage to an elevated, clinical level. My incredible husband is a physiotherapist. His clients (not just me) sing his praises, and ta-da- they can walk and move considerably better after they get off the table, than when they got ON the table.

Now, I say MOSTLY without the sadist involvement. There are times when he will find an issues, and work that issue, and wind up stretching you in ways you had no earthly clue you could stretch in. Seriously. The great part is, after he un-pretzels your body, he will then soothe the muscles with specifically targeted massage methods, that provide immense relief. There are times when a physio will hand you homework, such as specific stretches or exercises, to help in your journey to health and recovery. If you choose not to do that homework, I promise you, he will know on your next visit. And he will let you know that he knows that you know that he knows you didn’t do as you were instructed. Bad client. Bad bad.

Self-care is a must. This deep level of emotional and physical fatigue most of us carry around is truly not healthy for our bodies, souls or minds. If you already have a self-care routine established, look into expanding it and adding in either massage or a few visits with a good physiotherapist. It will make a massive difference in the overall quality of your life. When you can reduce levels of pain, your mind and energy are freed up to venture down new pathways, you rest better, and your overall outlook on life improves. Chronic pain alters you. The levels of frustration, irritation, and anger will change your personality, physical abilities, and patience with those around you.

Now, please do not argue about the cost. How much is your life worth? How much is your mental well being worth? How much does your fancy coffee shop routine cost you? Will that fancy coffee shop routine ease pain? Granted, a daily dose of magic beans does wonders, but overall it is short-lived and still leaves things hurting. If not adding to more pain, as your heart rate increases.

Do yourself a favor. Take care of you. We only get this one body, this one opportunity to live our best life. Incorporate some care into it.

There ya have it- practice session one in the books. What say y’all?
XOXO-
~Momma Bear
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Momma Bear Gets Creative (Cause she can’t find a j-o-b)

First, an update on the j-o-b search.
It’s.. well, laughable.

Did you know that at 5o-something years old, I’m over qualified for just about… everything? Yup. Really really.

Second, the importance of routine.

As the end of my seasonal job approached, knowing my routine was going to change once again sent me into a tail-spin. A bad one. Routine is critical to my days. Each time there is a disruption, there are very messy consequences. Establishing a new routine is miserable, but critical. The trick generally lies within sorting out what is the best path, the healthiest option, that will reach an end goal.

All that to say, that the past 12 days have been a series of ups and downs. One day, I wake with steely determination to make money freelance writing again. I compile lists of sites to investigate, ideas, outlines for pieces, the list goes on. The next day arrives with nothing but fog and fuzz in brain.exe, and I sit like a bump on a frog, which leads to self doubt and combing the help wanteds again, applying, and getting back the above mentioned over qualified bullshit.

So, what kind of day is today, Momma Bear?

From the comic files…

One that needs coffee… oh.. wait..
Today is a bit of a toss up. After yet another “I’m sorry, we have chosen not to proceed with this” type email, today is back to writing again. (Y’all pity my poor long-suffering husband. Seriously. How he puts up with me, I’ll never know.)

I dug out my lists and ideas, and decided that engaging the brain is going to be a good thing.

Crash, my muse. Anytime I get creative, Crash is right there, helpurring.

Oh, one thing that IS helping? Yoga. Crazy, right? There’s this little channel on the yousetubes that has this lil feller who really does a good job walking viewers through breathing and stretching. It seems to be doing my old bones some good. Which reminds me, I skipped that part this morning… Bad Momma. Bad bad.

Anywhoo..

Hmm.. seems like there was something else that was supposed to go in here, but apparently it has left the building. Eh… screw it.

I’ll leave you with a few projects that have been a brain-saver the past few months. A new journey started, in the form of learning to create with pencils, watercolors, and of course, a Shitten as my muse. Some of these creations have even been adopted, and found loving new homes. Which is a heck of a thrill for me!

Here are a few of the other creations, in both pencil and watercolor.

Now, as I challenge myself to make a difference today, I challenge you, too. Not to make a difference, I’m sure you all do that already. But to step outside your comfort zone, and test out a potential new skill. Always wanted to draw? Do it! Want to ice skate? Play foozeball? Cook a special mean? Go for it! One thing that has been driven home HARD lately is that none of us are getting any younger. If you wish to sit on that porch in your rocking chair saying, “Man what a ride!” instead of “Man I wish I had…” then we best get to getting to it. See what I’m sayin?

Saddle up! Let’s do this.

XOXO
Momma Bear

Love the Bear’s musings and creations? Hit the tip jar! Your support goes to providing crunchy foods, nip and vet care for Shittens. Want to buy an original creation? Hit me up! All proceeds from sales go to Savannah’s very own Cat’s from Da Hood, a small group of dedicated volunteers feeding, trapping, spaying and neutering community cats in Savannah, GA. These folks are aaahhhh-maaa-zing. You can find them on Facebook. Check them out!

Life Finds A Way

That is the saying on my favorite t-shirt. Yes, it is my Jurassic Park shirt, but still- it rings so true these days. Today, I choose to use it as an inspiration. Life lately has been filled with anxiety and nervous breakdowns. Self doubt about what I can do for a job has caused untold amounts of stress (thanks, TBI. Preciate that so much… NOT.)

Combing the job boards this morning, I started to hyperventilate yet again. I had to stop, walk away, and take a seriously hard look at the anxiety- what was the trigger, what did my (not overly reliable) gut have to say, and what might be some alternative ways to ease the anxiety and bring in income.

That is the bare root of it- income.

Physical and mental limitations have become a significant issue. Deep in my heart, my biggest goal is to be home with my family. Unlike many of the modern families today, I actually LIKE my kids, and love my husband- being with them, spending time with them, is the highlight of my day. My husband is also about the only one who can help me work through all the mess in my head, calming things down.

Simply the idea of going out, to a new location, DRIVING there, learning new people, new job tasks, new surroundings, brings about heart palpitations. The TBI induced brain fog increases, and there have been more than one day/ night lately where I shake and cry at the drop of a hat.

Solution? Time to take a step back, and see what skills I still somewhat have, dust them off and see where it may lead. As I mentioned, income is the name of the game. If I can produce pieces for freelance writing, the anxiety just might ease up a bit.

Wish me luck, y’all. Now… I just have to remember what the idea for a piece was I just had, and get it written down!

XOXO

Momma Bear